December 23, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Holiday Drinks
As we get ready to make merry during the holiday season, we here in Maryland are fortunate that a number of people in our agricultural community make it their business to keep us well supplied with seasonal drinks. Which is why we invited Susan Rayner from Boordy Vineyards to talk to us about some of the lovely things you can do with our own Maryland wines.
Years ago, Boordy amused their employees with a holiday Wassail at the annual Christmas party. An ancient English drink, wassail is a concoction of heated cider or wine, with spices and fruits added to intensify the flavor. Boordy's version is based on red wine, and includes all the spices you could think of... so you don't have to do the work.
Boordy also makes a very fine port-style wine called Veritas. Served straight up, Veritas is a super after dinner drink, perfect for the fireside. Try the traditional accompaniments of pears, blue cheese and walnuts. Port is also a great ingredient in roast meat glazes, salad dressings, and poaching liquids.
If you have a couple bottles of Boordy Red Sangria on hand after the summer, you can use those as a basis for your own wassail recipe. Just heat up, add a spice of two and a splash of brandy, and you'll be having a jolly old time caroling.
Susan was also kind enough to send along several drinks recipes made with Boordy wines. Here they are:
The Osprey
1 ½ oz. Vodka, ¾ oz. lemon juice, ¼ oz. simple syrup
Shake well with ice and add Boordy’s Rockfish wine (seyval, chardonnay, vidal)
Garnish with fresh mint
Eis-Tickle
1 part Boordy’s Eisling (sweet Vidal), 2 parts Vodka
Combine in a shaker with shaved ice, serve in a martini glass, garnish with a lemon twist
Tangotini
Equal parts Boordy Tango Peach (which is really Peach Moscato) and Vodka
Spiced Wassail Toddy
Boordy’s Spiced Wassail, warmed
A Drip of honey
A Squeeze of lemon
A generous splash of Spiced Rum
