King of Cocktails

Champagne is recognized as the universal symbol of good news, and this cocktail's simple recipe shows that life doesn't have to be complicated to be enjoyed. A classic Champagne Cocktail may not be a trendy drink these days, but as a classic, it’s as good as when Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr sipped it in An Affair To Remember. 

A great Champagne stands on its own and should be sipped solo, whereas an inexpensive sparkling wine benefits from the bitters and the sugar cube keeps those bubbles hopping. 

Classic Champagne Cocktail Recipe: Six ounces of Champagne or sparkling wine and a sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters is all it takes to make a sophisticated cocktail for the New Year. Drop the sugar cube into a tall flute glass, and then slowly add champagne and a lemon twist. 

Tips: With the Champagne Cocktail, you can trust the bitters to take the edge off a lesser quality champagne or sparkling wine. For this drink, you can use a less expensive wine, spending about $10 to $18 for a good domestic bottle. Or, as I personally prefer to use a good Prosecco for under $15.

When opening Champagne or Prosecco, use a gentle twist - save the bubbles for the inside of the glass and not the floor.

Optional: If bitters in sparkling wine is not your cup of tea, a Prosecco Spritzer Cocktail could be the toast for you. To a glass of prosecco, omit bitters, sugar and lemon and replace with splash of limoncello and Cognac and go all Amalifi-like. Cin cin!

 

chefgeorgehirsch.com

Paumanok

The Indians called Long Island "Paumanok" - which means "land of tribute". FYI, by the year 1643 there were were thirteen different American Indian Tribes living on Long Island; Canarsie, Rockaway, Matinecock, Merrick, Massapequa, Nissequoge, Secatoag, Seatauket, Patchoag, Corchaug, Shinnecock, Manhasset and Montauk. 

Original Map Drawing of Paumanok

I also am native to Paumanok (Long Island), nearer to where the Shinnecock Tribe settled. It's funny, most people think that I’m from Florida, maybe because that is where many of my shows have been filmed. While others have the impression I’m originally from Canada. That's definitely because of the stories I have shared on-air about the great influence Canada has had on my life with most of my childhood summers spent there. But I am truly a Long Islander.

Long Island New York is such a beautiful place, encircled by water. And yes, it is an island! Extending west to east 118 miles and 23 miles at it’s widest point. Enough for the geography lesson, now back to Paumanok.

Ursula and Charles Massoud - Paumanok Vineyards

I recently had a different kind of Paumanok experience. One of my long time friends had a dinner party at his home. It was a wonderful reunion, catching up with some top people in the foodie biz. The food, was over the top. Guests including top chefs, and long time friends and owners of Paumanok Vineyards, Ursula and Charles Massoud. Well, that wonderful evening was capped off with Paumanok's 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest. 

Since the spring of 1983, the Massoud's 103 acre estate, located on the Nork Fork of Eastern Long Island, has been operated by Ursula, Charles and their three sons, using old world traditions. Basically, the same ways they were born and raised with.

About Paumanok Vineyard's 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest

WINEMAKER NOTES

The summer of 2006 got off to an unusually humid start. This made vineyard management challenging, but we proactively worked to keep an open canopy and protect our crop. By August, the relentless humidity finally abated as the Sauvignon Blanc grapes began to ripen with ample sunshine and heat leading up to harvest. This allowed for complete ripening of the Sauvignon Blanc grapes, with the subsequent development of botrytis, the “noble rot”. The grapes were carefully hand-harvested and whole-cluster pressed. This wine was barrel fermented in French oak (Vosges) barrels. Fermentation was kept very cold (50F or lower) and thus, slow, to preserve fruitiness. 

TASTING NOTES

Concentrated fruit flavors range from hints of citrus to distinct tastes of pineapple, mango, quince and litchi. The wine is rich and sweet, and has ample acidity to balance the sugar, resulting in a sensational, full-bodied, dessert wine with a long finish. The oak embellishes the wine by imparting a subtle nutty flavor and by increasing complexity. 


Cote De Provence

Grilled foods, steamy weather, evenings outdoors -all indicators it's time for a refreshing wine to pair with summertime entertaining. Here is one of my favorite rosés; Rosé Cour de Grain, which pairs well with grilled fish, poultry and pork. It also happens to be known as the "finest rosé in the world". I might have to agree. It is the perfect blend of Syrah, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Grenache and Cinsault with a refreshing crisp and fruity hint of apricot and grapefruit. Serve very chilled.

The Ott family has been making fine wines for over 100 years in the south of France and proudly continues to be still operated by the children and grandchildren of Marcel Ott. Chateau de Selle is perched in the heart of the Côtes de Provence country. This is just one of the three prestigious Ott Domaines. 

Domain Ott, Chateau de Selle - Cru classé, AOC Cotes de Provence