 ICE MELTS… WHISKY ROCKS!
Chill your favorite spirits just a touch without diluting their perfectly balanced flavors. Whiskey Stones are made in Vermont from natural soapstone, by the craftsmen of the oldest soapstone workshop in the United States. The stones are nonporous, and will impart neither flavor nor odor. More gentle than ice, Whiskey Stones can be used to cool down your favorite spirits just enough to take the edge off without “closing down” the flavors.
Store in the freezer for at least 4 hours before use. Add 3 stones to a glass. Pour until liquid has reached the height of 1 stone (about 2 fl oz). Let stand for 5 minutes. Enjoy. Rinse and air dry following every use, storing in the freezer for next time. Set of 9 stones packaged in a gift box; reusable storage bag included.
Teroforma Whisky Stones are available in our Party Shops in Lenexa and Prairie Village
Updated January 29, 2011 6:24 pm
EMILY & JAMES' WINE REVIEW
By Emily & James Harrington *
 Leitz "Dragonstone" Riesling 2009
Rheingau, Germany
Riesling is one of the most misunderstood grapes out there in the great world of wine. We can think of no other grape that is so universally loved by wine writers and experts, yet is so often dismissed by consumers. Thankfully, the tide is turning, and more and more people are coming to appreciate and enjoy the widely varying and always exciting nature of Riesling. People are always suprised to hear about the extraordinary longevity of many well-made Rieslings. We have had Rieslings that have been 28-29 years old, and still in good shape and relatively youthful in flavor! Buying an age-worthy white wine for less than $30 is an amazing investment in wine experiences to come! Interestingly, Riesling is also one of THE best food wines out there. Its bright acidity contrasts with richer foods, the light sweetness that some Rieslings have highlights the natural sweetness of many foods or sauces that accompany them, and the light body keeps the wine from overpowering many foods that might overwise be overwhelmed. Riesling is also a great go-to wine for hard to pair foods like those in Thai, Chinese, or Indian cuisine. While it is a great food wine, Rieslings are also excellent for those times when you just want to drink a wine by itself (with good company, of course!).
This refreshing white wine hails from the Motherland of Riesling: Germany, specifically the Rheingau region in the southern part of the country. The wine hits the rights notes of fruit and minerality. The sweetness level is pretty low, with smooth and subtle flavors of poached pear and a juicy white peach accented with light floral notes. The acidity in the wine really helps to carry the fruit flavors into a lengthy and lingering finish, but the "roundness" that we find typical of Rheingau Rieslings helps to keep the wine from being too tart. This is an extremely enjoyable wine that comes from one of the top importers of German wines into the US, Terry Theise. This man has been enormously inspiring in his very detailed and informative wine writings, and if you see a bottle of wine with him listed as the importer, you are pretty much guaranteed an exceptional wine-drinking experience.
*Both James, a member of our Prairie Village team, and Emily, who is on the staff in Lenexa, are Certified Sommeliers as recognized by the Court of Master Sommeliers
Updated January 28, 2011 5:35 pm
We want to share with you a message we received from our friends at Ripple Glass Recycling Center:
“In November 2009, Ripple Glass launched a comprehensive drop-off program for glass in the Kansas City metropolitan area. We now have more than 80 public collection locations in our community and have more than doubled glass recycling rates in our first year of operation.
Reviewing our collection data from 2010, I am inspired by each individual who uses glass, saves the empties, and delivers the containers to a Ripple Glass bin for recycling. I am reminded that when we all do a little, we all do a lot. Collectively, we have recycled 34.5 million containers, saving enough electricity to power every house in Greater Kansas City for an entire day, and resulting in enormous reductions in air and water emissions.”
In the period March through December 2010, the Ripple Glass bins located at Rimann Liquors of Lenexa and The Prairie Village Shops harvested over 281 tons of glass!
Updated January 25, 2011 7:35 pm
 KIM'S BEER REVIEW
By Kim Funari
Goose Island Demolition Ale
Style: Belgian-Style Golden Ale
ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 7.2
IBU (International Bittering Units): 40
Goose Island's Demolition Ale is the brewery's tribute to the loyal customers who kept them in business when the mall surrounding their brewery in Chicago was being torn down. It's a complex, slightly sour Belgian Ale, ripe with complexity, and a great example of the style.
The Demolition Ale is a lovely cloudy golden color with peachy hints and a bright white, thin head of foam. The smell is redolant of pale malts with punches of lemons and bread, topped with notes of banana, clove and a touch of something that reminds me, at least, of bubblegum. It's complex and fantastic.
Drinking the beer begins with a hint of sourness - the hallmark of many lighter Belgian-style ales - before moving into the rich fullness of bready pale malts and bits of grassy, citrusy bitterness. The Demolition has a creamy mouthfeel that somehow manages to produce light hop bite on the tongue and a light prickle of carbonation. The aftertaste is all lemon cookie.
Beyond being a must-try for lovers of Boulevard's Tank 7, this is an excellent beer to try for those who are interested in trying out Belgian-style ales and sour beers. There is a definite sourness to the beer, but it's light enough to refrain from becoming overwhelming.
This is an excellent beer, warming enough to work in the cold winter months and a nice change from the porters and stouts that are so common this time of year.
Updated January 25, 2011 6:45 pm
 KIM'S BEER REVIEW
By Kim Funari
Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale
Style: American Red Ale/Scottish Ale
ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 6.8%
IBU (International Bittering Units): 67
Bear Republic out of Healdsburg, CA, is a hophead's dream brewery. Most of their brews - including oft-sweeter, malt-heavy styles - feature a hop-forward flavor profile. The Red Rocket Ale, best described in the brewery's words as a "bastardized Scottish-Style Red Ale," is one of the best examples of Bear Republic's unique style.
This beer is a cloudy but bright copper color with a finger or so worth of light tan-colored head. The scent is redolent of ruby red grapefruit-scented hops, backed up by the sweetness of apple and caramel-biscuit smelling malts.
Drinking this beer begins with a massive bite of hops on the tongue - it's strong enough to be a sensation as much as a flavor, bright, bitter and very sharp. Once the initial biting sensation wears off, the beer calms down into a profile of grassy and herbal hops with hints of citrus rind and pith on top. The malts are lying underneath the hops, coming through mostly in hints of almost syrupy, Scottish Ale-style sweetness. The malts disappear again in the aftertaste, which is a long and lingering hit of grapefruit-y hops.
Bear Republic's beers are not for the faint of heart. They're packed full of flavor and style, unapologetic in their strength and confidence. The Red Rocket is one of their best, so pick one up soon and enjoy!
Updated January 18, 2011 6:00 pm
May we suggest...
Wine & Spirits Magazine
Year's Best Chardonnay
Kunde Family Estate
2008 Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley
90
PO I N T S
Best Buy
Complex flavors of ripe pears, crisp apples and toasty oak. From fresh green salads or full flavored seafood to roast chicken and vegetables, this wine is the right match.
Updated January 13, 2011 6:00 pm
KIM'S BEER REVIEW
By Kim Funari
Epic Mayhem
Style: American Strong Ale
ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 6.2%
From New Zealand's Epic Brewing Company comes Mayhem, the Kiwi version of an American Strong Ale. It's a wonderful take on the style, bright and zingy without the heaviness that often accompanies the higher alcohol level in strong ales.
This beer is a gorgeous cloudy amber color with a rim of white head and fountains of tiny, almost champagne-like bubbles. The scent is a gloriously sunny combination of grapefruit and piney hops with undertones of malty, almost caramel-like sweetness. It's the type of scent that can help replace thoughts of snowfall and cold, blustery winds with warmer memories of sunshine and leafy trees.
Taste-wise, this beer begins with a pleasant hop bite before sliding into a nice balance between notes of citrus and medium, lightly sweet malts. The bubbling carbonation helps give this beer a fairly light body for the alcohol level, making this an extremely refreshing, easy-to-drink beer.
With it's bright flavors and lack of aftertaste, this is a beer that would pair extremely well with food. Try it with fried chicken, a tray of hard cheeses, or a warming bowl of stew.
Updated January 11, 2011 5:00 pm
EMILY & JAMES' WINE REVIEW
By Emily & James Harrington *
 Bodegas Olivares
"Altos de la Hoya"
Monastrell 2009
Jumilla, Spain
This medium-bodied red exemplifies what is exciting about Spanish wines today: interesting, yet un-complicated wines at great values. Many of you may be unfamiliar with the grape variety Monastrell. It is a red grape variety indigenous to Spain, but is better known as Mourvedre, one of the major grape varieties of France's Rhone Valley. This variety is also grown in limited quantities in California and Australia, where it is frequently used for blending into Rhone-style blends with Grenache and Syrah/Shiraz. In Spain, Monastrell is concentrated on the Mediterranean coast, and is a notable specialty of Jumilla.
The deep color of this wine echoes the dark flavors: blackberry and black cherry, with a hefty dose of cinnamon. The wine has a definite baked fruit-quality that is typical of Spanish wines that hail from warm climates like that of Jumilla. Soft tannins make this wine enjoyable and easy-to-drink, another quality common amongst Spanish reds. This rustic red would be great alongside a hearty beef stew, or a Moroccan-inspired beef or lamb tagine with roasted vegetables.
*Both James, a member of our Prairie Village team, and Emily, who is on the staff in Lenexa, are Certified Sommeliers as recognized by the Court of Master Sommeliers
Updated January 8, 2011 7:20 pm |
