December 20, 2024

What I’m Drinking: How Silver-Sweet

Well, it’s already deep into the winter holiday season, and I haven’t yet put up a sparkly drink suggestion for your holiday gatherings, because I am lazy, or busy, or some combination of the two? Either/or, you may still need a special sparkler to make your holiday party stand out from the party pack, or to enthrall your relatives with, or to just make yourself because you deserve a nice shiny drink at the end of the year, I think you do! For all of those occasions, let me present How Silver-Sweet, a treat this time (or any time) of year. It uses Castello del Poggio sparkling Moscato, which is light on its feet, featuring pretty fruit notes, including peach, pear, and strawberry, swirling about the sparkly bubbles. It’s a wee sweet (in the best way), and goes delightfully here with Strawberry brandy (a true fruit brandy is what you want, dry, crisp, no additives), Pierre Ferrand’s lush orange curaçao, and a dash of earthy Peychaud’s bitters. It’s bound to make the holidays even more jolly.

How Silver-Sweet cocktail

How Silver-Sweet

Cracked ice

1 ounce strawberry brandy

1/2 ounce Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao

1 dash Peychaud’s bitters

3-1/2 ounces Castello del Poggio sparkling moscato

1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add the brandy, curaçao, and bitters. Stir well.

2. Strain into a wine glass (or flute). Top with the moscato. Stir briefly.

October 13, 2017

What I’m Drinking: How Silver-Sweet

It’s October, which means we have one eye on the upcoming glistening holiday season, and one still on the summer that’s passed, and one on Halloween of course (I’m taking it for granted that each of us has three eyes – it is near Halloween). This position in the party calendar year makes this the ideal time for sweet sparkling wines. Well, really, I’m okay with them anytime, but as they are both ideal for summer (when served nice and cold) and winter (when they match those holidays parties you’re waiting for), then of course, they’re doubly ideal now. That’s my logic. Lucky for me then, a bottle of Castello del Poggio sparkling moscato showed up in the mail recently. Don’t hate me for my luck!

A delicate, lovely, fruity wine, this moscato is a delight. Castello del Poggio is located in Piedmont (in Italy, if that wasn’t obvious), and makes for a pretty sipper from the peachy aroma to the sweet fruity kiss of a flavor, with lots of notes to dwell on. Pear? Sure. Peach? Maybe a bit of strawberry? I thought so, but your palate may differ. There’s a consistent effervescence, too. All combined, makes for a memorable aperitif, or a dessert accompaniment.

It also makes swell sparkling cocktails (you probably knew I was going to go there, cause you’re smart)! When using it in this drink – called How Silver-Sweet, from  R&J, because the sweetness – I wanted to balance it while aligning on the fruit. So, I started with a favorite local spirit, Sidetrack Distillery’s Strawberry brandy. A really, classic, fruit brandy, it’s dry, strong, and carrying the pure essence of the fruit – fruit harvested from the farm where Sidetrack is located. To umph the fruit even more, and rounding out the basket, I also added Pierre Ferrand’s orange curaçao. And then, a final touch, some herbal undertones provided by Peychaud’s bitters. The end result is a layered drink that boasts sweetness and light and lots of flavor.

how-silver-sweet
How Silver-Sweet

Cracked ice
1 ounce Sidetrack strawberry brandy
1/2 ounce Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
3-1/2 ounces Castello del Poggio sparkling moscato

1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add the brandy, curaçao, and bitters. Stir well.

2. Strain into a wine glass (or flute). Top with the moscato. Stir briefly. Sip sweetly.

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