Leftovers from a cocktail party

After volunteering with the Manhattan Cocktail Classic last weekend, I missed the boat on taking leftover booze home, but I did raid the walk-in for leftover ingredients.

That’s how I ended up with cocktail-leftover salad. There’s something satisfying about clearing out the refrigerator and making something new. In this case, I simply chopped up the veggies (I already had the carrots) and blanched the carrots and baby zucchini. The veggies were tossed in a dressing made of the lemon juice and olive oil. The egg whites were baked with chopped herbs (thyme & sage), and all of the above were mixed with cooked bamboo rice and chilled. An orange for dessert. The English cucumber was used for…a simple lunch tomorrow of cucumbers and cheese (what were you thinking?)


Ok, maybe not the most delicious thing I’ve ever created (technically, this is a wine blog, so don’t come here for recipes and inspiration) but it was fun and filling.

Seeing as I only used about a tablespoon of a ½ gallon jug of lemon juice, I used more lemon juice (plus simple syrup) to make a saké lemonade.


Yum.

Oak in drinks

At The Standard Grill in the Meatpacking District for a bite.

Interesting cocktials. I ordered their version of a mint julep, which is made of bourbon, mint and oak-infused simple syrup.

The cork dork is literally drinking oak juice!

Altos Las Hormigas, Vineyard Selection Reserva Malbec 2007 (Mendoza, Argentina) $19, 14.6% abv

Tips for pairing wine with procrastination:

1. Do choose a wine that is widely available, either via your own cellar or at the wine shop. Since you really should be writing the chapter that’s due this evening (I’d like to point out that there is technically still three hours of “Sunday” left), you shouldn’t be opening something you’d linger over. Plus if it turns out you open a bottle you dig, you can always go back for another when you don’t have a deadline looming.

2. Do choose something on cheap & cheerful side. Again, since you really need to churn out four more pages (single spaced), don’t be getting into a wine so profound that it distracts you from your storyline.

3. Do choose something that might turn you on. Some writers talk about making a soundtrack to get them into the mood to write. Like that background music, you need to pick a wine that balances your need for it to fade into the background (so you can concentrate on nailing dialogue) with keeping your mojo flowing.

4. Do choose a wine that is versatile enough to pair with anything lurking in the deep recesses of your refrigerator. Staring at a blank Word document long enough will cause you to wonder if the caramelized onions you made this morning will taste good wrapped around pickled okra. Or is that just me?

5. Don’t choose a wine high in alcohol. For obvious concentration reasons.

So the Altos Las Hormigas wins on all points but the last one. It’s absolutely saturated in a purple-y ruby all the way to the rim with lots of staining tears. Yet the nose is not super-explosive, and it’s dominated by blackberries and dried black cherries with granite and a hint of florals. It’s medium (+) in body with velvety tannins, medium amount of acid, and flavors of bright blackberry and more granite on the palate.

As for the alcohol, I didn’t really smell it or taste it harshly on the palate. Just to be safe (as the book is not just going to write itself), I recommend pairing this wine with Procrastination Pizza. Tonight I’ve chosen Mystic Pizza, but you may feel free to substitute your favorite frozen pizza here.

Transparency: this wine is imported by my employer.