NL Gin & Tonic

Holiday Sangira

Looking for a perfect party pleaser for your holiday gatherings? We suggest you try this Holiday Sangria!

Ingredients
2 bottles of Villa Maria ($2.00 off) Sauvignon Blanc
1 apple sliced into wedges
½ pomegranate
1 – 2 oranges cut into slices
Handful of cranberries
1 bottle of lime sparkling water
1 cup of cranberry juice
1 cup white grape juice
Sprigs of Rosemary for garnish

Directions:
– Add the apple wedges, pomegranates, orange slices and cranberries to a pitcher.
– Pour 2 bottles of Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc over the fresh fruit and refrigerate overnight – – or for at least 4-6 hours.
– Just before serving, add in lime sparkling water, cranberry and white grape juice.
– Garnish each glass with a sprig of Rosemary and an orange slice.

Cheers!

Fall Sizzler

Don’t miss out on these exquisite spirits, wines and beers, hand selected just in time for Fall. 

Why Everyone is Going Crazy for Fruit and Berry

Who doesn’t love wine that not only tastes delicious, but is good for you as well? I have some great news for you, fruit and berry wines are jam-packed with health benefits, like antioxidants. Such substances are known to prevent diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and other critical illnesses. Also, many dark-colored fruits, like blackberries and blueberries used in wines, contain flavonoids. Flavonoids have antioxidant properties that have been shown to have various health advantages, including, heightening the immune system, heart and brain functions, and also decrease the risk of a variety of cancers. Who needs to take daily supplements when you can receive great health benefits from wine?

We at The Beverage Baron love fruit and berry wine, and currently carry two award-winning, Canadian brands. The first, Happy Knight, a local New Brunswick winery, integrates various fruits, like cranberries and apples into crisp and exquisite wine. The second, Auk Island, is a Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador based winery, which uses handpicked blueberries and other berries for wine. The winery has made its mark in the industry making unique wines made from Newfoundland berries and fruits, and even using Iceberg water. Both brands are crafted from the berries and fruit of Atlantic Canada – known for its pristine growing conditions. These wines are not something you want to miss out on!

Be sure to try a bottle of one of our great fruit and berry wines today. You can find a list of both Happy Knight and Auk Island Wines on our website.

              

The New Future: Craft Beer

Our society loves selection-  and beer, therefore is there any wonder craft beer is on the rise? Beer is a beverage that can be paired with a variation of foods and lifestyles, catering to people’s taste palates and supporting local economies.

The pop up of local breweries nationwide not only proves Canadians love to drink, but we love to drink different types of beverages. Craft beer differs from your average large beer company in the way that it is produced. Large beer companies products are often produced on a mass level. These beers are like your everyday slice of pizza, but craft beers are produced on a much smaller scale, like your specific individually ordered pizza with fresh mozzarella. However my point is, more tender loving care goes into craft beer. Muskoka Brewery an Ontario native brew company, uses a technique called single small batch brewing, meaning a new batch of beer is made each time. This is often made by a brew master. From single brews, there is sometimes a slight difference in each batch made – even with the same recipe. This is due to each brew master’s acquired mixing techniques. Such breweries often resort to original brewing methods, and take pride on this. Having hand on experience with the beers also allows them to create craft beers with new flavours and have a sense of individuality. Craft beers are meant to give its drinker this sense of individuality as well.

Brands carried by the Beverage Baron, Muskoka Brewery and Garrison Brewery, are two of the many companies to take on this trending method of beer making. Both brands believe craft beer is here to stay, and we will see a dramatic increase in popularity in years to come. A Canadian study completed in 2013, found that craft beer is performing better than any other category of beer in comparison to other years. Such a rise, is believed because craft beer caters to the consumer demand for quality and variety, and may also benefit from the trend toward local products (Mintel, 2013). And what’s that mean for us? More beer and more great tastes! Who would ever want to see that in decline? Craft beer may only be a small category in the overall beer industry, but Jeff from Garrison Brewery, a Nova Scotian native brewery, says that he believes the market for craft beer will only continue to grow. “Having such low margins only allows more opportunities for new breweries to expand and start up. It’s exciting to see what’s in store in the upcoming years,” said Jeff. Who knows where the market will be in five to 10 years?

Craft beer consumption is on a steady incline, due to the influx of millennial’s taking over the beer market. Craig from Muskoka believes this generation has a love for beer, strongly because they have the ability to pair taste buds with a certain flavours and types – the choices are endless. He believes craft beer is customer driven, especially in the younger generations who have more of an interest in trying these specialty products. Social media is a primary driver, as people can share with a network of such products. This paired with the fact that people are becoming more adamant about supporting local. Having local, craft breweries provides an opportunity to support these local businesses.

Go to your local liquor stores and pick some Muskoka or Garrison products or any of our other products, grab some friends (and maybe pizza) and let me know what you think! Post a picture to Instagram with the hashtag #beveragebaronlovescraft.

                     

The Beverage Barons Very Own El Dorado Egg Nog

Download the PDF Here: ElDoradoEggNog

Duck Commander Wood Duck Chardonnay

In today’s world of branding and pop culture, there is no doubt in my mind that Hollywood and it’s counterparts would inevitably make their way into the mineral and nutrient deprived soils of wineries across the planet.

I have the distinct pleasure of attaining a wine for your consumption that is not just pleasing to the Millenials who are now finding a taste for wine but will also appeal to a more distinctive palate.   Our grizzly and lovable friends have put away their moonshine and are now making careful considerations when sitting at the dinner table.

That’s right, the boys from Duck Dynasty have their bearded faces on wine labels coming to a Liquor Store near you, and of course it is aptly named Duck Commander.  Although they offer a number of varieties including a Cabernet and a Pink Moscato,  today my focus is on Duck Commander Chardonnay as the sun is hot and it’s a little more fitting to enjoy something a little more cool and refreshing.

First of all I would like to relieve any thoughts of Uncle Si stomping grapes in the backyard or whether the product was aged in former tobacco barrels…. The boys took their business savvy and put the art of the winemaking into the capable hands of the well-known and reputable Trinchero family.  The boys may know ducks but Trinchero has been producing magnificent wines from their Napa Valley estate since 1947!

Let’s get “down” to business and see if this wine gets a clean “bill” of health.  The chardonnay underwent partial malolactic fermentation which should allow the wine to retain crisp varietal characteristics while imparting a smooth texture to the finished product.

To add a little character such as pineapple, melon and spice, the wine was introduced to French and American and then balanced out in stainless steel tanks.

In my years and years and years of enjoying and criticizing wine, I have to admit that this wine did not disappoint.  Finally picking up the glass, there are rich tropical fruit aromas with hints of lemon and crisp apple.  The palate is vibrant and full of pear, melon and apple pie with a silky, creamy finish.

As I had previously mentioned this is a great wine for a hot evening so it would be a good idea to pair it with summer vegetables such as red peppers, corn, butternut squash and pumpkin ravioli and even cheddar cheese.  This was Truly an enjoyable Chardonnay and I hope you like it as much as I do

 

Keep your glasses full my friends,

 

The Beverage Baron