Stella Rosa Cocktails

Summer isn't over yet, so enjoy these Stella Rosa Cocktails - Cheers!

Stella Rosa 1917 1 oz Stella Rosa Rosso or Imperiale Brachetto ½ oz Lemon infused Vodka 1 ½ oz fresh sour or fresh lemon juice 3 cucumber slices 1 strawberry Muddle cucumber and strawberry. Add rest of ingredients and ice. Shake and strain into ice-filled 10 ½ oz Collins glass or 6-8 oz Martini glass. Garnish with cucumber slice.	The Riboli 1 ½ oz Moscato D’Asti or Stella Rosa Bianco ½ oz Ginger liqueur 2 ½ oz lavender soda 2 blackberries or 1 edible flower for garnish All ingredients should be pre-chilled. Combine all ingredients in champagne flute. Garnish with blackberry or edible flower.
Stella No. 42 1 ½ oz Stella Rosa Imperiale Moscato Rose ½ oz Italian bitters (the red-colored is preferred) ½ oz honey syrup 1 oz grapefruit juice Shake all ingredients and strain into ice-filled 10 ½ oz double old fashioned glass. Garnish with grapefruit peel.	Stella Milano 1 ½ oz Stella Rosa Imperiale Moscato or Imperiale Orange Moscato ½ oz orange liqueur (rum-based is suggested) Ginger beer Half orange wheel for garnish Shake and strain wine and orange liqueur into ice-filled 9 oz highball glass. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with half orange wheel.
Stella On The Beach 1 oz Stella Rosa Rosso or Imperiale Brachetto 1 oz premium white rum Pineapple Juice Soda water Lime wedge or wheel for garnish Build in ice-filled 9 oz highball glass. Garnish with lime wedge or wheel.	Stella Roma 1 oz Stella Rosa Bianco, Moscato D’Asti, or Imperiale Moscato 1 oz premium gin Blood Orange Soda Blood Orange or Orange wheel for garnish Build in ice-filled 9 oz highball glass. Garnish with blood orange wheel.
Stella Cosmo 1 oz Stella Rosa Bianco, Moscato D’Asti, or Imperiale Moscato 1 oz Triple Sec ½ oz Lemon Infused Vodka 1 oz Cranberry Juice Fresh squeezed lime to taste Lemon peel or lime wedge for garnish Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into 6-8 oz Martini glass. Garnish with lemon peel or lime wedge.	Stella Matador 1 oz Stella Rosa Bianco, Moscato D’Asti, or Imperiale Moscato 1 oz Blanco or Silver Tequila 2 oz Pineapple Juice ½ Fresh squeezed lime or fresh sour Lime wedge for garnish Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into 6-8 oz Martini glass or ice-filled 10 ½ oz double old fashioned glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

Wine cocktails offer a sophisticated twist on the wine coolers of yesteryear.

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, August 22, 7:04 AM

 

Remember wine coolers? Turns out they’re not actually all that cool these days.

But don’t put that cork back in the bottle just yet. Why not mix up a few wine cocktails, which — unlike their commercial predecessors — are quite sophisticated and of-the-moment.

“Wine-based cocktails are something that I think have really taken off,” says Amy Currens, wine director at Prospect, a restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood.

Wine cocktails are a year-round drink, but they’re especially good for summer, adding a fun touch to backyard barbecues and pairing well with grilled meats thanks to their grape underpinnings.

One of the cocktails served at Prospect, named appropriately enough the Prospector, consists of blended scotch, Benedictine, bitters and Madeira, the fortified wine from Portugal. “Those red fruits that come out through the Madeira would complement roasted meat,” says Currens. “I can see a good brat and a Prospector.”

A classic wine cocktail is the Americano, which is part vermouth and part Campari, a liqueur. Another standby is the Bellini, a mix of sparkling wine, usually Italian prosecco, and peach puree. And in general, sparkling wine is an easy way to incorporate wine into a cocktail, providing fizz and a boost of flavor.

At the Bluestem Brasserie in San Francisco, the Violet Femme cocktail uses red seedless grapes, absinthe, cabernet sauvignon, sparkling wine, simple syrup and bitters. And the Briar Patch celebrates the season with macerated summer fruit, gin, lime and sparkling wine.

Port and sherry make good additions to a cocktail, as does moscato, which is often fruity and little fizzy. Sonoma County-based Redtree Wine has come up with some cocktail recipes for its Redtree moscato wine including Bumble & Bubbles, made of 3 ounces of prosecco, 1 ounce moscato, and two dashes of orange bitters.

It’s probably not surprising that wine has popped up as a cocktail ingredient given the trend of inventive drinks recipes that focus on using fresh and unusual ingredients.

The advantage of wine as an ingredient “really boils down to two main things,” says Bluestem Brasserie owner Adam Jed. “First of all, wine adds a really unique flavor profile to cocktails. The other is that wine, especially sparkling wine or Champagne, adds an inherent lightness that soda water, syrups and other ingredients do not. It’s that unique texture that really makes wine cocktails stand out from the crowd.”

Something new to try...

ChocoVine is a fine red wine and rich dark chocolate blend with the finest Dutch cream to create a blissful indulgence. It comes in 4 different flavors: ChocoVine Original, ChocoVine Whipped Cream, ChocoVine Espresso, & ChocoVine Raspberry.

You can find delicious recipes on their website http://chocovine.com

San Diego Wine Country Festival - Bernardo Winery

Wine Graduation Cap - Completed!

We almost forgot to post the completed Wine inspired graduation cap!

Hope you like it :)

I only drink wine.....

If the Olympics had wine tasting......

Be. Wine

We were introduced to a new wine last weekend and it was delicious! We tried the Pink Moscato, here is some info on the wine:

Be. Flirty is the perfect playful Moscato to delight the senses! This mischievous Moscato is made to be sipped with a wink and a smile. Rich berry and delicate tropical and floral notes dance on the tongue for a luscious taste and juicy finish—sealed with a kiss of pink. Serve chilled for an irresistible treat. Please visit Be Winery to view all of the wines they produce along with this one.

San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival 2012

CorkStand has been hard at work wine tasting, but we are back to share our wine finds with you!

Here are some up coming wine events:

November 14-18, 2012
As one of the largest wine and food festivals in the nation, the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival has helped shine the light on San Diego's thriving food scene. We've got our eyes and ears peeled for the city's most drool-worthy restaurants and newest food trends to hit the streets, bringing you an epicurean experience unlike any other. The magnitude of culinary talent in San Diego combined with an international showcase of the world's premiere wines and spirits, and the nation's trendsetting culinary masters, makes attendance at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival a mouthwatering feast and precursor to the Thankgiving holiday. http://www.sandiegowineclassic.com/

 

Saturday, September 15, 2012 - Hosted by Callaway Vineyard & Winery
Gotta' CRUSH on Temecula? Join the winery owners, winemakers and growers of the Temecula Valley as we celebrate California Wine Month, Temecula Style, at our 3rd Annual Wine and Culinary Showcase, CRUSH.   The newly renovated and expanded patio of historic Callaway Vineyard & Winery is host to the event.

This is the ONE and ONLY event showcasing the wines of 30 plus member wineries of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association in one location. Meet the winery owners, chat with the winemakers and enjoy the culinary creations of both winery and local restaurants while sampling incredible Temecula Valley wines.  Blue Sutra will be providing entertainment for the evening.  It'll be an enchanting event! For more information, please visit: Temecula Winegrowers Association

November 3rd and 4th, 2012
Tickets are now available for our 22nd annual Harvest Celebration Barrel Tasting Weekend.  Ticketholders will enjoy visiting up to - or all! - 35 member wineries for two fun filled days of wine and food sampling.  Your self-guided wine country tasting adventure begins each day at 10am and ends at 4:30pm.  Don't miss your chance to partake of this sell-out event. Make plans now! For more information, please visit: Temecula Winegrowers Association