Cucumber Sparkler

Once again, we feature Joe Canal's of Woodbridge + NJ.com's weekly Drinks on Us segment!  Still
thirsty for a refreshing warm weather quencher?  Check out this week's recipe below and visit our facebook page to watch store manager David Rudd's presentation!

Cucumber Sparkler

-1 tablespoon cubed, seeded cucumber
-1/2 oz fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
-1/2 oz simple syrup
-1 dash of mint bitters
-1 1/2 oz Devotion vodka
-3 oz sparkling wine

Muddle the cucumber and lime juice. Add simple syrup, bitters and vodka with a bit of ice and shake to chill. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a slice of cucumber.

Pokemon Hunting with Store Manager David Rudd

Once again this past Friday, our friends at nj.com visited us at Joe Canal's in Woodbridge for a Live Facebook post for another installment of Drinks on Us featuring our Store Manager David Rudd.  This time he's grabbed onto the Pokémon Go craze and pulled a drink out of his mixologist mind called the Pikachu. This energizing cocktail will pep you up after a long workday. 

The Pikachu
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz peach schnapps
- 3 oz orange juice
- 1 1/2 oz Red Bull
- 1 oz grenadine
- 2 cherries

Combine the vodka, peach schnapps and orange juice in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake to chill. Strain into an iced highball, add grenadine and top with Red Bull. Garnish with two cherries and drink with a straw.
To "virgin-ize" it for the pint-sized Pokémon masters in your home, just remove the alcohol and Red Bull and add a splash of apple juice.

Visit our Woodbridge Facebook page and check out the whole video with David!

Still in the Summertime Spirit

We seem to be stuck in this heat and humidity for at least a few more days, so why don't you stop in and pick up some of these newer spirits to add to your blender for a refreshing frozen treat?
Bacardi GrapefruitBACARDÍ® GRAPEFRUIT Flavored Rum is infused with pink grapefruit flavors to create a semi-sweet, citrus taste. Pair BACARDÍ Grapefruit with pink lemonade for a refreshing and delicious shot drink, or use it to add a new grapefruit twist to old classics like the Mojito and Mule.

New Amsterdam Pineapple VodkaNew Amsterdam® Pineapple vodka stays crisp and fresh under situations of extreme pressure, like doing the limbo. For the weekend, try our pineapple-flavored vodka.

Try these recipes to delight your adult guests at your next BBQ!

Bacardi Citrus Punch

 

1 part Bacardi Grapefruit

1part Bacardi Limon

2 parts orange juice

1 part grapefruit juice

2 lime wedges

Pour all ingredients into a serving glass filled with ice. Squeeze lime wedges into drink. Stir with a bar spoon and garnish with an orange slice.

 

Pineapple Chi Chi

 

1 oz New Amsterdam Pineapple Vodka

1/2 oz Coconut Rum
3/4 oz Lime juice

4 oz pineapple juice

 

Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.  Strain into a highball glass full of ice and garnish with a pineapple wedge and a sprig of mint.

 

Mixology Monday -- New York Sour

Every Friday this summer, our friends at NJ.com have stopped by our Woodbridge store to feature our store manager and resident mixologist David Rudd in a segment called "Drinks on Us".  This past Friday, a Joe Canal's exclusive bourbon played center stage in a drink recipe called the New York Sour.

2 oz. Groveland Bourbon
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup
1/2 oz. fruity red wine

Combine bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup in an iced cocktail shaker and shake to chill. Strain into a double old fashioned filled with ice. Pour wine over the back of a spoon to float on top.

Groveland Bourbon is available at both Woodbridge and Lawrenceville for the Bottle Club® Price of $18.97.  It's a smooth, sophisticated, and bold bourbon. This Bourbon has traditional oak aromas along with sweet vanilla and caramel. It has soft, subtle fruit notes with a subtly sweet finish. Groveland Small Batch Bourbon is a great whiskey for drinking neat, on the rocks, or as part of an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan.

Don't forget you can place your prepaid orders on jcanals.com and they'll be ready for you when you come to pick it up!  It's easy, convenient and free!

Mid-Summer Classic

If baseball's All-Star game can be the Mid-Summer Classic, why can't this blog post claim the same title? It's not like they're the NFL, with their trademark on the term "Super Bowl". Anyway, the point of this blog post is to keep you informed, so let's roll out some information.

Events in Lawrenceville

Astute blog readers will note that we did not do an Events post yesterday. We just had that travel info to share instead.

It's a simple events weekend at our Lawrenceville store. We'll have our standard wine tasting today, from 4-6pm. Tomorrow, we're offering samples of Palm Breeze Sparkling Alcohol Spritz, from 11am-2pm.

Palm Breeze Sparkling Alcohol Spritz is from the Mike's Hard Lemonade team. Ruby Red Citrus contains the taste of fresh-cut citrus and grapefruit with a light carbonation. Pineapple Mandarin Orange is a blend of pineapple and orange, and pairs well with ginger. And don't miss the Palm Breeze Hummer in the parking lot!

Events in Woodbridge

So many people get to leave work early on summer Fridays, we decided to start our wine tasting early as well. Our wine tasting will run from 1-3pm today. Click here for the tasting menu.

Another reason why the wine tasting is early is because we're offering samples of The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, from 4-7pm today.

If you use gin in any cocktail, you owe it to yourself to experience something delicious and different..

For this, "The Botanist" Artisinal Islay Gin, we use nine of the classic gin aromatics - orris root,

cassia bark, coriander seed, etc - and augment these with a heady harvest of 22 local botanicals, hand-picked by our expert foraging team from the windswept hills, peat bogs and Atlantic shores of this Hebridean island of Islay.

Saturday also brings a "twofer" tasting. We start with our regular wine tasting, from 1-3pm. Click here for the tasting menu. Up next, scheduled for 4-6pm, is a tasting of fresh beer from New Jersey's Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing Co.

                                                               New Products

Magic Moments Grain Vodka. How does Magic Moments make it possible for you to embark on such lovely flights of fantasy? By choosing only the finest grain, triple-distilled to create a smooth and crystal liquid that's more than a just a drink...it's a moment of magic in every sip!

Nose : Clean and Fresh with subtle aroma of neutral grain spirit
Palate : Delicate and Neutral taste
Finish : Crispy and short finish

We're now stocking the unflavored Magic Moments vodka, as well as the Apple, Chocolate, Ginger-Lemongrass, and Peach flavors. Each variety is only $9.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Avery Raja. Brazenly bitter. Dashingly dry-hopped. Raja is an audacious addition to our lengthy lineage of intrepid IPAs. Hops for all! All for hops! Double IPA, 8% ABV. Limited availability.

Cocktails On Us

Part of our summer session with NJ.com on Facebook. The link will be available later today on our Facebook page as well. This recipe is courtesy of David Rudd, Store Manager for our Woodbridge location.

Seargeant Pepper
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz lime juice
1 oz orgeat
1 oz cumin/pepper simple syrup
4 oz Hixson gin
1 pinch cayenne

To make the simple syrup:
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds, toasted, 5 whole peppercorns and 1/2 cup each sugar and water. Simmer for 15 minutes.  Strain and chill.

Combine ingredients in a shaker with large ice cubes and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain into a coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a pineapple.

Ripped from the Headlines

Will low or zero alcohol beer reach the predicted 20% of sales in less than 10 years? Click here for the story in Fortune.

A Personal Note

As your blogger for the last three years, I've enjoyed sharing a wide range of information with you. Our company has made some changes, and we're moving back to the Joe Canal's location in Lawrenceville. A new blogger will occupy this space as of Monday, with free rein to make this an even better project. Cheers!

Holiday Prep

When we think of "preppers," it's not the people stockpiling food, etc. In our opinion, a proper prepper is someone who has the drinks ready in time. Here are some fresh ideas for the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend.

The Serrano

1 1/2 oz. Tito's vodka
1/2 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. Villa Massa Limoncello
1 1/2 oz. fresh orange juice
Ice cubes

Combine all ingredients and shake well. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Not exactly a red, white and blue theme, but it is crisp and delicious.

Summer is always about sangria, but we have one with something a little different.

Hard Cider Sangria

Instead of wine, this juicy sangria is made with hard cider spiked with lemon juice and apple brandy.

1 cup quartered and thinly sliced unpeeled green, yellow and red apples
1 navel orange—quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup apple juice, chilled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Laird's Apple Jack
two 12-ounce bottle Smith & Forge hard apple cider, chilled
Ice

In a pitcher, combine the apples with the orange, apple juice, lemon juice and brandy. Just before serving, add the hard cider. Serve in tall glasses over ice.

Cheers

Rockets' Red Glare

1 ½ oz. Patron Silver Tequila
1 ½ oz. cranberry juice
½ oz. Hiram Walker Triple Sec
1 oz. lime juice
Blue sugar and watermelon star for garnish

Add all ingredients into a blender with ice.  Blend and pour into a blue sugar rimmed glass. Garnish with watermelon star and serve.

Sunset Punch

Because sometimes, a punch bowl is the best choice. And it's a great prelude to a local fireworks show.

Ingredients
8 ounces Woodford Reserve Bourbon
8 ounces white vermouth (Cinzano Bianco)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus lemon slices for garnish
1/4 cup simple syrup
12 ounces chilled Gosling's ginger beer

In a punch bowl, combine the bourbon, vermouth, lemon juice and syrup. Add the ginger beer and lemon slices and serve over ice.

Mix N Match

Today might be the official first day of Summer, but you know that it's been Summer for quite a while at Joe Canal's. We thought a good old Mixology Monday was the right way to start the week.

Tekiwi

1 ripe kiwi, peeled
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
3 ounces of fresh lime sweet and sour mix (see below)
2 ounces of Patrón Silver Tequila
Ice
Fresh mint leaves

To make fresh lime sweet and sour mix: combine 2 parts fresh lime juice with one part Patron Citronge orange liqueur and one part simple syrup. Stir to combine.

In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the kiwi with the simple syrup. Add sweet and sour mix, tequila, and ice. Shake well and double-strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint leaves and serve immediately.

Watermelon Sangria

4 cups cubed watermelon
1 750ml bottle Cupcake Moscato
1 cup Bacardi rum
Juice of 4 limes
Zest of 2 limes
1 tbsp sugar
lime slices, for garnish

In a blender, combine watermelon, Moscato, rum, lime juice and zest, and sugar and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled. Garnish glasses with lime slices and serve.

Raspberry Limoncello Prosecco

3 cups Merum Prosecco, chilled
1 cup Caravella Limoncello liqueur, chilled
1 cup frozen raspberries
6 sprigs fresh mint

In a large pitcher, whisk together prosecco and limoncello. Serve over raspberries, garnished with mint, if desired. This also works nicely with strawberries or blueberries in addition to, or instead of, the raspberries.

Blueberry Lemonade Sangria

1 750-ml bottle dry white wine, like Acre Twenty One Chardonnay
1 cup lemonade
1/4 cup Camarena Silver tequila
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 cup cold seltzer

Into a pitcher, pour wine, lemonade, and tequila and stir until combined. Add fruit and top off with seltzer and serve.

With the arrival of summer, we predict there will be some oppressively hot days and warm, sultry nights. These recipes are the perfect antidote to those weather conditions.

Happy Friday

Making it to the weekend is always a good thing. If you're in a celebratory mood (Father's Day is Sunday, after all), we have just what you need.

In Store Events

Click here for the rundown of events at both Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge this weekend. Hint: tastings and Father's Day gift ideas are on the agenda.

Woodbridge Three-for-One

We needed a better title for this segment, but we'll go with what we have. There are multiple levels here, all interconnected.

For Cinco de Mayo, our friends at NJ.com visited our store for a live video stream. Store Manager and resident mixologist David Rudd spoke with NJ.com about Tequila and more. If you missed that, click here for the archived video. Things went so well with that video that NJ.com will be back, every Friday, all summer long.

Today, David will offer the Sailor Jerry Spiced Mojito as the Cocktail of the Week. That also ties in the final few days of the Sailor Jerry branded Harley-Davidson display in our store. The HD will be at the Woodbridge store only until the end of June. While you're in the store, find out about how to enter the drawing, as we'll help Sailor Jerry give away that motorcycle at the end of the summer. No purchase is necessary to enter the drawing.

Here's how to make the Sailor Jerry Spiced Mojito:
3 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
1 part sugar syrup
4 lime wedges
5-8 mint leaves
Small slice of fresh ginger
Dash of aromatic bitters

Muddle ginger with lime wedges, mint and sugar syrup in a highball glass.  Fill with crushed ice and add other ingredients. Churn and top with more ice.  Garnish with a mint sprig.

Today's video stream with NJ.com will be posted to the Woodbridge store's Facebook page as soon as it's available.

UPDATE: Click here for the NJ.com video.

New Products

Terlato Vineyards Pinot Grigio Friuli 2015. When your blogger worked in the Lawrenceville store, shoppers were frequently looking for something new and tasty in a Pinot Grigio. We think we have the next big Pinot Grigio in stock now.

The Friuli Colli Orientali region in Northeastern Italy is ideal for creating this elegant terroir driven wine with more flavor and a crisp finish. The Terlato Vineyards Pinot Grigio is 100% Estate grown, farmed in small blocks, each with different soil compositions and expositions, with low yields and handcrafted winemaking.

Aroma: Bright aromas of white peach, pear and spring flowers.

Taste: Complex and layered with ripe peach, apricot, and pear, a mouthfilling texture and crisp mineral finish.

At only $19.99 in the Bottle Club®, it's an exceptional value.

Stone Go To IPA. The hop-heavy IPA for the everyday. Since Day One, we've been abundantly forthright and fully transparent about our lust for hops. It's led us to craft many an IPA, most of them imperial—some intense for their time and all timeless in their intensity. For Stone Go To IPA, we embrace our hop obsession in a new way, funneling an abundance of lupulin-borne bitterness into a session IPA that delivers all the fruity, piney character of a much bigger IPA. To accomplish this, we employ hop bursting, a technique wherein an irrational amount of hops is added during the final phase of the brewing process to bring out extreme flavors and aromas while also imparting a burst of desirably pleasant bitterness. The result is an alpha-acid-rich beer that fans can enjoy more of without missing out on the assertive hop character you, like us, crave. So, sit back and go two with your new everyday go-to IPA and bask along with us in the glory of the almighty hop. 4.8% ABV, 65 IBU, 96 RateBeer.

In 16 oz, 6-pack cans and 12 oz, 6-pack bottles.

Ripped From The Headlines

Many of us have seen, or at least heard of, a champagne bottle being opened with a saber. How about opening a bottle with a golf chip shot? Click here for the video (on YouTube). We'll note that the trick shot artist seems to have used a bottle of California Champagne. He must have broken a few before finally succeeding.

Happy Father's Day, and enjoy the weekend!

It's Sangria Season

The warm weather always brings our favorites back to our stores. Seasonal craft beer and rose wine are natural pairings with the opportunity to spend time outside. Summer also means Sangria, and we have recipes to share with you. Please note that when we list "bottle" below, we're referring to one 750ML bottle.

White Sangria Sparkler

1 bottle white wine, like the Campana Pinot Grigio
2 peaches, sliced
2 kiwis, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup raspberries
3 tablespoons sugar, or more, to taste
1 bottle sparkling white wine; try the Capriccio Prosecco
8 sprigs mint

In a large pitcher, whisk together white wine, peaches, kiwis, raspberries and sugar.

Let chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Serve over ice with sparkling white wine, garnished with mint, if desired.

Citrus Moscato Sangria

1 Blood orange, sliced
2 Clementine mandarins, sliced
1 Grapefruit, sliced
10 Kumquats, sliced
1 Lemon, Juice of
2 Oranges, sliced
2 tbsp Honey
2 cups Sparkling water
1 bottle Moscato wine
1/2 cup Orange liqueur like Grand Marnier

Put the citrus fruit slices and segments in a pitcher. Add the honey and orange liqueur, let macerate for at least 30 minutes.

Add the chilled sparkling water, moscato, lemon juice and ice. Mix well. The citrus moscato sangria can be served immediately or kept refrigerated for a couple of hours before serving.

When serving the sangria use a spoon or fork to put some of the citrus pieces into each glass.

Traditional Red Sangria

Our friends at Senor Sangria have provided this recipe. If you want a grab-and-go Sangria in red or white, you can't go wrong with Senor Sangira.

There are many ways to make red sangria, everyone has their own secret recipe. The recipe below is pretty close to a traditional red sangria. Part of the enjoyment of sangria is making it and turning a recipe into your own. We recommend you start with the recipe below and feel free to alter it slightly every time you make it. Sangria is more then a drink it is an experience to share with your friends and family.

8 Cups Burgundy Wine (try Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir or Domaine de la Combe au Loup Beaujolais-Villages)

1/4 Cup Christian Brothers Brandy

1/4 cup Hiram Walker Triple Sec

2 cups Orange Juice

1/2 cup Lemon Juice

1/2 cup Lime Juice

1/4 cup Sugar

1 cup Water

2 Oranges, sliced

1 Lemon, sliced

2 Apples, sliced

Mix all ingredients together expect for the fruit (oranges, lemon and apples), and refrigerate immediately after mixing. Let marinate a minimum of 2 hours (ideally overnight).

An hour before serving cut up the fruit and add it into the pitcher. Pour the sangria into an glass with ice. Sit back and enjoy!

Catching Up

It's an odds-and-ends kind of blog post today. We need to clear out the inbox, but there are other things you should know about.

Dark N Stormy Tasting Event. Please join us at our Woodbridge store for this special tasting this Friday, 5/27. Sample the classic Dark 'N' Stormy cocktail, made with with Gosling's Dark Rum and Gosling's Ginger Beer. Then, sample Silvato Bros. Dark N Stormy cakes.  The cakes will be available for only $7.99/each. We added this event to our calendar late in the day last Friday, so we didn't have the chance to properly talk about it.

That's Friday-did we mention Thursday? Stop in to our Woodbridge location for a sampling of HABARITA habanero craft margarita mixes. Between the two tastings, you'll have some great new options for the Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day store hours. Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge will be open from 9am to 6pm on Memorial Day Monday. We will have regular hours otherwise, which is 9am-10pm six days per week, and 9am-7pm on Sunday.

New Products

Wines like Apothic Red and Cupcake Red Velvet have been extremely popular because they arrive at the intersection of great flavors and exceptional value. With Bottle Club® prices that are under $10, they are accessible wines that can be enjoyed every day.

We've just introduced a new wine in that same category, The Industrialist. It's a crowd pleasing red blend filled with bold flavors of black cherry, juicy plum, cassis, vanilla and a dash of spice. The complex, medium-bodied palate is lush and round with the balanced acidity, smooth tannins and a long finish. Enjoy on its own, or pair with hamburgers, BBQ and pizza. At only $8.27 in the Bottle Club®, it's the low-price leader!

The movie Sideways came out in 2004, and the reputation of Merlot took a beating. Maybe it was deserved, maybe not. But in the decade plus since the movie's release, Merlot has staged a comeback.

We've been selling the James Wyatt Red Blend for a few months, and it's become a popular choice. We've just added the James Wyatt Merlot, and we think you'll enjoy this classic Bordeaux varietal even more.

James Wyatt Merlot is ruby red in color with a classic bouquet of Bing cherry, blueberry, mocha, vanilla and white pepper. Smooth and round on the palate with elegant fruit flavors, ripe tannins and a long finish. This wine will pair well with peppered steak, mushroom sauces and fragrant cheeses. It's available in both stores for the Bottle Club® price of only $14.97.

Special Events

National Cucumber Day. The folks at HENDRICK’S GIN have officially taken unofficial responsibility for this year’s Cucumber Season — 44 SPECTACULAR DAYS of events, amusements and botanically-inspired aerial transport, laddering up to the June 14th holiday.

Celebrate with Joe Canal's and Hendrick's Gin with a sampling of Hendrick's Gin Cucumber Lemondae. This will be at our Woodbridge store on June 4, 1-3pm, and at our Lawrenceville store on June 17, 5-7pm.

Since June 1 is next Wednesday, we wanted to mention this again. We take delivery of a brand-new Harley-Davidson motorcycle that day.It's not designed for home deliveries and, unfortunately, it's not ours to keep. But it is being raffled off. The HD will be on display all during the month of June, then it will be sent to only three other stores in New Jersey. At the end of the summer, there will be a drawing, and one lucky winner will get to take that bike home. Entries will be accepted at both the Lawrenceville and Woodbridge stores, and no purchase is necessary to enter the contest.

Build a Bar Workshop: Vermouth

Carpano Antica

Vermouth is another home bar staple item that needs an in-depth look. The current cocktail culture would be lost without this vital ingredient. Typically, Vermouth is a wine that has been infused with botanicals that add flavor and color. Vermouth is also usually fortified, which means the alcohol percentage of the wine has been raised through the addition of spirits (a fairly neutral grape brandy is ideal in most cases). Vermouth originated in Northwest Italy/Southeast France, where the local wine could be enhanced by the local botanicals.

Vermouth imported from Italy became wildly popular beginning in the 1870's, and ever since, this "Italian" vermouth has been strongly associated with the Manhattan cocktail. By contrast, Europeans commonly sip this aperitif neat or over a little ice. The dry style, emerging first in France, achieved similar popularity in the US almost concurrently, eventually becoming strongly associated with the Martini. The Italian style red is typically on the sweeter side. Note that the color usually comes from the botanicals, as red wine isn't always suitable for vermouth. There is also a Bianco style, more refined than the dry.

As with other wines, vermouth will oxidize upon opening. A vermouth may take on different flavor characteristics in as little as 15-20 minutes after opening!

While open bottles tend to gradually lose their more refined qualities over time, they have just enough alcohol in them that they tend to take weeks to go completely bad. Open vermouth bottles can keep reasonably well if they are tightly capped, in the refrigerator (or a cool place), and away from light. The wine may not be quite as good down the road as when first opened, but it will still be usable (especially for cooking).

Sweet vermouth can be nice with rich, stewed lentils or a decadent grilled peach. Dry vermouth plays well with citrus salmon or a steaming bowl of French onion soup. You can substitute it anywhere you might use wine, but remember: it will have a much stronger flavor.

At Joe Canal's, we carry around 10 different brands of Vermouth, in the dry and sweet styles, including Cinzano, Gallo, Noilly-Pratt and Martini & Rossi.

The Classic Dry Martini Cocktail

Around 1912, Martini di Arma di Taggia, the famous head bartender at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York, declared that Noilly Prat Original Dry was an essential ingredient of his "martini cocktail", one of the very earliest examples of the classic dry martini.

There is no wrong or right way to drink a dry martini cocktail; use premium gin or vodka, an olive or a twist, stirred or shaken, 1-2 or 2-1 or 3-2. The best classic dry martini recipe is the one that you like the most.

1 part Noilly Prat Original Dry
2 parts Grey Goose vodka or Bombay Sapphire gin
Dash of orange bitters
One Olive or twist of lemon

Place all the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice
Stir well for 20 seconds
Single strain into a classic cocktail glass

The Manhattan

Have a mixing glass at the ready.

Add a single measures of MARTINI & ROSSI® Rosso and drops of Angostura Bitters.

Consider your whiskey. Variety is the spice of life, remember. Try Maker's Mark or Buffalo Trace. Add two parts to the mixing glass.

Add a fistful of ice and stir.

Strain into the drinking glass, spray the surface with the oils of an orange twist and add a cherry.

You can get dozens of different cocktail recipes, both classic and contemporary, at the websites for the products mentioned in this post.

Cinco de Mama?

Your blogger loves a mixed metaphor as much as a mixed drink, and we certainly noticed the confluence of today's Cinco de Mayo festivities and Mother's Day. And if you're shopping for Mother's Day, click here for staff recommendations. We have suggestions on sparkling wine, whites, reds, and rose. Whether you're having brunch at home or you're going out to a favorite BYO, we have great selections for you.

If you're making margaritas for your Cinco party, we have plenty of Tequila choices for you, including 1800, Avion, Camarena, Don Julio, Hornitos, Kah, Siete Leguas and Milagro, along with Cuervo and Patron. Go old school with this traditional margarita recipe:

1 oz. Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila ($19.99 in the Bottle Club®)
2 oz. Freshly squeezed lime juice
½ oz. Orange liqueur
½ Cup ice (or more)
Salt
Lime wedge

Rub the rim of a chilled margarita glass with the lime and dip into salt to coat it. In a cocktail shaker, combine Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila and orange liquor lime juice and ice. Shake vigorously and strain drink into the garnished glass filled with ice.

You know the beer choices: Corona, Corona Light, Modello, Dos Equis, Presidente, Sol, Tecate, Victoria. We also stock several selections in the Bud Lite -Rita series.

Don't overlook the choices in the liqueur section. There are a number of cafe drinks that are perfect for after dinner, in coffee, baking, and anywhere your imagination takes you. We carry several Patron Cafe selections, as well as the new Cafe Del Mar ($13.97 in the Bottle Club®, 750ml). You don't even need it to be Cinco de Mayo to enjoy these. Café Del Mar is a blend of premium rum and coffee liqueur. This liqueur has flavors of roasted coffee beans, molasses, dark chocolate, and a touch of caramel. The taste is smooth coating the whole pallet with flavors, and a long pleasant finish.

With the chill we're currently experiencing, this Mexican Coffee recipe sounds about perfect:

1 oz. Café Del Mar Coffee Liqueur
1/2 oz. Tequila
5 oz. Hot Coffee

Stir in a coffee mug and then add coffee. Garnish with whipped cream and enjoy.

Please celebrate Cinco de Mayo responsibly.

Summer's Coming

We're pretty sure that summer will be here soon. All the signs are there: summer craft beer has been arriving, as have the 2015 rose wines. So we'll start today's post with a perfect summer cocktail.

Watermelon-Moscato Slush

6 cups watermelon cubes, seeds removed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Caposaldo Moscato (but this also works with your favorite Moscato)

Place watermelon cubes, sugar, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth. Pour through a strainer to remove the pulp.  Place strained liquid in a glass baking dish and stir in the Moscato.

Place the baking dish in the freezer and freeze the mixture for 2 to 3 hours, stirring with a fork every 45 minutes or so to break up ice crystals.

When ready to serve, spoon the watermelon slush into a wine (or other) glass, filling the glass about 3/4 full. Pour in wine and stir.

Pitú Brazilian Caipirinha

The world will turn its attention to Brazil for the summer Olympics this year. Get a head start on a sure-fire trend with this classic Brazilian cocktail.

One-half lime
2 tsp. granulated or bar sugar
Crushed ice
2 oz. Pitú Cachaça
Garnish with slice of lime

Cut lime into small pieces and place in an old-fashioned glass. Add sugar. Muddle lime and sugar with a pestle or spoon. Fill glass with ice. Add Pitú. Put contents in shaker, shake well, return contents to glass and serve.

Reposado Paloma

Cinco de Mayo is only a few weeks away. A well rounded Cinco de Mayo party will include more than beer, so here's one tequila based cocktail recipe.

Coarse salt
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce agave nectar
1/4 cup Camarena Reposado tequila
1/4 cup club soda
Grapefruit wedge, for garnish

Rub rim of an 8-ounce glass with a grapefruit wedge. Pour some coarse salt out onto a plate and rub the rim of the glass in the salt to coat. Combine grapefruit juice, lime juice, and agave nectar in prepared glass and stir. Stir in tequila, add some ice, and top off with the club soda. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.

Cheers!

Cocktail Culture

We're tired of hearing politicians talking about the culture, so we're doing something about it by emphasizing the Cocktail Culture! Over the last month or two, we've posted several installments of our Build a Bar Workshop (search by using the tags at the left). Those posts were designed to give you a good base of information in the spirits category. Like any good classroom, you start with the books, and then you get to the experiments. Test your hypothesis responsibly with these cocktail recipes.

Mint Julep. The Kentucky Derby is about a month away, so you have time to practice this drink before serving it on Derby Day. This is the traditional Derby Day cocktail, and a southern ritual crafted from bourbon, simple syrup and mint.

Ingredients
2 oz. Woodford Reserve
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
3 Fresh Mint Leaves
Crushed Ice

Method
Express the essential oils in the mint and rub them inside the glass. To the same glass, add simple syrup, bourbon, and crushed ice. Stir. Garnish with more ice and fresh mint.

Celebrate Kentucky Derby® 142 in style with the 2016 limited edition bottling of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, featuring artwork designed by artist Thomas Allen Pauly. The bottle is not yet in stock.

Pimm's Original. You've seen the bottle on our shelves, but you never bought one. We're about to give you a reason, because this is a great springtime cocktail.

Ingredients
One part PIMM’S No.1
Three parts of Lemonade
Mint, orange, strawberries, cucumber to garnish
Ice

Method
Pile all the ingredients in a tall glass, mix and sip. Best make a jugful, you never know who’ll turn up at the sound ice leaving your freezer. This will perfectly compliment your beer selections for watching the Final Four!

Moscow Mule. According to Google, this was one of the top cocktails of 2015. But what if we made Tito's American Mule instead?

Ingredients
1.5 oz Tito's Handmade Vodka
0.5 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
3 oz ginger beer

Method
Combine all ingredients into chilled copper mug filled with crushed ice and serve. Garnish with a lime wedge.