wine | Heirloom DC

(F)rosé Thursday: Slushie Style

September 29, 2016 By Vicky 2 Comments

Hello, busy season. Obviously, this has definitely made us even more excited for favorite day of the week, Rosé Thursday. A day that helps us unwind, get inspired, and cheers with our #girlboss team. After this gloomy morning in The District, we decided we needed a playful cocktail recipe to brighten up the day. Rain might be in the weekend forecast, but we refuse to let that stop our creative and boozy mood.

With that being said, we know it been a long week. So, we put together a recipe that is the perfect combination of easy-to-make, boozy and delicious.

We introduce a Rosé Slushie or as we like to call it Frosé! Seriously, what better way to end your busy work day?

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Rosé – We chose the sparkling Rosé, Ballatore, a Moscato (which is not usually our favorite, but was surprisingly great for this recipe)
A handful of cranberries (frozen to your liking)
Raw sugar
Crushed ice
Pint size honey vanilla sorbet
Sugar crystal sticks (used as a stylish and sweet garnish)

Directions:

First, gather all the ingredients
For a quick, easy way to create this delicious Frosé place the frozen cranberries in a large bowl and crush them with a spoon (slowly adding crushed ice)
After the frozen cranberries are crushed to a “slushie” consistency pour the mix into your desired glass. At this stage in the recipe we decided to add a little sweetness to the cocktail by dipping some of the cranberries in raw sugar. We thought this added a sweet as well as stylish garnish to the drink.
Next, add a large scoop of the honey vanilla sorbet (this will enrich the sweetness of the sugar and bring out the natural fruit flavors). If the slushie base starts to melt slightly put it in the freezer for a few minutes to help form the icy consistency again.
Go ahead and take it out of the freezer and top it off with sparkling Rosé. Yes, that fizz is so satisfying and delightful. Just wait until you take a sip!

We hope this helps you unwind and get inspired for this upcoming season. Remember a little extra splash and style can go a long way. Now, go be the hostess with the mostess and we will see you next week!

Rosé Every Thursday – Get Figgy With It

July 21, 2016 By Vicky Leave a Comment

Ah, Thursday. It feels good to be back. Time to sip and share!

This week’s Rosé is Chandon Rosé from Napa Valley, California. This is the first one we have tried that was made in America (make us proud Cali).

A little about Chandon:

In the glass, our Rosé is a pretty pink with intense ripe strawberry, juicy watermelon, and fresh red cherry fruit aromas and flavors. On the palate, this wine is creamy and seductive with a defined structure from the Pinot Noir added in its final stages.

Yes, we definitely have a good feeling about this.

Pop, pour & sip. We take a second…

Hello, sparkling Rosé. We give it a second to let the fizz die down, and we try again. It does not disappoint. It is smooth and calming. Three words we would use to describe the flavor: dry, refreshing, & savory. It is definitely one of our favorites so far, look at that beautiful color! The subtle fruity flavors mixed with the savory hints make it light and easy to drink. This seems like it would taste just as good bundled up by a fireplace in the winter as it does sitting outside enjoying the warm summer sunset.

Time for a snack. We have to confess, we have a bit of love for Figs. They play hard to get, but finding them at the right farmer’s market always helps!

We present: Burrata Pizettes

We love how flavorful these pizettes are.

What you will need:

Focaccia bread
Fresh Burrata
Prosciutto
Fresh (local) Figs
Salted Pistachios
_{Photo by Event Photo Journalism}

For the base of the pizette feel free to use your bread of choice whether it be Ciabatta, Focaccia or French. We prefer Focaccia!

Go ahead and cut small circles out of your bread (think mini pizza). We suggest toasting these until they are just the right amount of crisp, but enjoying them without being toasted works too!

Once the base is just the way you like it time to add the (mouth watering) toppings. Layer your Prosciutto, Burrata, sliced Fig, and drizzle on some of your salted Pistachios. An additional topping you could add is Balsamic reduction, it will not disappoint!

We hope you enjoy this delicious combination.

Take away: would we drink Chandon Brut Rosé again? Definitely. Our final rating: we give it a 8/10 (our highest rating yet!). Would we eat these mini pizettes again? you know that answer. Thank you for joining us again this week! We are excited to pop and share with you again next week. It is going to in the 90s this weekend in The District….sounds like you know just the thing to cool you down 😉 . See you again next Thursday…Cheers!

Rosé Every {Thurs}day: Strawberry + Pimms Rosé Cocktail

June 23, 2016 By Vicky Leave a Comment

Happy Rosé Thursday! We have had such a blast tasting all of these delicious Rosés from across the world and pairing them up with a complimentary bite. As it is officially the first week of Summer, as satisfying and delicious Rosé is on it’s on, we thought we might get a little creative (as you might know we like to do that every now and then 😉 ).

We introduce: the Strawberry and Pimms Rosé cocktail. The perfect refreshing drink for any Summer day or evening. We will let you choose the food pairing for this one, and we will show you how to make this refreshing drink.

The Ingredients (makes 4-6 glasses)

6 ounces of gin (we prefer the locally distilled Green Hat gin)
8 ounces of Rosé (going with our weekly theme we decided to try a new Rosé: Charles & Charles Rosé)
1 ½ ounce of strawberry syrup
2 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 ounces of Pimms No. 1 (for a classy British kick!)
One carton of fresh locally sourced Strawberries

The Steps

We started off making the Strawberry simple syrup first, it is quite simple we promise! Measure out equal parts water and sugar. We decided to do about 3 ounces of each just in case we wanted to add a little extra. The go ahead and cut up 5 or 6 Strawberries and pour everything in your pot. Boil the water and add the sugar, stirring it until it dissolves and you see the water have a pink tint. Viola! Let the simple syrup cool, and then go ahead and give it a taste to make sure it is just your right amount of sweet and Strawberry.

Next, go ahead and measure out the alcohol and simple syrup: 2 ounces Pimms No. 1, 8 ounces Rosé, 2 ounces gin + go ahead and measure out 1 1/2 ounce simple syrup.

That wasn’t too hard, was it? Go ahead and combine all four ingredients into a pitcher or large glass and give it a stir. Fill up your preferred cocktail glass and pour. We suggest giving it a taste to see if you would like to add a little more of any ingredient before we throw in the final touch!

We knew that we would want some Lemon juice to add to this to balance out the flavors. We measured out 2 ounces, but poured to taste. Again, this is up to you depending on how you want the cocktail to taste!

The Lemon juice was the perfect final touch. Lastly, we cut up some Strawberries and throw them onto the cocktail as a garnish (and little bite for when your drink runs out).

We think you might make this one again….we know that we will. Cheers with a friend on a rooftop evening, and enjoy!

See you back next Thursday, Cheers.

{if you liked this one, go ahead and check out our other DIY cocktail recipes}

Rosé Every {Thurs}day: Belleruche Rosé

May 26, 2016 By Vicky Leave a Comment

Week two of our Rosé tasting. We’ve been looking forward to this all week! There is some tough competition, as we truly enjoyed the Valdo Brut Rosé last week.

Let us begin…
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This week we are featuring: Belleruche Rosé

A bit about this Rosé. The winemakers describe it as such:

Chapoutier’s Belleruche Rosé is made from a blend of Grenache (roughly 75%), with smaller amounts of Cinsaut (Cinsault), and Syrah. The Grenache in this food-friendly wine gives it bright red stone fruit flavors and beautiful color, while the Cinsaut gives its delicate strawberry aroma and the Syrah its body, making it a great pairing even for the intense flavors of seafood.” (read more here)

This Rosé is on the paler side of scarlet. This color is obtained through the ancient process of débourbage, where the grape must (juice) is allowed to settle for a period of 24 hours.

On to the Thursday ritual. Pop, pour, and sip. We sip, and we take a second.

Right away we can taste how dry this Rosé is. Three words we would use to describe the flavor: dry, crisp, & unexpectedly tart. This Rosé definitely identifies with the wine side of the Rosé family. We imagine the perfect setting to be drinking this is in Santorini, overlooking the beautiful city and unbelievably blue water of the Aegean Sea with the sun slowly setting on the island.

We thought we would pair this with a delicious seafood bite. Seared Scallops with a little Mango and Pineapple Chile on top.

_{Photo by Ashley Hafstead}

The Recipe:

Scallops

The Pineapple Aji Chile Sauce: Diced Pineapple, Cilantro, Scallions, Green Chiles

The Mango Salsa: 1 Mango, Onion, Cilantro and Lime

Salt and Pepper to taste

Let’s start with the chile sauce. We diced up some pineapple, chopped up a few scallions and cilantro and tossed them into a food processor to create a puree. Taste and add what you would like to balance out the flavors. We like ours a little spicy, so we added some extra green chiles. Once you are satisfied, set aside.

Our way of making the mango salsa is similar to our chile puree sauce. We shredded some mango and onion, chopped up cilantro and added all three ingredients into the bowl. Mixing these together with our hands, we squeeze in the lime juice. Go ahead and add a little more onion for a little kick, or some Mango to keep it a little sweeter. Set aside.

Rinse your scallops with cold water and pat dry. While the scallops dry, go ahead and put your oven on hot while adding a little bit of oil and butter. You want to wait until you see the pan smoking to put your scallops onto the heat. Add a little bit of salt and pepper to the scallops. Place the scallops onto your pan, making sure that they are not touching. You’ll have to monitor the heat on these, as you only need to sear each for about 1 1/2 minutes. Make sure that the scallops have a golden crust and remove from the pan.

At this point, you are probably excited to combine all three parts of your dish. Place the scallops on a plate, take a pinch of your mango salsa on top of the scallops, and take a spoon to drizzle your pineapple chile puree. Take a bite, and enjoy.

How delicious is that?

Take away: would we drink this again? Probably. Our final rating: we give it a 5/10. Would we eat the scallops again? ten more please. Thank you for joining us this week! We are excited to pop and share with you again next week. We hope that you enjoy your Rosé every day of this Memorial Day Weekend. See you again next Thursday…Cheers!

DIY: White Peach Sangria

May 13, 2016 By Vicky Leave a Comment

We’ve grown a little tired of all of the clouds and the rain. We decided that it is time to celebrate the fruits, juices, and taste of sweet summertime by creating our own little bit of sunshine for our weekend.

We introduce: White Peach Sangria

As we do here at Heirloom, we made this a custom recipe. Having a little taste along the way helped us to perfect the perfect balance of all of the fresh flavors 😉

The Ingredients:

One bottle of your favorite dry Sauvignon Blanc
3 ounces brandy (a little more, a little less depending on your preference)
1 cup organic orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
2 ounce simple syrup (we prefer to make it ourselves, rather than buy it)
3 ounces peach puree
Fresh peaches, oranges, green apples sliced

The Steps:

Measure out your juices and brandy. Pour them into your pitcher.

Time for the simple syrup. Measure out equal parts water and sugar. We decided to do about 5 ounces of each just in case we wanted to add a little extra. Boil the water and add the sugar, stirring it until it dissolves. Viola! Let the simple syrup cool, and then go ahead and give it a taste to make sure it is just your right amount of sweet. Add in your preferred amount to the pitcher.

Next is the peach puree. Go ahead and peel and pit 3 peaches. Dice these up a bit and throw them into your food processor with a little bit of pineapple juice. Blend until smooth. Measure out your desired portion (note: the more you put in, the peachier it will be).

You’re almost there! Time to cut up your desired fruit. The amount you choose to add in to the pitcher is up to you. We like a good mix of flavor and colors to make the sangria look extra pretty.

Now is the fun part, give it a taste. If you’re happy with your creation, throw everything into your pitcher and let it soak up for about 8 hours. If you can hold off, try to let it soak overnight.And finally, time to Enjoy.

Once it is ready, pour into clear glasses and garnish with the fruit of your choice. We chose to garnish with dragon fruit because, well, that’s just our style.