Ice Wine Cocktails are Easy
The last three weeks have been busy in Niagara Region. The holidays are over. So why is it busy? It’s been busy because it is Niagara Ice Wine Festival. A three-week event that showcases Niagara’s award winning ice wines. I can never make it to all the events going on when these festivals start but I do try. They are a lot of fun and you get try a lot of wine. January focuses on Niagara’s ice wine. Ice wine is interesting because the grapes have to be harvested at -8 degrees. The festival takes place in three of the regions finest locations. The first week is in Niagara Falls, the second week is in Jordan, and third week is in Niagara-on-the-Lake. For more information on the event and things you’ve missed out on this year check out Niagara Ice Wine Festival.
This year I braved the cold and headed to Jordan. Friendly tip; wear long underwear, gloves and
a hat. I tried to get by without these
items and was very cold. To make a long
story short I went to Jordan and tried some ice wine. My favourite is from Stoney Ridge. But to be honest, I find all ice wine a
little sweet for my tastes. I think
that’s why I enjoyed NOTL’s event on Saturday better. It was the Flash & Panache: Ice Wine
Cocktail Competition.
The Flash & Panache: Ice Wine Cocktail Competition is
exactly how it sounds. You buy tokens
and walk from vendor to vendor trying out different ice wine cocktails. At all these events there’s live music but
the band was pretty funky. It was cold
again but this time I didn’t care. I
wander around and savored cocktails from the best restaurants and wineries the
region has to offer. It inspired me to
go out and create my own. I learned that
I know nothing about mixology. Gin and
ice wine mixed together is not a cocktail.
I contacted my good friend Kellie, check out her Twitter account for
drink ideas @KellieOverIce, she’s a bartender, a waitress, and graduate from
Culinary Arts program at Niagara College.
Here’s what her brilliant mind came up with:
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| Created on Highball App |
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| Ice Wine Cocktail created by @KellieOverIce |
Nice post! As I am not a wine person, it was cool to see your recommendations on Niagara's great wine! I will definitely check out NOTL instead of Jordan if I ever make it to the festival!
ReplyDeleteReading your blog will help me sound smart when spending time with people much classier than myself. Great tips and easy to understand for someone who knows NOTHING about wine. Looking forward to more posts!
ReplyDeleteNot a wine drinker myself, but there are a lot of great places in NOTL that have great wine! Can't wait for the next post!
ReplyDeleteHey Jon,
ReplyDeleteInteresting first post. Im not a huge fan of ice wine myself- except on ice cream! It is quite sweet, so I find it funny that its actually wine. I am interested to see what direction you take your wine experiences. Are we able to suggest places or wines to try?
Of course you can! I love suggestions.
DeleteI'm no wine connoisseur myself, so I'm happy to read a blog from an average Jon's point of view. The recipe you shared sounds really good. I will have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLet me know how it turns out.
DeleteI absolutely and absolutely love wine! Red wine has always been one of my favorites. I attended the Niagara Ice Wine Festival this year and it was spectacular. However, I attended the one in Niagara Falls and it was fun knowing various brands in Niagara and different types of wine that the wineries provide here.
ReplyDelete