Author Archives: MobyGrape

Barefoot Bubbly Pink Moscato

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Picture it…Alone on a Saturday night…40 re-runs of your favorite show on the dvr, a pound of hamburger in the fridge…A bottle of pink bubbly in the fridge…What to do?  Cue the MacGuyver theme song.  If you’re anything like me you most certainly did not create an explosive device out of those three things.  More like you found yourself camped out in front of the television for an entire evening after concocting some sort of Frankenmeatsauce on pasta while drinking a bottle of this stuff.  I bought it because gosh darn it I wanted the most ridiculous, girly, bottle of fizzing garbage I could find.  Look no further than pink Moscato Champagne from Barefoot Bubbly.  On a side note, I just heard the Colonel softly weeping somewhere because the label says Champagne.  I had tried the green one before, and it was fine, but then I looked at the sweetness scale on the back of the bottle (no, I’m not making that up) and saw that there was something sweeter!  I had to have it.  So I got the pink one.  Yes, I know it sounds like I’m talking about Play-Doh.  About halfway through the bottle I thought I may have sprouted a second vagina because it’s just so pink and bubbly and ridiculous.  While it wasn’t my favorite (believe it or not I thought it would be sweeter), it was certainly enough fun for a night where you don’t feel like taking anything too seriously, including yourself.

Sangria!

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Sangria

(Note the strategically chosen glass with the wide open rim – I’ll explain later)

It’s been a while since I’ve taken the helm here and posted something, so hold on tight friends, this might not be pretty.  You know what is pretty though?  The delightful beverage Sangria.  I’ve searched far and wide for the perfect recipe, and one fine day I managed to get my hands on it.  The only problem is that it called for Fanta Limon, which, as it turns out, in the US is like trying to find a unicorn.  Every time I thought I saw it from afar in a supermarket soda aisle, I would run towards it (in slow motion, obviously), and it would turn out to be pineapple instead.  Thankfully, I have a wonderful friend who I can safely say has changed my life forever, because she gave me her recipe and it recreates the Fanta Limon flavor perfectly.  I’m not going to post the recipe because it’s not mine to share, but perhaps one day she’ll let me.  It may even result in world peace, much like the music of Wyld Stallyns.  A critical element of good sangria is the fruit in it.  You want fruits that are going to not only enhance the flavor, but really soak it up.  It’s ok, I’ve totally convinced myself that fishing your fingers around in the glass like a wild animal to eat the fruit is always classy.  My recommendation would be apples (you could probably get away with any type, but I find something crisper like a Granny Smith works best) and orange slices.  I think sangria may be a close second in the race for drinks that just make me happy, plain and simple.  Of course champagne/sparkling wine related beverages would probably take the top seat, but sangria is fruity, it’s fun, it makes me feel like I’m at a barbeque in July even if I’m drinking it in the middle of winter.  You’ll be hard-pressed to find a situation where it’s inappropriate. Attempting to get dinner ready and not burn the house down?  Pour yourself a glass of sangria!  Feel guilty about opening a bottle of wine immediately after work?  No need to feel guilty here, the pitcher is always open!

Beaujolais Nouveau Redemption Challenge #1

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All right ladies, the old ball and chain is keeping you waiting and you proooomised to wait for him to drink the good wine that evening.  But you’ve had a long day and a beer just won’t cut it.  What’s a thirsty gal to do?

Calimocho

There’s only two ways for terrible wine to redeem itself in my book. This is one of them. Meet the Calimocho. I picked this up over in Spain, thanks to an unnamed bartender who unknowingly changed my drinking life forever (for the better). I believe the conversation went something like this…

Me: “Señor, how do you make this heavenly bebida?”
Bartender: “Guapa, this is an ancient Spanish recipe. Come with me, I will make passionate love to you and share all of my secrets. I can’t believe it’s not butter!”
Me: *Swooning* “Sí, sí!”

Ok, so that’s not really how it happened, and my fantasies may be getting a little mixed up. It was more like I asked what the hell I was drinking in broken Spanish (give me a break, it was the beginning of the trip), and I was told to use the cheapest red wine I could find, and the nicest cola I could, and mix them together 1 to 1.

Mind = Blown

Does it sound disgusting? You betcha! Is it glorious? You have no idea! I’m trying to find the silver lining in the Beaujolais Nouveau cloud. And I have to say it turned out pretty well. I went straight up half wine, half Coke, but you can change up the proportions depending on how you’re feeling. So congratulations Beaujolais Nouveau, you have a new lease on life in my fridge! Salud!

My nose’s weekend in NJ

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Even though I was under the weather, I was happily along for the fantastic voyage to NJ. Despite my sneezing and snotting on everyone and everything, I wouldn’t have missed this trip for the world. No mere mortal cold could kep me from having every drop of wine possible. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to contribute much to rating each wine (but really, do I ever?) other than “I can sort of taste this one more than the last one *sniffle sniffle*” but here’s what I can rate for you:

tissue box

So this is your basic box of regular tissues. No aloe or lotion in them, so it wasn’t like wiping your nose with a cloud, but still a solid tissue. These came in the car with us for the journey and didn’t let me down.

Pocket tissues

Now these guys have the market on convenience, and even though they’re brand name, it was still a bit like wiping your nose with sandpaper after you’ve used 10 of them in the span of 2 minutes. You’re going to wind up with some serious tissue nose, or looking like you have some sort of skin disease or drug problem if you don’t get your schnoz hooked up with something better. There was a lot of disgusting snot recalling to avoid having to use these.

Despite the boogers it was a fantastic weekend, one I’m hoping to repeat with clear sinuses next time.

2012 Sam Adams White Christmas

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So the Colonel was out one night and I was left to fend for myself.  I cook at about  fifth grade level, but I was fortunate enough to have some leftovers in the fridge waiting for me and my microwaving skills can’t be beat.  Since I didn’t have the kind of day where I needed an entire bottle of wine to myself, I cracked open one of these guys since I was feeling festive.  I’ll spare you the high falootin’ ratings scale, and hopefully the Colonel won’t notice that I snuck this on the site.  I tend to be wary when it comes to spiced beers, but I quite enjoyed this one.  It wasn’t overpowering or obnoxiously spiced, it was still wheaty and clean and made me want to deck the halls.  Cheers everybody!