A Holiday Cocktail Hour

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "A Holiday Cocktail Hour"

Host: Alison Stewart
Guests: Ray Isle (Executive Wine Editor, Food and Wine) and Prairie Rose (Senior Drinks Editor, Food and Wine)
Release Date: December 24, 2024
Duration: Approximately 30 minutes

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Introduction

In the festive episode titled "A Holiday Cocktail Hour," Alison Stewart welcomes listeners to All Of It, a WNYC show dedicated to exploring culture and its myriad expressions. As the holiday season envelops New York City, Alison sets the stage for a cozy hour filled with expert advice on holiday entertaining, featuring discussions on wines, cocktails, and entertaining tips from Food and Wine editors Ray Isle and Prairie Rose.

Holiday Entertaining with Wine and Cocktails

Wine Recommendations by Ray Isle [01:24 – 11:00]

Alison initiates the conversation by inviting Ray and Prairie to share their top holiday wine picks. Ray enthusiastically discusses his favorites across four categories:

1. Favorite Red Wine:

   • 1945 Dalles Port: "Pretty remarkable to taste something that was made the year World War II ended. And whites, you know…" [02:32]

2. Favorite White Wine:

   • Tiberio Cristiana Pecorino from Abruzzo, Italy: An affordable and versatile white that pairs effortlessly with various dishes. [03:00]

3. Favorite Sparkling Wine:

   • 2015 Bollinger Grand A Champagne: A high-end option praised for its spectacular quality. [03:30]

4. Favorite Natural Wine:

   • La Grange Tiffane from Loire Valley, France: Ray highlights Damien Delechenot's zero-intervention approach, producing pristine and biodynamic wines like Cot and Nouveau Nez Pet Nat. [04:17]

Ray emphasizes value without compromising quality, recommending wines that cater to diverse budgets and palates, ideal for holiday gatherings.

Cocktail Trends with Prairie Rose [04:27 – 12:18]

Prairie Rose delves into the latest cocktail trends dominating 2024:

• Espresso Martinis and Porn Star Martinis: Both cocktails continue to gain popularity, offering rich and sophisticated flavors. [04:27]

• Lemon-Based Beverages: With a surge in lemon-flavored drinks, Prairie mentions the resurgence of the classic lemon drop, a 1970s disco-era cocktail making a stylish comeback. [05:14]

• Canned Cocktails: Recognizing the convenience factor, Prairie notes the rise of high-quality canned cocktails like Tip Top's espresso martini, marking the "golden age of canned cocktails." [05:39]

Alison engages with callers to explore these trends further, enhancing the interactive experience.

Listener Call-ins and Suggestions

The episode features several listener contributions, offering personal recipes and questions about holiday beverages.

Tom’s Rum Cow Recipe [05:45 – 07:09]

• Tom from Brooklyn shares his family favorite, the Rum Cow, a dairy-free take on eggnog using oat milk and Jamaican rum, finished with fresh grated nutmeg. [05:45]
• Prairie’s Response: Praises the simplicity and flavor balance. [06:22]

Karen’s Lychee Martini Story [13:04 – 15:05]

• Karen from Montclair, NJ recounts her successful holiday party where the Lychee Martini became the signature drink, delighting guests with its refreshing and visually appealing presentation. [13:04]
• Ray and Prairie: Commend the choice and its elegant simplicity. [14:04]

Sarah’s Wine Pairing Question [14:13 – 20:23]

• Sarah seeks advice on pairing wine with a fresh ham glazed with balsamic and Dijon. [14:13]
• Ray’s Recommendations:
  • White Options: Tiberio Pecorino or a dry Riesling for their versatility and balance with savory flavors. [14:30]
  • Red Option: Pinot Noir from Cloudline, Oregon for a lighter, structured choice that complements the glaze. [15:39]
• Prairie’s Agreement: Echoes the suitability of Riesling. [09:54]

Adam’s Mocktail Inquiry [17:37 – 20:42]

• Adam asks for non-alcoholic options suitable for a dinner with friends, including a Palestinian Muslim best friend. [17:37]
• Prairie’s Suggestions: Recommends non-alcoholic spirits like Phony Negroni from St. Augustus and sparkling options like French Bloom. [18:05]
• Ray’s Insights: Highlights excellent non-alcoholic wines from brands like Missing Thorn and Dr. Low Riesling, which taste remarkably similar to their alcoholic counterparts. [18:50 – 20:23]

Laura’s Ready-to-Drink Cocktails Recommendation [20:47 – 21:42]

• Laura from Westchester, NY introduces Straightaway Cocktails, a ready-to-drink brand offering a wide variety of high-quality, convenient cocktails perfect for holiday entertaining. [20:47]
• Prairie’s Addition: Mentions Bee’s Knees as another great option. [21:36]
• Ray’s Endorsement: Affirms the quality and versatility of the Bee's Knees cocktail. [21:45]

Lynette’s Liqueur Utilization Tips [24:12 – 25:05]

• Lynette from Beacon, NY shares her tradition of repurposing leftover liqueurs to create mulled wines and set up a cordial bar, promoting sustainability and creativity in holiday cocktail making. [24:12]
• Prairie’s Approval: Appreciates the smart approach. [25:05]

Bubbles and Sparkling Wines

Affordable Bubbles [25:19 – 26:17]

• Ray recommends Prosecco as an affordable and versatile choice, specifically highlighting Adami Prosecco for its quality and reasonable pricing. [25:19]
• Alison’s Note: Affirms the accessibility of Prosecco for festive occasions. [25:19]

Premium Champagne Picks [26:17 – 26:42]

• Ray singles out Billacart Simon Champagne, particularly their Brut Soubois, praised for its depth and richness, aged in wood to enhance complexity. [26:17]
• Prairie’s Favorite: Agrees with Billacart Simon as her top champagne choice. [26:19]

Sparkling Wine Cocktails [26:42 – 30:39]

• Prairie’s Favorites: Discusses classic sparkling cocktails like the French 75 and Champagne Cocktail, as well as the Kir Royale, encouraging customizable bubbly bars for personalized celebrations. [26:47]
• Ray’s Anecdote: Shares the historical inspiration behind the French 75, linking it to the powerful French 75mm cannon from World War I. [28:04]
• Non-Alcoholic Options: Ray introduces Dr. Fisher’s Steinbach sparkling and Bole as excellent non-alcoholic alternatives, perfect for dry January or guests preferring non-alcoholic beverages. [28:25 – 29:07]
• Special Mention – Aperol Schwitz for Hanukkah: A unique twist on the Aperol Spritz incorporating Manischewitz sparkling wine, creating a festive drink suitable for Hanukkah celebrations falling on the same day as Christmas. [29:37 – 30:27]

Concluding Remarks

As the episode wraps up, Alison thanks Ray Isle and Prairie Rose for their invaluable insights into holiday wines and cocktails. The discussion highlights the importance of selecting versatile and crowd-pleasing beverages, offering both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options to accommodate diverse guest preferences. The episode underscores the joy of creating memorable holiday experiences through thoughtful beverage choices, whether hosting an intimate gathering or a festive party.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ray Isle [02:32]: "Pretty remarkable to taste something that was made the year World War II ended."
• Prairie Rose [05:14]: "There's some cocktails that you can batch and it will be fine."
• Tom [05:45]: "It's a world of an eggnog, but it's not eggy and thick and it's easy to make dairy free."
• Karen [13:04]: "The Lychee Martini went over so well. They were fantastic. They were refreshing..."
• Alison Stewart [29:24]: "I have to ask about this one because I can't tell if it's a joke or it's real. Hanukkah is the same day as Christmas."

This episode of All Of It serves as a comprehensive guide for holiday entertaining, blending expert recommendations with listener interactions to create a rich tapestry of festive beverage ideas.

Transcript

[Ray Isle]

Listener support, WNYC Studios.

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it from wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Thanks to everybody who's spending part of their day with us. I am really grateful you're here. On today's show, we'll talk to food and wine editor Andy Gosnell about a favorite food category appetizers. We'll also hear a live performance from the West Village Corral. And we'll talk holiday movie releases with New York magazine film critic Alison Wilmore. That's the plan. So let's get this started. It's Christmas Eve and the night before Hanukkah, and New Year's Eve is right around the corner. For most of us, that means celebrating with friends, family, or just enjoying the city, being a little quieter. So for the next hour, we're focusing on entertaining with our friends from food and wine. Whether you're cooking a big spread or have invited one or two people to your home, or maybe you're just enjoying your home alone during downtime. We're speaking to executive wine editor Ray Isle about his picks for wines for various budgets and occasions. Hi, Ray.

[Ray Isle]

Good. Good to be back.

[Alison Stewart]

And joining Ray is senior drinks editor Prairie Rose, who's here to help rep for those of us who like playing bartender at home. Hi, Prairie.

[Prairie Rose]

Hi. How you doing?

[Alison Stewart]

Doing well. Listeners, what's your favorite beverage to enjoy over the holiday season? What are you planning to serve? Or do you have questions about what to serve, what to pair with certain dishes? Or if you're looking for festive cocktail ideas, we have the experts in hand. Give us a call. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. You can join us on air or you can text your question. All right, Ray, before we dig in, I'm asking you to pick four favorites. And the categories are your favorite red. That's one. Your favorite white. That's two. Sparkling, that's three. And natural wine. That's four of the wines that you've tasted this year. Ready? Give me your favorite red.

[Ray Isle]

Oh, wow. My favorite red of all of the wines I tasted this year. That's. That's a crazy one. That was a, that was a 1945 Dalles port. But that's not when people are going to run out and buy. I don't think it's okay.

[Alison Stewart]

That's okay. It's just your favorite.

[Ray Isle]

Pretty, pretty remarkable to taste something that was made the year World War II ended. And whites, you know, I, I think my favorite white this year is actually one of My favorite values. At the same time, it's a. It's a pecorino, which is grape. Not. Not a. Not a. Not a. Well, it's also a cheese, but it can be a grape too. From Abruzzo in Italy. And it's a producer called Tiberio, Cristiana Tiberio. She's brilliant. And it's not crazy expensive. And it's just a gorgeous white that goes with practically anything. Bubbles, I've got. I mean, I love high end bubbles. I don't know what to say. The 2015 Bollinger Grand A, which was released earlier this year, is their top wine. And it's just a spectacular bottle of champagne. I would. I always prefer it when someone else is paying for it, if I can manage to make that work, you know, but it's a killer bottle of wine and then. Oh, natural wine.

[Tom]

Yeah.

[Ray Isle]

So I, you know, one of my favorite producers ever is a producer called La Grange Tiffane out of France there for Loire Valley. It's a fellow named Damien Delechenot. He's just a brilliant winemaker. And he's interesting because he works in a natural mode, but he was trained as a classical winemaker in Chablis. And so his wines are really precise and pristine, but they're also zero intervention and biodynamic agriculture. And beautifully done. And honestly, any of them from Grande Tifane, I love. I particularly love the cot with cot, which is the term lar term from Albec, makes a beautiful wine. And Nouveau Nez, which is their sparkling wine, which is a pet nat in a really beautiful bottle.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, Prairie, we've had years that were all about the. The Dirty Shirley or the Aperol Spritz. What was the go to cocktail of 2024?

[Prairie Rose]

Oh, man. I think there were a few. And I feel like there's some stragglers. I feel like Espresso martinis have been having a moment the last few years. Porn star martinis also have been popping up everywhere. We have at Food and Wine noticed that our readers love anything that involves lemon, so any kind of limoncello or anything sparkling lemon. And we had a whole piece about the lemon drop. Coming back, 1970s disco cocktail. And that's been a lot of places too. So I don't know. I mean, have you seen the espresso martini everywhere, like I have.

[Alison Stewart]

Everywhere, everywhere. I even ordered a few, may I say.

[Prairie Rose]

I mean, they're delicious, but you can't have them, you know, super late at night unless you're continuing to stay up late.

[Ray Isle]

There are some good canned versions now of the espresso.

[Prairie Rose]

There are the tip top makes a great espresso martini. Yeah, there's a few, actually. We are in the golden age of canned cocktails right now.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's take a couple calls. Tom is calling in from Brooklyn. Hi, Tom, thanks for calling in.

[Tom]

How y'all doing? I just want to share a drink that I've been making for my family for like a decade now. It is a classic from Don the Beachcomber from 1937. It's called a rum cow, and it's so simple and easy to make at home. Use like a nice Jamaican rum, oat milk. I mean, it's original. Calls for whole milk. I make it with oat milk and simple syrup, and you shake it, serve it up, top it with some fresh grated nutmeg. You can kind of play around with the specs to make it a little sweeter or less sweet. And it just drinks in the world of an eggnog, but it's not eggy and thick and it's easy to make dairy free. It's fantastic.

[Prairie Rose]

Nice, nice.

[Alison Stewart]

And Tom, where. Where are you from?

[Tom]

I'm from North Carolina, but I live in Bed Stuy, and I'm serving it at my bar I just opened earlier this year in Clinton Hill as well, called Casanara.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, I love it. Good luck to you. Let's talk to Evan from Greenpoint. Hi, Evan, thanks for calling, all of it.

[Tom]

Hi. Yeah, I kind of feel bad that I'm leading with a little bit of negativity, but I think at the holiday parties that I go to, when there's batched cocktails, they always fall pretty flat, even if the hosts are pretty good at hosting. So I think that people, whenever possible, should make making a cocktail for their guests part of their kind of hosting duty because it sort of elevates the experience for everyone.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks for calling in. Prairie, do you have an opinion about that?

[Prairie Rose]

Well, I think that, you know, there's some cocktails that you can batch and it will be fine. I think that there's a proper way to batch things. Like you can batch a very spirit forward drink, like a martini. Put that in the freezer. A freezer martini is like one of my favorite things. And even Manhattan can go in the freezer. It's tough. If you do a sparkling wine punch, things do fall flat, literally, because you. You can't just leave a, like sparkling wine out in a punch bowl. And it will be fine for hours. So, you know, you have to be very mindful of the things that you are putting in that big batched cocktail. And, and I think you could sort of like do an in between situation where you do most of the ingredients separate and then top it off with a little bubbly. So that's a little a la minute in the moments. But you're not making drinks all night long for your guests, which is, you know, why you will batch cocktails. It will make your hosting duties so much easier.

[Alison Stewart]

We are talking holiday wines and cocktails. Listeners, what's your favorite beverage to enjoy over the holiday season? What are you planning to serve? Do you have questions about what to serve, what to pair with certain dishes, or if you're looking for a festive cocktail idea, give us a call. 212-433-969-2221, 2433. WNYC. My guests are Ray Isle and Prairie Rose. They are executive wine editor and senior drinks editor from Food and Wine. Okay, Ray, you sent us a few options for really good quality wine under $20. Bless you. Let's talk about 2023 essay white from South Africa. It retails for about $12. Tell us more.

[Ray Isle]

It sure does. So, you know, I actually, so Essay white is mostly Chenin Blanc and it's from a South African producer. It's, it's 12 bucks. It's, it's, I've been drinking a lot of Chenin Blanc because it walks that interesting line where it's got some body like Chardonnay, but it's got this sort of zesty, citrusy zip of, of Sauvignon Blanc. So it, it, it kind of will please any of your guests in a way. And the essay is a, is a terrific value. I really love it. There's, there's some others out there, too. The Pine Ridge Shin and Vionier from California is around about the same price. And that's another killer deal that I've written about before. Both of those, like, I think they, what you want for the holidays is that kind of all purpose white where you know your great aunt is going to like it, but your, your nephew's going to like it too. And that covers a kind of a lot of bases that way. And those are both terrific wines.

[Prairie Rose]

Love Chenin Blanc.

[Ray Isle]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

You have a list here. The Cannonball California Cabernet Sauvignon. You say it's quote, just what you want in an under 20 cabernet. What do you want in an under 20 cabernet?

[Ray Isle]

Yeah, what you want in an under 20 cabercet is one that tastes like, it's over 20 bucks. And that's what I found with this. I did a tasting of a whole bunch of affordable Cabernets. And what I liked about the Cannonball is that it's got, you know, it's kind got oomph. It's got some really rich, dark fruit. But unlike a lot of affordable Cabernets, that's not the whole thing. It's got really nice structure and. And a little bit of complexity. And so it. It doesn't just drink like a fruit bomb. And I thought for 16 bucks, which is the list price, so it's probably available even less. It's, you know, it's just a killer deal. And it's out there, too, which is. Which is kind of a key thing. You know, um, you can pick really great wines that cost 15 bucks, but if there's only one store, you know, in the country that sells them and they only get six cases, it. It doesn't do anybody a hell of a lot of good.

[Alison Stewart]

You've got one here that is described as a spicy southern French red, which goes for $15. What am I talking about?

[Ray Isle]

That is a Cote d'rhone from Delos, and it's the Delos Saint Esprit coteron. And Delos is a old, been around forever Rhone estate domain and Negociant as well. And they make everything from, you know, $250, $300 hermitages and Cote Rotis down to this Cote Duron, which is about 15 bucks. And it's. It's sort of like the perfect winter wine. It's. It's got that kind of peppery character that you get from Syrah. It's got a little. It's got the richness of Grenache. And I think, you know, again, for that under 20 zone and for the kind of things that you're cooking for winter, wintertime, you know, tenderloin or, like, a lamb or, you know, mushroom risotto. It's just. It's just kind of right where you want to be.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, I've got a text for you, Prairie. This says I've discovered a wonderful syrup from the Middle east called Ru Afsa. And I love drinking a little bit of it stirred in hot water. But I'm wondering what kind of cocktail can be made out of it. It has kurfa seeds, chicory, lily, lotus barrage. I hope I'm pronouncing that right. And coriander in it.

[Prairie Rose]

Ooh, that sounds amazing. Well, those. Those are very rich flavors. I bet that would do really well, with a rum spirit, like an aged rum, I think also, you know, if she, she does like to, or he likes to mix it in with hot water, you can do a toddy and add a little whiskey to that, a little lemon juice and the syrup will be the sweetener to that. So you won't need any honey or simple syrup or anything. I think that would be delightful. It sounds very like a delicious, wintry drink.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's take a couple calls. We've got Karen calling from Montclair, New Jersey. Hi, Karen, thanks for calling, all of it.

[Karen]

Hi, thanks for having me and thanks to this portion of the show. Ray Perry and Allison. Glad to be here. So I was telling your screener, two weeks ago we had a holiday party and we decided my sister in law came from Atlanta and she said we'll make Lychee Martini the signature drink. So we ordered, we had bought champagne, we bought, you know, a bunch of other liquor. The Lychee Martini went over so well. We got left with six bottles of champagne. The Lychee Martini, they were fantastic. They were refreshing because we used dry vermouth. So it was not cloyingly sweet. And it had a hint of citrus because you can just put like a little twist of lime or lemon and the essence is just on top of there with two whole lychees on top. It was not only delicious, it was pretty. So that's my signature drink for the holidays.

[Alison Stewart]

Love that. Thank you for calling. Let's talk to Sarah, who has a question. Hi Sarah, what's your question?

[Sarah]

Hi.

[Lynette]

I am doing a fresh ham this year and I wanted to know what a good wine pairing would be. For the ham. I'm doing it with a balsamic and Dijon glaze.

[Ray Isle]

I think the good pairing is inviting me over for it. Really great. So ham's naturally salty. You know, inevitably in the balsamic glaze is going to be a little sweet. I think personally I would go with something like either on the white side like, like the Tiberio, actually Pecorino that I mentioned would be killer with it. But you could do a dry Riesling. I'm a big fan of dry Riesling with ham. It's. Or even if you like wines that are a little bit sweet, a slightly off dry Riesling. The kind of green apple character of Riesling goes really nicely with ham. And the, and the crisp acidity you get in Riesling is a great combination with the, with the, the meat. For a red, I'd probably do a lighter red. I wouldn't do a big tannic red. I do, I do something like a Pinot Noir. One of the, one of the steals I wrote about recently, Cloudline, which is the sort of second label from Domain Duran in Oregon, does a Pinot Noir that's about, it's around about 20 bucks. And it's just a beautiful organ Pinot Noir. And I think with that dish, especially with the balsamic, um, that would be a really cool pairing, too. And, you know, also champagne. Always champagne. Champagne with anything.

[Alison Stewart]

And we're going to be talking about Bubbles next. I'm speaking with food and wine editors Ray Isle and Prairie Rose. Their top picks for holiday wines and cocktails listeners. We want to know your favorite beverage to enjoy over the holiday season. Or if you have a question, Our number is 212433 WNYC, 212-433-9692. You can call in or you can text at that number after the break.

[WNYC Studios]

Bubbles WNYC Studios is supported by GiveWell. When you make a big purchase, say a car or a new mattress, how do you make sure that you're making the right choice? GiveWell provides an independent resource for a different kind of purchase. A donation. Over 100,000 donors have used GiveWell to donate. First time using GiveWell. When you go to givewell.org and pick podcast and enter WNYC at checkout, you can have your donation matched up to $100 before the end of the year or as long as matching funds.

[Ray Isle]

Last this week on the New Yorker Radio Hour, actor Willem Dafoe on a horror story for Christmas. Robert Eggers new version of Nosferatu. We've really gotten away from the scary vampire. We've come full circle and gotten to the character in Twilight, kind of a sympathetic, sweet vampire. He wanted him to be scary again. Willem Dafoe joins us next time on the New Yorker Radio Hour from WNYC Studios. Listen. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Alison Stewart]

You are listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guests are food and wine editors Ray Isle and Prairie Rose. We're talking to them about their top picks for holiday wines and cocktails this season. And we are taking your calls. Let's talk to Adam. Hi, Adam.

[Karen]

Hi.

[Ray Isle]

How are you doing?

[Alison Stewart]

Great.

[Tom]

My question is I have a lot of friends that are. I'm having a family dinner with some friends. A lot of them are sober now. I also have a best friend who's a Palestinian Muslim. I was just wondering if there's any mocktails or wines Non alcoholic wines that you would recommend for our dinner.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay, Prairie.

[Tom]

Or having a lamb.

[Alison Stewart]

And they're having lamb. Okay, Prairie, you go first.

[Prairie Rose]

Yeah, I mean, there are, there is a glut of non alcoholic spirits and wines out there in the world. And now canned or ready to drink cocktail mocktails, non alcoholic versions as well. There is like phony Negroni St. Augustus from Brooklyn makes a Negroni variation and they have also an espresso martini. I believe it's also non alcoholic. And, and I'm a big fan of using the non alcoholic sparkling French bloom. And, and I know Ray knows all about non alcoholic wines as well.

[Ray Isle]

Yeah, it's. You know, I will say one of the weird things is that I think our caller said he was in New Jersey. I'm not sure the, the laws are different from state to state. And weirdly, in New York, liquor stores can non alcoholic wine or, or spirits, I think, currently.

[Prairie Rose]

I didn't know that.

[Ray Isle]

It's. Yeah, it's, it's an, it's an old thing, liquor. I mean, liquor stores couldn't even sell like gift bags until about 2016. It's a, it's a loss to go back to the 1930s. But that said, I think in Jersey it's not an issue. And I will say you can also, they're non alcoholic, so you can just order them online.

[Prairie Rose]

Right? Amazon, right?

[Ray Isle]

Yeah, Amazon, you know, anything. And there's two. So for leg of lamb, there's a, there's a company called Missing Thorn out of California. And the guy who's the winemaker, Aaron Pott, makes really, really good high level Napa Cabernet. And he started this company, Missing Thorn, to make non alcoholic wine. And the red they do is one of the best non alcoholic wines I've had. Non alcoholic wine has been tough in the past. They've been pretty. But this one's really good. And the other, if you go white, which is not necessarily the key for Lamb, the Dr. Lowe Riesling from, from Lozen, which is a German producer, is a, is a remarkably surprising bottle of Riesling with no alcohol. I poured it because I'm basically a bad human. I blind taped my mother on it over Thanksgiving. Tell her it was non alcoholic and she didn't know.

[Prairie Rose]

It tastes like Riesling.

[Ray Isle]

It tastes like Riesling. Yeah. It's like it's. They finally cracked the code. Yeah, I mean, it's like the beer companies, athletic and so on, have been doing really, really good non alcoholic stuff for a few years now. But wine's been slow to catch up. And both those missing Thorne and the doctor Low are both really terrific.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Laura from Westchester. Hi, Laura, thanks for calling all of it.

[Sarah]

Hi there. I just. When you were talking about batching cocktails and Prairie, you just mentioned ready to drink cocktails. I wanted to bring up straightaway cocktails. It's my favorite ready to drink canned and bottled cocktail company. And I think for anyone who is like struggling to batch cocktails or just doesn't have time to be both cooking and doing cocktails, Straightaway has like a very wide variety of cocktails that they make from like a Manhattan to like juicy cocktails. They have a maple old fashions. They make a nitro express martini with Stumptown coffee. So I think those are just really great options for people who don't want to do it all. You can kind of let other companies do it for you. And they're just a great company. B corp and 1% for the planet and all. So just want to pitch them.

[Prairie Rose]

Great Bee's Knees as well. Right?

[Sarah]

Yeah, they do that one.

[Ray Isle]

I love the Bee's Knees cocktail. It's a great cocktail.

[Prairie Rose]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks for calling in, Laura. This is an interesting text. It says, making a dinner where every course has apples. Can you recommend a delicious appley cocktail?

[Prairie Rose]

I mean, bring back the appletini. I was gonna say we could go really obvious and do the appletini, but I would probably not go that route. I'm a big fan of vermouth cocktails and 5050 martini would be really beautiful with a apple flavors, especially with like a Dolan vermouth in there. So 5050 martini is equal parts. Basically normal Martini is like, you know, mostly gin with a little vermouth or two to one sometimes. But I, yeah, I would lean into maybe an aromatized wine or vermouth cocktail and to kind of bring out those bright apple y flavors.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, Ray, this one's for you. Any thoughts on Long island wines?

[Ray Isle]

Yeah, I mean, Long island, there's some good wineries out there. During the pandemic, the one wine trip I managed to take was to Long island, strangely enough. And you know, I think that the trick with Long island is that the weather is, as anybody who lives there know, it's pretty variable. So there are some vintages that are great and some that are tricky. But like Makari on Long island is really good Sparkling Point makes some beautiful sparkling wines on Long Island. Linz has been making good wines for years. L, E N Z. You know, I think one of the really cool things that's going on in wine right now is, you know, the, the main regions that people know are the west coast and California. Makes by by far dominates the wine business in the US but at the same time you're starting to see really good wines coming from not just Long island, but the Finger Lakes as well, along with Texas and Michigan and Arizona and Idaho. These kind of states that, that people kind of ignored as wine regions in the past. I think, you know, you can get some brilliant reds out of Long Island. You can get some fantastic Riesling, really world class Riesling, dry and sweet out of, out of Finger Lakes. So it's a, it's an exciting time for, for New York wine.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Lynette from Beacon, New York. Hi, Lynette.

[Lynette]

Hey, how are you doing? Hi, Prairie. Hi. So I kind of have this tradition during the holidays to think about going into my liquor cabinet and starting to use all of the irksome amounts of liqueurs and things that I've bought for, you know, all the classic cocktails. You've probably made one blood and sand and now have a full bottle of cherry herring. And this is the time to kind of reset and restart. So I'll use those and kind of flavor, build them in things like a mulled wine. I'll throw maybe some of those frozen cranberries out from Thanksgiving in the pot with some cinnam sticks. Or I'll set up like a cordial bar and then let people make their own kind of liqueur and sparkling wine cocktail.

[Prairie Rose]

Oh, that's smart.

[Lynette]

It's just a, it's a rotation time for me so I can make way for new things for the next year.

[Prairie Rose]

Love that.

[Alison Stewart]

Great idea. My guests are food and wine editors Ray Isle and Prairie Rose. Were talking about top picks for holiday wines. All right, I've arrived at the bubbles. Let's start with you, Ray.

[Ray Isle]

Yeah, so I mean I, I'm a, I'm a giant fan of bubbles and, and affordable bubbles on up through super pricey bubbles. And by the way, I just, from that last caller's note, I love the idea of a, of a, of a bubbles bar where you have set out and you know you could use. So I was going to say in terms of affordable bubbles, Prosecco is, is kind of a go to for affordable bubbles. I'm a big fan of a producer called Adami Adam. I, I think they make beautiful Prosecco for 20, 18 bucks a bottle and when it's that affordable, you don't really Worry about, like, pouring a little bit of cure into it or pouring a little bit of, you know, applejack or whatever you want to put in it, which is a fun idea. I also, you know, I do think that it's also the time of year for splurging on bubbles and champagne. Like, actual champagne from champagne in France is the. Is the ultimate bubble splurge. I'm a. I'm a giant fan of champagne. Billacart, Simon.

[Prairie Rose]

They're my favorite.

[Ray Isle]

Yeah. The rose is, like, the benchmark for champagne, and they have a wine called the Brut Soubois, which the. The base wines for it are aged in wood and oak. They're not in New oaks. It doesn't taste oaky, but it gives. Doing that gives a little more oxygen to the wines and. And gives them a little more richness and a little more depth. And it's, you know, it's 100 bucks a bottle, but, boy, is it a gorgeous bottle of wine. It's really, really good.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, let's talk cocktails that you can make with bubbles. What's your favorite?

[Prairie Rose]

Yeah, I mean, I think the French 75 is one of my favorite sparkling wine cocktails, and it's perfect. It's very celebratory this time of year. The Champagne cocktail also is just so classic. It's just, you know, a little. I love using, like, a little raw sugar cube. Soak that with bitters, top that with champagne. It's mostly champagne. And the French 75, you could only really have one or two of those because it involves gin as well as spark as well as champagne. So, you know, it comes with a punch, as it. As its name might suggest. But also Ray mentioned the Kir Royale. Like, adding some cassis or a BlackBerry brandy to sparkling wine is so lovely. But, yeah, I think there's so many different variations of, like, the cordial or liqueur with champagne. I. As Ray mentioned as well, I love that idea of having a bar set up and have people sort of customize their own. So maybe you don't batch a cocktail this year. Maybe you do something like that, which is a great idea.

[Ray Isle]

I love a French 75, too. They sneak up on you.

[Prairie Rose]

They really do. From experience.

[Ray Isle]

Yeah. The name comes from the. The caliber, the 75 millimeter, like, cannon that the French used, I think, in World War I.

[Alison Stewart]

Right.

[Prairie Rose]

It was a gun, actually, but, yeah. And it carried. It had a punch to it. So if that says anything about that cocktail, then I will say, you know.

[Ray Isle]

With those sparkling cocktails, you can also I mean, since people are cutting back some people and we are heading towards dry January, There's a. The Dr. Fisher, which is again, a German producer, Steinbach sparkling, non alcoholic, is the best, one of the best sparklings I've tasted. That's, that doesn't have alcohol in it. The other one I tasted recently that was really good is called Bole B O L L E. And so you can do, you can offer people the option of doing a French 75 that's, you know, with the gin substitute and some non alcoholic sparkling and a little lemon or you can do, you know, an actual full strength one. It's. There's been a term that's come up in England called which called zebra striping, where you.

[Prairie Rose]

All right.

[Ray Isle]

Alternate back and forth between drinking a real cocktail and drinking a non alcoholic cocktail. And it's named after the crosswalks in England. But it's, you know, it's a way to kind of keep yourself from, from overdoing it but still have the fun of having a cocktail.

[Prairie Rose]

Right. January, damn January.

[Ray Isle]

Damp January, which is basically New York. All of New York is.

[Alison Stewart]

I have to ask about this one because I can't tell if it's a joke or it's real. Hanukkah is the same day as Christmas. That's real.

[Ray Isle]

That's right.

[Alison Stewart]

You have a Hanukkah sparkling cocktail, the Aperol Schwitz.

[Prairie Rose]

Yes. So that was published. I think that came up a couple of years ago and then we updated it. But yeah, so it is based on the Aperol spritz, which normally has Aperol and Prosecco and club soda, but this also has Manischewitz in it. So you have, you know, you have Manischewitz sparkling wine, seltzer, aperol, little fresh lime juice. So there's, there's some extra citrus in there to balance out that Manischewitz wine. And. Yeah, and then you just garnish that with an orange slice. The recipe's on food and wine Aperolchwitz.

[Alison Stewart]

My guests have been Ray Eile and Prairie Rose, Food and wine editors. Thanks for all the great tips, you guys.

[Ray Isle]

Such a pleasure, Allison, thanks for having us.

[Prairie Rose]

Happy to be here. Thank you.

[WNYC Studios]

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