Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Fennhatten Cocktail

Below is a recipe for a terrific cocktail that I enjoyed on vacation while dining at the Salt of the Earth restaurant in Fennville, Michigan:

1.5 oz Makers Mark

1.5 oz Southern Comfort

.5 oz Michigan Cherry Liqueur

Orange twist

Serve on the rocks.

Bonci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi "Carpaneto" (2009) Marche



A wonderful summer white from Vallerosa Bonci, a small (35 hectare) multi-generational Marchesian winery bordering the valley of the Esino river. Verdicchio is only grown in the Marche region. There are two different appellations for Verdicchio; Castelli di Jesi, located close to the Adriatic, and Matelica, located more inland. I prefer the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, because I feel the wine benefits from growing near the sea. As a result, its a perfect companion with seafood. Keeping with the sea theme, I purchased the Bonci Verdicchio on a family vacation at the seashore from the Wine Sellers of Saugatuck, a nice wine shop that thankfully doesn't sell many Michigan wines. The wine is a single vineyard variety; with the grapes grown on Bonci's Carpaneto vineyard. Sparkling straw yellow/greenish color. Nice citrus/lemon nose. Crisp acidity. Synthetic cork.