Staff Tastes: Ron Dos Madera

We have carried the Dos Maderas 5+3 and PX rums for quite a while with excellent reception from our rum fans-- soon we will be getting the Luxus in stock (we're guessing around mid-February, 2016).

Dos Maderas Luxus: old aged rum made with a triple process: the initial crianza stage and then two aging stages.  Just like "Dos Maderas 5+3" and "Dos Maderas PX", it is handmade and aged previously in the Caribbean and then it is shipped to the Williams & Humbert facilities, where is it aged using the solera system. It is different from the other two of the range because it is left to age for 15 years: 10 years in the Caribbean and 5 in barrels that previously held wine at Don Guido.

Tasting notes: dark amber color, with flecks of gold. The nose suggests very sweet, treacly, woody features. Touch of sea salt. It has notes of almonds, white fruit and molasses, candied orange peel. It tastes surprisingly sweet and has an appealing combination of alcohol with notes of wood and spices.  Drink neat or with an ice cube or two.

Hi-Time featured in OC Weekly: 1-28-16

"Behind the Scenes at Hi-Time Wine Cellars,
the Best Booze Barn in Southern California"

 This week in the OC Weekly, Matt Coker sheds some light on the history of Hi-Time and we are very grateful for his take on what we do here-- Danny Liao's pictures are equally excellent.

View the article here: http://www.ocweekly.com/news/behind-the-scenes-at-hi-time-wine-cellars-the-best-booze-barn-in-southern-california-6928347

January 31st: 1st Beer Tasting of the Year!

Sunday, Jan. 31st, 1-5 p.m. $20

It's almost that time again! The first @mrhitime beer tasting of 2016 is almost here. As always, the last Sunday of every month we host a beer tasting at the store and transform the wine bar into a beer bar for the day. This month we'll be doing "staff picks."

We'll be there from 1 to 5 p.m. on the 31st pouring beer and for $20 you can come join us. We've been hoarding beer for this all month so there is sure to be some epic picks. If you love beer like we do this is a tasting you're not going to want to miss. #beer

Newton Winemaker Dinner at A Restaurant

Like great wines, food and company? This is a dinner you should attend.  Rob Mann, winemaker for Newton Vineyard, will be on hand to talk about the fantastic wines coming out of their Spring Mountain Estate as you taste them paired with a killer menu from one of our local favorites: A Restaurant.

Click on the above picture to see the wine/food menu.  We will also be tasting the 2010 'Premiere Napa Valley - The Puzzle' (pictured at right) that Hi-Time won at auction.

What: Newton Vineyard Pairing Dinner with winemaker Rob Mann
When: Wednesday, Jan. 27th, 7 p.m.
Where: A Restaurant, 3334 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach, 92663
Cost: $100
RSVP: to dan(at)hitimewine.net

What's up at the Hi-Time Wine Bar?

by Tobin Sharp

In the center of Hi-Time, right at the entrance to our wine cellar, sits the wine bar.  Here we have featured tastings, wine classes, special events and a self-serve section with our automated wine machines...

1. The Main Event!

Our main featured tastings are on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  In general, Thursday tastings tend to be a bit more erudite, showcasing wines perhaps more pensive in nature (think 'deep cuts' instead of 'greatest hits') but certainly most worthy to taste; Fridays are more crowd-friendly (in general), with new releases and easy sippers but also the occasional curveball to feature certain areas or producers and spread the spotlight. as it were; Saturdays are definitely the 'greatest hits' category of wines-- where we schedule the Cabernet Sauvignon or Champagne tastings... when we have winemakers visit, we tend to try and schedule them on Saturdays (schedule permitting, of course). At the tasting, you will be given a sheet listing what you will be tasting (and with space for notes or rating the wine) and you will be served each of the (usually 8-10) wines in order (1 oz. pour per wine).  We would recommend giving yourself at least 30 minutes to taste the wines (i.e. don't show up at 8:25 p.m. when the wine bar closes at 8:30 p.m.).

2. Eat too, Brute?

We will sometimes have food featured with the tastings-- for example, we are tasting Austria and German wines tonight (1/21) and will be serving bratwursts with them.  We always provide either bread or crackers-- something to help cleanse the palate while also providing a buffer against accidental inebriation (tasting wine on an empty stomach? Non!).  Upstairs in our gourmet food area we do have a nice selection of cheeses and charcuterie for sale so we see many of our wine bar clientele purchasing fromage and/or sausages to pair with what they're tasting (we'll give you plates/plasticware at the bar!).

3. Schedule & Other Events & Self Serve Selections

a. Our Wine Bar Schedule is always available on our website, www.hitimewine.net, but we also tend to send out reminders via social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

b. The other events that take place at the wine bar include (mostly) monthly Beer Tastings (last Sunday of the month, 12-5 p.m., around $20-25), Sake Tastings (Wednesdays or Sundays toward the latter half of the month), wine classes (usually on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays-- February through November), and other special events, such as bottle signings, winemaker visits, etc.  Ten Dollar Tuesdays take place each Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. and offer 4-6 tastes for only $10.  Some of these nights may be sponsored by various distributors showcasing their portfolio or new goods while many nights will see our Wine Bar Manager Todd or other wine staff members pick some of their recent favorites.  

c. Our automated wine machines are available generally during our business hours-- there are 16 selections and you have the option to choose between three portion sizes (taste, half-glass, glass) at a variety of prices.  We will have many 'everyday' wines (where tastes may cost around $1) but also feature some higher end Cabs, French and Italian wines (and others) that may cost $25 to $100 (or more) per glass.  You will need to get a 'wine card' in order to use the machines-- ask one of the wine staff at the bar or in the cellar to get a card (think gift card where you load how much $ you want on the card). 

4. To RSVP or not RSVP-- wait, is that required??

There are times when we will not have the automated wine machines available-- the vast majority of our tastings do not require reservations but we do have a select few tastings a year with mandatory reservations required.  During such events, we will not offer the automated wine machines.  Also, regarding RSVP tastings, we will have them listed on our site/social media when they occur.

5. Other Useful Info

When attending our tastings, please do not wear perfume and/or cologne as they can adversely affect the nosing of the wines (for example, we don't want to smell "Old Spice" when we're trying to get our nose around a First Growth Bordeaux!).  As most of our tastings are on a "first come, first served" basis, there may be times when the wine bar is full and you may have to wait to get a seat.  In general, there is usually plenty of room for folks to have a seat or stand and taste at our back bar.  The wines we taste that night will be featured on the shelf near the entrance to the wine cellar if you would like to purchase your favorites.

This week's schedule:

Thursday, January 21st: German & Austrian Wines (with bratwursts) $20, 4:30-8:30pm.

 Friday, January 22nd: Louis Jadot 2013 (Villages, 1er Cru, Grand Cru), $30, 4:30-8:30pm.

Saturday, January 23rd: Cabernet Sauvignon & Celebrating Dan Williams' Birthday! Dan has pulled some stunners so this will be a showstopper event-- $30, 2-8:30pm.

Louis XIII de Rémy Martin: Staff Training

by Tobin Sharp
While we here at Hi-Time taste many different wines, spirits, beers, liqueurs, mixers and just about every beverage under the sun (that we carry), it is not every day that we get the chance to try one of the top spirits in the world: the Cognac Louis XIII de Rémy Martin.

Christophe Namer, our US West Coast Brand Ambassador for Louis XIII de Rémy Martin, stopped by the store to share some stories (and, of course, the Louis XIII!) about this historic Cognac, enjoyed by Charles de Gaulle to celebrate the liberation of Paris at the end of World War II, an inspiration to Winston Churchill when writing his memoirs, aged a minimum of 40 years and up to 100 years... then we nosed and tasted it.

I admit, it's probably been a decade since I last tried Louis XIII but my memory of it was certainly refreshed today and reinforced; yes, it is as good as I remember.  The floral notes, dried fruits, leather and spices in the nose lead to a palate reflecting the same and more with cigar box, tropical fruits, ginger, cinnamon and pure gravitas-- the deep amber color and leggy viscosity complete the package.  Speaking of the package, the Baccarat crystal decanter is the perfect housing for such an elegance of bottled time.  With 1,200 Cognacs in the blend and four generations of cellar master needed to produce such a masterwork, how else do you frame a work of art?  While certainly museum-worthy, we like to be able to showcase it in our Cognac case.  Ask about it next time you're in the shop and we'll show you where.

Classic Cocktails: The Sidecar

The Sidecar

by Michael Frank

The Sidecar cocktail is by far one of most memorable cocktails to come out of American Prohibition. It brings to the table an elegant yet fruit-forward flavor profile that’s complemented by a naturally high acid content. While it goes best with a salty snack, it also makes a perfect aperitif or an aperitivo-- especially with large fatty, rich meals. With all the fruit juice that goes into it, some are deceived into expecting a sweet, easy-to-drink cocktail. Don’t let it fool you though; If you do try to gulp it down you’ll end up coughing. This is a concoction of complexity and power that is designed to be savored and enjoyed patiently.

The common belief is that the sidecar cocktail is named after those funny little attachments that people can put on the side of a motorcycle for a passenger. Another theory as to the origin of the name is that it’s named after a sidecar shot. A shot of sidecar is something you probably won’t see in any first world bars in our modern era. In short, a sidecar shot is when the bartender takes his barmat and dumps whatever liquid has accumulated into a shot glass. It saves on product cost and people love it. In my last bar we did this all the time and believe it or not, it actually doesn’t usually taste half bad.

The lore reads that it was invented by a wounded army field captain that rode between a bar and his encampment in a sidecar during the battles of World War I. Sounds like a tall tale to me, but hey-- good stories sell drinks. 

The actual origin of the cocktail is traced back to the Ritz Carlton of Paris in 1922 and the American refugee bartender Harry MacElhone. Of course, this is a matter of some debate and some would attribute the original mixture to Robert Vermeire who published his book “Cocktails and How to Mix Them” the same year.

The original recipe calls for equal parts Congac, Triple Sec and Lemon Juice. I prefer a take on the more modern and popular version from Harry Craddock’s 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book." My recipe for this cocktail follows that 1930s tradition while utilizing classic liquor selections and some “relatively” new mixology techniques. You will need the following:

For bar tools…

Jigger 666444

Beehive Juicer 106266

18oz weighted shaker 644344

28oz weighted shaker 678987

Hawthorne strainer 643543

Martini glass 703622

For consumables…

Camus Borderies VSOP Cognac 102722

Cointrieu 106340

Lemons

Step 1

Start by adding 3 ounces of Cognac.

Cognac is really the star of this cocktail and despite all the heavy sugars and citrus we’re building on top of it, we really want that original essence to shine through in all its glory. For this I wouldn’t select anything too elegant or smooth. I’m not suggesting the use of poor quality brandy either though, what we want is something with just a little bit of spice and bite. For me, I like to use Camus Borderies VSOP because of the unique baking spice characteristics that come through on the nose and palate as well as its long and bold finish.

Feel free to swap out and have fun with and other brandy, as well, even if it’s not Cognac. One of the primary factors in the difference between a brandy and a Cognac is that Cognac comes from Cognac, France, and has its own AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlee, the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, spirits, cheeses, butters and other agricultural products). Even if someone somewhere else were to make the same spirit with the same grapes in let’s say Bordeaux, it could only be called brandy. One of my favorite substitutions is Spanish brandy such as Torres 10.

Step 2

Add 1 ounce of Cointreau.

I like to use Cointreau because it’s the most orange-y of all the orange liqueurs, also it's not overly sweet. You can use triple sec too, if you like, but keep in mind it will make things sweeter.

Step 3

Squeeze 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice into your jigger. Don’t do this over the shaker as it will make it hard to keep things accurate. When your jigger is full, dump the fresh squeezed lemon juice into your shaking tin.

Step 4

Fill your other shaker with ice, put the two together and shake the heck out of it! Make sure you hold both cups securely, we want this cocktail “in” you and your guests, not “on” you. When shaking, shake back and forth between the two bottoms of the cups to give it the best chance of marrying the ingredients. Do this for about 30 seconds. Don’t be shy, give it all you’ve got!

Step 5

Get your martini glass ready. Tap the two conjoined metal cups gently on the edge of your bar (or anywhere else) to break the vacuum seal you created. Take your hawthorn strainer, place it over the cup and carefully pour everything into your glass.

Step 6

Enjoy! Another technique you might want to try out would be putting it through a netted strainer on it’s way into the glass, this will give it a whole new mouthfeel. Also, feel free to swap out the base liquor. I made one recently with a heavily peated Scotch and it was great. Another option is to use different citrus: kumquats, maybe? Most importantly, have fun and experiment. The worst case scenario is that you’ll have to make another drink.

May your cocktail adventures be glorious!

Sidecar photo: foodspotting.com