Niagara Gazette - BEHIND THE BAR: What liquor store is right for you?

Tue, Dec 02 2008

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Published: November 01, 2007 03:30 pm

BEHIND THE BAR: What liquor store is right for you?

By Frank Ryan
Greater Niagara Newspapers

The holiday season will soon be upon us. Now is the time to visit area liquor stores to stock up on wine and spirits for holiday guests. And you cannot walk into the home of a friend or relative empty-handed, either.

Liquor stores come in all shapes and sizes; some feature more wine while others showcase more liquor. Watch for the displays of holiday gift packs that include glasses and other neat goodies.

Many stores sell lottery tickets or offer televisions that feature videos on wine, liquor, even cigar tips. How about books on gourmet cooking?

Personally, I can spend hours browsing around liquor stores getting ideas for new cocktails and gifts. And I visit them all.

What should you look for in a liquor store?

• Convenience: Is the store close to your home or work?

• Customer Service: Are the employees friendly? Can they answer most of your questions? Will they help you carry boxes or bags to your car — especially in the dark?

• Inventory: Does the store carry what you need? Can they get it for you?

• Price: Are the prices good? Price is always a factor and certain stores always seem to have your favorite spirit or wine on sale.

Stock up now. The closer the holidays get, the more hectic and crowded the liquor stores become.

•••

Pineapple upside-down cake martini

In a shaker with ice, mix:

1 1/2 oz. vanilla vodka

3 ounces fresh pineapple juice

Shake and strain into a martini glass.

Then add 1/2 oz. Grenadine (Grenadine will layer in the bottom)

Garnish with cherry or pineapple slice.

Jolly Rancher

In a tall collins glass with ice, mix:

3/4 oz. Peach Schnapps

3/4 oz. Midon (melon liqueur)

Fill with cranberry juice

Add a splash of sweet and sour mix

Garnish with a cherry.

Bazooka Joe (bubble gum martini)

In a shaker with ice, mix:

2 oz. Banana liqueur

_ oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream

_ oz. Blue Curacao

Shake and strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with a piece of Bazooka Joe bubble gum.

•••

The buzz around town

Niagara Falls native and former Western Door Steakhouse chef Mike Swartz has been working for the past year and a half in Las Vegas at the Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay’s restaurant located in Caesar’s Palace.

The restaurant features Southwestern cuisine and is drawing record crowds for dinner seven days a week. I spent some time with Mike last week in Las Vegas, and he informed me that he has been offered a chef’s position at Flay’s restaurant at the Borgata in Atlantic City. The Borgata is the hottest hotel and casino in Atlantic City.

With a move back east, Mike would be able to visit his parents more often. No decision has been made yet, but Mike is putting together one impressive resume.

•••

QUESTION: Friends invited me out for dinner as their guest. Knowing my love for wine, they handed me the wine list and asked that I select the wine for dinner. Do I go for it or pick something less expensive because they are paying for it?

ANSWER: This has happened to me more than once as it probably has to many of you. If money were an issue, your friends probably would not have asked you to pick the wine; however, use common sense. I would order something that everyone would enjoy and probably, intermediately priced. But, if you feel uncomfortable, graciously decline and ask someone else to order the wine.

Q: What is the difference between bottled beer and draught beer?

A: Besides the obvious, bottled beer is pasteurized. That is why it lasts longer.

Q: When presenting a wine with a twist-off cap, should the server leave the cap at the table?

A: Somehow, the glamour of popping a cork at a table is lost with the twist-off caps. When your customer is spending $100 or more for a bottle of wine, he does expect more of a presentation.

But get ready because here it comes: Many of the premier winemakers of the world are switching to twist-off wine caps. Winemakers feel there is less spoilage with these caps.

In addition, new state laws allow customers to take the open, unfinished bottle out of the restaurant with them.

So, to answer your question, I would hold the cap to the side. If your customer does not finish the entire bottle of wine, the wine can be capped, placed in a bag and you can bid your customer farewell.

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