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After Dinner

Posted on April 10, 2012 by lilliebette

It’s time for a rematch.

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m going to take mint to task. This time I have a super weapon and it’s called wisdom. Specifically, I refer to the wisdom of those who came before me.

A much wiser pair-er than I successfully paired mint with wine–specifically port with thin mints–and I decided to give it a shot. Giving credit when credit is due is pretty much my mantra (it was also beaten over my head at college), so here is the post. It has a lot of tasty ideas for experiencing Girl Scout cookies with an adult beverage. The basic concept of the pairing is that the richness of the port can balance out the mint and chocolate. Mint and chocolate proves to be an extremely tricky combo to overcome, so I took this advice. Also, I never had port before (it turns out I am not a 45 year old man with an ascot) so it was a new experience.

The “Adult Beverage”: Presidential Porto, from Portugal

Let's just say Santorum won't be drinking this (boodumcha)

The Candy: Double mint! Junior Mints & Andes Mints

The Reality:

I’m not going to pretend that I had a “dream” for this pairing when I used the idea of someone else. But I thought this turned out pretty well. The port is 19% / volumen which is, well, pretty heavy duty. It is heavy and flavorful–there’s a lot to process in one sip. It’s sweet and goes down smooth. It lays very thick on your tongue, which ended up being a good thing. 

With the Andes mint, the port did well.   It was able to wash away the lingering mint flavor while keeping the chocolate present. It accented the richness of the chocolate and kept the mint from overpowering the experience. But Junior Mints have such a sizable minty middle, which is difficult to overpower. There is also so much of it. I never realized how much “mint” is in a Junior Mint.

I recommend port, if you have not had it. And hey, it’s an after dinner drink for an after dinner mint! I would say that was pretty inspired, if I didn’t steal the idea for this pairing from someone else.

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I’m going to try to update this blog with more wine news that I stumble across. Send me some things if you are so inclined, otherwise, stay thirsty my friends.

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Mint Madness

Posted on March 17, 2012 by lilliebette

I may be off Facebook (for now) but that does not mean I’m off blogging. And today we celebrate something we all wish to carry in our hearts in the shape of a four-leaf clover: the luck of the Irish.

I know that immediately you are thinking: this is a wine & candy blog, this has nothing to do with Ireland. And yes, I’m inclined to agree with you. That won’t stop me commemorating St. Patrick’s Day. Today we’ll explore the flavor that, somehow, has to do with St. Patrick’s Day: mint.

Now, I was curious as to why mint relates to St. Patrick’s Day. Yes, it is green. And yes, Shamrock Shakes is all the proof I need to prove there is a God. But…why mint? Isn’t parsley green? And kale and grass? A quick look on Google really tells me nothing. Thoughts? Why mint, out of all green things?

That’s enough exposition. We are not going to find any answers today and my St. Pat’s is rather busy, but not for the reasons that you think. No, I’ll be gallavanting amongst DC’s cherry blossoms, which are most certainly not green. I’ll wear a green necklace though.

The Wine: Layer Cake, 2010 Malbec from the lovely Mendoza

Round, Chocolate Flavor

Malbec Madness

The Candy: Junior Mints, an American Movie Classic

Vs...Senior Mints...?

The Dream: In the spirit of St. Patrick, I’ll be perfectly honest. I did not have a master plan. I knewJunior Mints were the candy of choice. I had a Junior Mints t-shirt in Junior High, as some readers will recall, that I thought was the most important clothing item I owned. I loved that shirt, as well as Junior Mints. In terms of wine, it proved to be a tricky choice. I did not want to go for light and fruity since those flavors would not work with chocolate mint. It needed to be rich. Fortunately, Malbec Madness was happening at the liquor store. Since Malbec Madness is a play on March Madness…it fit perfectly. Plus, I chose carefully. Layer Cake is described as rich with hints of tabacco. It looked like a wine in which I could immerse myself.

Don't you want to take a swim?

The Reality:

When I opened that bottle of wine, I immediately smelt it. The chocolate flavors engulfed me and I felt myself falling in love. I brought it over to Sam, but he did not seem that intrigued. I kept smelling it for awhile, looking forward to tasting this truly layered wine. I did not smell tabacco though, that was a bunch of lies (St. Patrick would not be pleased). As I poured myself a glass, I realized something upsetting.

Who will play second (Irish) fiddle?

I had to drink this wine, a meal unto itself, with a cheap theater candy. Already, this was not going to work. I ate a Junior Mint, which I will not make up fancy prose for. It’s a Junior Mint. Then I took a sip of wine and my mouth screamed in dismay. How could I distract from this round wine, with subtle chocolate flavors and richness that scoffed at a simple J Mint? Though the taste of cheap mint quickly washed out of my mouth, I spent the rest of the evening drinking wine.

Here is the ultimate question then: can mint be paired with wine? I want to keep exploring this. I don’t think a rich wine like Layer Cake, which I recommend, especially to those who love Cupcake, works with mint. Could I be more daring and try a white? Would that hold a surprise?

 

Either way, drink up friends and enjoy your St. Pats. And buy some Layer Cake–St. Patrick would be proud.


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