bar chef Archives - Page 7 of 12 - blonde behind the bucket

More Mead Please!

Mead is an alcoholic beverage that is made by fermenting honey with water, and sometimes with the addition of fruits, spices, grains, or hops. It is one of the oldest known alcoholic beverages, with a history dating back thousands of years.

The process of making mead involves mixing honey with water and adding yeast to initiate fermentation. The yeast eats the sugars in the honey, converting them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The fermentation process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the desired flavor and strength of the mead.

Mead can vary in taste and appearance, depending on the ingredients used and the fermentation process. It can range from dry to sweet, and can have flavors that range from floral and fruity to spicy and herbal. The alcohol content of mead can also vary, typically ranging from 8% to 20% ABV (alcohol by volume). These offerings featured around 12%.

I reached out via email to Sap House Meadery. Matt Trahan one of the owners and founders responded to my questions. Matt and his cousin, Ash Fischbein both own and founded Sap House Meadery.

Answers and more about mead below..

bbb: How much honey does it take to make a 375ml bottle?

MT: The honey amount ranges but around 1/2 lb per bottle.

bbb: How much honey does it take to make a barrel of mead?

MT: To make a 50 gallon barrel would be about 180 lbs of honey.

bbb: Where do you get your barrels and what kind of wood are they?

MT: We get barrels from either Cathedral Ledge Distilling in North Conway or a barrel broker for the more exotic stuff like mezcal/brandy barrels. Generally American oak.

bbb: Where do you source your honey?

MT: We have a couple hives but our honey for production comes from a variety of apiaries in New England and beyond when they are out.

bbb: Do you ship to California?

MT: We sure do ship to CA!

***They also ship to other states too per their website. I needed some in California. Photo shoot and more tastes, duh!

Mead can be enjoyed on its own, served chilled or at room temperature, or it can be used as an ingredient in cocktails or mixed with other beverages. It is often served in a glass similar to a wine glass or a goblet. We (my sister and I), on this day, chose shot glasses. You had to be there.

Mead is a unique and versatile alcoholic beverage that offers a wide range of flavors and styles, making it a popular choice for those looking to explore different types of drinks.

I was first introduced to mead attending and online class on the EdX platform during quarantine. HarvardX offers Food & Fermentation course and a Cooking & Science course. I highly recommend upgrading to the certification program as you gain access to more information and receive a certificate for your efforts in the end and I suppose some bragging rights. Links below.

Where to buy the mead?

Sap House

Where to buy stemware corkscrews and stuffs?

Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

**i may receive some commissions for eligible purchases

Where to get information about the HarvardX course?

Food Fermentation: the Science of Cooking with Microbes

Science and Cooking Lecture dates

fully loaded hemps seeds cherries smoothie

This smoothie is earthy, bitter, slightly sweet, and packed with goodness. It’s fully loaded.

Where to buy the goods? Glasses, SAKARA and other ingredients, blender and stuffs? BlondeBehindtheBucket Storefront of course. Please know I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you.

fully loaded helps cherries smoothie

for the rim/garnish

Gather the necessary ingredients and materials: honey, hemp seeds, a small plate or shallow dish, and a glass.
Pour a small amount of honey onto the plate or shallow dish. The amount will depend on the size of the glass rim you want to coat.
Spread the honey evenly on the plate, making sure it covers an area slightly larger than the rim of the glass.
Take the glass and dip the rim into the honey, gently rotating it to ensure the honey coats the entire rim.
Lift the glass out of the honey and allow any excess to drip off.
Immediately after dipping the glass rim in honey, dip it into a separate plate or shallow dish filled with hemp seeds. Again, rotate the glass to ensure the hemp seeds stick to the honey-coated rim.
Gently tap the glass to remove any excess hemp seeds.
Place the glass upright and allow the honey and hemp seeds to dry and set for a few minutes.
Once the honey and hemp seeds have dried and set, your honey hemp seeds glass rim is ready to use.

Note: Make sure to handle the glass carefully to avoid dislodging the honey and hemp seeds. Additionally, be mindful of any allergies or dietary restrictions when serving drinks with a honey hemp seeds glass rim.

for the smoothie:

1 scoop Sakara metabolism protein (can be purchased in larger or smaller “travel” size packet)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 scoop Holi (mane) Agent Nateur collagen powder
1 tablespoon 200+ manuka honey (plus extra for glass rim)
3 tablespoons hemp seeds (plus extra for glass rim)
1 cup frozen black cherries
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Ceylon cinnamon
1 sambazon original açaí frozen packet
1 tablespoon of avocado oil
1 tablespoon sea moss gel (prepared according to packet instructions) I use Erewhon dried sea moss.

Add all ingredients to a blender. I use Cuisant to-go. Blend until smooth.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: honey hemp seed rim and maybe a few hemp seeds for the top

bar chef notes: additional goodness and a tang, add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

Where to buy the goods? Glasses, blending machines, hemp seeds, and other stuffs? My Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course.

*Please know I may receive commissions on eligible purchases. Thank you.

wine tasting The Domaines Rothschild Prestige Selection 2020

wine tasting The Domaines Rothschild Prestige Selection 2020

This wine is clear. This wine is ruby crimson. This wine is casis with berries. This wine is medium body with mild notable tannins. This wine is earthy. This wine is Old World. This wine is a Bordeaux blend. This wine is Rothchild Prestige Bordeaux Rogue Selection. This wine is.

Domaines Rothschild Bordeaux wine refers specifically to wines produced by the Rothschild family, who are renowned for their winemaking heritage and expertise dating back to the 17th century. They have several prestigious wine estates in Bordeaux, France, including Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild, and Château Clarke. These wines are highly regarded and sought after by wine enthusiasts and collectors worldwide.

Bordeaux wines are typically made from a blend of different grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec for red wines, and Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle for white wines. The specific blend of grapes used can vary depending on the winemakers and the specific appellation (region) within Bordeaux.

The Prestige Collection is a reflection the of Les Domaines Barons de Rothschild to producing wines even if they don’t undergo the same long aging process. This wine is can be found on various wine websites. The price is around $16-$18USD per bottle. It can be paired with marinated tofu, mushroom dishes, cheese, and meats. Drink now.

Please enjoy responsibly and be of the legal drinking age

Where to buy glasses and decanter and corkscrews and stuffs related? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

Sunday Morning Juice

On a Sunday morning, when the world seems to move at a slower pace, there is a certain charm to indulging in the lazies. I don’t know about you but cravings of something refreshing invigorating and decant all come to mind. What’s a better combo than fresh juice paired with flakey buttery and perhaps chocolate filled pastries with a side of strawberries? Nothing in this morning moment.

Sunday Morning Juice

Ingredients:

4 large carrots
2 medium-sized golden beets
1-inch piece of fresh ginger
1-inch piece of fresh turmeric
2 oranges
Honey or agave (optional for additional sweetness)
Squeeze of lemon (optional for additional brightness)

Instructions:

Wash and peel the carrots and golden beets. Cut them into smaller pieces to fit into your juicer chute.
Peel the ginger and turmeric using a spoon or a peeler. I like the spoon. Cut them into smaller chunks.
Peel the oranges and separate them into segments.
Set up your cold press juicer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I use Omega.
Start by juicing the carrots, followed by the golden beets, ginger, turmeric, and finally the oranges.
Once all the ingredients are juiced, give the juice a good stir to combine the flavors. Add optional honey/agave and squeeze of lemon here.
Pour the juice into a glass or a jar and refrigerate for a few minutes to chill.
Serve the cold press juice immediately and enjoy its refreshing and nutritious goodness!
Best served with fresh strawberries and pastries or a pancake, if you feel like cooking. It’s Sunday after all.

Note: Cold press juicers extract juice by slowly crushing and pressing the ingredients, which helps retain more nutrients compared to traditional juicers. If you don’t have a cold press juicer, you can use a regular juicer or a blender. If so, you may need to strain the juice using a cheese cloth to remove any pulp or fiber.

Where to buy the goods? You know glasses, juicer, plates, and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Duh! (wink wink)

Please know I may receive commissions from eligible purchases.

the factory wine

This wine is clear. This wine is ruby in color. This wine is berries. This wine is cherries and cranberries. This wine is light in body with little to mild but elegant tannins. This wine is strawberries. This wine is spice. This wine is silky smooth. This wine has oak. This wine is a red wine. This wine is New World. This wine is California. This wine is 2018. This wine Pinot Noir (also a grape found in champagne). This wine is Sleepy Hallow vineyards. This wine is l’usine 2018 Saint Lucia Sleepy Hallow Pinot Noir. This wine is art. This wine.

l’usine translates from French to English meaning the factory. Yes, Warhol tribute. This wine in particular hangs out in French oak barrels in Saint Lucia Highlands Monterey County California for several months. It is available for purchase on their website and through select retailers (New York and Los Angeles looking at you). Unfortunately, at this time, there isn’t a formal tasting room on location. Drink it now or hold.

This wine pairs with pork, duck, salmon, tofu, and morel mushroom dishes. It also pairs well with brie cheeses charcuteries caramels and chocolate mousse.

The pricing of the l’usine is $100-110 USD.

l’usine cellars

Oh, I’m not sure who the model is on the bottle. I have a vague recollection of a couple of conversations about this from pre-COVID days. Is she a daughter, a niece, a friend, or a sister? I can’t say for sure. I called the number on the website, and the lady I spoke to wasn’t sure who the model was either.

Where to buy glasses, wine openers and stuff?

Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

*I may receive commissions on eligible purchases

The Best Smoothie Ever Today Recipe

the best smoothie ever today recipe

1 cup of Costco Kirkland’s Signature unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 cup Whole Foods 365 frozen pineapples chunks

1 cup of Whole Foods frozen cherries (I love the Whole Foods 365 brand frozen fruits)

1 frozen Sambozon original açaí packet or two who’s counting ok me, just one

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper

1 1/2 scoop of Agent Nateur holi (mane) collagen a powder

1 heaping scoop of Sakara protein and greens protein powder

Blend until smooth. Pour into coupe glass. Gold stars and candles optional.

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

*i may receive commissions on eligible purchases

Doogh 2.0

Years ago.. I’m talking twenty plus years I met a friend on a random job in NYC.. we became friends after a few hours and went to shop at Bloomingdale’s for swimming suits after work that day….
When I moved to Los Angeles, she came to visit. We went to a restaurant in Westwood and after my first doogh I was hooked..
I bought mint a few times but it went bad as I was working on something else…today I finally made it. I blended some ice and mint with plain non fat yogurt (this one is cow as I ate the vanilla sheep yogurt the other morning at 4:am). I added dried rose petals sugar and a raspberries rose probiotic drink and of course rose water…

If you want alcohol you can use sparkling Crémant rosé.. it’s excellent without it though..
Yogurt works with the spicy foods from Middle East Africa and India ..
Garnish with mint and sugar. I highly recommend a rose petal sugar rim.
I bought the rose petal sugar at Surfas Culver City, CA location which if you are local to Los Angeles this could be great news. I will put a similar one in my store Blonde Behind the Bucket storefront if you aren’t though.

AND No! No! no..
This drink is not sweet and isn’t meant to be although it translate to mean« treaty »..
Maybe that’s what I will do with my mangoes…

Doogh 2.0

Ingredients

6 oz of plain nonfat yogurt (this Norr organic sure does taste full fat to me)

10 sprigs of mint (and one for the garnish so 11 sprigs of mint)

1 cup of ice

2 oz raspberry rose probiotic drink

2 Tablespoons of agave or honey one for the drink and one for the sugar rim

Pinch of fine salt (think Maldon because it is a fine flakey sea salt and dissolves almost instantly)

Dried edible rose petals to mix with sugar or premade rose petal sugar

Method

Place rose petal sugar on a saucer. Add honey or agave to the rim of a glass. Roll glass in the sugar mixture and set aside or refrigerate. The remainder sugar in saucer can be used to top the drink.

Add all ingredients to a blending machine except sparkling water and one sprig of mint. The sparkling is the topper and that one extra mint sprig is for the garnish. Blend until see a crushed ice consistency. Kinda slushy like. Pour into rose petal sugar rimmed glass. Top with sparkling raspberries rose water. Top with rose petal sugar sugar and mint.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: dried rose petals sugar and mint sprig

Arti Berry Cynar Granita Slushy

Before we get to the recipe, let’s talk about what Cynar is and how to pronounce it. Cynar is an Italian artichoke bitters digestivo that belongs to the amaro family. It is pronounced Cee-NAHR or CEE-nahr, depending on who you ask. The suggested serving recommendation is to enjoy it on its own or with cola and lime. You can find more information on the back of the bottle. I decided to have a little fun with it on a couple of occasions, adding fruits, molasses, and agave. Last October, I featured it in a post (see last October’s post here), and just recently, I created a delicious concoction with it. After all, who doesn’t love a frozen boozy treat to complete dinner?

Arti Berry Cynar Granita Slushy

Ingredients

1 cup of mixed berries (blueberries raspberries strawberries)

8 oz Cynar

1 oz agave

1 oz molasses syrup

Scrape using a fork to break up the mixture

Aren’t these ice crystals beautiful

In the glass..

Method

Muddle mixed berries. Add Cynar and berries together in a plastic container with a lid. Store at room temperature for about three to five days. Remove the berries by straining them from the mixture, if you like. To slow the infusion process refrigerate for the same amount of time to about a week. Check and taste to determine whether more time is needed for the berry infusion. Add agave and molasses. Stir. Place in freezer. Check it every few hours and break up the forming solid with a fork. I forgot one batch longer and left it I there longer than a week and after removing I did the scraping process with a fork and it worked fantastically. The mixture only partly freezes because of the alcohol content. I figured that out once by leaving my Lillet in the freezer. Once you have scraped a few times, add to a coupe glass and enjoy.

Glass: coupe

Garnish: extra frozen berries

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront.

Please be of the legal drinking age and drink responsibly

Pear Mocktail

This is the mocktail of your dreams. I say that about all of them, I know. You won’t miss the vodka or bourbon, I promise. Sweet without being too sweet, thanks to the date syrup. Thanks, date syrup! This A-team brings it. Yes, pear and ginger, I’m looking at you. Don’t you just feel healthier looking at them? The thirst-quenching lemon sparkling water tops it off, bringing it all together. Oh, and the two dots of caffeine from Tazo ginger pear green tea provide a subtle jolt—just enough to leave the caffeine-sensitive unaffected. So, not to worry; you shouldn’t be climbing the walls. I wasn’t, and I haven’t had coffee in over two years. Besides all of the above, who can resist the extra botanicals and aromatics from nonalcoholic bitters for that final je ne sais quoi? Who can resist all the bitters and aromatics they bring? This mocktail certainly has a certain something, alright. I’d be surprised if you didn’t want to drink more than one. Cheers!

Pear Mocktail

2 different types of pears (Bosc, Comice, Anjou, Bartlett, Starkrimson—you choose) were given to me.

1 small knob of ginger for slicing ginger chards

1 oz Trader Joe’s date syrup

2 ounces of Tazo ginger green tea

1 oz of sparking lemon mineral water (I use Pellegrino)

3 drops of baking spice, ginger All the Bitter aromatics alcohol-free bitters

Method

Place bucket glass with ice into the freezer.

Wash all produce.

Boil water. Remove tea bag from packet. Add both to a glass or mug. Steep ginger green tea for 3 minutes. Refrigerate until cold. Best results overnight.

Add several slices of fresh ginger, equal to about 1/2 teaspoon. If you like it spicy, increase it to 1 teaspoon. Next, add 3/4 of a chopped medium-sized pear to a mixing glass. Muddle until the juices are extracted. Then, add 1 oz of date syrup and 2 oz of ginger green tea. Add ice and shake well. Strain into your chilled, ice-filled glass. Don’t forget the 3 drops of bitters. Top with lemon sparkling water. Garnish with a slice of pear or the whole pear—your choice! I prefer the whole pear.

The topper

The pour

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: whole pear

Bar Chef Notes: For an adult version, sneak in a little Grey Goose La Poire when no one is looking—if you must! The recipe may need to be modified as a result though.

Where to buy the goods, ok- glasses and stuffs? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

Please know I may receive compensation for eligible purchases. Thank you!

Mint Cacao Nibs Smoothie T#2

Mint Cacao Nibs Smoothie T#2

1/2 cup of Costco Signature brand unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup Whole Foods 365 frozen black cherries

1/2 frozen banana (peel and freeze your bananas)

1 1/2 cups of Whole Foods 365 brand chopped frozen kale

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 scoop Sakara Organic Protein + Greens Super Powder

1 scoop Agent Nateur Holi (mane) Hair, Skin, Nails Supplement

1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s agave (just enough to take the edge off the cacao nibs and greens)

12 fresh mint leaves and a sprig for garnish

1 1/2 tablespoons Navitas Organic cacao nibs and some to garnish

Handful of Pitaya Foods Aloe Vera pieces

Top with water for fluidity if consistency seems too thick as it should be l similar to a milkshake. The reason I needed water is because I ran out of almond milk and added the powders last. It worked out. This smoothie is a smooth creamy icy texture.

Method

Add all ingredients to your smoothie blending machine of choice. Hey Cuisinart, hey. Blend blend blend and maybe a pulse or two until smoothie. Pour into your glass and garnish.

Glass: bucket glass

Garnish: mint sprig and cacao nibs

Where to buy the goods? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront

I may receive compensation for eligible purchases. Thank you.