The Hottest Party Cocktail Right Now

This past weekend got you thinking about summer party season?

Us too.

Which is why you should know what the hottest party cocktail is right now.

Wait for it.

It's punch.

Yep. Punch.

Here's why: these days it's more about the conversation going on outside the glass than it is about what inside the glass.

With punch, there's no theater. It's there when you get there. All you do is put some in your glass, and then move on to more important things.

Like who you'll talk to next.


DAILY TIDBIT:

CHAMPAGNE PUNCH, courtesy of AllRecipes.com
Yields 35 four-ounce servings.

In a large punch bowl, combine the following:

One can frozen cranberry juice concentrate, one can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, one can frozen limeade concentrate, one bottle chilled white wine, one liter chilled carbonated water, and two bottles chilled sparkling wine. Garnish with one sliced lemon and 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves.

Dessert Pairings, with Beer, at Finale

Lots of drinks go with dessert.

Like Port. Or Sauternes. Or sweet Sherry.

And then there's beer.

Beer?

Don't knock it till you try it.

Try it, in fact, on Monday evening at Finale in Coolidge Corner.

Try it -- beer with dessert, that is -- five different times in a very special, very unique tasting.

Pastry chef Nicole Coady puts up her five signature desserts.

You sip a different top-notch beer with each one.

Hard to believe that beer is an excellent match with dessert?

The proof is in the pudding.


WHAT: Beer & Dessert Tasting
WHERE: Finale Desserterie & Bakery (Coolidge Corner), 1306 Beacon Street, Brookline
WHEN: Monday, May 24 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
COST: $19.99 per person


DAILY TIDBIT:

"After eating chocolate you feel godlike, as though you can conquer enemies, lead armies, entice lovers."

-- Emily Luchetti

Wine + Music, Free Concert + Free Tasting

Sure, sometimes a sip of wine makes your mouth sing.

But a whole evening dedicated to the relationship between wine and music?

Call it an experiment. A very sensory one.

Tomorrow night at the Community Music Center of Boston, you'll hear instrumental music from Brazil (think 7-string guitar, flute, and mandolin) and you'll taste wines -- chosen specifically to pair with the music -- from Portugal.

Not sure what that means?

Neither are we, frankly.

But both our ears and our palates really want to know.

The event is free.

So, too, will your senses be once it's over.


WHAT: Wine and Music Concert (Wines chosen by CSW Jo-Ann Ross)
WHERE: Community Music Center of Boston, 34 Warren Avenue, South End
WHEN: Thursday, May 20 from 7 to 8 p.m.
COST: $0


DAILY TIDBIT:

"Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence." -- Robert Fripp

80 Cocktails at Clio

Welcome to mid-week Wednesday.

It's a good time to check in: what's been exceptional so far this week, and what opportunities you still have for weekday exceptionality.

Need some inspiration?

Stop by Clio for dinner.

There are two reasons for this:

1. Their mid-week market menu, prix fixe. Three courses, Weeknights only. Fresh and seasonal. $49.

2. Their new drinks menu, including eighty -- 80 -- cocktails.

Drink outside the box.

Exceptionality awaits.


WHAT: Mid-Week Inspiration from Prix Fixe and Drinks Menu
WHEN: Mondays through Thursdays from 5:30 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Clio, 370 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
MORE INFO: Click here.


DAILY TIDBIT:

"Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you." -- Annie Dillard

Yankee Homecoming Wine Tasting, 100+ Wines and Ipswich Ale

For 53 years now -- more or less -- folks up in Newburyport have been organizing Yankee Homecoming. The program has evolved into a summer-long festival with everything from a Motown dance party to fireworks to an open house at the Plum Island Clam Plant.

And then there is the wine tasting, which happens this Saturday night from 6 to 10 p.m.

Just as Yankee Homecoming itself has been getting better and better each year, so too has the wine tasting.

This year's improvement?

A tasting of Ipswich Ale by the Mercury Brewing Company, which so happens has been named one the world's ten best beers by Wine Spectator magazine.

That's in addition to the 100 wines (put up by Leary's Fine Wines & Spirits).

And cheeses and hors d'oeuvres from local chefs and restaurants.

Time for a homecoming, Newburyport-style.


WHAT: Wine Tasting Extravaganza for the Yankee Homecoming Festival
WHEN: Saturday, May 22 from 6 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Nicholson Hall, Newburyport
COST: $40. Tickets can be purchased online or at Leary's Fine Wines & Spirits.


DAILY TIDBIT:

Ipswich Ale was the first offering by the Ipswich Brewing Company when it was founded in 1991 by Paul Sylva and Jim Beauvais. Today the brewers, who expanded and are now known as Mercury Brewing Company, produce 47 different beers and 19 soft drinks.

Treasure Map to Wine, at Half Price, for the Spring Wine Fest. Limited Offer!

Don't you wish you had a cheat sheet to the wine world?

Some sort of map - like you're on a treasure hunt - where X marks the spot of the perfect wine for you.

Sign me up! You think. Where do I get it?

At Cyclorama, the Boston Center for the Arts on Saturday night. It's what they'll hand you when you walk in the door there on Saturday night for the Spring Wine Fest.

And -- if you are one of the first 50 people to click through and purchase your ticket to the Wine Fest -- you'll get it at HALF PRICE. $29, specifically, for the regular price of $59.

Which brings us back to that treasure map.

They call it a passport and - get this - the Boston Event Guide will have arranged the whole space in front of you geographically so that it jives with the passport slash treasure map in your hand.

All that's left is for you to find your own X.

That's the hard part.

"Hard," though, is a relative term because you've got to taste the wines in order to know which is perfect for you.

Poor you.


WHAT: Spring Wine Fest, sponsored by the Boston Event Guide
WHERE: Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston
WHEN: Saturday, May 22 from 1 to 5 p.m.
COST: $29 for the first 50 purchasers (normally $59)

DAILY TIDBIT:

Hurry! This offer is good for the daytime event using code RWB before Wednesday, May 19 at Midnight. Hurry, space is limited and this will sell out fast!!

Find Wine at the SoWa Art Walk This Weekend

Yep, the annual SoWa (South of Washington Street) Art Walk is this weekend, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Which means you will get your springtime fix of artists and galleries both traditional and very much un-.

Yep, SoWa Sundays launch this weekend too, except just this once they should call it SoWa Sat-Sun because it'll be happening both days in their new permanent site on Thayer Street.

Which means you will get your springtime fix of local veg et al at the SoWa Food & Produce Market, a mainstay of Sundays in the South End.

And yep, you'll be able to drink. That is, you'll be able to sip your springtime fix of season-perfect non-fussy wines at BRIX -- the chix there will be opening their doors to quench your thirst in a special tasting on Saturday afternoon.

Which means all your fixes will have been, well, fixed. Especially once you see the list of participating South End restaurants.

That, clearly, makes your weekend plans done done and done.

At least for the daylight hours.


WHAT: Afternoon Tasting of springtime wines to coincide with the SoWa Art Walk
WHERE: BRIX Wine Shop, 1284 Washington Street, Boston
WHEN: Saturday, May 14 from 2 to 5 p.m.
COST: $0

DAILY TIDBIT:

"I don't follow recipes. I interact with them." -- John Thorne in Mouth Wide Open

Wine Dinners (and Lady Gaga) Up for Auction at WGBH. Clock's Ticking!

It's true that the wine lots at the WGBH auction don't go up for a few days yet.

(We'll keep you posted on the details. Stay tuned.)

But right now on WGBH.org you can find auction lots that will interest you anyway.

Whether "what interests you" is a 2011 Volvo C30.

Or an Amtrak trip to Washington, with a two-night stay and a Pops concert.

Or loge tickets to Lady Gaga at the TD Garden.

And then there are the wine-related options, such as:

• 2010 Nantucket Wine Festival stay
• Wine dinner for six at the Hungry I
• Five-course wine dinner for six at La Morra
• Five-course wine dinner for six at Upstairs on the Square
• Etc Etc Etc
  

Check out the full list of options in the Chef's Tasting/Wine Dinners category.

And be sure to check out everything else too (restaurants, travel, art, fitness...).

There's A LOT. But the clock is ticking on time left to bid.

Best get on it.


WHAT: WGBH Auction Online
WHEN: NOW through Saturday, May 22
CATEGORIES OF INTEREST: You name it! See Wine Dinners and Restaurants for starters.

DAILY TIDBIT:

Though it isn't technically about wine, you may want to know about an event happening this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. Jayne Cohen, author of Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisations, will talk about Jewish food in the New World since the early 20th century.

Pinot Noir Like You've Never Seen It Before, Tonight at Fresh

It's perfectly understandable that you would attend tonight's event at Fresh simply for the skin care.

(That's what Fresh is, after all. Located right there on Newbury Street between Clarendon and Dartmouth, Fresh sells its own high-end fragrances, soaps, skin- and haircare products.)

It is, however, NOT perfectly understandable that you would attend tonight's event and skip the wine.

But what's wine doing in a skincare shop on Newbury Street, you ask.

Good question.

Here are two very good answers:

1. Tonight's event highlights Fresh's line called... wait for it... Citron de Vigne. The scent of the soaps, perfume, and lotions of Citron de Vigne is meant to evoke the Pinot Noir grape of the Champagne region of France which -- understandably -- so inspired Fresh's creative director.

2. You simply can't have a launch of Pinot Noir-inspired products without serving Pinot Noir. That's where Jo-Ann Ross comes in. She'll be the one pouring the wines (from Champagne, of course, and Burgundy) and sharing her love and passion for what makes Pinot Noir so intriguing.

In other words, it's an evening dedicated to Pinot Noir, both its essence and its flavor.

So go for the skin care. Stay for the wine.

Or vice versa.

WHAT: Citron de Vigne Wine Class
WHERE: Fresh, 127 Newbury Street, Boston
WHEN: TONIGHT from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
COST: $0
RSVP: Click here.


DAILY TIDBIT:

Fresh aren't the only ones to put wine and perfume together. Tom Ford's Black Orchid fragrance from 2006 contains Cognac oil, playing off what's luxurious and exotic. Citron de Vigne is said to be more subtle, but that's for you to decide!

Fine Wine Auction This Thursday. Free to Look.

Part of the appeal of a wine auction is that it's just so gritty.

The bottles could be 100 years old. They could have been through the war (literally). They could have yellowed labels, or curled foil, or they could even be in pristine condition after some 40 years of solitary confinement in a cave in Burgundy.

Every bottle has a story. And every bidder at an auction has one too.

It's fun to watch these stories unfold. Which are bidding in order to complete a vertical? Which are bidding just to say they have a Petrus? Which are bidding because they actually intend to drink the wine?

Those are the ones to look out for.

Be one.

A watcher, that is, or -- better -- a bidder.

Because there are more deals to be had at wine auctions than you'd guess at first.

It just takes a little homework, and a little timing.

Just show up. This Thursday at 6.

Drinks after.


WHAT: Skinner and Lower Falls Wine Co. Fine Wines Auction
WHEN: Thursday, May 13 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: 63 Park Plaza, Boston
COST: $0 to attend or bid.

NOTE: Online preview is available, as is absentee bidding and online bidding


DAILY TIDBIT:

Here's another use for leftover red wine: use it in a caramel sauce. Make the caramel by bringing granulated sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Then remove from heat, add the red wine, and cook again for a few more minutes. (Full, easy recipe is here.) Lasts a month! At least, it would if only it weren't so good drizzled over fruit sorbets, or as a dip for dark chocolate, or or or.

Hidden Gem for Wine (and Food) Lovers, on Marlborough Street

So maybe you have heard about the Alliance Française, or the French Library, of Boston.

Its building sits, stately yet minding its own business, on the corner of Marlborough and Berkeley. What happens inside, for the most part, are French language classes -- for kids, teenagers, adults, all ages, all skill levels.

And then there are the wine tastings. And the cooking demonstrations. Both à la française.

This week there happens to be both. Quelle chance!

First the wine. For three Tuesday nights, starting tomorrow, award-winning sommelier (and notably unpretentious) Bertil Jean-Chronberg leads a class called "French Wine Demystified."

By that he means demystifying the wine itself, and pronouncing those funky French names.

(Like Merseault: mur so. Not so hard after all.)

Then on Saturday afternoon, bestselling author Elizabeth Bard offers both a talk about Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes and a baking demonstration.

It's all very French. Very helpful. Very delicious.

And very fun.

WHAT: French Wine Demystified (3-week session) + author talk and baking demonstration
WHEN: Wine class on Tuesdays, May 11, 18 and 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
WHEN: Author talk and baking demonstration on Saturday, May 15 from 2 to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Alliance Française (the French Library) of Boston, 53 Marlborough Street
COST: $60 per class for wine ($150 for the series), $15 for author/baking
RSVP: Call 617.912.0400


DAILY TIDBIT:

It's not only wine that sings
Olive oil sings too
It lives in us with its ripe light

--- Pablo Neruda, "Ode to Olive Oil"

The Friday Night Tango, Malbecs and Mojitos Too, at diseno bos

Friday night.

Long week.

Need to blow off some steam.

Tonight, do it Latin style in an unexpected place with some unexpected company.

diseño bos in the South End is a home accessories shop dedicated to the warmth, richness and texture of life in South America.

Tonight they're opening a show by Argentine painters and -- true to the nature of diseño bos' owner's previous career in food, wine and hospitality -- they're serving up Malbecs and Mojitos just to be sure the mood fits the atmosphere.

As if you don't immediately feel the love the moment you step through diseño bos' door. But you'll see that for yourself.

Party starts at 6 p.m. It costs nothing to attend, and the discount of 20% extends to home accessories and furniture floor models.

Get your weekend off to the right style of start.


WHAT: Five-Course Dinner with Austrian Wine
WHERE: diseño bos, 409 Harrison Avenue, Boston
WHEN: TONIGHT from 6 to 8 p.m.
COST: $0


DAILY TIDBIT:

A Mojito is a traditional Cuban highball cocktail made of five ingredients -- white rum, sugar, lime, sparkling water and mint. Ernest Hemingway in particular had a thing for them and probably helped to their introduction to Key West.

Eleven Wines, Six Courses, Great Price: Austria TONIGHT at UpStairs

Wine from Austria -- Austria -- just does not come our way very often.

Partly that's because Austria does not produce a huge amount of wine.

Partly it's because Austria has had a hard time finding a toehold in the American market.

And partly it's because the Austrian wine industry is still -- still -- recovering from the diethylene glycol scandal (don't ask) in 1985.

It's time to move on, people.

There is a veritable PARADE of young (and handsome, thank you very much) winemakers making waves in Austria these days and -- get this -- four of the best of them will be at UpStairs on the Square in Cambridge tonight.

Six courses. And eleven -- eleven (11) -- wines. For one bargain price (just $65).

Some of the grapes may have crossed your palate, like Gruner Veltliner and Zweigelt.

But some of them -- like Traminer and Gelber Muscateller -- are as unknown as, well, most wines from Austria.

Check out the full menu here.

Then RSVP, and prepare to get yourself up to speed.


WHAT: Five-Course Dinner with Austrian Wine
WHERE: UpStairs on the Square, 91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge
WHEN: TONIGHT at 6:30 p.m.
COST: $65
RSVP: Call 617.864.1933

Eric Asimov, chief wine critic at the New York Times, describes Austrian wines as "focused" and "utterly distinctive." Plus upwards of 70% of Austria's wine production in consumed inside Austria. In other words, here's your chance to taste more Austrian wines in one night than most people taste in a lifetime!

South African Wines at Blue Ginger in Wellesley

Lots of buzz about South Africa these days and no, it does not all have to do with the World Cup.

It has to do with a country's wine business coming into its own. Not an easy task, especially not when said country is burdened by a lengthy history of questionable vine-planting decisions, especially when it comes to the reds.

Perhaps that's why Ming Tsai and Blue Ginger have partnered with Mulderbosch Vineyards out of Stellenbosch to put on a four-course wine dinner tomorrow night.

Mulderbosch is best known for their WHITES, as in Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

And Ming, being Ming-who-takes-wine-pairing-very-seriously, crafted his menu for the night to highlight the affinity of Asian flavors with these prime South African offerings.

Check out the menu. The food ingredients mirror those flavors and aromas that make high-quality South African wines so distinct.

Then sign up for the dinner.

And see what all the buzz is about.


WHAT: Wine DInner with Mulderbosch Vineyards
WHERE: Blue Ginger, 583 Washington Street, Wellesley
WHEN: Tuesday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m.
COST: $100
RSVP: Call 781.283.5790



DAILY TIDBIT:

"The US market is a very trendy one and people always look for something new, either a new varietal to sell or from a new growing region. South America has been covered and Spain is pushing hard as well, but I feel that the buyers and people here wants South Africa to do better and to be the next big thing."

-- Colyn Truter, Rietvallei Wine Estate, in an article posted April 29, 2010