2010 Nine Walks Sauvignon Blanc

The character on this blog formerly known as The Girlfriend became a serious fan of Vietnamese food after I introduced her to a local soup joint. More local to her part of town than mine, but Memphis has a wide range of options when you need to get your phở on.

I love the spring rolls with shrimp and lettuce and peanut sauce, the quail, the occasional odds and ends that show up as specials... I'm by no means an expert on Vietnamese food and my knowledge of the language and proper pronunciation is horrible. But I know good food, and when you get that craving for phở, nothing else will work.

So it was with much excitement that I got such a craving on a Sunday afternoon and grabbed myself a takeout kit of Phở Bò Viên from Green Bamboo, a little Vietnamese restaurant within walking distance of my house. I throw pretty much everything in there, and I like to eat the sliced beef before it gets too cooked. The basil and bean sprouts are really my favorite part. I have a great set of Japanese noodle bowls that The Roommate gave me over a decade ago, you just have to hold it the right way if you want to do the traditional slurp and shovel.

2010 Nine Walks Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
$11, 13% abv.
The nose is floral with notes of peach. On the tongue there is nice tart acidity, but it's not citrus, rather a general overripe fruit note that I like. Touches of minerality on the aftertaste.

How'd it work with the Vietnamese food? Freakin' awesome. I skipped the lemon wedge when building the soup bowl, and let the wine do the acidity balancing for the meal. Letting the wine do some of the work made the whole experience even more fun, and by the end I was ready for more.


Note: These wines were received as samples.

Benito vs. the Cocktail: Whiskey Peach Smash

Three factors came into confluence for this post: 1) I had a new set of stemless cocktail glasses; 2) I had fresh peaches from local producers at Jones Orchard; and 3) I wanted to try out a recipe from my autographed copy of Imbibe! by David Wondrich, a gift from The Squirrels.

Combine the above with a well-stocked bar, and it was high time for the Whiskey Peach Smash.

There are many variations on this recipe, all attributed to the same mixologist: Dale DeGroff. I used the one in the book, and was quite happy with it. It's tart, refreshing, and lightly sweet, but some may want to add some sugar or simple syrup. Consider it a Georgia twist on the classic Mint Julep.

I will also note that after muddling the ripe peaches it's almost impossible to strain this drink, so be prepared to crack apart your cocktail shaker and pour it old school.

Whiskey Peach Smash
makes one cocktail

5 mint leaves
2 peach slices
½ lemon, quartered
1 oz. Orange Curaçao
2 oz. Bourbon
1 mint sprig + 1 slice peach reserved for garnish

Muddle together everything except for the Bourbon and garnish. Add ice and Bourbon, shake, and strain into the glass of your choice. Garnish with the peach slice and sprig of fresh mint.

* * *

If you're going to be at the upcoming Tales of the Cocktail convention in New Orleans, keep an eye out for buttons with my "Cocktail Geek" design. With my full support and permission, the folks at Fee Brothers printed up a bunch of the buttons for handing out at the conference. If you get one, or see one, let me know!