While speciaty imported food items can be somewhat difficult to come by on our little island, in some cases we are lucky enough to have a couple of expats how are producing some superb products, namely Venturi-Schulze Vineyards. Not satisfied with the dilluted standards of ‘organic’, Venturi Schulze regulates themselves to standards that are ‘beyond organic’. They believe that these standards result in a greater expression of the terroir. This is all-the-more impressive given that they use non-grafted pinot noir clones for some of their premium reds (phylloxera vasatatrix has to yet ravage Vancouver Islands vineyards).
In addition to lovingly crafted pinot, they make a great verjus (juice from unripe vinifera grapes) and an interesting ‘stewed wine’ called ‘Brandenburg #3” named after the symphony. Lastly, they make balsamic vinegar in the ancient old Italian style. It comes at a price however ($49.95 CAD / 250 ml btl @ the winery). This is a product only made possible by the advent of the slow food movement and the philosophy of drink less but drink better (they consistently sell out).
In the same vain as my previous post regarding the Invierno de Jerez, for wine cocktails I like to use vinegar as the acidic component. However, with balsamic you get the dual purpose of acidifier and sweetener, itself being fairly balanced to begin with. Therefore, when choosing the remaining ingredients for the cocktail, they need to be balanced as well. For my next cocktail I’m using a Chianti (for sangiovese's crisp acidity) and a citrusy gin (Tanqueray no. 10) to balance the Mûroise.
Black Widow Cocktail
1 ⅓ oz Tangueray no. 10 gin (or Absolut Citrus Vodka if need be)
⅓ oz Giffard Mûroise du Val de Loire Liqueur (or Chambord)
⅓ oz Kahlua
½ oz acidic red wine (Sangiovese)
⅛ oz Venturi-Schultz (or other barrel aged) Balsamic Vinegar
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