alcoholic beverages

[sadie147]

Re: alcoholic beverages

In Ontario, our liquor stores have a wine rating system from 0 and up depending on dryness. I like a wine's that range from 0-2 (0 being driest). You should check with local wine stores to see if they have any kind of ratings systems for wine. It really makes it much easier to choose between different brands that you may never have had before, or to choose what to have with what foods.

[not2late]

Re: alcoholic beverages

Port is high, around 75. carbs---so it's best for slow sipping on Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance or in cooking.

But a dry sherry is about 1 gram carb. So for OWL- Maintenance sipping or cooking, a nice dry sherry, like a good Spanish manzanilla or fino, is a change over the usual wine choices.

If they're used as apertifs or digestifs, then they shouldn't be a problem....but then that would hold true for all the alcoholic beverages, if they are consumed in 'moderation' and 'cautiously' they can be incorporated into the later phases of Atkins. The trouble arises when a person downs an entire bottle or half bottle in lieu of or part of a meal. That's why, I think it's 'safer' to pair wine and food, rather than pop the cork and drink it solo for a 'treat'.

But I agree with you on the Gerw. It's a very underused, but very good, wine.

[MaggieBE]

Re: alcoholic beverages

German dry wines can taste sweet as the age. I mostly drink young French dry(sec) white wines.

I LOVe tawny port as an apertif. I have only ever used sherry in my cooking.

[not2late]

Re: alcoholic beverages

Sherry is a good sipper. It classically pairs with roasted almonds, anything fried and many more foods---goes well with Chinese food too, imo.

I like using it in cooking too. In fact, I think the fortified wines are much better 'cookers' than the other wines because they're more consistent (no need to worry about ruining a dish because the wine was too tannic or too acidic or too sweet) and you don't have to use much to impart the flavor. I love cooking with Madeira because it goes especially well with roast beef, pork and lamb. I rub about a 1/4 cup of it all over the meat before roasting: the pan juices are wonderfully flavored so I don't have to do much else to it.

Hard liquors are good for cooking too. Whiskey or Bourbon goes very well with beefsteak or beef: use about 1 ounce to deglaze the pan and the pan sauce is divine. I like gin or brandy with pork (chicken also).

For liqueurs or cordials, I like Anissette with pork, chicken and fish. Dry vermouth is great with seafood and chicken. And what I like is that you only have to use a tablespoon or less to impart flavor on the whole dish because the way they're processed is similar to vanilla extract....so they're like vanilla extract for savory dishes.

[boopie]

Re: alcoholic beverages

I drink white rum with Crystal Light (half orange and half grapefruit flavors); tall glass with ice, half rum and half CL mix, stir.... yum... no sugar.