It is five o’clock on a Friday. Hopefully, your week is nicely tied up into a neat bow. With summer ending around the corner, it is a brilliant time to enjoy your backyard, deck, or patio with a glass of wine or your favorite signature cocktail. Of course, you will want a few delightful bites to accompany your adult libations. Don’t forget to grab your wireless blue tooth speakers and click your favorite playlist to get the party started.
With our fantastic weather in Walnut Creek, it is almost like going on vacation or to your favorite winery when you enjoy your backyard space. Okay, I like to dream. Big smile. With the summer months ending soon, now is the time to take advantage of the warm evenings. My hubby and I love to spend a Friday night decompressing and chatting about our day in our backyard. We typically open a nice bottle of wine or mix a cocktail, and nibble on some appetizers or charcuterie board most Friday nights. Often it is just the two of us, but we love to have friends join us. In the July issue, I shared tips on putting together a fantastic charcuterie board, if you want to be inspired.
When choosing wine, I suggest stepping it up from the typical “Wednesday wine” since you are kicking off the weekend. We define a Wednesday wine as one that is under $20.00. On a quick side note, my hubby found a fantastic Wednesday wine at Trader Joe’s called “Maison Barboulot, Cabernet-Syrah” for $5.99 a bottle.
You can’t go wrong with a buttery chardonnay, which often has notes of vanilla, caramel, pear, and spices. The flavors will be enhanced as the wine comes to room temperature. A simple cheese plate with a Petite Basque cheese, dried apricots, nuts, and crackers would pair wonderfully with your favorite chardonnay. We particularly enjoy Butter, Frank Family and Newton Chardonnays.
We are smitten with Napa Valley Cabs, which are renowned for their rich and complex flavors of black currant, black cherry, blackberry with notes of green bell pepper, spices, tobacco, cedar, and vanilla. A few of our favorites include Sequoia Grove, Lancaster, Handwritten Wines, Leviathan, Silver Oak, and Faust. I served maple bacon deviled eggs alongside a bottle of Silver Oak and grilled focaccia mortadella bites with a bottle of Sequoia Grove. Both were perfect pairings.
If a cocktail is your preference, you are in good company. In my mind, a quintessential cocktail is from the prohibition era. Quite frankly, I am obsessed with “The Last Word” and “The Aviation” which both share gin as the primary liquor. A simple mixture of warm citrus olives and a bowl of roasted brown sugar and rosemary cashews are the perfect nibbles for these cocktails.
The Last Word cocktail is ¾ ounce gin, ¾ ounce green Chartreuse, ¾ ounce maraschino liqueur, ¾ ounce fresh lime juice added to a shaker with ice, then strained into your favorite coupe glass and garnished with brandied cherries. The Aviation cocktail is eye catching with its vibrant purple hue. It is comprised of 1 ½ ounces gin, ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice, ½ ounce maraschino liqueur, 1 ounce crème de violette added to a shaker with ice, then strained into your favorite coupe glass and garnished with a fresh purple flower or brandied cherry.
A quick idea for keeping bugs away from your tasty treats, is to hop onto Amazon and order a few “fly fans” which really make a difference. Cheers to a fun and relaxing rest of your summer!
By Lisa Crossett, Resident since 2001
Lisa has been a Northgate resident since 2001. Professionally she is the Head of Talent Acquisition for Mechanics Bank with headquarters in Walnut Creek. She is the President of California Recruiters and on the board for Community Arts Foundation based in Walnut Creek. Lisa’s passion is Food, Wine and Entertaining. She publishes a food blog called Authentic Suburban Gourmet and loves to throw elegant dinner parties, explore wine countr y, collect wine and cook great food.
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