amanda mcclements

It's never too early to start planning your New Year's Eve toast. Here are a few great sparkling cocktail recipes from the Metrocurean archives: Holiday “à la Parisienne” courtesy of PS 7's "mixtress" Gina Chersevani makes 1 drink 1/2 ounce St-Germain liqueur 1 ounce fresh squeezed grapefruit (must be fresh!) 3 dashes of Angostura bitters 3 drops of orange bitters (you can also use Fee Brothers or The Bitter Truth bitters)  4 1/2 ounces of cava or Champagne grapefruit peel In a champagne flute, layer all the ingredients starting with the St-Germain, the grapefruit juice, and follow with the Angostura bitters and orange bitters. Add your favorite Champagne or cava and twist the grapefruit peel above the glass to release oils. Add the peel to the drink. Farmer's Fizz courtesy of Jon Arroyo, executive bar chef for  Farmers and Fishers  and  Founding Farmers makes 1 drink 1 ounce Plymouth Gin 1/2 ounce St-Germain liqueur 3 dashes of orange...

Do you ever stare blankly at the wine section in your local supermarket wishing a genie sommelier would appear to guide you to the perfect bottle? If so, Metrocurean has you covered. We reached out to five area wine experts for their go-to supermarket bottle, most under $15. Andy Myers, sommelier at CityZen “I have a go-to red that I buy at Whole Foods on P Street regularly. It’s the 2009 Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato produced by Osél. The wine is medium-bodied, bright and plumy. It’s dangerously quaffable and as I like to cook on Mondays when CityZen is closed, I inevitably see the bottle empty before dinner is ready. It has moderately low tannins which makes it ideal for pre-dinner, but I also like it with hearty fish preparations. If you push it up against meat make sure it’s a simple preparation as this wine is uncomplicated and would get steamrolled by anything too bold. Beyond being super yummy and pretty cheap ($13), it also has a very high geek factor as it’s quite rare ...

Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, the wife and husband team behind Cork Market and Cork Wine Bar (and proud new parents!), gave Metrocurean some ideas for what to drink come turkey day. Here are their picks for great wines to serve on Thanksgiving, all available at Cork Market. 1. Bortolomiol, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, "Gemin," Spumante Brut NV, $15 A little bubbly is always the way to start the night off right. 2. Gorrondona Txakolina Tinto 2009, $27 From Spain's Basque region, this is an unusual minerally driven red that will pair nicely with traditional Thanksgiving dishes. 3. Crochet Sancerre Rose 2009, $33 This classic Rose made from Pinot Noir is big enough fruit to drink year round and excellent acidity to stand up to rich Thanksgiving foods. 4. Chateau Pradeaux, Bandol 2004, $40 Made from Mourvedre, this is a rich wine with plenty of backbone to stand up to anything. It's loaded with minerality and dark fruit and will pair nicely with side dish flavors...

This is the fourth installment of Wine Stores We Love from the team at EatMore DrinkMore . By Chad Clay EatMore DrinkMore We initially discovered Weygandt Wines in Cleveland Park, when we found their comprehensive list of corkage fees in DC restaurants. I love the opportunity to bring a great bottle of wine from my wine cellar (and by cellar, I mean, rack in my laundry room) to pair with dinner at restaurants in DC. It is also an excellent way to save some money when you are going out for a special occasion. Weygandt Wines has a knowledgeable staff that will be more than happy to find you a great bottle of wine. We spoke with co-proprietor Todd Ross to find this week’s picks for great wines under $15, $30, and $50. • Under $15 Bonnet-Huteau Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie "Les Dabinieres" 2009, $13.99 Tasting notes: From the western end of the Loire Valley, Muscadet is made from the grape Melon de Bourgogne. Muscadet can often be a bland wine, so it is aged on...

Photo by Mark Goode This is the third installment of Wine Stores We Love from the team at EatMore DrinkMore . By Missy Hyatt EatMore DrinkMore Grape + Bean is about as opposite of a wine super store as it gets. No mass produced bottles and no need to wander down long aisles hoping a colorful label catches your eye in this cozy Old Town rowhouse. Owners David Gwathmey and Sheera Rosenfeld pride themselves on working with small distributors and choosing wines with distinct varietal character and whose terroir — or the unique aspects of a place that influence and shape the wine — gives each bottle a distinct fingerprint. The staff is knowledgeable and personable, not only taking the time to suggest wines based on what customers know they like, but also pushing them out of their comfort zone by encouraging them to try something new. Even as more room opens up within the 19th century row house (they recently opened a section on the second level for private parties and clas...

Photo by Mark Goode This is the third installment of Wine Stores We Love from the team at EatMore DrinkMore . By Missy Hyatt EatMore DrinkMore Grape + Bean is about as opposite of a wine super store as it gets. No mass produced bottles and no need to wander down long aisles hoping a colorful label catches your eye in this cozy Old Town rowhouse. Owners David Gwathmey and Sheera Rosenfeld pride themselves on working with small distributors and choosing wines with distinct varietal character and whose terroir — or the unique aspects of a place that influence and shape the wine — gives each bottle a distinct fingerprint. The staff is knowledgeable and personable, not only taking the time to suggest wines based on what customers know they like, but also pushing them out of their comfort zone by encouraging them to try something new. Even as more room opens up within the 19th century row house (they recently opened a section on the second level for private parties and clas...

This is the second installment of Wine Stores We Love from the team at EatMore DrinkMore . By Jenna Golden EatMore DrinkMore I have been a huge fan of Potenza since it opened in 2009 on the corner of 15th and H Streets NW. The restaurant is part of the Stir Food Group , which is also responsible for bringing us Zola and Zola Wine and Kitchen . The team at Stir Food Group developed a brilliant concept with the Potenza franchise as it includes a delicious and rustic Italian restaurant, a large bar area with a great happy hour, an old-style bakery with everything from gelato to pasta specials at lunchtime, a grill outside in the summer serving Italian sausages to go, and the small and tasteful Potenza Wine Shop , tucked away on the side of 15th Street. I love this wine shop because it's not too overwhelming in size, and it has a great selection of Italian wines at many different price points. Wine shop manager Jeremy Silva explained that the restaurant group's Ralph...

It's Monday morning ... time to start planning your weekend drinking! Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Toast of The Town is Friday, offering more than 500 wines and spirits from around the world, food from more than 30 local restaurants, and live music. And three lucky commenters will be going for free! The randomly chosen winners, who chimed in on favorite wines for hot summer nights, are: Congrats Snackpig, Jamie and Ken, you each win 2 tickets to Friday's event. Email me at metrocurean AT gmail.com by Wednesday to claim your tickets! Didn't win? Metrocurean readers get $10 off the $89 Grand tickets and $20 off $169 VIP tickets. Use the following promotional code during check out here : MC2010

Metrocurean is pleased to offer three lucky winners a pair of tickets to Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Toast of The Town event, coming up June 11. Let me know your favorite wine for hot summer nights in the comments, and I'll announce three winners Monday at 10 a.m. The national wine and restaurant tasting event hits DC for the first time this year, featuring more than 500 wines and spirits from around the world, food from more than 30 local restaurants, and live music. Toast of the Town will take over the beautiful National Building Museum at 401 F St. NW, Friday, June 11, from 7-10 p.m. The VIP tasting starts at 5 p.m. Metrocurean readers can also snag $10 off Grand tickets and $20 off VIP tickets. Use the following promotional code during check out here : MC2010 Grand tickets are $89; VIP tickets are $169. Purchase tickets here .

The restaurant: The bar at the St. Regis The deal: Charcuterie Mondays are back at the plush St. Regis bar, offering a charcuterie and cheese board with a glass of red or white wine for $19. The deets: Head to the bar on Mondays from 4 to 11 p.m., when for $19 per person you can score a plate of cheese and charcuterie and a glass of wine selected by Adour wine director Ramon Narvaez. Click here for more deals , and always call to confirm continuing availability.

Since it's hard to avoid the color green today, here are details on a few green (as in ecofriendly) happy hours coming up, in lieu of your regularly scheduled Wednesday deal: • The Earth Day Network has organized a series of "Green Hours" through the end of April featuring local or organic food and beverages at venues around DC. The first is Thursday, March 18 at The Phillips from 5-8 p.m. The events will spotlight DC restaurants that are serving locally grown or organic food and hope to raise awareness about environmental issues. You can find more information on EarthDay.org and here . • The Eco Luxe Life , Grassfed Media , and GoingGreenDC.net are hosting a wine tasting April 7 at Weygandt Wines featuring organic and biodynamic wines with food from Dino , award-winning artisan cheese from Firefly Farms and fair trade chocolate samples from Divine Chocolate. Part of the proceeds will benefit the DC Farm to School Network . The event is $15 in advance and $20 at the do...

Greg Engert of Birch & Barley has elevated beer to wine's exclusive territory. Photo: Powers & Crewe Food & Wine magazine's annual Sommeliers of the Year list is out, and DC represents two of the seven winners. Not a bad ratio. What's even more notable is that one of those isn't even a sommelier. He's a beer guy. Greg Engert, the incredibly talented beer director for Birch and Barley and Churchkey , may be the first person to make the list working primarily with beer. If you've had the pleasure of hearing him wax poetic about the flavor nuances of a rare cask ale, you'll understand why. Chef-turned-sommelier John Wabeck of Inox also makes the list. Having worked for years as a chef (one whose cooking I loved at Firefly ), Wabeck can collaborate with Inox chef Jon Mathieson on pairings in a very fundamental way. The results are often stunning. Cheers to both for the national recognition. (Full disclosure: I do reporting for Food & Wine .)

Does beer still play second fiddle to wine when it comes to pairing with food? Old Town Alexandria's Brabo is throwing down the gastronomic gauntlet and hosting a Beer Vs. Wine dinner March 10 at 7 p.m. Brabo wine director Leah Dedmon will face off with Brasserie Beck beer director Thor Cheston to see who can better pair four courses of chef Robert Wiedmaier's cooking. The competition should be a friendly one — Dedmon and Cheston are engaged. The diners will decide if beer or wine was the better match. Check out the menu on Brabo's site . The dinner is $95 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Reservations are required. Contact Martina Buenaventura at 571.482.3308 or martina.buenaventura@lorienhotelandspa.com for reservations and info.

Help support one of my favorite local charities by purchasing tickets to Brainfood and Bordeaux , a wine auction and cooking demonstration, coming up Monday, Feb. 22. Brainfood uses food and cooking to teach life skills and healthy living to DC youth. The event will take place at Zola Wine & Kitchen at 7 p.m. There'll be a cooking demo led by chef Bryan Moscatello ( Zola , Zola Wine & Kitchen and Potenza ), a wine auction led by ABC-7's Leon Harris, and of course, wine and food. Tickets are $40. Auction paddles are an additional $10. Get your tickets here !

Get your comments ready, folks. It's another tasty giveaway! The 11th annual International Wine and Food Festival is coming up Feb. 11-14, and Metrocurean is giving away a pair of tickets to Sunday's Grand Tasting. (Perfect Valentine's Day date, yes?) Leave a comment on this post by Thursday at 10 a.m., and I'll choose one winner at random to receive the pair of tickets. (You must be 21 to attend.) Check back Thursday to see if you've won. The festival is filled with all kinds of delicious happenings — from a kickoff party at PS 7's to brunch at Ris for DC Central Kitchen — but the main attraction will be Saturday and Sunday's Grand Tasting and Street-Fare Food Pavilion, from 2-6 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building. (The winner gets tickets to Sunday's tasting and pavilion.) At the tasting, 100 international wineries will pour more than 600 wines. The International Food Pavilion will serve dishes from around the globe (A...

Proof barman Adam Bernbach. There's nothing wrong with a straight-up glass of bubbly to ring in the new year. But if you feel like flexing your mixology muscles, Proof bar manager Adam Bernbach shares three great cocktails made with sparkling wine. SMS 1/2 oz Allspice Dram 1/2 oz lime juice 1/4 oz cane syrup (or make a syrup by boiling 2 parts demerara sugar (raw sugar) and 1 part water) Shake. Strain into a flute. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with lime zest. Fool's Warmth 3/4 oz Calvados 1/2 oz lemon juice 1/2 oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and hot water) 2 dashes Angostura bitters Shake. Strain into a flute. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist. Apertivo Ambra 1 oz sweet vermouth 1 Campari-soaked sugar cube Build in flute. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with an orange twist.

Poste's egg n' grog and gingerbread man. Photo: Emmie Woody To toast the holiday season, Poste Brasserie is serving a few wintry drinks throughout the month, including a version of glögg, the Nordic mulled wine, and a tasty take on eggnog, dubbed the Egg n' Grog. Just don't confuse your glögg for your grog . Chef Rob Weland's Glögg Weland adapted this recipe from his mother-in-law’s time living in Scandinavia. makes 3 quarts 4 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces 2 tsp cardamom pods 2 small pieces of ginger, peeled and grated zest of 1 orange 12 whole cloves 1 cup vodka 2 750 ml bottles of dry red wine 2 cups ruby port or Madeira 2 cups sugar 1 vanilla bean, split 1 cup blanched whole almonds 1 cup dark raisins Crush the cinnamon and cardamom using a mortar and pestle (or a heavy pot and towel) and place them in a small glass jar with ginger, orange zest, cloves and vodka. Let stand 24 hours. Strain into a large saucepan and discard spices. Add the red wine, port, ...

Though the place hasn't been spit-polished, brothers Derek and Tom Brown are throwing open the doors to The Passenger (1021 Seventh St. NW), their first solo venture, this evening at 5 p.m. The new joint is kind of a neo-speakeasy version 2.0. It subtly nods to the Prohibition era (Derek was donning a vest at last night's preview) but it's a less contrived, more relaxed take on the trendy genre. Sure, you can snag a well-balanced craft cocktail the Brown brothers are known for. But there's also Miller High Life, plenty of canned beer, beef jerky (albeit artisanal ) by the stick, and a delicious kimchi hot dog (left). Oh, and there's isn't a cocktail menu. "I appreciate cocktail lists for what they are, but they don't really tell you what a drink's going to taste like," Tom explained. Instead, he prefers to get to know guests preferences and create cocktails to suit them. Derek will take that philosophy a step further when he opens the Columbi...

It's a wine shop/wine bar explosion! In Adams Morgan, Cashion's chef and owner John Manolatos and general manager Justin Abad plan to open AM Wine Shoppe in the old Skynear space at 2122 18th St. NW, Prince of Petworth reports . According to the sign, the store will offer gourmet foods and wine, and the team hopes to open the shop before the holidays. Meanwhile, a Metrocurean reader spotted a sign for Twisted Vines Bottleshop & Bistro at 2803 Columbia Pike in Arlington. According to the web site, owners Sybil and Josh Robinson plan to open in November. The bistro will offer 20 wines by the glass, more than 100 bottles, and a menu of cheese, charcuterie, salads and small plates. The wines will be available at retail prices in the shop. In case you're keeping track, these two new spots are part of a dominating trend in the DC area. Metrocurean told you about Screwtop , a combo retail/wine bar coming to Clarendon, as well as Cork Market from the owners of Cork Wine Ba...

Wendy Buckley has one of those familiar career shake-up stories (see Cakelove , Cork ). She left a high paying job at AOL to follow her dreams and open a wine bar. The Texas native gave her notice last October, and she hopes to see her vision come to fruition when Screwtop Wine Bar opens later this year, hopefully in December, at 1025 N. Fillmore St. in Clarendon. Now that screwtop wine has kicked its low-brow reputation, why not pay homage to the cork alternative in the name. "I hope the name alone helps to convey the casual laid back nature of our place," Buckley tells Metrocurean. The concept is two-fold: Screwtop will house a retail wine, cheese and charcuterie market as well as a wine bar with a small menu. "Our motto is 'Drink What YOU Like'," Buckley says. "We aim to do everything we can to take the intimidation out of the wine buying and enjoying process." The retail component will offer boutique small production wines, cut-to-order chee...