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CHAPTER TWO

When She Reigns, She Pours (Wines, Liquors, etc.)

Candlelight and wine can raise many a mundane meal into the realm of the sublime. More about the candlelight later on, though; right now we’re concerned with the spirit of the meal—the wine.

Wine might be said to be the soul of a good meal. Whether it is used in a marinade or sauce as a basting ingredient, or as an accompanying beverage, it adds a certain something in the way of elegance that cannot be achieved with beer.

Doubtless, you’re going to ask what wine you should serve. If you turn to the various books on the problem of wine selection, the astronomical number of answers you’re going to get will serve only to confound you further. The best way to determine what to serve, how and with what, is to start out simply, experiment and expand.

There has been, and perhaps always will be, a certain amount of snobbery or P-elegance connected with wine and wine service, but I’ve found that those who are really in the know are the least snobbish. One particular example is a decorator friend of mine from France, whose shop was invaded one day by a gushing lady customer who had just purchased for him, as a Christmas present, a very expensive bottle of imported French wine. After he had properly oohed and ahhed his thanks and she had left the shop, he told me in confidence that the Gallo winery makes the same type of wine, only better, and at a tenth the price.

So don’t be afraid to use cheaper wines—especially if you’re on a budget. If you want to, and can afford to buy names, be my guest. But I’ll bet most of your guests wouldn’t know the difference if they didn’t see the label.

First and last are the fortified wines, or ones to which brandy has been added. Ranging in taste from dry to sweet, their alcoholic content is about twenty percent. The drier varieties are usually used as cocktails, the medium-dry varieties may be served with soup, and the sweet varieties are served with dessert, or after meals. The main varieties are Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala, and the labels will generally inform you as to the particular dryness or sweetness of each.

Second, let’s consider the dinner wines. Basically there are three varieties—red, white, and rosé. Basically, dinner wines are dry, and can be served all through the meal, unless you are set upon the proper wine with the proper course.

The red wines include Bordeaux, Burgundies, Pinot Noir, and Chianti, to mention a few; and are usually served with meat and other full-flavored dishes. Red wines are generally served at room temperatures, but some experts caution, “never above seventy degrees,” and some Western tastes dictate that it should be chilled. Try it several ways and see how YOU like it.

Chablis, Rhine, California Sauterne, Riesling, and Moselle are just a few of the white wines you’ll find on the market, and generally serve as an accompaniment to an entrée of fish, fowl, or other delicately flavored dishes. They should be chilled, however, and never opened until just before serving.

Perhaps the best known of the rosé wines is Grenache Rosé, but some vintners have taken to calling their products by the English word pink, and now we have Pink Chablis. These, like the white wines, should be served chilled, opened at the last minute—but, may be served with almost anything. In my opinion, they are especially good with pork.

In a class by itself is champagne. Properly, champagne is a sparkling white wine—pink or red champagnes are more properly called sparkling Burgundies. All should be served icy cold and go with anything—so much so that the basic rule is when champagne is served, serve only champagne.

Before we leave our discussion of wines, we should at least mention a few ideas in connection with wine cookery. Nearly all wines can he used in some dish or another. Your question might be, “but which one should I use?” Simple. Use, as an extra added flavoring, the type of wine that you would serve with the dish. Try a dash of red wine over a broiled steak; a spoon of dry white wine in a clear soup: or champagne over a chilled peach half in a sherbet glass. You’ll find as you go through this book certain specific ideas for the use of wine in cooking. Use them as a basis, and then as you gain confidence, experiment.

The question now arises, “What are you going to do with your guests until dinner time?” No, Mary, you can’t do that—not if you’re cooking. There are far too many interruptions. After all, you don’t want to burn the roast, or forget to cook the vegetables—and if you already have a cook, you don’t need this book anyway. Then again if you do have a cook, he’s not going to let you entertain the guests in there! So, you serve them drinks, commonly known as cocktails. There’s a helluva word right there.

If your liquor locker is stocked with bourbon, Scotch, gin, vodka, and sweet and dry vermouth, and you have a supply of ice—please don’t forget the ice—soda (and perhaps tonic, ginger ale, 7-Up, and cola) in the refrigerator, you are pretty well set for the requests of your guests. If they should happen to ask for something that can’t be made from these ingredients, they shouldn’t feel too put out, nor should you feel embarrassed, when you answer, “I’m sorry, I don’t have it.”

After all, you’re not expected to be as well-stocked as the local lounge—and chances are, when somebody comes up with a request as just mentioned, they habitually cruise the local bars and are just showing off. For such emergencies you can keep a six-pack in the ice box, and add to your apology, “But I do have some beer if you would prefer.” They most likely, then, will choose the beer, or make a simpler request.

The simplest drinks are the highballs or “single pass” drinks. For these put four or five ice cubes in a tall glass, pour over at least two ounces of the requested liquor, and fill with the requested beverage.

Most cocktails are named according to recipe and can cause very little confusion. For example: Bourbon and water, Scotch and soda, gin and tonic, vodka and seven (referring to 7-Up, of course).

The other drinks you’re likely to be concerned with are the martinis (both vodka and gin), Manhattans, and Rob Roys. This is where the vermouths come in. You’re lucky if your guests specify them “on the rocks,” then all you have to do is put an ice cube or two in an old-fashioned glass, pour in the base liquor, add the proper vermouth, stir, and serve.

A nicer way to serve them though is “up”—in a stemmed cocktail glass. In this case the drink is mixed in a pitcher, or if you’re working in the privacy of the kitchen when mixing the drinks, almost any container with a spout will do, stirred with ice, and strained into the glass.

For martinis the base is either vodka or gin. Traditionally it is gin, but the preference has so swung over to vodka martinis that in some cities you have to specify “gin” to get a gin martini—otherwise you get a vodka martini. In any case, your proportions should never be more than one part of vermouth to four parts of gin or vodka. There are some hardy souls that prefer no vermouth at all. Serve with a stuffed green olive in the glass. Or a small cocktail onion, which magically changes the drink into a Gibson. And before somebody says, “Ah ha!,” use dry or Italian vermouth for this drink.

The Manhattan is made the same way as the martini, except that bourbon is used instead of vodka or gin, and sweet vermouth is used instead of the dry. But here you use proportions of one part of vermouth to three parts of bourbon. As Jackie says, “Manhattan drinkers are a different breed.” But there are sub-species, and eventually you’ll find someone who’ll ask for a dry Manhattan, in which case substitute dry vermouth and use less of it.

The Rob Roy is traditionally a Manhattan made with Scotch. But so much preference has been made lately for the dry Rob Roy (same rules apply as to Manhattans of this variety) that when your guests request this, it is advisable to ask, “Classic or dry?” It’s a good line, too, and simply means “sweet or dry vermouth?”

One word of warning. In the case of the last two drinks, you may run across the rare character who wants his Manhattan or Rob Roy “perfect,” in which case you use half dry vermouth and half sweet vermouth, but keep the total amount of vermouth in the same proportion to the base of Scotch or bourbon.

As you expand the variety of liquors and liqueurs in your bar, you’ll want more recipes for fancier drinks. One of the best books out, and sometimes called the “Bartender’s Bible” is Old Mister Boston. It’s not expensive and is well worth having.

After dinner, it’s nice to retire to the drawing room for coffee and liqueurs, or you may choose to serve them “at table.” In any case it’s nice to have a selection of three or four at hand, and let your guest choose from among them. Reliable standbys are Cognac (which should always be served in a snifter), Galliano, crème de menthe (the green is more favored), and Drambuie. These latter three should be served in liqueur glasses.

There are many more types available, but these four have particular versatility, as you’ll see later on when we get into the preparation of various recipes where liqueurs are specified ingredients. Just to give you an idea, when you’re cooking green peas add a dash of crème de menthe, or serve brandy over a peach half.

Eventually you’re going to want to entertain more than just a small intimate group at dinner—as sort of a repayment for all those invitations you’ve received from helpful friends who are trying to get you married off. It’s a wise idea, especially if you would like their continued assistance. The easiest (and cheapest) way to provide drinks for such a crowd, usually about twelve or more, is to serve a punch.

This first one is Fish House Punch, and Jackie tells me it was one of George Washington’s favorites. The recipe serves about fifteen people under normal circumstances.

Dissolve three-fourths cup sugar in one pint lemon juice. Add one fifth of Jamaican rum, one pint of cognac and two ounces of peach liqueur. Stir well, and allow mixture to stand for several hours, stirring from time to time. At serving time, add a block of ice and one quart club soda. One thing more—mix the whole thing right in the punch bowl.

Here’s another nice little ice-breaker, if you have an electric blender, and want to live dangerously. It’s the Mollie Hogan.

In a blender put the juice of twelve oranges and the juice of two lemons, six teaspoons vanilla extract, and six eggs. Mix thoroughly and add one fifth gin (or vodka). Serve one and one-half ounces over ice in a tall glass and add 7-Up to fill. It goes down easy, but gets up slow!

One more, and we’ll go on into a discussion of what to serve with all these delightful nectars. This I call “Either Way” or “AC-DC.” You know how it is sometimes when you go to the store and have to make a last-minute substitution because they just sold the last can, box or whatever? Well, that’s how this developed.

In a punch bowl (preferably an hour or so before the party) put: two quarts orange sherbet (or ice) or pineapple sherbet (or ice), three fifths chilled sauterne or Chablis, two six-ounce cans frozen orange or grapefruit juice, and one bottle chilled champagne. (No substitutions on this.) Then stand back and let ’em at it.

A word to the wise—if you’re planning another activity later on, pour lightly!