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Keeping
your dad in good spirits
©
©Michael
Vaughan
National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits
Columnist
Saturday,
June 16, 2001
Getting the
right gift for your dad isn’t always easy. Indeed, as Father’s Day
rolls in tomorrow, I had hoped that we might have been blessed with an
updated version of Tom Stevenson’s New
Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia at
$75. It’s not that this excellent 1997 opus is out-of-date, but it is
hard to find. And while there are lots of newer books on the market,
unfortunately some of the best are out-of-print. Red
Wine With Fish - The New Art of Matching Wine with Food by
David Rosengarten and Joshua Wesson, for instance, is well worth tracking
down (ISBN 0-671-66208-2).
And talking
about out-of-date, if your dad enjoys the bracingly dry, gently salty,
dusty lemon flavours of a chilled genuine Spanish Fino, a bottle of Tio
Pepe at $14.60 might well be on your shopping list. This
world-renown icon with its classic label created in 1935 has adorned
discerning bars around the world. Unfortunately, it will soon be a thing
of the past explains Felipe González-Gordon. “We’re launching a new
ultra-modern label this fall” he explains. When I passed this revelation
on to my father, he wasn’t too pleased. So if you want to enable dad
retain fond memories of the past, stock up his bar with some Tio Pepe to
soften the winds of change. (www.gonzalezbyass.es)
For dads with
a sweet tooth, nothing beats a bottle of Henriques
& Henriques Verdelho 15 Year Old Madeira a truly terrific
buy at only $38.65. Throw an ounce or two in a snifter, swirl and the
ethereal, honeyed, caramelized flan nose will have you bouncing off the
ceiling. You’ll have to move quickly because just 45 cases were released
this month in Vintages. It should be selling for well over $40 but due to
a shipping error it is bargain priced. You may want to throw in a copy of
the recently released book Madeira
by Alex Liddell a well researched softcover from Faber & Faber.
(madeira-island.com)
If
you have to butter up your dad, then a bottle of Hine
Cigar Reserve Cognac at $99.95 (also at Vintages) will
definitely raise his spirits. Fairly deep amber colour, this elixir has a
refined, complex, vanilla stick and autumnal leaf nose.
Its solid, slightly peppery, mouthfilling, spicy, vanilla-prune purée
flavours linger on the palate.
Brandy fans
will be hard pressed to find better value than the sublime Duc
d’Acquitaine Armagnac Duscastaing X.O. with ripe plum purée
and smoky toffee flavours at $74.90. Fuller, rounder and more aromatic
than most Cognacs, this X.O. is a real treasure, which will elicit
accolades from dedicated connoisseurs.
Another
locally produced sweetie is Bolivar
Coffee Cream at only $14.95, which is significantly less
expensive than its offshore competitors. Quite frankly, it’s
surprisingly delicious when served on the rocks - think of an iced
cappuccino, perfect for a sultry summer evening. Keep in mind that this is
a “liquor” with only 17.5% alcohol vs a “liqueur” which must have
at least 2.5% residual sugar and 23% alcohol.
Sadly, sales
were not significantly stellar to make the LCBO’s quota and so you’ll
have to get it from Kittling Ridge in Grimsby the future (905-945-9225).
Of course, you can make your own by adding cream to their regular Bolivar
Coffee Liqueur ($16.35).
For
daydreaming dad’s who love the old west, there’s the oversized clear
flask of Dr.
McGillicuddy’s “Country Fresh” Vanilla Schnapps at
$18.45. This General List item is widely available and offers surprisingly
attractive, rather sweet, toffee, vanilla stick flavours that make a
perfect after-dinner liquid dessert perhaps on the rocks.
On the back of
the bottle is the last will & testament of Dr. Aloysius Percival
McGillicuddy who supposedly bequeathed this recipe to the world (but only
half of his interest in the Shady Eye Saloon to his fifth wife, Hermoine,
age 22). In fact, this tall-tale is the creative marketing genius of its
producer Sazerac of New Orleans who recently paid $100,000 US to the town
of Granville, North Dakota (population: 236) to change its name to
McGillicuddy City. The money went to build a new community center.
Naturally, the local tavern cashed in by changing its name to the Shady
Eye Saloon where a “Dr. Burger” on the menu.
Better yet,
consider flying in for 4th annual McGillicuddy City Days (July 13-14)
where you can partake in Old West activities - mock bank robbery, rodeo
and trail rides. In addition to the celebratory parade and picnic,
there’s a high school reunion featuring graduating classes back to 1913.
Finding someone you know, however, is going to be pretty damn difficult.
Bringing
everything down to earth is one of the best Single Malts on the market - The
Macallan 15 Years Old a $99.90 Vintages Essential that
unfortunately is in extremely short supply. Medium amber in colour, the
nose is gorgeous, redolent with gently smoky toffee and Turkish delight.
Rounded and accessible on the palate, the pecan flavours go on and on. The
ultimate gift for the dad who dotes on Scotch. Call before venturing forth
to buy this one - there are 20 bottles up at LCBO Crossroads.(www.macallan.com)
Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada
2004
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
(electronic or other wise) and or quotation.
Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net