Toast Tuesday: Madeira

This weekend has been so delightfully cocktail filled that when it came time to try the madeira, I was up for the challenge!  This is week 27 is our Year of Drinking Adventurously.  I can’t speak for anyone else on this adventure, but I keep telling people how this was one of the best, and most expensive, gifts I’ve ever gotten.  I’ve been having so much fun trying and tasting my way through this book.

This week, and the last two, I’ve had some trouble with.  Fortified wines in the summer just seems ridiculous.  I’ll say, at this point, this is truly my only complaint with the book.  That being said, having had madeira in a cocktail before, I knew I had options.  When I went to the liquor store, I didn’t spend a lot of time reading labels; I didn’t even consult with the author or Vivino.  I just picked one under $20.

Once I got ready to open the bottle and taste, I did a little googling to check on my selection.  For a $19 bottle, it got decent reviews.  One even said  “Rainwater is a pleasant and approachable style – perfect for those starting to explore it. The Broadbent has pleasant exotic fruit and toffee notes with a clean finish. Try it with crab bisque or pâtè.”  Pate… oh this was going to be good.

I tasted a nip on it’s own and I got the toffee notes, but certainly not something I’d really want to sip on it’s own.  I could see though how it was going to pair nicely with some other spirits.

Last night I hosted my first cocktail class here in Memphis.  I had a small group of guinea pigs friends who sat through two hours of me yammering about glassware and bar basics with a few cocktails thrown in.  One of the ladies asked about a cocktail she drank at her speakeasy watering hole back in Philly, a Brown Derby cocktail.  I whipped it up and it was quite tasty.  Bourbon and grapefruit juice… I had my doubts until the first sip.

When I found on google a cocktail that had madeira, rye, maraschino liqueur, grapefruit juice, and bitters I had to try it.  As I told my friend, its softer than the Brown Derby and went down quite easily.  Perfect for a summer evening  while sitting on the patio watching a storm rage or for hiding in the bathroom bunker, as was the case in our house.

Now, run over and see what Meg did this week.  And here’s to tasting another Tuesday!