The Best of the Rest (Chicken!)

Probably a zillion dollars have been made off of chicken soup proper—and that’s before we even start talking about the concept of chicken soup or the concept of the concept of chicken soup. Look: you’re tired of hearing us talking about chicken. But we would be remiss in our mongerly duties if we ended cheap chicken month without a discussion of chicken stock, chicken broth, and bone broth. The meat counter has options. Let’s talk about ‘em.

–Our Stock: We make our own chicken stock, just the way you would make it at home (if you had tons and tons of chicken parts and time to spare). It has a legion of regular customers. It is simmered for double-digit hours and has no salt added. Just roasted bones, mirepoix, and love. It qualifies for “bone broth” status and is ready to be the base in the soup of your dreams, or seasoned simply and drunk out of a mug.

–Make Your Own: With a little notice (3-5 days is enough) we are happy to set aside chicken bones for you and send you out the door with detailed, easy instructions to make incredible stock. Alternatively, you can roast a whole chicken, or buy a chicken cut-up, and keep the bones for a later stock-making project.

Bottom line: this is a stock rally that all of us can take credit for.

Aquavit Adventures: The Drink of the North

Linie Aquavit

Aquavit is a spirit that originated in Scandinavia sometime in the 15th century.  The name originates from the Latin phrase “aqua vitae,” meaning water of life.  It’s made by adding herbs and spices to a neutral spirit distilled from potatoes or grain.  Caraway is almost always the most prominent spice, but fennel, dill, coriander, anise or citrus are commonly added as well. The classic, well-known version of aquavit is Linie. Linie Aquavit gets its name from its aging process: casks are loaded onto ships that travel to the southern hemisphere and back, crossing the equator (linie) twice.

Here in Minnesota we have a large Scandinavian community that has long imbibed on this Viking elixir so much that there was a downtown bar (now closed) named “Aquavit.” Many of the names such as Aalborg left the market and almost the entire U.S. for about a half decade, prompting Minnesotans to step up and make their own. Here in store we have Aquavits from Brooklyn Park (Skaalvenn), Northeast Minneapolis (Tattersall), Duluth (Vikre), and New Richmond, Wisconsin (Gamle Ode); all with different flavor profiles and cask types. Aquavit is officially back, even Aallborg made its way back this year!

aquavitline

Historically it is consumed as an aperitif or digestif, (or right out of the freezer like my grandpa drinks it) but that doesn’t mean it can’t make a fun cocktail! Here a couple variations on 2 classics.

Aquavit Bloody Mary: “The Nordic Snapper”

The Bloody Mary is typically made with vodka. With tequila it becomes a Bloody Maria. With Gin you ask? A Red Snapper. This makes an Aquavit bloody a Nordic Snapper.

Use 2.5 oz of Tattersall‘s caraway-rye-bread-heavy Aquavit with 5oz of Cutwater’s horseradish heavy bloody mary mix for a savory spin on the brunch classic.

The “Viking Mule”:

Want some zip in your Moscow Mule? Skaalvenn’s caraway and fennel forward aquavit is boosted by a pinch of Thai chili pepper to keep the spices rolling across your palate.

2oz of Skaalvenn Aquavit with the all-natural Fever Tree Ginger Beer in a Moscow mule mug with a squeeze of lime is the perfect addition to watching a Viking Playoff game!

Image result for viking fan

2017 France 44 Holiday Gift Guide

This year’s Gift Guide is filled with products we’ve been especially excited about this year, including beer, spirits and wine gift ideas for every enthusiast—from The Novice, to The Dabbler, to The Highbrow.

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Lost Distillery + France 44

Here at France 44, we’re always looking for the new and different. We feel we’ve struck gold with our two brand new quarter barrels of scotch from The Lost Distillery Company. The Lost Distillery Company teams up with the Archiving team at the University of Glasgow to recreate classic distilleries that have been lost for the past few centuries. They research things such as locality, water sources, barley and peat type, washback and still type, among many other factors to try and recreate lost distilleries from a blend of different malt whiskies from all parts of Scotland. We grabbed very different whiskies finished in unique casks that are only available here at France 44 and when all 84 bottles (yes, just 84 bottles) are gone, they’re gone for good!

Lost Distillery Towiemore Pedro Ximenez Finish $44.99

Towiemore was a lighter styled Speyside malt whisky that closed due to issues with its water supply in 1931. While known for rich cereal tones from the high quality barley, light orchard fruits and toasty vanilla, they were also known to have used sherry butts whenever possible. The quarter barrel we chose is finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry butts. Starting from a light, fruity/creamy base, this Pedro Ximenez finish can really shine. Big flavors up front of raisin, plum and fig jam, the palate shoes almond cream nuttiness, and an enduring clove spice on the finish really pops. Big, rich and warming.

Lost Distillery Gerston Rum Finish $64.99

Gerston was a distillery in the Caithness area of Scotland along the east side of the far northern part of Scotland that initially closed in 1882. This area would have been known as a finishing dominated area due to the rocky terrain, which would have been bad for farming. The water source would have been very clean with hints of salinity to match the high salt content peat used to malt the barley. We are talking about a coastal area making coastal influenced whisky. Maritime salt, toffee, and subtle hints of smoke and earth would have dominated this lost malt. We chose a rum barrel finish to accentuate the salted toffee vibe this whisky give off adding honey and vanilla to this lightly smoky and spicy whisky.

Get them while they’re hot, there’s not many to go around!

Thanks for the Dranks

You’ve likely premeditated the bird preparation, complementary sides, and family logistics, but have you brainstormed your beer selections? … The time is now!

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