October Tastings!

Autumn is here, and that means it is time to drink more wine! In recognition of the seasons, Hillside Liquor Store is putting on a few weekend wine tastings, starting with Blasted Church Winery from Okanagan Falls, BC.

Join us on October 10th from 4-8 pm for a Blasted Church tasting featuring the Mixed Blessings, Dam Flood and the Gewurztraminer.

Mixed Blessings is an aromatic white wine with pineapple, orange, apple and pear aromas and fresh crisp flavours of apple, pear, tropical fruits and a little citrus. Pair with curried prawns, shish-kebabs or Thai pizza.

The Dam Flood is a blend of Lemberger and Merlot. It is a medium bodied wine with an abundance of cherry, layers of plum, cranberry, and notes of chocolate finishing off with vanilla and cloves. It pairs well with Bison Burgers, red meats, anything grilled, or even spicy chili.

The Gewurztraminer has a strong ginger and lychee nose with flavours of citrus, apple and grapefruit rind leading into a spicy ginger finish. Pair this one with honey soy wings, Thai or spicy Chinese food, and turkey dinner.

To learn more about Blasted Church winery, click here:http://www.blastedchurch.com/story

REV up your Friday!

Feel a little sluggish by the time Friday rolls around? Temped to duck out of work early just to have a nap? Well, instead of having a nap, why not come to Hillside Liquor Store between 4 and 8 pm and try Bacardi REV!

Bacardi REV is an energy drink cooler made with vodka and guarana berries. Guarana is indigenous to Brazil and Venezuela and contains guaranine, which is chemically identical to caffeine. Guarana is named after the Guarani tribe in Brazil who believe that the plant first grew from the eyes of a divine child who had been killed by a serpent.

Bacardi REV is available in the 473 ml plastic bottle- perfect for outdoor activities or all-night dance parties. It is also resealable, so you won't spill a drop!

REV is 7% alcohol, and delivers a crisp, refreshing citrusy flavour. Bacardi REV can also be mixed with a variety of other beverages: try pomegranate, mango, passionfruit or pineapple juices; Sprite or Fresca; or use it as a base for Margaritas or Martinis.

Sarah Jane says "Bacardi REV is a complex, dynamic drink- perfect for when you need a little pick-me-up, but don't feel like having a coffee. And always a bonus, the bottles are unbreakable which means that REV can be part of any activity!"

Saturday September 12 Tasting

Smirnoff is having a tasting at Hillside Liquor Store on Saturday September 12 from 4-8 pm. On the agenda is the line up of new mixed cocktails: Tuscan Lemonade, Mojito and Margarita.

The Tuscan Lemonade is a mixture of real Italian limoncello, Smirnoff vodka and lemonade. This tastes like sunshine in a bottle! Lots of yummy lemon flavour with a nice balance between tart and sweet. 17% alcohol, this is available only in the 750 ml format.

The Smirnoff Mojito features Smirnoff Vodka, Kaffir Lime liqueur and mint. This is a surprisingly good version of the classic mojito- even though it is made with vodka instead of rum. A nice balance between the mint and the lime, this is way easier than mixing it all yourself.

The Margarita is a pre-made cocktail with Cuervo tequila and the traditional lime flavour. Serve this one over ice, or blend with ice for a more classic cocktail. Takes the work right out of the margarita!

Smirnoff also has two other pre-mixed cocktails: Pomegranate Martini and the Grand Cosmopolitan.

Friday Tasting

To celebrate back to school, Hillside Liquor Store and Lighthouse Brewing are having a tasting on Friday September 11 from 4-8 pm.

This tasting will be featuring the Rip Tide Pale Ale and the Race Rocks Amber Ale.

Rip Tide is Lighthouse Brewing's newest beer. This Pale Ale is a full-flavoured easy drinking craft beer with the perfect balance of hop character and malty smoothness. The clean creamy feel and brisk fresh flavours awaken the taste buds and linger into a dry, crisp citrus noted finish. This is available only in 6 pack bottles.

Race Rocks is Lighthouse Brewing's flagship beer. It is an amber beer, with lots of rich malt flavour and nice hops. This beer is perfect for food pairing- try fish and chips, hamburgers, bbq anything, medium-to-hard cheeses, spicy foods...the list is endless. This beer is available in 6 pack bottles or cans, and 12 pack cans.

Lighthouse wants to give you the Foozeball Table! Don't forget to enter the in-store draw, and look forward to months of avoiding schoolwork with foozeball tourneys.

Chateau des Charmes

New to Hillside Liquor Store is an Ontario wine, the Chateau des Charmes aligoté. This lovely white wine hails from the Niagara-on-the-Lake grape-growing region of Ontario.

Chateau des Charmes traces its ancestry back to the Alsace region of France, where its founder, Paul Bosc was born. Paul Bosc came to Canada from France in the 1960s, and his vineyard was planted in 1978 in the Niagara region, which has between 180-190 frost-free growing days per year, and perfect soil and climate conditions for grapes.

Chateau des Charmes was one of the first wineries in Canada to plant strictly vinifera grapes that had previously only been grown in Europe. The winery produces a range of red and white table wines as well as icewines, late harvest wines and sparkling wines produced in the methode traditionelle.

Aligoté (Al-lee-go-tay) is a white grape most commonly found in the Burgundy region of France, where it is known as Bourgogne aligoté. It is used to make a still table wine, but is also part of the sparkling wine common to the area known as Cremant de Bourgogne.

Aligoté is also planted in Eastern Europe- Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Moldova- and in Washington State, California, Ontario and even in Chile.

Chateau des Charmes Aligoté is an absolutely delicious version of the traditional Burgundian Aligoté.

"Paul Bosc produces tasty versions of Aligoté at Château des Charmes year after year. A consistently delicious white…pure pear, lime and lemon peel aromas lead into zesty flavours showing pineapple, citrus and ginger. As it warms up, the tropical pineapple becomes more distinct. A crisp lemon grass and ginger finish whets the taste buds for food. 89 pts.”
– Gord Stimmell, Toronto Star, January, 2009

A delicate but flavourful white wine, this would pair well with seafood such as scallops, halibut, mussels or oysters, or with chicken or salads, or just by itself.

Quantities are limited- this retails at Hillside Liquor Store for $18.90 + bottle deposit!

For more information about Chateau de Charmes, click here:

http://www.chateaudescharmes.com/welcome/welcome.html

Blaze's Beans

Wish that you could buy those delicious spicy beans that come with your Caesar? Well, now you can.

Hillside Liquor Store has recently started selling Blaze's Beans. Blaze's Beans started in Vancouver in 1995, as a response to a demand for something other than boring old celery to garnish the delicious Caesar. Now, Blaze's Beans are available all over North America, and are used for much more than just Caesars (or the American equivalent, Bloody Mary).

Blaze's beans are pickled with garlic and spices giving them a nice tang, good crunch and a little lingering heat. Personally, I eat them straight out of the jar, but they are also great with cheese and crackers, in a grilled cheese sandwich, in wraps or sandwiches, or even on pizza!

They really are "The Best Damn Spicy Beans".

Phillips Gentleman Jim Ginger Ale

Phillips has just released its first Ginger beer, Gentleman Jim's Ginger Ale. It's selling quickly, and for good reason as well. Available in the 650 ml bottles, this beer is only 5%, but it sure packs a flavour punch. It pours a beautiful copper colour, with a nice amount of head and good lacing. The ginger scent is prominent but not overwhelming. The first sip gives good ginger flavour, but also a nice amber beer flavour- rich, a little malty, and nicely balanced.
Delicious!
Hillside Liquor Store has a reasonable inventory on this one, but once it's gone, that will be it!

Friday night tasting!

One last Whistler Brewing tasting to begin the month of September. Tonight's tasting will be from 4-8 pm, and will feature the Export Lager, Weissbier, and the Honey Lager.

If you missed the other tastings throughout the summer, now is your chance to catch up. This is still a Cops for Cancer fundraiser, and Whistler Brewing donates $1 from the sale of every 6 pack to the fund.