2 More Ciders and Dessert
So in the past I'd posted about Crispin Cider, which was tolerable but not particularly good. Further research shows that this was specifically Crispin Brut; their own webpage describes them as the 'champagne of ciders', which is never a good sign.
Then when we arrived in Chicago in March the very first thing we did was go to a bar near our host's condo called Sheffield's that was essentially the Winking Lizard if the Winking Lizard was a southern BBQ joint. It had lots of good BBQ plus a very extensive alcohol list. I noticed a Crispin Honey Crisp. I'd have skipped it based on the Crispin name but for some reason I thought it was spelled differently so I gave it a shot, and I'm glad that I did. It was delicious. It's part of a small batch made with lots of honey, and it came in a 22oz bottle. It was much sweeter than most of the other ciders I've had, but it still went down smooth because it was just shy of cloyingly sweet. I'd definitely get it again. Sadly, I think the only way I'd get it here in Ohio would be special order, but it was good enough that I just might do that.
To give you an idea of how good the alcohol selection was at this bar, they also had my current favorite cider of all time, JK Scrumpys, on the menu. It also came in a 22oz bottle, so I had 44oz of hard cider in 60 minutes, along with a rack of ribs, a bowl of chili and assorted sides. It was a good start to a weekend of debauchery.
The other major addition to the cider list was a few months back when I had dinner with ayb2. I got a Samuel Smith Organic Cider. It was quite nice and I'd order it again, but it's certainly not at the level of Crispin or JK Scrumpys.
Speaking of ayb2 and yummy fruit concoctions, I went over there for dinner with her and B & S tonight. My contribution was dessert, so I broke out a recipe I posted last August but had never actually made myself: Frosty Strawberry Squares. Everybody liked it; S asked for more which is always a good sign with a little kid. Even better, it's trivially difficult to make (15 minutes prep, tops) and I typically have 3 of the 4 ingredients around the house. As long as you have at least 6 hours lead time to let it set in the freezer, it's a great summer dessert.
Then when we arrived in Chicago in March the very first thing we did was go to a bar near our host's condo called Sheffield's that was essentially the Winking Lizard if the Winking Lizard was a southern BBQ joint. It had lots of good BBQ plus a very extensive alcohol list. I noticed a Crispin Honey Crisp. I'd have skipped it based on the Crispin name but for some reason I thought it was spelled differently so I gave it a shot, and I'm glad that I did. It was delicious. It's part of a small batch made with lots of honey, and it came in a 22oz bottle. It was much sweeter than most of the other ciders I've had, but it still went down smooth because it was just shy of cloyingly sweet. I'd definitely get it again. Sadly, I think the only way I'd get it here in Ohio would be special order, but it was good enough that I just might do that.
To give you an idea of how good the alcohol selection was at this bar, they also had my current favorite cider of all time, JK Scrumpys, on the menu. It also came in a 22oz bottle, so I had 44oz of hard cider in 60 minutes, along with a rack of ribs, a bowl of chili and assorted sides. It was a good start to a weekend of debauchery.
The other major addition to the cider list was a few months back when I had dinner with ayb2. I got a Samuel Smith Organic Cider. It was quite nice and I'd order it again, but it's certainly not at the level of Crispin or JK Scrumpys.
Speaking of ayb2 and yummy fruit concoctions, I went over there for dinner with her and B & S tonight. My contribution was dessert, so I broke out a recipe I posted last August but had never actually made myself: Frosty Strawberry Squares. Everybody liked it; S asked for more which is always a good sign with a little kid. Even better, it's trivially difficult to make (15 minutes prep, tops) and I typically have 3 of the 4 ingredients around the house. As long as you have at least 6 hours lead time to let it set in the freezer, it's a great summer dessert.