October 26th, 2023
- Happy Halloween -
Somehow, the Halloween weekend has creeped up on us. Ready or not, here it comes! Whether you're spending the holiday partying in elaborate costumes, or binging The Fall Of The House Of Usher, you're going to want something festive to sip on, and we have you covered! We have so many spooky options, you'd think we were Ollivanders' sister store (is Harry Potter laughing?). Let's get spooky!
- Spooky Drinks -
Boo! Beer!
It's the glorious time of year where you can be a little indulgent. Pumpkin beer is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween. From ales to stouts, Allspice flavors make beer fantastically Fall-ish. Southern Tier is always a must-snag — their Pumking sets the pace for spooky seasonal beers. We love the local Indeed Pumpkin Spiced Pistachio Cream Ale, a riff on their classic Pistachio beer with the addition of warming seasonal spices.
Creepy Ciders
You can be a gluten free ghoul this season! We have plenty of seasonal ciders to keep you entertained this Halloween. One of our favorites is the McKenzie's Pumpkin Jack, which is made with high quality pumpkins and Autumnal spices. We also love the Downeast Pumpkin Cider, which is made with fresh pumpkin mash and Chai spices! Yum!
Witchy Wines
There are many creepily labeled wines to enjoy on All Hallows Eve. From bugs to bones, we have something playfully kitsch to bring to any holiday party. You really can't go wrong with the Forlorn Hope Dragone Ramato, just look at that vibrant bloody color! This natural wine is Pinot Gris, deeply colored from 14 days of skin contact. So technically, this blood-colored wine is an orange wine!
Monstrous Margarita
This is too easy! If you're hosting a horrific Halloween party, grab some themed Tequila and orange liqueur and make some Margaritas to get the party started!
Recipe
4oz Skelly Reposado Tequila
1oz Brovo Orange Curacao
1.5oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
Instructions
Combine Tequila, Orange Curacao, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake it up. Pour into a salt-rimmed glass, over fresh ice.
Chocolate Pumpkin Martini
Ok, if you're looking for a delicious drink to enjoy while eating Halloween candy — THIS is the perfect cocktail!
Recipe
2oz Lokal Vodka
2oz Mozart Chocolate Pumpkin Spice
2TBS Pumpkin Puree
Pinch of Pumpkin Pie Spice
Instructions
Combine Vodka, Mozart liqueur, and Pumpkin Puree into a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into a chilled martini glass and top with a sprinkle of Pumpkin Pie Spice.
Friday Tasting Table
Friday, 10/26/23, 4 - 8 p.m.
Join Angelika of Rootstock for a FREE wine tasting this Friday!
Get 10% off any bottle of wine from the tasting table.
Cocktail of the Week: Zombie
This classic cocktail came to be for the first time in 1934 invented by Don the Beachcomber. One of the godfathers of Tiki lore. This is the perfect drink for your Halloween party! You can even make it into a punch, throw a big chunk of ice into a punch bowl and call it a day. It will get everyone walking like they are extras in The Walking Dead. There are a lot of things in this drink so I suggest batching it. Let me know if you need help with that.
Ingredients:
1 oz Plantation 3 Star Rum
1 oz Plantation 5 yr Barbados Rum
.5 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum
.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
.5 oz Fresh Orange Juice
1 oz Velvet Falernum
.5 oz Orange Curacao
.5 oz Grenadine
dash of Angostura bitters

Instructions:
Add all ingredients into a shaker. Shake without ice. Pour into a Tiki Glass over crushed ice. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig and grated nutmeg. 
Cheers,
Nikola
Staff Picks - What to Drink this Week
Try these special, staff-selected libations!

2021 Teutonic Wine Company Bacalao Tannat - $34.99
When Barnaby and Olga visited the Basque Region of Spain and France and tasted some of the Tannat wine produced there, they were hooked and dead-set on making this wine. It's quite a departure from his usual cool climate Rieslings from Oregon. These grapes come from California and “Bacalao” means Salt Cod in Basque and is a traditional dish in the region. This wine is dense and velvety, revealing layers of purple fruit and with barrel fermentation the tannins are tamed.  It is deep, unfiltered and quite frankly...divine.
-Angie

2022 Domaine de l'Agramante 'Marfisa' Rouge - $19.99
Sicilian Carlo La Rocca left his profession as an engineer in 2018 to make wine in the Southern Rhone in the town of Sabran. He focuses on organic farming and minimal intervention allowing for bright and nuanced wines. The Marifisa is a blend of predominantly Grenache with a dollop of Syrah that showcases the pretty red berry fruit of Grenache and the spice and structure of Syrah. The nose shows notes of mulberry fruit and licorice and the medium palate delivers rich red fruit balanced with acid. This is a throwback Rhone wine that is not like many of the modern heavy handed, higher alcohol reds that we have been seeing over the last decade. Try this quaffable red with shepherd's pie or smash burgers.
-Rob

Vignobles Feray Pet Nat - $24.99
There's always a good reason to celebrate when there's a sparkling wine like this to enjoy. Pétillant naturel wines get their bubbles from their own fermentation processes which allows for great variation in what they can be by the time of bottling. Popping the cork on these wines can be thought of like revealing if an oyster has produced a pearl or a pile of sand. This 100% Chenin Blanc pet nat from the Loire Valley in France is absolutely a pearl and drinks beautifully. There are evident flavors of apples with subtle notes of cheese rind accentuated by its naturality. This wine works as an aperitif on its own or accompanying rich dishes with truffles!
-Olivia

2019 Agricola Macatho 'Cana Dulce, Cinsault, Trehuaco Valle de Itata, Chile - $33.99
Chilean winemaker, Macarena del Rio, and Frenchman, Thomas Parayre, met on a grape harvest, fell in love, and started their own winery, Macatho, in 2016.
Together, they work with local growers in the Itata Valley of Southern Chile to farm vineyards organically and produce wines true to the region. Their Cana Dulce is 100% Cinsault from small parcels grown in granite and loam soils in the Trehuaco area of the Itata. The climate is warm, sunny, and dry with Pacific Ocean breezes cooling the vineyards. The Cinsault goes through Carbonic Maceration and native yeast fermentation, then 1 year resting on the lees in the same stainless steel tanks before bottling unfiltered and unfined. The result is a wine full of fresh cherry blossom and juicy flavors of plum compote, strawberry, black pepper, and earthy smooth tannins. 
Salud!
-Patrick

Venn Brewing; Luna Obscura - $10.49
In case you don't want to pull up Google Translate, "luna obscura" means "dark moon" in English, which might be one of the most metal-sounding names for a beer I've heard in a while. I'm generally a huge fan of beers that are easy-drinking but also have a bit of dark roastiness to them, especially during fall. Luna Obscura is a Mexican dark lager from Venn that perfectly scratches that itch. If you've ever wanted a beer that floats in the region between a standard lager and a German dunkel, this is it. Luna Obscura is great for any fall occasion
-Nick N
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Cheers, Everyone!
The Team at North Loop Wine & Spirits