If you have been on a cocktail tour, I encourage you to register for another one.  They’re always different and always fun.  Here’s an idea of what we’ve tasted this month.  Cheers!

Caroline from West End Tavern knows her bourbon and can tell you everything she knows while offering sips of different spirits and samples of her signature cocktails, such as the Ron Burgundy (left) and an Old Fashioned (right).

Tahona has been a fun stop on some tours and we’ve been sampling a variety of blanco, reposado, and añejo tequilas.  If you have questions about the differences between blanco, reposado, and añejo, it’s probably time you join us on a cocktail tour…

Tina offered us a blanco Republic Tequila as well as some Republic that they had barrel aged in house into a reposado.

On a different tour, Ally offered us a tasting of Gran Centenario plata, reposado, and añejo as well as a tasting of her coin style margarita.

Connor at SALT treated us to a sweet creation of his, the Barry White and a classic- The Aviation.

The Pinyon was also a featured stop on a couple tours and we drank a Hops not Tonic (left), a beer cocktail created by Dan Mirsky, and a soda bottled cocktail with some dangerously good chicken wings.

Chef owner Theo Adley likes hanging at his own bar, so we’re often very well entertained at The Pinyon.

Boulder cocktail tours run every Thursday.  We visit 3 great local bars and get to ask the experts all of our cocktail questions.  It’s the best way to bar hop in town.

Chef owner Steve Redzikowski and libations expert and owner Bryan Dayton orchestrate a food and drink symphony that is each time equally perfect yet uniquely different. Pictures may say thousands of words, and they’ll hopefully tempt you to be treated to an almost fantastical culinary experience.

Check out these larger photos of Bryan Dayton playing with an ice ball he set on fire as he perfected the ice “cube” for a cocktail at our table.

OAK at Fourteenth- 303.444.3622

1400 Pearl Street, Boulder CO, 80302

Photos courtesy of Giovanni Castillo.

http://www.thrillist.com/DEN/video/2357987

Larimer Street

Map and Directions | Register

Description:

Join us on a private tasting at some of Denver’s best watering holes with three esteemed libationists along Larimer Street in Denver.  Learn about the art of crafting cocktails and taste some specialty drinks made especially for the group.  One on one time at each bar allows for questions and answers, so don’t be shy.  Think of this as a mini cocktail class.  The best part is you get to tip back on a Saturday afternoon while exploring Denver, one sip at a time.  Must be 21+ to register. IDs will be checked.

Register

Ahh… the baguette- it changed things that day.  After an unnecessary splurge on my new bracelet (which I justified since I was so excited about the fresh bread) in addition to the important bday gift, I kept walking towards my car.  It started to rain.  My umbrella saved the day as the most important thing was keeping the baguette dry. A woman asked me if I had bought the bread at Panera bread.  Oh, no ma’am.  I went to Cured because I’m a food blogger on a mission to explore cheese and wine.  And this baguette- well, it’s freshly baked by some guy named Steve who uses a local restaurant space to bake breads.  This is no Panera bread baguette.

And so, I got home and unpacked my brown bag.

Coral Ferguson, co-owner of Cured, sent me home with four goat cheeses (beautifully wrapped like little cheese presents), locally grown plums, a bottle of Spanish rosé, and my baguette.  Time to explore some goat cheeses.

I had a taste of Capriago (bottom left), Garrotxa (bottom right), Covered Bridge (upper right), and Goat Cheddar (upper left).

But, before I even unwrapped the cheeses, I tore off the top of that baguette and stood in the kitchen, silently enjoying my bread.  I didn’t even put on music yet.  Just ate the bread.  It felt so good to devour the beautiful section of bread that had been teasing me for so long.  I poured a glass of Borsao Rosé made from Spanish Garnacha grapes.  I’m Spanish wines’ biggest fan, and I really enjoy rosé, so this was perfect for me.  It was also light and fruity, which helped cut the fat from all of my cheeses.

So, I just sliced right into those cheeses.  A little cheese and bread, sip of wine, bites of plum here and there.  It was fun.

Capriago comes from the Bohemian Creamery in Sebastopol, CA.  It’s a moist cheese that’s just slightly sweet, and I had no problem eating slice after slice.  Yum.  I would get this again.

Garrotxa (pronounced ga-ro-cha) comes from Catalonia, Spain.  It’s mild, despite a moldy rind, with a delicate goat flavor- so, it didn’t taste too much like a barnyard.  However, I tend to enjoy the barnyard in cheese while others do not, so that’s something to keep in mind with goat cheeses.  It’s also the only cheese from this sampling that I found in The Murray’s Cheese Handbook, so I’ll quote. “This aged wheel is a brilliant expression of goat’s milk at its best.” I especially enjoyed this one.

Covered Bridge comes from Pholia Farms in Rogue River, OR.  This cheese comes from Nigerian dwarf dairy goats.  That’s unique.  There was something different about this cheese, and it might be because the milk comes from dwarf goats.  I know of a number of people who would find it too farmy, or too barny. When I compared it to the Capriago and Garroxta, I didn’t enjoy it as much.  A friend actually spit it out, but that’s just rude, gross behavior, now isn’t it?

And finally, Goat Cheddar from Avalanche Goat Dairy in Basalt, CO.  This is one I’m still unsure of.  I had a problem with the mouth feel of this cheese.  I felt a sensation of wet chalk or something, but the flavor was nutty and sweet.  This cheese was also spit out by my friend- not once, but two or three times.  I kept insisting on trying things over and over to really get an opinion.  We both agreed that the texture of goat cheddar was a bit odd for us that evening.  I’m open to trying it again, or something like it.

And so, my adventures in cheeses have officially begun.  I’m so glad Cured is in town.

The box I tried was filled with lettuce, cabbage, collard greens, cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, garlic, and green onions.  Door to Door Organics picked it all out for me, but, if you sign up for their service, you get to substitute up to five items per order.  So, if you don’t like collard greens, swap them out for carrots.  But, I must warn you… collard greens, when cooked correctly, are delicately delicious.  I found this out thanks to Door to Door Organics because I had never actually bought collard greens before, and having them delivered to my doorstep made me get a little creative in the kitchen, which is always fun.

Door to Door Organics isn’t just produce- you can order meats and freshly baked breads, too, as well as a variety of other products through the Door to Door Market.  You can also skip a delivery if you’re away, and cancel any time.  You’re not tied in to a lifetime of deliveries, though I do have some friends who have been hooked for a few years now.  So, unlike a CSA where you pay for the entire farm share up front and then get whatever the farm grows, whether you’re in town to pick it up or not, Door to Door Organics offers a wider variety at a good price for a convenient service.

Door to Door Organics has a great website that helps you shop, plan meals, find recipes, and learn about local organic produce. So, I suggest you check it out.  If you use the promo code “localtabletours” you’ll receive 40% off a bitty box.  You can’t beat that!

Turns out it went well. Coral and Will were busy helping customers when I first got there, so I took a look around and snapped a few iphone photos.  I got to say hi to Coral, and she immediately sparked my interest in one of Nathan Miller’s chocolate bar samples that were tempting customers right next to the register.  I could stop right here and say go to Cured just to try Nathan Miller’s chocolate.  But I won’t.  I’ll play off of that… I’ll say to go to Cured because they are an artisan cheese, cured meat, and wine shop that is right downtown (1825 B Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80304).  Go to Cured because, besides offering a thoughtfully amazing variety of cheese, cured meats, and wines, they support local food growers and artisans, such as the aforementioned up-and-coming Boulder chocolatier, Nathan Miller.

You know why I think you should go to Cured? Because it is an independently owned shop specializing in something you’re sure to need to finish the meal you have planned- cheese, cured meat, olive oil, vinegar, jams, crackers, specialty salts, fresh locally grown veggies, wine, and chocolate.

You know why I really think you should go to cured? Because you can walk out of there with your entire dinner-  meats, cheeses, bread, wines, olive oil, vinegar, lettuce, lots of other local veggies… sounds like a great meal to me for late nights or simply “I don’t feel like cooking” nights.  Might actually be most nights for a number of my friends.

Anyway- Welcome, Cured, to downtown Boulder. Can’t wait to visit with you on food tours!