How to make Simple Syrup

In between my reviews of wine, I have decided to wax poetic about all sorts of other alcohol-related topics. Today, we shall discuss Simple Syrup.

This is something that absolutely everyone who enjoys even a casual cocktail should know how to make at home. Buying it is stupid and you are stupid for doing it (assuming you do. If you do not, congratulations on not being a moron!)

Simple Syrup is used in a number of popular drinks, including the Mojito, Manhattan, etc. Anything that you might want to sweeten, but don't want to just add gritty, hard to mix sugar to.

Here are the directions:

Heat up some water.
Add twice as much sugar as there is water.
Stir until dissolved.

That is it.

That is why they call it Simple Syrup.

Now, you can go ahead and complicate this, but even then it doesn't get all that difficult.

The longer you cook the mixture for, the thicker and sweeter it will be. (Basic cooking, the longer something boils, the less water is in it.)

You can store this syrup in a container in your fridge for a while, like, a good six months if you do not use it all at once.

You can also infuse your syrup with all kinds of delightful flavors. Play around. I like to fill a loose tea infuser with herbs and drop it in while the water boils. You can also add fruit peels, extracts, whatever. Just remember to remove any bits and pieces before using the syrup.

Do you have a favorite flavor combination? A favorite Simple Syrup drink? Tell me in the comments below!

Garnacha de Fuego

Today's wine is the Garnacha de Fuego, old vines.

Year: 2012
Location: Aragon, Spain
ABV: 14.5%
Price: $8.99 at the liquor store conveniently close to work

My general impression was...yeah, sure. Pretty okay.

I am not much of a red wine drinker, but was looking for something with some spice in it. My first thought was a Spanish wine. I chose this one because of the flames on the bottle and because it translates to Grenache of Fire, which is pretty badass for a bottle of wine. Also it was one of the least expensive imported European wines.

A grenache is a light red wine with a deceptively deep flavor. More can be found here.

So, onto the review...

Step 1: Look at the wine. The wine is very dark purple, to the point of being barely translucent. It's a nice color, actually. I have a blouse the same color. No obvious sediment.

Step 2: Swirl the wine, note the viscosity. Fairly viscous. A thin, clear film clings to the glass after swirling.

Step 3: Sniff the wine. From a few inches away, this wine smells earthy. Closer, there are nice notes of cherries and dark fruit. It smells sweeter than I anticipated, having the assumption that red wine is bitter.

Step 4: Taste the damned wine already. First impression: dry. This is a wine with a bite to it, but a pleasant, spicy bite. The dryness is cut by a dark, rich flavor. There is a pleasant after-taste that leaves a subtle sweetness without being saccharine. As far as red wine goes, this is better than I hoped for.

Step 5: Drink a bunch more. This is a sipping wine. Due to the dryness, when I tried to drink it faster, it was gross. The dryness left a gritty feeling on my tongue that made me want to brush my teeth. However, due to the relatively high alcohol content, you do not need to drink this wine fast to feel it.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this wine. I strongly suggest eating something with it. It is not a great wine to just drink, because booze. I paired it with diablo pasta and it was great. I paired it with cheese curls and it was terrible. This wine goes poorly with junk food, but good with spicy food. I did not try it with spicy junk food, but I imagine it would be okay. Honestly, if you do not like red wines, you will not like this wine. If you do like red wines, this one is pretty good when you want something dry and spicy. Also, it will get you drunk.

Do you have a favorite (or least favorite) wine? Something you would like reviewed? Need a selection for a special meal? Let me know in the comments below!