Erik Ofgang 2016-07-15 12:34:51
ELI CANNON’S CHARITY BEER FEST, Aug. 1 Each year one of Connecticut’s best beer bars throws one of the state’s best beer festivals. Funds from this year’s event will go to the Middlesex Coalition for Housing and Homelessness. Food trucks scheduled to attend include NoRA Cupcake and The Whey Station. More than a dozen Connecticut breweries will participate including Beer’d, Kent Falls and Stubborn Beauty. 4:30 to 9 p.m. $35 to $45. 695 Main St., Middletown. elicannons.com
MUSIC AT HOPKINS VINEYARD, August The Night Owl music series at Hopkins Vineyard is in full swing in August with music almost every weekend. Performances include Kings of Karma, Aug. 13, 5 to 8 p.m.; Mike Fisher and Acoustic Fish, Aug. 14, 2 to 5 p.m.; The Goods, Aug. 21, 2 to 5 p.m., Belle of the Fall, Aug. 28, 2 to 5 p.m., and more. 25 Hopkins Road, Warren. 860-868-7954, hopkinsvineyard.com
SHORELINE WINE FESTIVAL, Aug. 13 & 14 Bishop’s Orchards Guilford Farm Market & Winery in Guilford will host its 10th annual festival. Fine wines from wineries across the state will be offered, and will range from grape to fruit wines. There will also be seminars by local wine experts, live music and food, all against the backdrop of a beautiful farm orchard. Noon to 7 p.m. (Saturday), noon to 6 p.m. (Sunday). $30 to $35. 1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford. shorelinewinefestival.com
DONAVON FRANKENREITER AT JONATHAN EDWARDS, Aug. 14 Enjoy the laid-back, soulful crooning of singer-songwriter Donavon Frankenreiter in this concert at the vineyard. Frankenreiter plays music reminiscent of his longtime friend and collaborator Jack Johnson. 6:30 p.m. $45. 74 Chester Maine Road, North Stonington. 860-535-0202, jedwardswinery.com
STONINGTON VINEYARDS MOVIE NIGHT ON THE LAWN, Aug. 27 (Rain date: Aug. 28) Relive the glory of the drive-in movie theater — only with lots more wine — at this outdoor screening of the wine-centric film Sideways. Tickets include the film, a glass of Stonington Vineyards Wine and popcorn. The Rollin’ Reds Food Truck will also be on site. 7:30 p.m. $25. 523 Taugwonk Road, Stonington. 860-535-1222, stoningtonvineyards.com
SHAKESBEER FESTIVAL, Aug. 27 What to drink and what not to drink? That is the question at this festival. The event raises funds for the restoration and reopening of the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, a place that, alas, has been shuttered for nearly 30 years. The festival offers craft beer, live music and food, all for a good cause. Methinks thou shalt want to attend. 2 to 6 p.m. $40. 1850 Elm St., Stratford. beerfests.com/events/shakesbeer-festival
SHORE TO THE POUR BEACH RACE, Aug. 27 Two Roads Brewing Co.’s fourth annual three-mile beach race takes place at Short Beach Park in Stratford. The sandy race ends with a beer tasting, and a portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Connecticut Audubon Society at Stratford Point. 10:30 a.m. Short Beach Park, Stratford. 203-335-2010, tworoadsbrewing.com
Erik Ofgang is the author of Buzzed: Beers, Booze, & Coffee Brews — Where to Enjoy the Best Craft Beverages in New England. Have a craft beverage event coming up next month? Email him at eofgang@connecticutmag.com
Wild Moon Cucumber Liqueur
HARTFORD FLAVOR CO.
This natural liqueur offers an alternate route to summer refreshment. Crisp like a real cucumber, this locally crafted and bottled product slashes through the sweat of August with cool revitalization. Each bottle is individually numbered by batch and by bottle in a nod to the true hands-on nature of the business, and when a bottle of 40-proof Wild Moon Cucumber is uncorked, the smell is of a true, freshly picked cucumber, not a fake floral imitation. Mix the liqueur with Prosecco and fresh-squeezed lime and top it with San Pellegrino Limonata soda to create the Cucumber Refresher — just one of dozens of specialty cocktail recipes on the company’s website.
Wild Moon Cucumber is only one of six specialty flavored liqueurs created by Hartford Flavor Co., whose products are distributed throughout the state. The company also sells cranberry, birch, lavender, rose and chai spice liqueurs. It’s all the brainchild of husbandand-wife team Tom and Lelaneia Dubay, who started by handing out their cranberry variety as holiday gifts. They launched their company in 2013. Each bottle is created using all-natural, organic botanicals and is distilled in a way to truly capture each plant’s individual properties, smell and taste. | KATE HARTMAN |
Raw Tacos
G-ZEN, BRANFORD
The husband-and-wife team of chefs Mark Shadle and Ami Beach Shadle have closed the loop on sustainable eating — growing organic products on their Durham farm, using them in their Branford restaurant and food truck and composting the remnants — and they have crafted some of the most delicious vegetarian, vegan and raw dishes around (and won awards for it). Everything here is creative and flavorful, but it’s the restaurant’s raw tacos that inspired us to stop by.
This house favorite is the creation of Ami Beach Shadle, a raw foodist herself who is always looking for ways to reimagine her favorite dishes to fit her lifestyle. The tacos include Mexican-spiced, raw/live walnut “taco meat,” fresh guacamole and cashew sour cr.me in a romaine-lettuce shell topped with fresh scallions, red pepper and cashew Parmesan. Nothing here is “cooked,” but you’d never know it. There’s a distinct spice that relates to more traditional varieties, but overall these tacos are lighter and creamier. The lettuce leaf provides the crunch of a taco shell minus the salt (and guilt), and the walnut p.t. gives the texture of refried beans with a distinct, pleasant nutty flavor. “People don’t even realize it’s vegan or raw when they’re ordering it,” says Beach Shadle. “They don’t care what it is. They just know it tastes good.” | KATE HARTMAN |
Published by New Haven Register formerly 21st Century Media Newspapers . View All Articles.
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