Introducing New Passover Wines approved for 2024: Lovatelli, Cantina Giulian
The Festival of Passover starts April 22 – 30, an eight day holiday celebrating the Israelites’ Exodus from Egyptian slavery.
The most important event in Jewish history is marked by eating a festive meal with matzah, telling the Passover story (Seder) and drinking four cups of wine. And, when you have four cups to get through in one Seder dinner, wine quality is paramount.
Passover wines perfect for 2024
Royal Wine Corp. is the largest manufacturer, importer and exporter of Kosher wines and spirits, with a portfolio that spans hundreds of brands and thousands of bottles of world-class wines.
For Passover 2024, they are introducing top quality wines from some of the finest wine producing regions including California, France, Italy, Spain and Israel, among others.
While forty percent of annual kosher wine sales occur for the Passover holiday, sales of kosher wine and spirits have been growing significantly throughout the rest of the year.
The not-so-secret to perfect passover wines
According to Jay Buchsbaum, VP of Wine Education at Royal Wine Corp.,
“There’s nothing cookie-cutter about these Passover wines – they are top notch, award winning and distinctive.”
Jay Buchsbaum
VP of Wine Education at Royal Wine Corp
“And, while red wine is traditional for the Passover Seder, it can be a nice Burgundy or a Pinot Noir, or a Cabernet – just as long as it is kosher for Passover. There are dozens to choose from. And, just to be clear, our portfolio consists of acclaimed wines that just happen to be kosher, recognized for our quality and value.”
These Passover-approved bottles will complement any Seder fare. “L’Chaim”
- Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico, world famous winery producing kosher wine for the first time. This renowned and well regarded brand is producing kosher wine for the first time exclusively for Royal Wine Corp. (with more to come); SRP $25
- Lovatelli, a new line of fine and affordable Italian wines, including a Salento Primitivo, SRP $17 and a Barbera d’Asti, SRP $25; Coming soon: Nebbiolo, a Super Tuscan, as well as two new vermouths.
- Cantina Giuliano, fully kosher boutique winery started in 2014 in Tuscany, Italy. The winery was started by a young couple, who inherited wineries from their grandparents. It’s now fully kosher with new bottles and labeling.
- Many new kosher wines are being imported from South Africa by ESSA and J Folk wineries (among them are : Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and more).
- Bartenura – Flavored Moscatos in cans such as Peach, Lychee, and new Blueberry.
- Château Dauzac Grand Cru Classé and Aurore de Dauzac Margaux ’21
- Chateau Roubine Cru Classé Lion & Dragon Red
- Des Moisans Deau Cognac Privilege
- Herzog Lineage Momentus Rose
- J de Villebois Sancerre Pinot Noir
- Kamisa Winery – Galilee, Israel
- Malbec du Clos Triguedina – Cahors
- Shamay Winery Upper Galilee, Israel
- New Carmel Black Cabernet Sauvignon, Galilée, Israel (SRP $30)
- Brio de Château Cantenac Brown, Margaux
Is Kosher for Passover Wine Hard to Find?
Actually, it’s rather easy! Most kosher wine is also kosher for Passover, making it easier to sell this wine (and for consumers to stock up on bottles) year-round. Any kosher-for-Passover wine will have a “P” symbol or “Kosher for Passover” next to the kosher certification on the label.
But that’s not the case with some spirits. For example, you’ll be unlikely to find kosher-for-Passover whiskey, as whiskey is made with grain.
Fine kosher wines are made the same way that fine non-kosher wines are made,” adds Buchsbaum. “There is no kosher winemaking ‘technique.’ What’s required for the wine to be considered kosher, is that the wine be handled only by Sabbath-observant Jews. And there are plenty of fine winemakers and cellar workers who are Sabbath observant. Great grapes and skilled winemakers yield great wines—kosher or not.
Consumers looking for wines from renowned regions throughout the world can satisfy their thirst with more options than ever before. It seems the problem is not the availability of great wine but the overwhelming number of great wines to choose from. Royal Wine offers a delicious selection of kosher for Passover wines from around the world,” says Buchsbaum. “Some of the top producers are creating award-winning varietals at every price point, and with Passover just around the corner, we want to take the guesswork out of buying wine.”
Why Four Cups of Wine
One of the rituals served at Passover is the custom of drinking four cups of wine. The four cups of wine are consumed in a specific order as the story of Exodus is told. Served to the adults throughout the dinner, these four wines represent points from the exodus story. While there are several explanations for the significance of the number four, the connection to “freedom from exile” is often referenced. For observant Jews, the wine served should be kosher. Although a kosher wine uses the same grapes as other wines, the wine making is handled by “sabbath-observant Jews”.
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Election Day 2024: Elixir Health and Wellness Offers Free Red Light and Compression Therapy to Encourage Voter Turnout on Election Day
Election Day 2024: Elixir Health and Wellness Offers Free Red Light and Compression Therapy to Encourage Voter Turnout on Election Day
ELIXIR Health and Wellness, Bethlehem’s premier destination for non-invasive, anti-aging therapies, is excited to announce a special Election Day initiative to promote community engagement and support voter turnout. On Tuesday, November 5th, all voters across the Lehigh Valley are invited to stop by Elixir Health and Wellness, located at 1021 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA, for a complimentary session of red light or compression therapy between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
“At Elixir Health and Wellness, we believe in the power of caring, both for the body and the community,” said Yuliya, owner of Elixir Health and Wellness.
“We’re thrilled to offer this special opportunity as a way to give back to our neighbors who make their voices heard on Election Day. Voting is one of the most impactful ways to shape our community, and we want to support everyone who takes the time to participate.”
To take advantage of this Election Day offer, individuals simply need to show proof of voting, such as an “I Voted” sticker. Those who voted early are welcome to participate as well. Elixir Health and Wellness will be open all day to provide red light and compression therapy sessions that can help rejuvenate individuals after casting a ballot.
For those registered near Elixir Health and Wellness, the nearest polling location is:
College Hill Moravian Church
72 W. Laurel St.
Bethlehem, PA 18018
Whether you’re looking for a wellness boost or a relaxing break, Elixir Health and Wellness invites the Bethlehem community to experience its renowned anti-aging therapies and celebrate the importance of civic engagement.
For more information about Elixir Health and Wellness and this Election Day event, please visit our website at www.elixirlv.com.
Lehigh Stunned by Sweet Innovation From America’s #1 Cookie Brand
Biggest Cookie Innovation Ever, Chips Ahoy Big Chewy Cookies! From America’s #1 Cookie Brand
The cookie experts at Chips Ahoy! are at it again – this time showing up bigger than ever before.
Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie
Introducing the Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie – an entirely new product line from America’s #1 chocolate chip cookie brand.
As the brand that is “Here for Happy,” this innovation from Chips Ahoy! brings cookie lovers an offering that is over three times the size of Chips Ahoy! Regular Chewy in an individually wrapped pack, making it the ideal go-to snack for splitting with a friend.
These new Chips Ahoy Big Chewy Cookies will up the ante in snack aisles and convenience stores across the country. Designed with Gen-Z Chips Ahoy! lovers in mind – this oversized treat is perfect for on-the-go snacking during their busy lives or to split with a friend.
Boasting chocolatey chips over four times larger than the iconic Chips Ahoy! Chewy cookie for a bigger, more chocolatey bite, the cookie itself clocks in with a diameter over three times the size, and will be available in three delicious flavors:
- Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie: Delivering classic Chips Ahoy! Chewy flavor now bigger and with the just the right amount of chocolatey chips to compliment the larger cookie and its soft-baked texture.
- Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie, Chocolatey Brownie: A decadent brownie-flavored base takes indulgence up a notch and delivers an extra chocolatey bite for even the biggest sweet-tooth.
- Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie, Chocolatey Caramel: Delicious caramel-flavored chips blend with the iconic sweetness of the Chips Ahoy! chocolatey chips to create a delicious mash-up of caramel and chocolatey flavors to deliver a big, indulgent bite.
“From our original cookies to our newest innovations, Chips Ahoy! fans have long enjoyed our iconic brand and mouthwatering flavors,” said Jen Levin, Senior Brand Manager for Chips Ahoy! US. “For over 60 years, Chips Ahoy! cookies have been the go-to cookie for chocolate chip cookie lovers of all ages. Now, with the launch of Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookies, we’re excited to be their on-the-go cookie choice as well, offering indulgence and happiness in each big, delicious bite. And perhaps the best part of all? Their bigger size means you have enough Chips Ahoy! deliciousness to share with a friend!”
Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie will begin rolling out to retailers nationwide starting in October. Each 2.5 oz pack will be available for an SRP $2.29 at convenience stores. For more information on Chips Ahoy! Big Chewy Cookie, follow @chipsahoy on Instagram and @theofficialchipsahoy on TikTok to follow the latest Big Chewy Cookie news.
Lehigh Invaded with Scary-good whiskies this Halloween: J. Mattingly 1845 Welcomes Fall with New Whiskey Offerings
Scary-good whiskies this Halloween: J. Mattingly 1845 Welcomes Fall with New Whiskey Offerings
J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery is debuting scary-good whiskies this fall, with its first fall spiced Bourbon 31 Blended Bourbon and the ability to customize your own whiskey for your Halloween festivities through its J. Mattingly 1845 craft your bottle program.
Bourbon 31 Blended Bourbon is a play on the brand’s Bourbon 30 Bourbon brand and this limited-edition release was created for the Halloween season.
Bourbon 31 is a blend of three whiskies which have all undergone J. Mattingly 1845’s Double Staving™ process and the blend consists of 51 percent Bourbon, 29 percent Light Whiskey and 20 percent Rye Whiskey. Double Staving is a proprietary process used by J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery that gives the whiskey inside the barrels additional surface exposure to charred barrel staves to impart more flavor and color.
The Double Staved Classic Bourbon used in this blend has just scored a 96 from famed Whiskey Bible author Jim Murray.
The Bourbon 31 Blended Bourbon was created by J. Mattingly 1845’s team of expert blenders to reflect the flavors typically associated with fall. “When we blended these three whiskies, we were looking for a flavor profile that reflects flavors typically associated with fall, such as pumpkin and cinnamon while matching the light-hearted fun we’re having by changing the brand name from Bourbon 30 to Bourbon 31 to celebrate the Halloween season,” said Harry Richart, president, J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery.
Tasting notes for this bourbon describe it as having a nose of nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and walnut, with the flavors of brown sugar, cinnamon, and fall baking spices on the palate. On the finish, pumpkin bread, baker’s chocolate and seasoned oak are prevalent.
Bourbon 31 is available online and at the J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery in Frankfort, KY. Suggested retail pricing is $60 for a 750 mL and it is 98 proof.
J. Mattingly 1845 Custom Whiskey Program is the “Choose Your Own Adventure” of the whiskey world by allowing the buyer to choose between double staved™ bourbon, light whiskey or rye whiskey recipes, select their bottle shape, customize their own label, and even choose their own wax color from every color of the rainbow! This program is available online and in person at the Distillery and can result in some frighteningly fun labels and Halloween-themed wax colors. Imagine expressing your innermost devilish (or angelic) thoughts on the bourbon bottle you give your favorite boo.
Pricing for the custom bottles start at $120 for a 750 mL bottle and shipping is available to 46 states.
About J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery
The Mattingly family has been synonymous with distilling in Kentucky for more than two centuries, having a hand in the development of at least nine separate distilleries in the Commonwealth.
It all started in 1845, with John Graves Mattingly’s first distillery in Marion County, Kentucky, Registered Distillery #2.
In 2010 Jeff Mattingly took up the family mantle and started his own craft bourbon business. Today, Jeff’s son Cameron has joined the team as Vice President of Production, continuing the legacy into the latest generation for J. Mattingly Distillery 1845 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Together father and son offer their proprietary double staving process as well as a custom bourbon blending experience unparalleled in the spirits industry, available on-site in Frankfort or online at https://jmattingly1845.com/build-a-bottle/
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Uptown Northampton Street Fair Returns Sept 9 for its 34th Year!
Uptown Northampton Street Fair Returns for its 34th Year!
The Northampton Area Chamber, proud partner of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce invites you to join the fun & festivities at Uptown Northampton Street Fair on September 9, 2022!
The 34th Annual Uptown Northampton returns to Main Street with a bang!
With over 100 craft and business vendors, live music, food trucks, rock climbing, giveaways, and more, the street festival has all the elements to bring an enjoyable afternoon to Northampton, PA.
“The Greater Northampton Area Chamber is pleased to once again bring the Uptown Northampton Festival to the Borough of Northampton,”
said Jessica O’Donnell-Gower
EVP of Affiliated Chambers, Easton Initiatives and the Northern Tier for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“This year’s festival continues a time-honored tradition with some fun new twists – live music at the Gin Mill, a Mini Moos Petting Zoo – plus some traditional activities, like tours of the Roxy Theater. Not only does this event celebrate our local businesses, it brings new faces to the Borough. We look forward to a great event!”
The festival, which will feature over 100 vendors and food trucks, is returning on September 9th, 2023
The festival, which will feature over 100 vendors and food trucks, is returning on September 9th, 2023, and will feature rock climbing from LV Rocks, Touch-a-Truck , two beer tents from the Gin Mill and The Chamber (benefiting the GNACC Scholarship Fund) and other adult beverages from Triple Sun Spirits, Clever Girl Winery, Lucci Family Wines and Sleepy Cat Urban Winery. Tours of the Roxy Theater will be held throughout the day, and the Main Stage, located next to the Gin Mill, will feature demonstrations from 3D Dance (11-11:30 AM) and Elite Mixed Martial Arts (1:30-2 PM), and live music from Third Hand (11:30 AM-1:30 PM) and Trick Stacy (2:30-4 PM).
“Being a part of a time-honored tradition in Northampton
is not only important to us as an organization,
but to the volunteers and staff who make this festival come to fruition,”
Kate Hartney
Coordinator of Affiliated Chambers for the Greater Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce.
Food trucks will also be present to provide great eats throughout the day. Participating trucks (as of August 29th) include: Mattie’s Strudel Haus, Mon & Mel’s Sweet Scoops, CurdZone, Island Expressions, Greek Street, Slide on By, Smokehouse Food Truck, Kalli Inc Sweet Treats Funnel Cakes, and Grub Night Food Truck.
This event would not be made possible without Greater Northampton Area businesses
This event would not be made possible without Greater Northampton Area businesses; participating sponsors include: Horwith Trucking (Entertainment Sponsor), The Gin Mill & Grille (Entertainment Sponsor), Holcim (Uptown Sponsor), Embassy Bank of the Lehigh Valley (Main Street Sponsor), Roxy Theater (Main Street Sponsor), Newhard Pharmacy (Main Street Sponsor), Foster Jewelers (Main Street Sponsor), A&M Service Center (Uptown Sponsor), Times News (Media Sponsor) and Livengood Excavators Inc. (Supporting Sponsor).
For more information, visit the Uptown Northampton webpage: https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/uptownnorthampton
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Lehigh Valley is Cocktail Heaven! Now Madre Mezcal offers a Gateway to a Better Taste
Lehigh Valley is Cocktail Heaven! Now Madre Mezcal offers a Gateway to a Better Taste
Today’s conversation is with Ryan Fleming from Madre Mezcal. The LA nightlife veteran reveals his time working behind the bar in some of Southern California’s hottest spots, as well as the inspiration that got him to travel to Mexico, discovering Mezcal.
The aroma, flavors, science and food pairings for Mezcal.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. For the full, unedited conversation, visit our YouTube Channel.
“…I’ve been a big Mezcal lover before I ever sold it…”
Joe Winger: Can you share the behind the scenes or how the brand itself was created?
Ryan Fleming: I’ve been a big Mezcal lover before I ever even sold it or made a dollar doing that. So I got to actually meet Ron Cooper, who is the legend that started the Del Maguey label back in 2011.
I got to drink rabbit Pachuca with him and all these other amazing things. The reason I bring him up is he’s a kind of one of the people that we look up to, how to sustainably bring a brand and how to create culture that crosses boundaries in a sense.
He has a beautiful book that I recommend anyone to read if you haven’t read Ron Cooper’s book.
But we share a similar story. One of our founding partners, Tony Farfalla and one of my good friends, Stefan Tony’s an artist and he was literally traveling through Oaxaca doing documentaries and embracing the art and culture. He happened to meet Jose Morales, which is the first family we ever worked with.
If you have original bottles of Madre [Mezcal] before the labels have changed, it used to say Jose’s name on the bottle.
So Tony was bringing bottles back to Brooklyn in plastic water bottles and it snowballed. His friends in Brooklyn were like, this stuff’s great. Started out in plastic water bottles in 2014. I think it was 2016 when our first glass bottles actually came by and we became like of a more legit brand and company. But it started with Tony and Stefan; and they brought on our CEO and COO, Chris and Davide.
Chris actually is one of the founding driving forces in the electronic scene in the 90s in Europe. Chris comes from a very artistic, music based background. Then he went on to work for some bigger alcohol brands in the vodka world.
Davide, who is our COO, my direct boss, who I love, is Italian and his whole family built furniture and he got his big break by importing and bringing furniture over [to the United States]. He also works with a beautiful high end apparel line.
“…everyone has a very unique artistic background, which really reflects the brand and the label…”
So everyone has a very unique artistic background, which really reflects the brand and the label. Just not wanting to make a quick buck and actually make something we can stand behind and believe in.
As the families now blossom into four, we use three: the Vasquez family, the Blas family and the Morales family are our three main producers for our red and black label, which most people are familiar with.
We just brought in Moises and he’s actually from Santa Catarina Minas. That’s a little town where all they really make is their production. It’s a town known for nothing but clay pot distillation. So if you actually use a copper pot in, in Manera and Santa Caterina Minas, you’re looked at as what are you doing? That’s not what we do here.
He’s our last and newest producer and he may be the most cowboy of them all, and he’s my favorite.
When you get to Tlaxcala, you have to walk over like a little rope bridge over like a river and stuff into the hills of Minas to see his production, and he’s got his grandfather’s old still, and he’s got his mom’s little kitchen that he wants to reopen, and it’s like a restaurant. But if you and I were to look at it, it just looks like a backyard set of tables and chairs with a cooking center.
No, this is a restaurant for the village. It’s really beautiful down in Minas. I recommend everyone, if you get a chance to go down there, it felt like the jungles in Costa Rica, cause it’s up near the hills and it’s just so green and lush up there.
“…I’ve been working in the alcohol industry for almost 15 years …”
Joe Winger: What got you down there? Was it for a vacation or for Mezcal?
Ryan Fleming:
So I’ve been working in the alcohol industry for almost 15 years and I worked for the Houston Hospitality Group for over a decade, helping run programs and menus. I worked for a couple other restaurants, but I used to work for Stillhouse Whiskey, which many people remember the terrible flavored moonshine in a gas can.
Yeah I actually sold that. I did pretty well, there was always one flavor that someone loved. I had the mint chocolate chip and I would keep it in the freezer to take care of my sweet tooth when I didn’t have ice cream. So that’s how it started.
My buddy, Stefan, who’s one of the founding partners goes, “Hey, we got this Mezcal company.” I was just basically consulting for free lunches.
One day he goes, do you want to go to Oaxaca? And I went, absolutely.
I familiar with going down to Mexico city, but I’d never been as far South as Oaxaca. So I jumped at the chance.
[Meanwhile] we all got an email from Stillhouse saying “Hey, I know things are being shaken up right now, but trust me, everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
That weekend, apparently the whole team got laid off, but I didn’t get the email untll I came home Monday. They’re saying, “Ryan, are you going to be okay? Do you need help finding work?”
So I went down to Oaxaca, met the families, broke bread with Jose Morales, got to meet his mother who blessed the roast and cooked us dinner. They offered me a job.
That was started my journey about six years ago with Madre [Mezcal ]and I’ve been with him since.
Fleming motions to tattoos on his arms and hands.
Discovering Madre Mezcal
I have it tattooed on my hand right here. I have it tattooed on my palm right here. And I think I have another one on the inside of my leg too. We do tasting events and we’ll have pop up tattoo artists all the time.
Tequila vs Madre Mezcal
Joe Winger:
You mentioned the tastings and the education. Are there quick lessons that you teach the most often?
Ryan Fleming:
Basic production, culture, financial, environmental and economic sustainability.
I don’t think people understand that Oaxaca is the second poorest state in Mexico. Everyone thinks the Mezcal boom must be bringing so many jobs, but it really only affects about 20 – 40,000 people that live in Oaxaca for the production,
Mezcal is great because it does bring some financial sustainability to the families. Jose started off driving a taxi to pay his bills and now he’s making Mezcal in his family’s tradition. His whole family, his cousin, his uncles, they all make Mezcal for a living now.
There’s so much culture behind it. Even the old argument of did the Spanish bring over copper stills and that started distillation or does it go back to the Aztecs and Mayans? Because they found distillate and pottery from 3000 years ago. It’s those little nuances.
People really like to talk about the environmental, but giving back to the people down there by not just buying product, but giving them some ownership, which Madre does do, so that everyone has a little bit of skin in the game.
So I think Sustainability, whether it’s environmental, economical, cultural, and production. Those are the things I really like to talk about.
Joe Winger: What is the basic difference between mezcal and tequila? Or is it more complicated?
Ryan Fleming:
You could say production techniques, additives, mass production are probably the three biggest differences.
Tequila can only be made with one agave. It’s a blue weber. Mezcal can be made with the other 47-ish varietals, and that number is always fluctuating, based on classification and family genius.
Production is the big one. Tequila is made in massive factories and made with either chemicals or steam for the most part.
Whereas mezcal is actually made by hand, roasted in an earthen oven. The biggest thing that separates Tequila and Mezcal is the 1% additive rule.
Tequila can have up to 1% by volume additives, and they don’t have to tell you. That’s why certain large brands will say 100% Agave, but it’s full of additives, because it doesn’t take much with modern chemistry. Just a couple drops of glycerin or vanilla extract to change the flavor and hide all the nuances.
Mezcal can’t have any additives by law.
Joe Winger: Can we walk through the roles and responsibilities between the families that produce Madre Mezcal?
Ryan Fleming:
Yeah, the four families. Let’s start with Jose Morales. Him and his brother both make mezcal. Now they produce for us in the US exclusively. We encourage all of our families to continue making mezcal to trade. They use it for a local economy.
Every time I go down there, [their operation is growing]. When they started, they had three stills. Now there’s 12 up and running and they have solar power. It’s just so crazy to see how much the transformation has happened.
The original recipe, the blend of cuishe and espadine at 90 proof, that’s his family’s recipe. So we expanded that and we brought on Carlos Blas and the Vasquez family. Unfortunately, Natalio the father passed away a couple of years ago.
His daughters are now producing in the family’s tradition and we take whatever we can from them.
But what we do, that’s a little bit different is, we started out when it was just Jose, he was making the blend himself. Now we have them make the espadine and the cuishe separately.
All three families are part of the process. Sometimes we just get cuiche from Jose. Sometimes Carlos makes all the espadine, but Carlos is like a master blender.
We blend a cold style like Scotch does. Even though it’s not the most traditional way, all the distillation and process is as true as it can be.
But by blending post distillation allows us to keep consistency, which was a huge problem because every batch with your wild fermentation, your wild yeast and all these beautiful nuances, it’ll be inconsistent as you grow as a brand. It was hard for us to keep consistency.
But by blending multiple terroirs and three different families’ production, we can keep a consistent product that tastes the same as well as expanding and bringing on more families to help instead of just going to a large factory house and not making what I would call “traditional Mezcal.”
Joe Winger: So focusing on your background, you mentioned that you’ve been a bartender in the LA nightlife. Any memorable adventures or lessons you can share?
Ryan Fleming:
There are some stories I could tell that I probably don’t want to share publicly. But there are some amazing stories I can tell.
One of the oddest experiences I’ve ever had, I worked at Good Times at Davey Wayne’s, which is one of the most famous bars in the Hollywood nightlife in the past decade.
Paul McCartney showed up at our door.
But because our staff is younger and our door guys are a little bit younger, they thought it was an old weird British man that just showed up and they turned Paul McCartney away from the door.
‘Holy crap, is that Paul McCartney’?
He was like, do you know who I am? The guys [were like] ”We don’t care.” Like straight up, blowing Paul McCartney off. One of our managers came out and was like, ‘Holy crap, is that Paul McCartney’? And they’re like, wait, the guy from the Beatles?!
My manager ran out, “Please come back,” and Paul had a great time at the bar. We got him a special little area to sit down. It was a packed Saturday. It’s not a nightclub where we have gated off [areas]. Even if you reserve a table, people are inches away from you where you’re sitting at your table.
Justin Bieber showed up one time and everyone went nuts. He comes in, walks around, does a loop, comes out and goes, “I thought this was a hip hop club.” and just left.
It was a 1970s themed bar and we played nothing but 70s music.
The dichotomy between the two different generations and to see them all melt into one location was one of the coolest things about working at that bar.
Joe Winger:It’s so crowded because it’s so popular. The Houston Brothers always do such a good job.
Ryan Fleming:
Yeah. The cocktails are still really good too. For as much volume as we used to do there, the biggest thing is how can I make a really beautiful cocktail that’s still cost effective and doesn’t take 12 steps. We got really good at batching stuff and figuring out how to infuse things. Luckily our back of house was just the most amazing. Mariano is the best barback I’ve ever had in my whole life. He’s still there.
He is just a workhorse that got all the infusions. He would cook, he would infuse all of our products and he was just great. Even if we just did a jalapeno infusion on our tequila, if it got too spicy, he could break down the ratio and water it down with more products so that we could keep the spice level approachable.
Joe Winger:
What is the secret to high quantity yet high value cocktails?
Ryan Fleming:
Batching is definitely the way to do it. Any of your alcohols that are shelf stable, you want to put all of those in the proper ratios in a bottle.
Instead of grabbing a modifier and your base spirit and another modifier, you’re grabbing one bottle with a special tape at the bottom, so you know which cocktail it goes to and then all your fresh stuff.
You can’t batch the fresh stuff. It has to be separated because you put citrus in something and it goes bad in three days. Now the whole batch is bad. So keeping your fresh stuff separated.
Joe Winger: Back to Madre Mezcal. Obviously the bottles themselves are where all the power is. So let’s talk about labels and taste profiles.
Ryan Fleming:
People love our labels. Our branding is top notch. It’s one of the first compliments we always get. “Oh my God, I love your branding.”
Looked at Oaxacan culture and some other like medieval culture and combined the art from the two.
As far as the red label it’s the woman on the bull. It’s a really beautiful message of Mother Earth coming down and starting to share humanity and move across the world to plants and spread love. That’s why she’s on the bull. It’s the combination of animal, Mother Earth, and humans.
The black label is a beautiful logo of a woman on the ground. She’s planting and spreading the seed of life that gives us agave and flowers and fruit and vegetables and everything else.
The ancestral is this beautiful clay bottle with old clay vessels from Greece that carried wine with the fluid coming out and it’s supposed to celebrate the ancestral way of making mezcal and clay pots and clay distillation.
I always love telling the story of people who say mezcal is not supposed to be aged, which is a true-ish statement in my opinion. But back in the day, everything got transferred in barrels. So Mezcal would accidentally get aged in barrels because it would travel from town to town on horseback after the product was made.
So the idea that Mezcal was never aged is it wasn’t aged on purpose.
Mezcal was accidentally aged in wood. The traditional way that people would age Mezcal is in glass and they would hide it underground.
I always tell people, if you have a beautiful bottle of Mezcal, you should open it and take it out and put a wine cork in it, or at least crack the bottle and get some air because it really lets alcohol open up and aerate.
Mezcal benefits from a resting period. Pouring it in a nice open glass, like a snifter or a wine glass, letting it sit for about 5-10 minutes will really open it up.
Madre Mezcal tasting notes
Madre is designed to be less smoky. I really hate the term smoky. I like the word roasted because what you’re tasting is like barbeque.
You’re tasting the roasting of the agave and the charcoaling and the burning of the outside agave which will affect the sugars, the caramelization.
Madre really was designed to be a more approachable mezcal. We call ourselves ”The gateway to the category.”
We want to bring people from tequila over to Mezcal so you can explore what agave spirits also have to offer.
It’s bright, clean, and smooth. I always compare it to a really nice, made tequila.
Our Espadine is actually a close cousin of [tequila’s] Blue Weber. It tastes really bright, clean and smooth. But you’re going to get some of that minerality and smoke in the end.
Like easy drinking with some earthy aromas.
Joe Winger: That night when I met you, what you handed me was my first taste of the night. I love that it was so pure and smooth. It didn’t clog up my mouth for the rest of the night.
Ryan Fleming:
I’m like you. I want to have 2-3 cocktails a night. Not just one and my palette’s done.
Our Espadine to me is a 2-3 second palette. It clears up and you get like a breath and it’s fading. Our Ensemble goes on for 10- 12 seconds. From sweet vanilla to chocolate to mineral and then to smoke. Then the smoke fades and you get just a really beautiful, crisp. It’s viscous. You can feel the oil in your mouth when you swirl it around and it makes the best Negroni.
Joe Winger: Let’s talk about food pairings.
Ryan Fleming:
I want to know if this caught you off guard, but it’s Italian food.
Very rich foods. These beautiful Mezcals are light and almost floral and fragrant, It cuts through the richness and creaminess of food.
That’s why mezcal and chocolate are consistently paired together, but that was just way too easy. There’s always mezcal chocolate pairings, but like a really nice Italian dish, something creamy and rich, like an Alfredo or a really well done piece of pizza, like a margarita or a white sauce pizza.
“…I want to know if this caught you off guard, but…”
We are working on doing some [pizza] pairings with some places in LA. Do a different slice of pizza with three different cocktails of Madre and then have a tasting at the end.
Chocolate has a big part of Oaxaca too. You can’t not have some chocolate and mezcal at the end of the night.
Espresso martinis are so hot again right now. Try making one with mezcal instead of vodka and just [see] how coffee helps open up the agave and the notes, and you’re going to get so much more going on in your cocktail.
If you pair a nice espresso martini with beautiful, dark chocolate from Oaxaca. That is your final cocktail at the end of the night, it won’t let you down.
Joe Winger: You mentioned replacing Mezcal with vodka in a martini, are there any traditional or more common cocktails we should also try replacing Mezcal in?
Ryan Fleming:
When I tell you this, it may blow your mind. Most gin cocktails are a little bit better with Mezcal.
There are certain times you need botanicals, but a lot of really good classic gin cocktails, if you sub them for Mezcal, are absolutely fantastic.
Joe Winger: I’m shocked because most gins have such unique aromatics.
Ryan Fleming:
Which Mezcal has so many of those same unique terpenes going on that it changes the cocktail, but it works.
So instead of having botanicals, you have all these beautiful vegetal and mineral notes that just come from agaves.
Joe Winger: What are the biggest misconceptions in the world of Mezcal?
Ryan Fleming:
A lot of people have a misconception, especially on the trade side, that we have grown exponentially. It’s been a lot of hard work. People think we have this massive team behind us. There’s less than 20 of us on the whole team. That includes our team down in Oaxaca, who watches over manufacturing and production for us down there.
We don’t have an office. We have a little tiny apartment in Venice for meetings.
A lot of people don’t understand the hard work that goes into creating a small brand. It’s just a lot of people working hard to create beautiful Mezcal, especially the families.
People [unfairly comparing it to] tequila. What do you mean, we can’t get more? Why is it so expensive? We have people going out hand collecting wild agaves and harvesting espadine. All of that is hand cut, hand chopped. I’ve hand cut agaves with the families.
None of this is industrialized or mechanized like tequila.
Appreciate every drop of mezcal you have, because someone put a lot of love and labor into it.
Joe Winger: Ryan, as we wrap up, let’s talk about where can learn more about Madre Mezcal?
Ryan Fleming:
We have a beautiful Instagram. Madremezcal.com is our website.
We also have this Instagram called mezcal. Learning and it’s a little short videos and little blurbs to talk about production, families, history, and culture. It is focused on Madre, but it’s not just Madre, it’s Mezcal as a whole.
If you want to know more about our families who produce, where it’s made, you can find all that information on madremezgal. com.
Our bottles are in most of your nicer bottle shops, liquor stores. In California, we’re lucky enough to be in Trader Joe’s for the Espadine and Whole Foods has our Ensemble.
If you can’t find it, go to madremezcal.com and we ship bottles to almost every state in the U S.
We’re in nine countries, too. Australia. All over Europe, Costa Rica. We’re working on Japan and South Korea as well. So I’m just excited to see the culture of mezcal just expand beyond just America and see how excited because I, when I talk to people that are in London or, people in Australia, and they’re so excited about the idea of being able to get mezcal.
Joe Winger: What is the future for Madre?
Ryan Fleming: I can’t tell you about the big one.
But, [exciting things for] our Ancestral, which is pretty new and every batch of that’s going to be hand numbered and labeled.
We’re going to start doing small batch productions that will be very limited. Then the desert waters, which we have ready for summer.
To learn more about MadreMezcal, visit MadreMezcal.com. Find them on Instagram at MadreMezcal
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Celebrate Christmas with Cash and Outlaw Country Classics at Sherman Stage at The Renegade Winery December 15
Celebrate Christmas with Cash and Outlaw Country Classics at Sherman Stage at The Renegade Winery December 15
Get ready for an unforgettable Christmas experience filled with the timeless music of Johnny Cash performed by Chuck Rissmiller and the Outlaw Country Classics of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, performed by the talented acoustic songwriter, Robbie Junior. Join us on December 15, 2023, at the Sherman Stage at The Renegade Winery at 600 Main Street, Stroudsburg, PA for a holiday celebration like no other.
Take a journey through the songwriting career of Johnny Cash (1954 thru 2003). The tunes that made him famous as well as those songs Cash loved personally are showcased. There is also commentary about his music, his successes, his struggles, his beliefs… in other words the life of the iconic Man In Black. Chuck Rissmiller delivers an intimate guitar and vocal show that truly pays homage to great songs and an iconic legend.
For tickets and more information, visit shermantheater.com or call our Box Office at 570-420-2808.
Show: Christmas with Cash: Great Songs of Johnny Cash by Chuck Rissmiller with special guest Robbie Junior performing Outlaw Country Classics
Venue: Sherman Stage at The Renegade Winery, 600 Main Street, Stroudsburg, PA
Date: December 15, 2023
Time: Doors at 7:00 PM, Show at 8:00 PM
The Sherman Theater is Monroe County’s only nationally ranked, non-profit theater and performing arts center. Located in downtown Stroudsburg, PA, the Sherman Theater has proudly served the Pocono region for 90 years. The Theater and Performing Arts Center is committed to strengthening the community by producing culturally-diverse, nationally-known professional acts and festivals at the theater and at satellite locations throughout Monroe County for people of all ages, by providing an opportunity for local artists to perform, and by creating economic development in the region. The Sherman Theater projects and events attract over 100,000 visitors to the Pocono Region annually. For more information call 570-420-2808 or visit www.shermantheater.com.
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