"A pioneering brewery in the historic town of Fort Bragg... North Coast Brewing Company"

Located on California's Mendocino Coast sits the very historic town of Fort Bragg.  In 1988, a local brewpub opened it's doors giving a nod to their beautiful coastline, North Coast Brewing Co.  The brewery has grown under the guide of Co-owner and brew master, Mark Ruedrich.  Since their pioneering days of just a local brewpub, they have developed a strong reputation for quality, having won more than 70 awards in national and international competitions.

After an amazing drive through the Redwoods, this was our first view of the North Coast  

North Coast Brewing Co. in historic downtown Fort Bragg

Danny strutting his way to visit the brewery

As we made our way to Eureka, we decided to stop and capture a few more photos

My fellow Highway Man snapping his photo

Yup...this is the North Coast!

Cheers to North Coast Brewing Co. and their amazing line-up of tasty beers!

http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/

"One vineyard, one quintessential estate wine...Quintessa"

This singular estate vision of Bordeaux blend wine in Napa was the dream of Agustin and Valeria Hunneus.  The winery opened in 2002 with a graceful crescent shaped design, carved into the eastern-facing hillside of their Rutherford property.  The stone facade houses a state of the art gravity flow winery and 1,200 linear feet and 17,000 square feet of caves and tunnels.

From the Silverado Trail the stone work blends into the terrain and is most deceiving.  What you don't see from this view is the amazing landscape atop that hillside.  From the upper deck of the stone work, it is just a short hike and once you crest the top...

The view is magical from the ridge.  The estate is comprised of 280 acres of which 170 acres are planted to the classic Bordeaux grape varieties in 26 vineyard blocks.  The estate also includes a valley, a lake, a river, five hills, four microclimates and many soil types, as well as rich flora and fauna.  While nature is in full splendor outside...serious winemaking is taking place down below...

No expense is spared in the this endeavor.  Only French barrels are used in the ageing of this wine.

This fountain helps keep moisture in the caves

Simply beautiful!

Quintessa is like the classic wines of Bordeaux.  Every year the grapes are harvested, fermented and macerated by block and then allowed to age separately for up to two years in French barrels.  After this the wine is blended, bottled and then laid down for an additional year before release.  Although each vintage in unique, it always seems to deliver finesse and elegance.  This is truly one of Napa's greats!

Cheers to the Huneeus' and their staff for all the efforts that go into this project!

https://www.quintessa.com/

"As fair art thou, my bonie lass..." yes it is...Bobby Burns

Scotch is a liquor that many bartenders consider difficult to mix, but here is a classic gem that I only recently discovered.  An article that I was reading made mention of this cocktail and I had remembered glancing at the recipe previously, but couldn't quite recall ever mixing it for myself.  I began researching this cocktail and naturally found a bit of variation between them.  Essentially the cocktail is a mix of Scotch and Sweet Vermouth then the variations kick in...Benedictine, Drambuie, Absinthe and even orange bitters.  The name of the cocktail and the stories even vary slightly...

The Savoy Cocktail Book(1930):  Bobby Burns Cocktail
     1/2 Italian Vermouth, 1/2 Scotch Whisky, 3 dashes of Benedictine, garnished with a lemon peel.  Harry Craddock even goes on to say that this is "One of the very best Whisky Cocktails.  A very fast mover on Saint Andrew's Day."  ...naturally, St. Andrew being the patron saint of Scotland and their beloved Scotch!

Official Mixer's Manual(1934):  Bobby Burns Cocktail
     1/2 Italian Vermouth, 1/2 Scotch Whiskey, 2 dashes Benedictine, garnished with a lemon peel.

The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks(1948):  Bobbie Burns
     Embury says it is a Rob Roy with the addition of 1 dash of Drambuie.  Benedictine is sometimes used in place of the Drambuie.  However, the Drambuie is preferable because it is made with a Scotch whisky base.  Now to mix you scroll up to Rob Roy where he explains "Made exactly like the Manhattan but with Scotch in place of the rye or bourbon."  So back to mixing...you need to look up Manhattan which then tells you to mix as 1 part Italian Vermouth, 2 parts Whisky and 1 dash of Angostura.  That's a whole lot of searching if you ask me!

Barflies and Cocktails(1927):  Robber Cocktail
     1 dash of Angostura Bitters, 1/3 Italian Vermouth, 2/3 Scotch Whisky, garnished with a cherry.

The Old Waldorf-Astoria(1935):  Robert Burns
     Dash of Orange Bitters, One dash of Absinthe, one quarter Italian Vermouth, Three-quarters Scotch Whiskey.  Crockett says "It may have been named after the celebrated Scotsman.  Chances are, however, that is was christened in honor of a cigar salesman, who 'bought' in the Old Bar."

As for my interpretation...I am a gonna go with an ode to this drinks namesake...

A Red, Red Rose

O my Luve's like a red, red rose,

That's newly sprung in June;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair are thou, my bonie lass,

So deep in luve am I;

And I will luve thee still, my Dear,

Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun:

I will luve thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve!

And fare thee weel, a while!

And I will come again, my Luve,

Tho' it were ten thousand mile!

                                                                                    Robert Burns

Barragan's Robert Burns Cocktail:

2 oz Usquaebach Reserve Scotch Whisky

1 oz Carpano Antica Italian Sweet Vermouth

1/2 oz Benedictine

Stir the cocktail in a mixing beaker and strain into a Cocktail Glass and garnish with an Lemon Zest.

I enjoy a spirit forward cocktail, but this one definitely is very well balanced.

Slainte mhath!