A brand-new site, and my first post is on something brand-new to me: a cookbook review! I often say the Gourmez isn’t a recipe blog—except for cocktails, because who doesn’t enjoy a good cocktail discovery? But when I was offered a review copy (obligatory disclaimer: that means free!) of Heather Pace’s Sweetly Raw Desserts, I
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Kahlua Midnight Mexico 35% ABV Kahlua Midnight strikes me as the serious older brother of the regular Kahlua we know and love. It’s a mix of rum and black coffee liqueur, and that appeals to me because I don’t take cream or sugar with my coffee, never mind that it still has sugar in there
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Luxardo Maraschino Original Liqueur Veneto, Italy 32% ABV This is a spirit of legend for me, in that I’d seen it in a million cocktail recipes before I could ever track it down. Now that it’s finally appeared at my local ABC store, I can explore it. And it’s full of shockers. Per Luxardo’s website,
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Hiko’s Premium Ka No Izumi Junmai Daigingo Koga Shiga, Japan   This is a fantastic sake. I lost my tasting notes on it right after I tried it, so this is a loose, loose remembrance of the flavors. Normally, I wouldn’t bother writing up a post when that happens, but I wanted to make sure
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Vouvray Brut Le Bouchet Loire Valley, France This sparkling wine (someday, I’m going to buck tradition and just start calling them all champagne, but that day is not today) is made from 100% chenin blanc grapes. It’s light in texture and full of tight bubbles. Sweetness is rampant among the kiwi, grapefruit, and almond notes.
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Effen Vodka 80 Proof Wheat Vodka from Holland Who can resist a name like that? Not me! I’m tasting this vodka chilled because I can’t contemplate drinking warm vodka by itself, even though warm beverages have better flavor profiles (see how much I’ve learned in the 5 years I’ve been doing this blog?). So my
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