🎿🍺High Peak brings the heat
PLUS: Wild Horse changes course and other news
Looking back, Monday’s Dispatch was pretty jam-packed. I hope everyone was able to find a cozy corner somewhere to savor it. Today’s is a bit of a quicker read. As much as part of me could sit here for a few more hours and write, write, write…I’m going outside to enjoy some fresh air on one of my last days of vacation. Ah, start-up life…
Happy reading, Dispatchers!
—Abby
🍺 Extreme Heights Cidery’s seventh winter warmer packs some heat
After featuring flavors such as apple, pumpkin and passion fruit in the past, Adirondack Winery’s sister brand turned up the heat for this year’s sipper, a Whiteface Mountain homage.
The Winter Solstice is past, the holidays are over. And yet … winter is still with us?
Whether you embrace Upstate Winter delights or run howling toward the fireplace until March, you will want to get your cold little hands on a tasty new winter warmer from Extreme Heights Cidery, a sister brand of Adirondack Winery.
“We wanted to go beyond the traditional offerings and produce something for the winter season in general,” says head winemaker Courtney Rankin. “When I think of winter, I think of the cold. Incorporating maple was our initial thought, as winter is when maple trees start producing sap, and the caramel, vanilla flavors in syrup trigger thoughts of warmth and comfort. Bourbon came next as we thought of ways that both maple and bourbon could complement each other and contrast the cider.”
Whiteface Maple Bourbon — named after the Adirondack High Peak — was born from Rankin’s brainstorm. She was particularly excited, she says, to partner with local drinks makers and Adirondack enthusiasts to incapsulate the flavor and spirit of Upstate New York.
She used her assistant winemaker’s own maple syrup from maple trees at his house, and aged it in a Bourbon Barrel from High Peaks Distilling, which is right down the road from the cidery’s Lake George Tasting room.
In the glass, the Whiteface Maple Bourbon Cider has complex profile, with sweet, smoky and tangy notes — and its departure from past iterations that featured flavors such as apples, pumpkin and passion fruit adds to the excitement. It also pairs well with dishes likely to be found at any winter feast.
“The cider’s acidity and effervescence help cut through rich foods, while its warm flavors harmonize with similar ingredients,” Rankin says. “The sweetness of this cider would calm the heat on spicier dishes, while the maple syrup flavor makes it a perfect pairing for brunch. Pair it with your favorite dessert or sweet treat to elevate the sweetness, or sip it while enjoying a savory charcuterie board as a contrast for your palate.”
Whiteface Maple Bourbon Cider can be found in both Adirondack Winery’s Lake George & Queensbury Tasting Rooms. To order online, visit adirondackwinery.com/extremeheightscider.
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Mark your calendars for Chowderfest, Feb. 7!
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📰 IN BRIEF
Opera Saratoga awarded prestigious grant
On Monday, OPERA America announced that grants totaling $220,000 were being awarded to companies developing new American operas — and Opera Saratoga was one of the chosen eight. You can catch a workshop run of DRIFT June 21 or 26 during the company’s 65th anniversary season this spring.
Saratoga Joinery goes all in on education
I absolutely love what they’re doing at Saratoga Joinery — and not only because they happen to be my neighbors. If you have a woodworking project you’ve been itching to do, or simply love working with your hands — or you have a kid who does — call or get over there now. There’s an energy about the place that is truly special — the people there really love being there.
So I was thrilled to hear that one of those key people has been promoted to a newly-created role. Warmest congratulations to Ben Knapp, the Joinery’s new Director of Shop Operations and Education. I have absolutely no doubt that this increased focus on education will have a huge impact on the organization’s growth, its community-building, and the fostering of a next generation of creative souls who enjoy less attachment to their screens.
Keep reading!
Wild Horse is changing course (again)
While I’m far away on vacation, my Caroline Street neighbors are on fire. So much action! Mere feet from Saratoga Joinery is Wild Horse, which had some mic drop news of its own this week. After announcing on Instagram that the bar/restaurant — which has barely been open a year after a major reno, is already closed again (until mid-April) for even more renovations. (But they will reopen for Chowderfest Feb. 7.)
I was still digesting that info when Channel 10 delivered the dish. “In the back of the restaurant, they will be opening the Kashmir Lounge, named after the Led Zeppelin song,” wrote WTEN’s Sara Rizzo in a report earlier today. She says that the lounge will be geared for the 30+ crowd, with the main bar skewing a bit younger. And then — somehow — Noah Frese, who just opened Noah’s Italian, will be doing the food.
And I thought I was balancing too many jobs.
Very excited for April.
For a more exhaustive aggregate of Saratoga news, please subscribe to my partner Saratoga Report for a morning run-down that’s emailed daily!
📸 IN PICTURES
Coldwell Banker Prime Properties celebrates the grand opening of its new location at 83 Railroad Place during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 6 with the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. For more info, visit ColdwellBankerPrime.com
📌 ICYMI…
🏇Gonna party like it’s your (250th) birthday
🍰 Cheesecake, prime rib, ‘glorious’ crusty rolls with ‘pillowy interior’: the dish on Elody
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