Bistrot Zinc gift certificates make great Mother’s Day presents

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Cocktails Featuring Koval Distillery Spirits at Bistrot Zinc

Bistrot Zinc is now featuring cocktails with spirits from the local distillery, KOVAL.

Ward 8
Lion’s Pride Single Barrel Dark Rye, Citrus, Drop of Grenadine 10.75

Sacre Coeur
Koval Levant Spelt White Whiskey, Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters 10.75

Gauguin
Koval Jasmine Liqueur, Poire Williams, Vodka, Lime 10.50

Vitalite
Beefeater Gin, Koval Ginger Liqueur, Lemon & Lime, Egg White, Splash Soda 10.00

La Boulevardier
Lion’s Pride Single Barrel Dark Rye, Campari, Sweet Vermouth 10.75

Brandied Ginger
Koval Ginger Liqueur, Brandy, Orange Juice, Lime 10.00

Visit KOVAL online at www.koval-distillery.com.

Beaujolais Nouvea is November 17

View our Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 Prix fixe Menu

Domaine Albert Bichot Beaujolais Nouveau
$9 gl / $39 btl

Style

Beaujolais Nouveau is a purple-pink wine that is particularly lightweight, even by the standards of
Beaujolais. The method of production means that there is very little tannin, and the wine can be
dominated by fruity, ester flavours of bananas, figs and pear drops. These are enhanced by the frequent
recommendation to serve the wine lightly chilled, at approximately 13°C (55°F).

Beaujolais Nouveau is intended for immediate drinking, and in general should not be kept for more than a year.

Production

Beaujolais Nouveau is made from the Gamay grape. The grapes must come from the Beaujolais AOC,
but grapes from the ten “cru” appellations are excluded. By law, all grapes in the region must be harvested
by hand. This is because Beaujolais is made using carbonic maceration, whole berry fermentation which
emphasizes fruit flavors without extracting bitter tannins from the skins of the grapes. The wine is then
pasteurized to preserve the ‘fresh’ taste of the wine by preventing malolactic fermentation. The wine is
ready to be drunk just 6-8 weeks after the harvest.

Around 49 million liters of Beaujolais Nouveau are produced each year, making up nearly half of the
region’s total wine production. About half of this is exported, with Germany and Japan the biggest
markets, followed by the USA.

History

Beaujolais had always made a vin de l’année to celebrate the end of the harvest, but until WWII it was
only for local consumption. In fact, once the Beaujolais AOC was established in 1937, AOC rules meant
that Beaujolais wine could only be officially sold after the 15th December in the year of harvest. These
rules were relaxed in1951, and the Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins du Beaujolais (UIVB) formally set
the 15 November as the release date for what would henceforth be known as Beaujolais Nouveau.

A few members of the UIVB, notably the négociant Georges Duboeuf, saw the potential for marketing
Beaujolais Nouveau. Not only was it a way to clear lots of vin ordinaire at a good profit, but selling wine
within weeks of the harvest was great for cash flow. Hence the idea was born of a race to Paris carrying
the first bottles of the new vintage. This attracted a lot of media coverage, and by the 1970s had become
a national event. The races spread to neighbouring countries in Europe in the 1980s, followed by North
America, and in the 1990s to Asia. In 1985, the date was changed to the third Thursday in November to
take best advantage of marketing in the following weekend.

Celebrate Bastille Day at Bistrot Zinc

Bistrot Zinc invites you to join us on Thursday, July 14, as we celebrate Bastille Day. We will have a special menu for the day and will be decorated accordingly. We will be open regular hours 11:30 am – 10 pm.

View our Bastille Day Menu »

About Bastille Day:

Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI, is often mistakenly credited with the quote, "Let them eat cake!"

Bastille Day is the French national holiday celebrated on July 14th of each year. It is called Fête Nationale (National Holiday) in France.

Bastille Day is the French symbol of the end of the Monarchy (Marie Antoinette**) and the beginning of the First Republic.

The national holiday is a time when all citizens can feel themselves to be members of a republican nation. Just as the people in the United States celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence as the beginning of the American Revolution, so the people in France celebrate the storming of the Bastille prison as the beginning of the French Revolution.

The young queen was lively and extravagant. The stiff formalities of court life bored her, so she amused herself with such pleasures as fancy balls, theatricals, and gambling. Marie lacked a good education and cared very little for serious affairs. She did not hesitate to urge the dismissal of the able ministers of France whose efforts to reduce royal spending threatened her pleasures. Louis XVI gave her the chateau called the Petit Trianon, where the queen and her friends amused themselves.

Marie became very unpopular and was blamed for the corruption of the French court. She lavished money on court favorites and paid no attention to France’s financial crisis. Vicious stories were told about her. One of these stories illustrates the haughty attitude people associated with her name. According to the story, Marie once asked an official why the Parisians were angry. “Because they have no bread,” was the reply. “Then let them eat cake,” said the queen. The suffering people of Paris readily believed this false story.

Video of a Bistrot Zinc Specials Tasting

At the beginning of each month we have a specials tasting to allow our staff to sample our unique monthly offerings. Here is a quick video of this month’s tasting.