Welcome to the new year - and what better way to celebrate than with our selection of exceptional drinks and entertaining tips. As we begin to settle into 2018, January sets the stage for sensationally long sunny days and a plethora of occasions to celebrate. Australia Day, tennis, cricket and the ever-quirky Beer Can Appreciation Day. Each day this month brings a reason to celebrate so let’s crack a beer, pop a cork or create a cocktail as we enjoy this glorious month of Summer.

Summertime Entertaining

For all those arm chair sports enthusiasts, you can’t go past the month of January for some quintessential summer viewing. Hot days, simmering nights and an abundance of world class athletes calls for some thirst quenching tipples and food pairing tips – and we have something for all tastes! 

A sparkling Aperol Spritz is a perfect warm-weather refresher and the ultimate crowd-pleaser. We’ll pair it with a tasty bruschetta for simple yet stylish entertaining.

Aperol Spritz

3 parts Prosecco

2 parts Aperol

1 part Soda

Ice and orange slices to serve.

Buffalo Mozzarella and Prosciutto Bruschetta

Sourdough, sliced

2 balls fresh Buffalo Mozzarella

6 slices prosciutto

4 fresh figs, quartered

½ cup fresh mint leaves, torn

Handful of rocket

½ lemon

Olive oil

Method:

Drizzle sourdough with olive oil and toast in the oven until crisp and golden. Combine rocket, mint, lemon and oil in a bowl. Top sourdough with prosciutto, mozzarella, rocket mix and figs. Season, drizzle with oil and serve. Makes approximately 10 servings.

Cold beer and a crisp white wine is always a surefire game winner. We love the tasty and refreshing Upside Down Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand and the James Squire 150 Lashes for easy entertaining. Whip up a bowl of tangy guacamole and your afternoon viewing is sorted.

Guacamole

3 avocados, flesh scooped and chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 red onion finely chopped

½ cup coriander finely chopped

1 green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped 

Mash ingredients together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and serve with crisp corn chops. Serves 5-7 people.

Perhaps spirits are more your style? Conjure a Canadian Club whisky on ice with a splash of dry ginger or a Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic with lashings of fresh lime. Serve with a bowl of mixed olives for simple and suave entertaining done right!

Celebrating Australia Day

With Australia Day falling on a Friday, we have been gifted with a long weekend. And there’s nothing more Aussie than a sizzling Barbie, a group of good time with mates and an abundantly stocked esky. So grab your friends, throw together some simple summer dishes and celebrate our awesome country in style!

Here’s our list of the top ten tipples to keep your Aussie Day entertaining effortless, tasty and absolutely fuss-free:

1. Wolf Blass Red Label Chardonnay Pinot Noir
2. Yellowglen Yellow
3. Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc
4. Pepperjack Shiraz
5. Summer Bright Lager
6. James Boag Premium
7. Strongbow Cider Classic Apple
8. Pure Blonde Cider
9. Wild Turkey & Cola
10. Skyy Vodka Watermelon Spritz (find the recipe below!) 

Watermelon Spritz

1.5L freshly squeezed watermelon juice

6 limes, quartered

300ml chilled SKYY Vodka

1L soda

Fresh mint to serve.

Of course, we’ll need a little food to accompany our drinks and we can’t go past these tasty takes on some classic Aussie bites. 

Pork Belly Sausage Rolls

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves

½ bunch of sage and oregano, chopped

3 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and roughly ground

1kg minced pork belly (your trusty local butcher can assist)

2 egg yolks, plus 1 extra egg for eggwash

75g dried apples, finely chopped

2 x 375g packets Frozen Puff pastry, thawed

Method:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees. To make the filling, heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic, sage, oregano and fennel. Season and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Cool, then combine with mince, egg yolk and apple.

Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 2 pieces, then roll to 3mm thick. Place one-quarter filling along long edge of each piece. Fold pastry over filling, brush edge with beaten egg-wash and overlap slightly to seal. Trim excess and cut each log into 4. Place on a baking tray, brush with egg-wash and scatter with extra fennel seeds. Bake for 35 minutes or until crisp and golden. Makes 16 sausage rolls.

Prawn Cocktail

5 iceberg lettuce leaves, finely shredded

20 cooked King prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact

2 avocados, peeled and sliced

Parsley, to serve

Cocktail sauce

200ml pure (thin) cream

½ lemon, juiced

2 tbs tomato sauce

1 tsp Tabasco

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp salt flakes 

Method:

For the sauce, lightly whisk cream until slightly thickened. Stir in the lemon juice, tomato sauce, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper and chill. To assemble, divide shredded lettuce among four wide-rimmed glasses or bowls. Arrange prawns and avocado slices. Spoon a generous dollop of cocktail sauce into each glass and scatter with parsley. Serves 6.

Beer Can Appreciation Day

Yep, this really is a thing! On January 24, 1935, the Krueger Brewing Company of Richmond, Virginia sold their first beer in a can. And while the prototype has been reviewed and refined since then, celebrating this historical moment is one ritual we will happily indulge in. 

To celebrate all things beer, let’s raise a can of Guinness and Heineken, or a bottle of Budweiser and Becks. Fancy some food? Match it with a deliciously moist Beer Can Chicken for the ultimate amber ale celebration.

Beer Can Chicken

1.8kg whole chicken

50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

375ml XXXX Gold

Lemon, cut into thin wedges

Mustard Dressing

1tbs wholegrain mustard

1tbs lemon juice

1tbs honey

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1tbs sherry vinegar

1/3 cup whole egg mayonnaise

¼ cup pure (thin) cream

Method:

Preheat BBQ to medium-high. Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towel.

Combine butter, honey, paprika and two-thirds of garlic in a bowl and season. Pour in one third of the beer, then push lemon wedges and garlic inside the beer can. Place can upright on bench and sit chicken onto the can so it’s inside the chicken cavity. Baste chicken with honey marinade and transfer to BBQ. Close lid and cook, basting occasionally for 1.5 hours or until cooked through. Remove chicken from BBQ, taking great care as the can will be very hot! Allow to cool, remove can and discard. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Makes 4 servings. 

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Season and set aside.

So start your year well and swing by Cellarbrations, where any day is an occasion.