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Greetings!
Happy Fourth Of July, Members! Can you believe it's already that time of the year. This summer is moving into full-fun mode and Lighthouse and the HQ is the place to kick it off. We have a number of tastings and educational seminars this month so be sure to check out the Calendar of Events in this issue.
In this issue we start off with an article about one of the unique beers we carry and the recent accolades it has gotten in the New York Times. If you missed the Spirits Tasting on Tuesday, June 29th don't worry, you can read about the event below in an article by Marci. Our Master Mixologist, Chris, has also broken into his recipe book to share a few of his favorite cocktails. Be the bartender you always wanted to be with a few of these fun libations! Just as fun, for you wine lovers, Time to Wine is back! We've gotten some fantastic new wines and we're going to have a special sale real soon so be sure to read the whole article! There's a note from Rick about what is happening next door to the Liquor store. Finally, time to put your campaign shirt on. Don't worry, no politics here, just good beer! Find out below how you can make something very special happen for not only the good of the community, but the entire Big Island and quite possibly the entire state of Hawaii!
We invite you to open something nice to drink and read this information-packed issue!
Much Aloha and Cheers
~ Your Lighthouse Crew
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Doggie Style Praise
One of our favorite IPAs is not just our favorite...
 The New York Times recently had an article about American Style IPAs. The article was based on a blind tasting done by a number of beer experts. The top winner was one of our favorites, the Flying Dog, Doggie Style Classic IPA. We still have some at the Lighthouse, but that won't last long... an excerpt from the article clearly defines this tasty beverage.
"That said, our consensus favorite, the Doggie Style Classic from Flying Dog, was one of the hoppier beers in the tasting, with a clean, crisp, almost bracing bitterness, like a pilsner. For a beer that calls itself "classic," it pushes the boundaries of the pale ale style. Nonetheless, it was fresh, balanced and a pleasure to drink."
Read the Full article from the New York Times...
If you like beer...be sure to read below about the campaign to bring a brilliant beer to the Big Island!! |
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Spirits Tasting Review
Marci shares her observations on this great event...
Ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail mixes have gotten a bad rap for eons - rightfully so - and when our friendly sales rep Mark convinced us to carry a few, he promised to fix everyone's attitudes if we only tasted them....and so we did, on Tuesday June 29th. We sampled five totally different cocktails to suit all palates...and this is how it went:
First Mark poured everyone the Smirnoff Pomegranate Martini. While the bright red color caused some trepidation, it certainly didn't last long - we were all grateful that the cocktail was not as sweet as it looked. Complimented by a touch of lemon liqueur & natural lemon, one spunky woman commented that a nice big martini glass and a lime wedge would make for a nice summer night with the gals.
If you wanted to taste a real citrus-inspired cocktail, Smirnoff's Tuscan Lemonade hit the spot on what happened to be a really warm Kohala day - with Tuscany-inspired Limoncello, the refreshing cocktail was nice enough on its own - until someone suggested topping it with soda water or mint leaves. Ooooooh. Note to self: steal some mint from the neighbors asap.
Next we tried Captain Morgan's Long Island Iced Tea. This cocktail has always scared the beejezus out of me - any evening where this evil drink made an appearance usually ended terribly, and any bartender I've known brags gleefully about the dubious liberties they've taken in the preparation of it (you don't want to know). However, Captain Morgan's version - with rum, vodka, whiskey, gin and triple-sec liqueur, and whose ABV is only 17.5% - made for a much tastier cocktail than we expected. We were no longer afraid, and a voice inside my head suggested, "Can't we all just get a Long Island Iced Tea?"
I was most excited to try the Original Mudslide next, being that Kahlua is one of my most favorite flavors in the world. And this rich coffee-flavored RTD was not a disappointment. As I sipped on this tasty Mexican elixir and went to my Happy Place, I heard others plan to add this to ice cream, or blend it with ice. And my Happy Place just got happier.
Finally we introduce the RTD cocktail that was the biggest hit of the tasting - Sauza's Cocktail Cube. Packaged in an eco-friendly box with a totally convenient spout, the Original Margarita provides ten cocktails and is absolutely perfect for a beach day. Unlike most heavy-handed pre-made margarita mixes, this was not too sweet and not too tart, but a breezy and subtle combination of both - which was a pleasant surprise for all who tried it. The Margarita Cube flew off the shelf in the two hours it was sampled, leaving me to plot and fantasize about my next beach day, pouring myself Pop Rocks-garnished Margs all afternoon...
Cheers to all of our Happy Places!
~Marci
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Master Mixologist Shares
Chris shares some of his delicious cocktail recipes...
 THE BETTER LEMON DROP:
2 1/2 oz. Ketel One Citreon
1/2 oz. Tuaca Liqueuer
juice of half lemon ( about 1 1/2 oz.)
one packet of sugar
Directions:
Fill a mixing tin with ice and add all ingredients and shake vigorously to mix and chill. Strain into a sugar rimmed martini glass with a lemon twist. ( Floating the twist on a large mint leaf is fun too.)
THE GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE:
1 1/2 oz. Ketel One Citreon
1/2 oz. Frangelico
Sugar coated lemon wedge
Directions:
So this one is all in the technique; first fill a mixing tin with ice then add liquid ingredients and SHAKE THE HECK OUT OF IT... this shot should have ice crystal forming on it.
Strain this into shot glass and serve it with the sugared lemon wedge. There is a way to drink it as well... You should drink the shot back and then bite the lemon wedge. "WOW" this one really tastes of the classic chocolate cake.
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Time to Wine!
New Wines and Delicious Discounts!!
Hope your Independence Day was safe and filled with family and friends. The Fourth of July to me always means  friends, food and ice cold beer. Fortunately, at Lighthouse Liquors we carry plenty of the cold beer part (and of course, friends..). But if you're feeling a bit over-beered, you're
in luck because we have a wonderful selection of great wines. And because you're one of our members, we want to offer some of our favorites and some new ones to you at a super-secret price. Check out the amazing list below with member's only sales price on them. (As a member, you need to inform us you want the Sale Price at the register) These prices start today, July 6th, and will be good until Saturday, July 10th.
Below is a list of the Members Only Sale from Today (Monday, July 6th until Saturday, July 10th. Please be sure to mention this super secret sale to get the following discounts:
From Australia, Kilakoon, Killerman's Run 2007 Shiraz Normal $22, Sale $18.
From California, Vinum Cellars, White Elephant 2007 White Table Wine. $16.85 Sale $13.85.
From Paso Robles, Cass, 2006 Grenache Normal $28.95 Sale $24.95
From Spain, El Toro Flanco Sangria, Big Bottle, Normal $15.95 Sale $11.95
From Burghandy, Joseph Faiveley Macon Village 2007 Chardonnay Normal $23.05 Sale $21.05
From Russian River, Dutton Estate, 2006 Chardonnay Normal
$40.30 Sale $36.90
Cheers
B.
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Calendar Of Events 
What's Happening in Hawi...
* July 20th, 4-6pm Wine Education and Seminar with our wonderful friend Kristin from Chambers & Chambers. Kristin will share her vast knowledge of the delicious wines we'll be pouring that day.
* July 27th,
4-6pm Wine Education and Seminar with our newest rep, but old friend of the Lighthouse, Brian Clancy. We know Brian from his time running the wine program at the Mauna Kea Hotel and he brings a great amount of experience and humor to what will be a fun tasting.
*  July 29th, 6pm, Monthly Blind Tasting! Come gather with  old and new friends as we taste a wide range of both White and Red Varietals! This event is at a member's house and is always a good time. The cost is $20 per person for more information, please call the store or email: LighthouseLiquorsHI@gmail.com.
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Blind Tasting, June 24th
Loads of fun at a members house!
On Thursday, June 24th at 6pm, people started gathering at one of our member's house to attend the 2nd "Blind Wine Tasting". As Pupus (for the mainlanders reading this: "hors d'œuvre") were being placed on the table, it was hard to miss the nine brown bags holding the individual bottles of wine on the counter.
The whites that were chosen represented four separate varietals, whereas the 1st Blind Wine Tasting the whites were all the same type. Everyone tasted on their own time and made notes while discussing the different tastes and smells they were experiencing.
Once everyone had completed tasting all four, it was time for the unveiling. The first one everyone really enjoyed, including one  taster who said "I never even think about buying a white, but these first two, my notes say BUY!" The first was Three Rivers Riesling, and Lighthouse Liquors had only received it a day two before the event. The second was slightly more favored by the crowd than the first, even though one of the couples attending had bought the same bottle a few days before and knew what they were tasting, every one else was surprised to see that it was the Covey Run Greutztimener. Number three was a classic Chardonnay from Carneros, California and one of the tasters mentioned that she never liked Chardonnay...until we removed it from the brown bag that is! Finally, we finished what everyone agreed would go perfectly with chocolate or any dessert - a Peimonte Muscato, Gomba Boschetti, and it felt as if every one suddenly had a new appreciation for dessert wines.
"On to the Reds!" people chanted as Bobby reached for the first of five bottles of red and the second round had begun. The reds chosen for this round were all produced in the New World. New World wines are those wines produced outside the traditional wine-growing areas of Europe, in particular from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.
The wines we got to enjoy were: the Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir, from Sonoma; the Antiyal Red Wine, a blend of Carmenere, Carbernet Sauvignon and Syrah, from a small family-owned winery in Chile; the Amavi Cellars Syrah, from Walla Walla, Washington; the Whitehall Merlot from Napa;
and finally, the Brazin Zinfandel from Alexander Valley, California. The biggest surprise of the evening was that the vast majority of the tasters felt the "Best of Show" was the Whitehall Merlot.
As the evening came to a close, it was agreed that not being influenced by the label or the varietals allows the taster a chance to broaden their horizons. Tasting with a group of people also allows the opportunity to perhaps hear that exact word that describes what you are tasting but maybe stuck on the tip of your tongue.
The next Blind Tasting will be on July 29th. For more information see the Calendar of Events section above.
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A note from Rick...
Thoughts on the future...
 The other day I took a moment to let the construction dust settle at the new Lighthouse Delicatessen and did something very important. I breathed, and of course, drank a beer. Or was it two?
It was sweet to pause and reflect on the progress of past months and let my thoughts wander a little way into the future when we'll be able to offer delicious sandwiches and a myriad of other tasty items to our hungry community. How exciting is that!?
Right then, with the dawn of a new culinary era on the horizon, I wrung the last couple of drops of my Rogue Yellow Snow IPA into my glass, finished off the last bit of tastiness and headed back to work.
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Dogfish Head Beer Campaign
Time to put on the activist shirt!!
 Yes, it's true we carry over 150 cold beers and the choices of what to drink can be a bit overwhelming.
However, there is one beer that is missing from the collection. Rarely do we say this, but it could be Rick and Bobby's favorite beer. Dogfish Head Beer is a beer made in Delaware and is sold in 25 different states. They have a number of different varieties, but their IPA is out of this world.
Every month or so, Bobby has written to the nice folks at Dogfish giving them reason after reason to deliver it to Hawaii. The Dogfish people have a sense of humor so let's have some fun!!
Here's where you come in... We humbly ask that you send an email to The Cool People at Dogfish Head and tell them you would like to see this amazing beer on this amazing island. The email doesn't have to be long, nor even grammatically correct, but just state that the Big Island wants this beer and Lighthouse Liquors will carry it for them!
Won't it be fun, when you buy your first 6-pack and can think, I helped get this here!!! Send that email today...and tomorrow, and the next day and the next day...
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Did You Know...?
Random Tidbits...
 * Vermont, Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine are the four states in the U.S. that do not allow billboards.
* An ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.
* There are more plastic flamingos in America than real ones.
* The average human eats eight spiders in their lifetime at night. (We are curious about how many during the day...).
* A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continually.
*And Finally... grapes explode when you put them in the microwave.
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We would like once again to let you know how much we appreciate your continued support. If there is anytime we can do something more to make your experience at the store a more enjoyable one, we are always willing to hear what you have to say. If you prefer to email us, LighthouseLiquorsHI@gmail.com is the one we check daily.
Sincerely with much Aloha,
Your Lighthouse Crew
Always HI, llc
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