Waltz into the new year at Petaluma’s Viennese ball
Nobody celebrates the New Year quite like the Viennese, which is why Sky Hill Cultural Alliance brings Petaluma “A Magical New Year’s Eve in Vienna.” The doors to the 2017 Viennese Ball will open at Hermann Sons Hall immediately following the New Year’s Eve Gala Concert at the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum.
The hall is always transformed into something truly classy, and after a gourmet buffet dinner of traditional Viennese dishes and desserts, revelers can listen and waltz to a live Strauss orchestra.
However, non-waltzers do not despair. The San Francisco Waltzing Society is putting on a two-hour waltz workshop on Dec. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Hermann Sons Hall for $15. Even if you show up at the ball with no experience, there are plenty of veteran waltzers around the dance floor that will make sure you enjoy as many spins around the room as you desire.
Even non-dancers should take part in the introduction “waltz,” which is a very cool experience, involving a simple walk around the room in ever-growing rows of waltzers to the sounds of Strauss. Suggested dress is white or black tie and ball gowns, but any dressy attire will be fine. Visit skyhill.org for more info.
Sonoma Coast Spirits
Whether you want to impress at your next holiday party, or are simply looking for a great gift for the cocktail drinker in your crew, Sonoma Coast Spirits has added vodka to their already popular line of craft cocktails and grappas. Along with their Original Vodka, other flavors include Jalapeno-Lime, Espresso, Sweet Ginger, Citrus Basil, and Rosemary.
They are available at Petaluma Market, where VP of Operations and alcohol buyer Tina Shaw is rumored to have said that SCS’s vodka is one of the best she has ever tasted. All of SCS’s products are also available at Wilibees, where apparently it is flying off the shelves.
A huge hit at both the Festival of Trees Gala and at the Petaluma Yacht Club during the Lighted Boat Parade, Sonoma Coast Spirit’s “Peppermint Holiday” cocktail is just as delicious to the eyes as it is to the palette. Mix the chilled ingredients of 1½ ounces of SCS Original Vodka, ¾ ounce Peppermint Liqueur, and ¾ ounce White Chocolate Liqueur into a red sugar rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a candy cane (or crushed candy canes sprinkled on top).
Sonoma Coast Spirits has also teamed up with Monarch Bitters to offer a delightful Holiday Mixology Basket, available at Wilibees. The kit includes a bottle of vodka, tonic syrup, and cherry vanilla bitters, along with a recipe card for the refreshing Winter Sea Breeze Cocktail. Offer this refreshing beverage on your holiday brunch menu, or whip up a batch at your office holiday party as a special treat.
Petaluma GAP
After years and years of hard work, the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance has finally been recognized by the federal government as the newest American Viticultural Area. This is no easy feat considering the strict criteria for introducing a new AVA.
We have a different climate than other areas, which helps give our grapes and our wine a different flavor. Thanks to the Petaluma wind gap, our vineyards are constantly buffeted by the cool ocean breeze, which leads to thicker skins, and overall, less production.
This also makes for some pretty fine wine and now the Petaluma Gap can make it easier to spot their labels. This may seem minor to non-wine drinkers but this not only properly recognizes what all our family vineyards have been doing over the past few decades, but also yet again puts Petaluma on the map for something culinarily significant.
A huge thank you to everyone at Petaluma Gap who put so much hard work into this, but especially to my favorite Gap member and a huge part of what makes Petaluma such a great place to live, Ana Keller of Keller Estate.
Mariposa Ice Creamery
Ice cream in the winter? Why not?
There’s no bad time for ice cream, especially the incredibly creamy concoctions that Pilar comes up with at Mariposa. She will hold her last warehouse sale before Christmas on Friday, Dec. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. and again on Saturday, Dec. 16 from 10 to 2 p.m., at her 431 Payran St. commercial kitchen, along with neighbors Creativ Cashew Cream and Mama Mel’s Gluten Free Bakery.
After borrowing one of theirs the last few times I’ve visited, I actually bought my first cooler ever, with wheels and all, for last month’s warehouse sale, because I needed to stock up on Mariposa for my birthday weekend. Closed for the month of January, I’ll be packing my cooler full again in order to get through the dark, cold, Mariposa-less month of January.
The ladies were extremely sweet during my November visit, gifting me a special birthday package, which included a few pints and bars of ice cream and my very own ice cream scooper. Of course I had to chuckle because Mariposa is so soft that it rarely needs a scooper, and also I don’t think I have ever scooped Mariposa ice cream into a bowl. As soon as I’m clear of the lid, it’s pretty much spoon to mouth until the pint is kaput.
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