This week's list of new and returning products follows a few thoughts about being called a"party store"
Preamble by Steve Siciliano
After assuming ownership of a convenience store in the Creston Heights area way back in the 1980’s one of the first things on my to do list was to replace the outdoor signage. My motivation for almost immediately taking down “C & G Party Store” and putting up “Siciliano’s Market” was twofold, the first and purely practical reason being that I wanted folks to know that the shop was under new management. The second had to do with my dislike of the apparently unique moniker that Michiganders give to small neighborhood stores that derive a good portion of their revenue from the sale of alcohol.
I would guess that my aversion to the “party store” moniker at least partly stems from the fact that by definition it implies that you only patronize these little stores when you're planning a shindig. That's simplistically absurd, of course, but it rankles my merchant sensibilities that the term fails to accurately define what these little stores are really all about. Many are vital components of their respective neighborhoods and in my opinion they deserve a more refined nomenclature. Still, there are plenty of shops that proudly wear the party store badge so obviously I'm a lone voice crying in the retail wilderness.
Back when I was ruminating on the nomenclature to use on the signage for that first eponymous business in Creston Heights, calling it a market seemed both logical and appropriate. In addition to beer and wine the store sold a good amount of groceries. Labeling the current location on Lake Michigan Drive as a market also seemed logical and appropriate because after stocking the shelves with all kind of groceries I had high hopes that the new store would do the same. I couldn't have been more wrong but nonetheless if I was forced to choose between the two sobriquets I would opt for market every time.
It's been many years since the current incarnation of Siciliano's stocked loaves of Butternut bread and cans of SpaghettiOs but I have no intention of changing the name. This despite the fact that every so often we have to sheepishly tell folks who come in looking for soppresata, prosciutto, capicola and provolone that Siciliano's Market is not an Italian grocery.
A couple days ago a clerk at the Ace Hardware on Remembrance looked up at me while running my credit card. "Hey, you got anything to do with that rad party store on Lake Michigan Drive?" he asked. I picked up my purchase and thought briefly about correcting the young whippersnapper. "Yup," I answered and smiled. "I certainly do."
Featured Wines of the Week
Chateau Bourdieu, 2019, Grand Vin De Bordeaux, France, $19.99/750ml- 87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc. "Flamboyant and deep, with ample, lush and fresh forest fruits, bramble and cassis, with cascading sweet spice swifty following. A super, brooding wine which will shine brighter with time" (Source)
Decanter, (November 2020), Platinum Medal - 97 points
Palacio Del Burgo, 2018, Rioja, Spain, $9.99/750ml- This wine is made of 100% Tempranillo from 15-25 year old vineyards in the Rihuelo area between the town of Alfaro and the slopes of Monte Yerga.
The wine shows a deep cherry red color with violet tones. Intense fruity nose of blackberry and licorice over sweet mocha aromas. Vibrant with smooth tannins; long-lasting, powerful and smooth. An incredible Rioja value. (Source)
Conte Brandolini, 2018, Pinot Grigio, Italy, $16.99/750ml- Pale gold with copper tones. Fruity, with pronounced scents of acacia flowers and apple. Elegant and fruity in the mouth; full-bodied and well-structured; a very persistent finish.
Excellent with all fish dishes. Terrific accompaniment to herb risottos, first course dishes and cheeses. (Source)
Buy three or more bottles of wine get 10 % off.
"It's our mission at Siciliano's to sell quality wine at affordable prices
Featured Spirits of the Week
Benjamin Chapman, 7yr whiskey, Canada, $44.19/750ml- Benjamin Chapman is fashioned with a blend of 51% 10-Year Canadian Rye and 49% 7-Year Canadian Prairie Wheat. The rye is distilled by artisans with pure glacial water sourced from the northern Rockies in an old-fashioned pot still for a clean and flavorful profile. Aged in white oak casks for just over ten years, an optimum level of char adds complex layers of vanilla and spice. An invitingly smooth sipper, there is a hint of spice promised from the rye, balanced with silky flavors of white chocolate and crème brûlée from the wheat. (Source)
Angel's Envy, Bourbon, Kentucky, $57.89/750ml- Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon is finished in port wine casks for an award-winning spirit. We guide each batch’s conditioning, blending our handcrafted bourbon in small batches of 8 to 12 barrels at a time.
It’s typically aged for up to 6 years. While we lose about 5% of the spirit each year to evaporation, or “the Angel’s Share,” what’s left behind after we’re done is truly worthy of envy.
Once it’s deemed ready, we finish our bourbon in ruby port wine casks, which adds subtly distinct flavor nuances that enhance the whiskey without challenging it. Our port finishing process lasts between three to six months, depending on taste. (Source)
Libelula, Joven Tequila, Mexico, $26.29/750ml- 100% Agave, from the highlands of Jalisco
80% Blanco (unaged) tequila. The blanco is cooked in autoclaves and distilled in continuous column stills.
20% Reposado (aged) tequila. The reposado is cooked in brick ovens, distilled in copper pot stills, and aged minimum 8 months in used American whiskey barrels.
WHAT IS JOVEN? Different than your typical blanco, reposado, or añejo, Libélula is a “joven” which means it is a blend. The blanco contains the pure flavors of the agave, with citrus and grassy aromas, but the oak aged reposado adds spice and richness. Rather than using just a short aged reposado that has some spice, but very light, and keeps most of the agave purity, bust loses some, we opted to take perfect final products of blanco and reposado and balance them to make an incredible mixing tequila. (Source)
New and Returning Products
18th Street King Reaper, $4.09/16oz - Double Dry Hopped Double India Pale Ale
18th Street Psychedelic Lines, $3.79/16oz - IPA - American
18th Street Sex and Candy, $3.29/16oz - The enticing smell of Chinook and Cascade hops waft forth from this IPA, benefiting both you and your special friend. Fruity, and faintly sweet Sex and Candy is simply a dream. (Source)
Ale Smith Cloud Stream, $3.79/16oz - This year-round hazy IPA is packed with dazzling notes of red currant, passionfruit and mango. (Source)
Ale Smith Speedway Stout, $4.39/16oz - A HUGE Imperial Stout that weighs in at an impressive 12% ABV! As if that's not enough, we added pounds of coffee for a little extra kick. (Source)
Ale Smith/Stone Dual Exposure, $4.39/16oz - Collaboration with our friends over at Stone Brewing Co. This super easy drinking Double IPA features hibiscus, orange, and lime peel. (Source)
Bells Juicy Gossip, $1.99/12oz - Psst, did you hear about Juicy Gossip? Developed over several batches at our Innovation Brewery, this Juicy Pale Ale has a soft bitterness with a fruity, juicy hop character and tropical notes. Sessionable, this beer is perfect for those who want tropical hop flavor at a lower ABV. (Source)
Bells Oberon, $1.89/12oz - No description needed
Big Lake Imperial Coconut Stout, $4.39/16oz - A Full Bodied Imperial Stout with Coconut.
Big Lake Tangerine Haze, $3.39/16oz - Juicy, hazy New England IPA - very tangerine-forward.
Brew Detroit Citus Blond, $1.19/12oz - American blonde ale brewed with cascade hops, and an abundance of citrus peel. Medium-bodied with notes of tangerine, lemon, and grapefruit. (Source)
Foundation Let's Do Brunch, $4.69/16oz - Pastry Stout aged on cinnamon sticks, vanilla and coffee beans. French toast in a glass! (Source)
Foundation Mocha Mocha, $5.19/16oz - Stout - Milk / Sweet
Foundation Wolfgang, $3.29/16oz - Our all Vienna malt lager with Tettnang hops. Highlights the light toasted bread crumb character that Vienna malt is known for. Malty with a crisp finish. (Source)
Rochester Mills King Cake, $2.79/16oz - Stout - Milk / Sweet
Rogue Colossal Claudem $2.19/12oz - It's been a few decades since a Colossal Claude sighting has been reported, but we're fairly certain the massive sea monster has been laying low off the coast of his favorite brewery. Word has it that after years of terrifying sailors and feasting on salmon he acquired a taste for hops. So we brewed this Imperial IPA with a colossal dose of Cascade, Chinook, Citro and Strata hops in hope of coaxing Claude out to join us for a pint. (Source)
Surley Supreme Variety Pack, $15.79/12pk - Grapefruit Supreme, in the span of a couple short years, is now one of Surly’s cornerstone beers. Mango Supreme, released as part of our 2020 summer variety pack, was an immediate hit. How do you follow them up? You make a whole damn 12-pack out of Supreme.
Introducing the Supreme Variety Pack, Surly’s newest year-round release. Beginning in March, you can get 12 Supreme beers in one convenient package, including two brand-new flavors. (Source)
Surly Give the Devil His Due, $4.89/16oz - Hellacious amounts of hop flavor, fiendish notes of stone fruit and citrus, and a smooth, sinister finish. It sounds almost sinful, doesn’t it? Go ahead, indulge, open a can of this diabolical, double-dry-hopped hazy double IPA, and Give The Devil His Due. Being bad never tasted this good. (Source)
Surly Mapping the Multiverse, $4.39/16oz - All that we know, all that we’ve ever known, and all we will know exist at the same time. Space, time, matter, energy, folding a fitted sheet, everything. It’s a lot to contemplate, but the answers lies somewhere in the haze. Look within, and let juicy, hop-forward flavor be y our guide to total understanding. (Source)
Surly Usual Suspects Variety Pack, $19.59/12pk - Unusual Suspects lines up three all-new beers and one legendary IPA for you to pick out. A true variety pack, Unusual Suspects gives classic and new styles the Surly treatment. (Source)
Surly 2021 Barrel Aged Darkness, $28.19/22oz /Limit one - Darkness is a beer of fable and legend. Malty and intense, yet velvety smooth. This special edition of our massive Russian imperial stout matured in Elijah Craig 12-year bourbon barrels and brings waves of chocolate, vanilla, dried fruit, and cherry flavors, enhanced by the oak and spice of the barrel. (Source)
Transient Green Sparkle Water, $3.59/16oz - Gin Fizz Cocktail-Inspired Hard Seltzer
Transient Yellow Sparkle Water, $3.59/16oz - Gin Fizz Cocktail-Inspired Hard Seltzer
Untitled Art Boysenberry Imperial Seltzer, $5.19/16oz - Smoothie seltzer with boysenberry, lime and vanilla.
Untitled Art Non Stop Dry Hop, $3.79/16oz - Dry-hopped double India Pale Ale with Mosaic, Sabro and Lotus hops. Collaboration with BlackStack Brewing. (Source)
Stay safe. Please wear a face covering in indoor public spaces. Spread kindness not germs!