Binny's Blog

Meat pies have been beloved across Ireland and the U.K. for centuries. Usually that means a hearty crust made with beef suet or lard but when it comes to Shepherd’s Pie, rich, creamy and tantalizingly browned mashed potatoes stand in for pastry. Underneath that buttery layer of mash is a savory mixture of ground meat and vegetables, bound together with a thick gravy, making for a hearty and filling dish for a late winter’s day. St. Patrick's Day, to be precise.

Pat is constantly extolling the virtues of aromatized wines. Finally, we have a guest who will actually agree with him and won’t just make fun of him. Jake Parrott is a friend of the pod and the Whiskey Hotline and is also the national sales director of Haus Alpenz. What Jake sells, and Pat loves, is woefully esoteric. But Binny’s customers, and Barrel to Bottle listeners, are enthusiasts.

Two pies are always better than one. We submit as proof positive this mashup of two classic cream pies. We round it all out with plenty of chocolate to make the sum exponentially greater than its parts.

Last week we covered the wonders of wormwood in our introduction to vermouth and aromatized wines.