calamansi + grain alcohol

We had dinner last night at Ninong's place. Him and his wife are in the middle of refurbishing their house and it's looking great! They broke down a wall between the living room and dining room which opened up the space, took down the 70s paneling and popcorn ceiling and added in a lovely wooden floor, then added a splash of buttercup yellow on the walls and salsa queen red on the doors. His wife really has a wonderful decorative touch. They're actually hoping to sell sometime next year and move to a place that has more of a neighborhood feel to it.

They love to travel, so last night's dinner was a simple Italian flair which actually went quite well with the 2005 Twin Fin Cab we brought, which was a rather mellow cab.

But to top it off, they brought out a special bottle of their homemade calamansicello (ala limoncello. They have a calamansi tree in their backyard. Oh can we say yummy goodness? A large mason jar, everclear, and a whole pile of ripe calamansi rinds, steeped for 2 months. hmmm...yet another thing to do next time we get calamansi from the relatives.

It had that nice sweetness of liqueur and the rounder citrus flavor that characterizes calamansi. Definitely good in a mixer or with the cheesecake we had for dessert. It's the kind of stuff that could knock you off your feet in now time since it was so easily sipped. Certainly, would be a favorite amongst the drinking uncles. We might have to make some for a summer party.

As we sipped the calamansicello, talk wandered to the various new Filipino restaurants in area attempting to elevate the level of Filipino cuisine. We hope to make the rounds. But one place that was recommended was The Big Kitchen, in Union City.