Express Magazine Brings Sips of Summer Back for 2024

Long Island is home to fields of ripe harvest and a rich farm community. Businesses have flourished with these crops, and they encapsulate the beauty of the local landscape through masterfully crafted beverages.

The Express Magazine is hosting the “Sips of Summer” event series for its second year to give guests a taste of what regional winemakers, brewers and distillers make with the fresh grains, fruits and vegetables grown in their own backyard.

“The East End of Long Island is a world-class tourist destination, obviously because of its natural beauty, but also because of the bounty of fresh food from both land and sea that is available in this region,” Express News Group co-publisher Gavin Menu said. “The growth of the wine industry over the last half-century, coupled with a now booming industry around beer and spirits, led to the creation of Sips of Summer, which we’re happy to say will be returning for a second season in 2024.”

These events, including an informative sake tasting, an intimate wine dinner, a brewery discussion and a distillery sampling, will expand upon the success of last year’s series.

“People will see that we’ve upped the game a little bit more, and we’ve made the events just as enjoyable and hopefully more so than they were last year,” Express News Group event director Ellen Dioguardi said. “We sold out everything last year, and we hope to do the same this year.”

‘Exploring the World of Sake’ With Jesse Matsuoka

Kicking off the series is a brand new event, “Exploring the World of Sake,” hosted by Sen Restaurant in Sag Harbor. Sen is a family-owned Japanese restaurant with a focus on sushi and American-inspired dishes, and it has a wide array of sake products.

Jesse Matsuoka is the founder’s son, and he carries on the legacy and success of the family business as a co-owner and sake sommelier.

“I do a lot of sake education and tastings,” Matsuoka said. “I have this drive to be able to share the wisdom and the intricacies of this beautiful product.”

Guests will enjoy a tasting of a variety of sake products, some from Japan, where the fermented rice beverage originated, and some crafted here on Long Island.

As a certified sake sommelier, Matsuoka has extensive knowledge about sake and a passion for its dynamic history and culture. He will accompany the tasting with an informative talk about each sake that is poured, and guests are free to ask questions to learn more.

The goal of the event, Matsuoka said, is to combine education and entertainment so guests leave with both knowledge and enjoyment of sake.

“I hope to give people a platform of understanding the beverage so that they can go out and hopefully become ambassadors [and] be able to find a sake that they would like on the list so they feel more confident the next time they’re out trying the product,” he said. “It’s fun, it’s delicious, and it’s educational.”

Intimate Wine Dinner at the American Hotel

The second event will be an intimate wine dinner served at The American Hotel in Sag Harbor on June 20. The American Hotel, dating back to the 1800s whaling era of Long Island, was renovated in 1972 and stands as a staple of fine dining.

Paumanok Vineyards and Wölffer Estate Vineyard will provide some of their top wines to pair with each meal course.

Paumanok in Aquebogue is a family-owned winery that has been operating for 41 years and uses local products and ingredients in its wines and other menu items. Winemaker Kareem Massoud will be at the dinner to pour his wines and explain them to the guests.

“Wine is best enjoyed with food, and we really can’t think of a better way to celebrate who we are and what we do than showcasing our wines with a local, long-established restaurant like The American Hotel,” Massoud said.

Winemaker Roman Roth will be in attendance as well to represent Wölffer, a Sagaponack winery and vineyard that started 36 years ago and has now expanded to selling its regionally developed wine in 35 states and nine countries.

“We have a vision that we want to put Long Island on the world wine map, and [people] should be embracing that we have our own food and wine region right here,” Roth said.

‘The Next Generation of Craft Beer’ at Kidd Squid Brewing Co.

The third event, “The Next Generation of Craft Beer,” on July 18 will allow guests to sample different beers from some of the local breweries and hear some behind-the-scenes information on the brewing process.

Kidd Squid Brewing Co, which opened in Sag Harbor in summer 2022, is hosting the craft beer event. It is a licensed farm brewery that creates a variety of different brews using local produce.

“[Guests] have the opportunity to get a lot more insight into the process and get to know us just personally,” Kidd Squid owner Rory McEvoy said.

Alongside McEvoy will be Peter Barraud of North Fork Brewing Company and Rob Raffa of übergeek. They will share some insights about their top brews, giving guests a more personal connection to the beers they taste.

All three breweries focus on using local agriculture to create their beers. übergeek prides itself on using unconventional ingredients to develop unique brews. North Fork Brewing Company is a farm brewery that uses the hops that grow in its own hopyard, as well as hops, grains, fruits and vegetables from various North Fork farms, Barraud said.

“It’s always nice to be alongside other brewers and showcase what eastern Long Island can really provide,” Barraud said.

‘Craft Spirits With Master Distillers’ at Sagaponack Farm Distillery

To close out the series, “Craft Spirits with Master Distillers” on August 1 will feature tastings from various distilleries and highlight some of Long Island’s flavorful spirits, including vodka, bourbon and more.

Sagaponack Farm Distillery is hosting the event for the second year. The distillery opened in 2019 and works closely with the Foster Farm, a Long Island farm that was founded in the 1800s and continues to grow grains and corn for the distillery, as well as flowers and vegetables.

“All of the raw materials that go into our spirits are grown on the Foster Farm, so the potatoes, the wheat, the corn, the barley, everything is grown over here about a mile from the ocean,” said Suzannah Wainhouse, the event coordinator for Sagaponack Farm Distillery.

Sagaponack Farm Distillery will provide a drink called the Farmer’s Daughter, featuring its cucumber vodka, as well as a list of seasonal cocktails available for purchase at the bar.

Along with Sagaponack, Twisted Cow Distillery of East Northport and Matchbook Distilling Co. of Greenport will have specialty cocktails and other products from their distilleries for guests to enjoy.

Twisted Cow, a brewery that prioritizes incorporating fresh regional ingredients in its products, will give samples of its Strawberry Mule and Jodie’Z Vodka Seltzer, with additional cans available for purchase.

“We go over the top when it comes to getting local products,” said John Pawluk, the owner and founder of Twisted Cow Distillery. “We support our neighbors, they support us.”

Matchbook Distilling Co. is a facility dedicated to championing “agriculture, anthropology, tradition, and science,” according to Kurtis Nolting. Matchbook uses fresh and “healthy” ingredients in its uniquely inspired drinks. Matchbook will share its Metamodernity wheated bourbon, Field Trip squash amaro, and espresso martini.

“We’re excited to showcase the endless possibilities we have when it comes to producing spirits using local agriculture and how using the most sustainable and healthy ingredients influences not only the liquid that goes into our bottles but also the farms and farmers with which we work,” Nolting said.

To get tickets and more information about the “Sips of Summer” event series, visit sipsofsummer2024.eventbrite.com.