Put all that summer indulging to good use! Enter your favorite ice cream sundae concoction in the Breyers’ Sundae Scoop-Off Contest for a chance to win free ice cream for a whole year!

Submit your original recipe (with 10 or fewer ingredients) at breyers.com for a chance to win the free frozen stuff, not to mention $10,000, a trip to Chicago and a private cooking lesson with Gale Gand.

Today is apparently National Rum Day — a fact that, just a few years ago, would have sent a shiver down my spine as I flashed back to some none-too-pleasant episodes in college where a few too many rum & cokes left me weepy and sick in the bathroom…

Fortunately those days are long behind me, and not only have I happily reunited with rum in general, I have a new found appreciation for it as a distinctive spirit — rather than just something to cut with mixers or blend in beachy cocktails.

And my new favorite pairing? Rum with barbecue. Seriously — if you have any BBQ plans for the rest of summer (Labor Day, perhaps?) give a rum pairing a try. Here’s my current obsession — Appleton Estate Rums served on the rocks and paired with tasty goodies from Houston’s Goode Co.:

Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum V/X ($20). Yes, this is perfectly appropriate for cocktails, but I like it all on its own for the clean, zesty citrus, brown sugar and the nutty, maple-like touch on the finish.

Pairing: This is a good, get the party started rum. When I added a simple squeeze of lime to the rum on plenty of ice, it became my kind of cocktail — not sweet, bright and drinkable. It’s also a good match if you’re going the barbecued sandwich route — like chopped brisket on a bun.

Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Reserve ($28). Lush and intense, with rich vanilla and toasted brown sugar accents to the green banana, orange zest and buttery caramel notes.

Pairing: This is my “plate-o-Q with all the fixin’s” rum (again, on the rocks), and my combo of choice is Goode Co.’s sweet water duck, Austin baked beans and old fashioned cole slaw. Absolute heaven. Though the Reserve also works really well with barbecued chicken, sausages, ribs and all kinds of smoky pork — trust me, I’ve done the leg work…

Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum Extra Aged 12 Years ($30). This is serious stuff, with rich Christmas cake dried fruit and spice accents, baked banana and citrus peel flavors, and a lingering, smooth, vanilla- and caramel-laced finish. Best sipped neat or with just a single ice cube.

Pairing: Sheer evil genius with Goode Co.’s justifiably-famous pecan pie. I’m already plotting holiday pie and rum parties…

The Jackson Hills tier of wines was introduced this spring by powerhouse producer Kendall-Jackson, and for my money, it amounts to some of their best wines. This Chardonnay is a great example — sourced from Santa Barbara and offering lovely, pure fruit and a long, complex finish, it’s well-worth the $25.

Kendall-Jackson 2008 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County Jackson Hills ($25). Pretty, bright, clean — offering ripe tropical citrus and melon character laced with cream, mineral, toast and nutmeg, with a long, complex finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area.

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been tasting my way through a slew of under-$20 California Merlots, and frankly, it’s been painful. Here’s how my evenings have tended to go: open a couple of the Merlot bottles, taste, spit, pour down drain. Then reach for a really nice red — either from my own stock or another sample — to essentially renew my faith in wine. I’ve put quite a dent in my good bottle collection this way, by the by… (Though I have managed to find a handful of standout Merlot values — more about those soon.)

The other night, I reached for a new single vineyard bottling from Calera — one of my favorite California producers — the Pinot Noir de Villiers Mt. Harlan. I just love it when my faith in something is rewarded…

Calera 2007 Pinot Noir Mt. Harlan de Villiers ($35). Offers bright, effusive aromas and flavors that include rich black cherry and deep plum, waves of chocolate and an array of warm spices, picking up touches of mineral, sweet smoke and vanilla through the youthful, fruity finish. Tempting now but should age nicely, 5-8 years. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Earlier this year, as part of my ongoing WSET Diploma studies, I took the spirits exam. As part of the prep, I tasted loads of things that were either new to me or that I had never paid particular attention to in the past. Along the way, I dallied for quite a while in the anise-flavored family (Absinthe, Pastis, Pernod, Ouzo…) and the closely-related, caraway-flavored Akvavit group.

Akvavit (or Aquavit, depending on where it’s produced) is usually a grain-based spirit flavored with caraway as its main flavoring, along with things like anise, citrus peel and other herbs and spices. Akvavit is produced all over Scandinavia, where this “water of life” was first prized for its medicinal properties — and is still thought of as a digestif as well as a popular drink.

In most Scandinavian countries, akvavit is particularly popular during the holidays, but in Sweden it is also an important part of the traditional midsummer celebrations. Served as icy cold shots and paired with all manner of pickled and smoked fish (herring, of course, but also salmon, cod, crayfish and others), it makes for a bracing, intensely-flavored change of pace that you can recreate at home fairly easily.

For the appetizers, simply slice good quality, dark rye bread and spread lightly with unsalted butter. Then top with pieces of pickled herring (straight from the jar) or smoked salmon or trout (straight from the package). Garnish with the thinnest slivers of white onion you can manage and a light sprinkling of finely minced parsley. In Sweden, they have a knack for arranging these open-faced “sandwiches” much more beautifully than I can seem to accomplish — and then they’re typically eaten with a knife and fork. So try to channel your inner Martha Stewart, if you’re so inclined, to make these as pretty and perfect as possible.

The Akvavit that I’m loving is from Sweden (just to complete the theme here), but there are many more available from Denmark, and they will accomplish the very same thing with this pairing.

The O.P. Anderson Akvavit ($40, 750ml). Shows a touch of color from oak aging, along with creamy, spicy accents to the dominant caraway character. Finishes long and clean. Perfect served icy cold.

One of the most common misconceptions, at least amongst American wine drinkers, is that a single varietal (or even a single vineyard) wine is always the best. This completely omits the complexity. depth and synergies that a blend offers. As in, the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon, the supple smoothness of Merlot, etc. Why not take advantage of both? Here are three blends that are more than just a sum of their parts:

Benziger 2006 Signaterra Three Blocks Sonoma Valley ($49). A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (64%) and Merlot, this rich, delicious blend offers layers of deep plum, concentrated black currant, and ripe cherry, along with coffee, rich milk chocolate, dried herbs and light earthy notes. Full bodied, with a supple, elegant finish. Ready to drink now and over the next 4-5 years. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Trefethen 2007 Red Wine Napa Valley Double T ($25). Refreshingly medium-bodied and relatively low in alcohol (13.5%), this Bordeaux blend offers plum aromas and flavors laced with cocoa, coffee, light herbs and toasty oak. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Easy to like with simply grilled chops. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Parducci 2006 Sustainable Red Mendocino County ($11). Not bad for the price — and a great burger wine. A blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignane, this tasty red offers black currant and black cherry fruit accented with black pepper and fresh herbal notes. Medium bodied, with a moderate finish. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area.

I’ve been tasting a bunch of inexpensive California Merlots this week, and, frankly, don’t have anything nice to say about any of them. Maybe the last few will pleasantly surprise me over the weekend…

But I’m hedging my bets with a batch of these irresistably crunchy, almond- and lemon-flecked biscotti to serve as a simple summer dessert. They pair well with all kinds of dessert wines, from the classic Vin Santo to sweet Rieslings, Sauternes, and this absolutely lovely Chardonnay-Semillon blend from d’Arenberg. (I didn’t set out to make it a d’Arenberg-themed week, just so you know. Blame it on those crappy, cheap California Merlots!)

d’Arenberg 2008 Chardonnay-Semillon Adelaide Hills The Noble Prankster ($20, 375ml). Honeyed, ripe pear and fig fruit character is accented with bright quince and citrus notes, aromatic brown spices, cream and vanilla, all coming together on an intense, long, evolving finish. Should age beautifully, but damn good now. Ready to drink now and over the next 8-10 years. Locate this wine online or in your area.

Recipe: Dessert: Biscotti
Makes 4 dozen

½ cup unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup sugar
2 extra-large eggs
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cup slivered almonds, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons minced lemon zest
1 tablespoon Amaretto or other almond flavored liqueur
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Gradually add flour, until well combined. Add almonds, lemon zest, Amaretto, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract and continue to mix until blended.

Shape the dough into four logs, each about two inches wide and ¾ inch high. Place on the baking sheets and place in oven. Immediately reduce heat to 325F. Bake until light golden and slightly puffy, about 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately slice the logs crosswise into ½ inch thick slices. Separate the slices slightly on the baking sheet so that they will bake evenly on the second baking.

Reduce oven temperature to 275F. Place cookies back in oven and bake until dry and crisp, 20-30 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container to keep crisp.