Single malt or blended, preserve your
favorite whiskeys with a preservative
spray. Photo: CanStock.

The same nitrogen aerosol sprays used to prevent oxidation in opened bottles of wine can also be used to protect single-malt Scotch, Cognac and other precious spirits. Just spray into the bottle before returning it to the shelf: The gas adds a layer of protection from oxygen for weeks and even months. If the bottle is something special you open rarely, sealing over the cap with paraffin (available at any drug store) prevents evaporation as well.

Tanteo Tequila is the first spirit to become a Top Pick Of The Week—it’s that special. We tasted the three superpremium tequilas infused with chocolate, jalapeño and tropical flavors at a show filled with foods from big-name chefs. We were dazzled by Tanteo.

Made with 100% blue agave tequila, Tanteo uses all natural ingredients to infuse the tequila, and it’s a magical marriage. These are sipping tequilas and cooking tequilas—you’ll love flavoring sauces, desserts and marinades with them (more ideas in the full review). Pair them with mains or desserts that have similar flavor profiles. In terms of mixed drinks: If the possibilities aren’t endless, they’ll keep you busy for quite some time. The company offers recipes to start you off.

Tanteo tequilas are a great addition to your bar and a gift that recipients will be talking about for a long time. They can be the hit of holiday parties.

Tantalizing tequila in three irresistible flavors. Photo courtesy of Tanteo Tequila.

Our favorite ice cube trays from ISI Orka keep ice cleaner and fresher and color-code our “specialty” ice cubes.

You can make festive ice cubes for holiday drinks without investing in special pumpkin- or holly leaf-shape ice cube trays. And you can do it more elegantly, too!

Just freeze one of the following in each section of a regular ice cube tray:

We create different trays of “designer ice cubes” to match to different sweet or savory beverages. It’s easy to keep the garnishes straight in our favorite color-coordinated ice cube trays from iSi Orka.

For a better Bloody Mary or turkey chili, try
Blue Crab Bay Co.’s Sting Ray. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

There’s a reason why all-natural Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer is the best-seller at Blue Crab Bay Company. It’s a very thick, rich and flavorful blend of tomato juice and clam juice, seasoned with Chesapeake Bay Seasoning (inspiring!) and lots of freshly-grated horseradish. It makes a kickin’ cocktail mixer and Virgin Mary as well as a great cooking sauce (see Jim’s Bloody Mary Chili recipe, below; a recipe brochure is included with the bottle).

For gift giving, pay an extra dollar to have the 25 fl. oz. bottle “dressed” with weathered fishnet and a nautically tied cord.

Jim’s Bloody Mary Chili

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 2 cups Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer
- 2 cans (15 ounces) chili beans, drained
- 1 jar (12 ounces) roasted red peppers
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a medium pan, heat olive oil. Sauté onion and garlic until golden brown and remove from pan.
2. Brown turkey in pan, season with salt and pepper if desired.
3. Add onion and garlic back to the pan. Add all other ingredients. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least half an hour or until flavors develop.
4. Prior to serving, stir in cilantro or use as a garnish.
5. Serve with favorite toppings (sour cream, grated cheese, hot chiles, etc.) Serves 4-6.

Get ready for some fine turkey chili and Bloody Marys. While it may seem early to plan ahead for Super Bowl chow, it’s the right time for a pre-pre-game Fall Harvest party.

The Bloody Eyeball Martini. Photo courtesy
of Kris Plazek.

While the kids are out trick-or-treating, you deserve a treat, too. Our Halloween cocktails with gin include the Bloody Scream, Ghost, Satan’s Whiskers, Swamp Demon and Witches’ Brew. But they’re only the top of the menu—we’ve got a whole Halloween Lounge going.

What are you waiting for? Start mixing!

Get free shipping through October 31 plus
a new Bloody Mary recipe. Photo courtesy
of RicksPicksNYC.com.

Our favorite pickle perfectionist, Rick’s Picks, is offering FREE SHIPPING in the contiguous U.S. (that’s the same as the Lower 48) through the end of the month, on orders of 4 jars or more. (It’s very easy to devour one jar at a sitting—they’re so divine and very low-calorie and healthy). You can pick four pickled peppers, or any of Rick’s fabulous Picks, for your own gourmandizing or for gifts, and can have them shipped now or later—just get the order in by October 31 to qualify.

Enter coupon code: octoberfree (all lower case) when you order at RicksPicksNYC.com to get the free shipping. We love all the products, but go batty for the Phat Beets (the top seller), the Green Tomato Condiment (formerly called GT 1000s, curried green tomato pickles), Windy City Wasabeans in a soy-wasabi brine, Smokra (pickled okra seasoned with smoked paprika) and … heck, we may as well list everything.

Enjoy the screaming good Bloody Mary recipe below for Halloween, which features Rick’s Picks’ Mean Beans, a spicy dilly bean (cayenne joins the traditional dill and garlic seasoning). Low in calories—just 20 per 7-bean serving—the brine is used in the Bloody Mary, and you can toss fresh string beans from the store into the remaining brine to make new pickles. As with all of Rick’s Picks, there’s no hidden sugar.

Rick’s Picks Mean & Bloody

Ingredients:
- 1 ounce vodka
- 3 ounces tomato juice (see our review of the best)
- 2 dashes Worcestershire
- 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 2 dashes Tabasco or to taste
- A dash of freshly-ground pepper
- 1 quarter lemon, squeezed
- Generous splash of Mean Beans brine (try other dilly bean or pickle brine if you don’t have Mean Beans—but it won’t be as good!)
- Mean Beans to garnish

Preparation:
1. Combine ingredients. Shake or stir.
2. Pour over ice. Garnish and serve.
3. Have extra Mean Beans on hand for demanding guests.

Here’s a beautiful, fun and delicious cocktail snack that’s simple to make. We think of it as a deconstructed Bloody Mary; others call it “drunken tomatoes.” It helps if you have a jumbo martini glass, but a small pedestal bowl works nicely, too. Fill the glass with red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes; add a quality vodka to just cover the tomatoes. You can snip in some fresh (not dried!) oregano or rosemary as a pretty herbal accent. Provide attractive toothpicks in a shot glass or other holder, so guests can spear the tomatoes, and a small bowl for discarded picks. This one is always a cocktail party hit!

Here are four new cocktail recipes just in time for the weekend, when you deserve to relax with something fun:

From Grey Goose, two fall vodka cocktails:

If your crowd is into the sweet and sophisticated, try this cocktail, created by the head bartender from the Obama Inauguration Ball:

And if you like comfort food-in-a-cocktail, contemplate this Root Beer Float. It’s made with Three Olives Root Beer Vodka, amaretto and whipped cream.

Find more of our favorite cocktail recipes.

The Falling Leaf Fizz combines pear-flavored
vodka, pumpkin butter, a pinch of pumpkin pie
spice, and sparkling wine. Photo courtesy Grey Goose.

There are single-varietal wines, single-varietal chocolates, single varietal honeys, single varietal coffees, single varietal olive oils…and now, a single-varietal Scotch, made from only one variety of barley.

It’s good to be single, if you’re a single malt Scotch. It’s even better to have a friend who will buy you a bottle of the new, limited-edition The Glenlivet Nàdurra Triumph 1991 (Christmas is coming!). Triumph 1991 is the newest addition to The Glenlivet’s Nàdurra family, which debuted in 2006.

Nàdurra, which is Gaelic for “natural,” is a unique approach to single malt—a more authentic Scotch experience. As the company explains, “Short of becoming Master Distiller, Nàdurra is the closest you can come to drinking straight from a cask at The Glenlivet Distillery.”

Unlike most Scotch, Nàdurra, a proprietary line, is made without chill filtration, resulting in a slight cloudiness—a traditional and perfectly natural effect. A non-chill filtered Scotch better retains its natural flavors, with additional richness and a creamy mouthfeel.

The perfect gift for a Scotch lover: It’s
almost like drinking Scotch straight from the cask.

Distilled and casked in 1991, the new offering was created using a single-source of grain Triumph barley, which is no longer used at The Glenlivet distillery. Aged a full two years longer than the first NĂ durra (made from a mix of barleys), The Glenlivet NĂ durra Triumph 1991 delivers a greater flavor and complexity imparted from the wood, a broader selection of casks and the Triumph barley. It is mildly sweeter and more fruit-forward. The fruit flavors are vibrant and the texture is robust.

If you want to throw a holiday party that will live in memory, how about a tasting of all of The Glenlivets*: the 12-Year-Old, 15-Year-Old French Oak Reserve, NĂ durra 16-Year-Old Cask Strength, 18-Year-Old, Archive 21-Year-Old, The Glenlivet XXV and the new kid on the block. The Glenlivet NĂ durra Triumph 1991, which will be available only in the U.S. beginning in November 2009, with a suggested retail price of $85, although we have seen it for far less.

*There are also rare offerings of the Cellar Collection.

Cocktails for Brains, Heart, Home and
Courage from the Oak Room at the
Plaza Hotel.

Today is the 70th Anniversary of the release of MGM’s classic film, “The Wizard of Oz.” Rent it today or this weekend and invite friends to join you for a trip down the Yellow Brick Road.

The Oak Room at New York City’s Plaza Hotel has created a drink special: shots inspired by the desires of the four lead characters in the movie. Head bartender Orlando Rivera has crafted this delightfully whimsical and potent collection:

Your guests will need a designated driver, alas: Outside of Oz, you just can’t click your heels and say “I want to go home.”