FOOD 101: For National Vodka Day, The History Of The World’s #1 Spirit

October 4th is National Vodka Day. Vodka was once rarely consumed outside of Europe. Today, it’s the world’s top-selling spirit. Its popularity is owed in part to its versatility, as well as to its numerous appearances in pop culture—from James Bond’s “shaken not stirred” Vodka Martini to Carrie Bradshaw’s Cosmopolitan. Vodka, which has a neutral…
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FOOD FUN: Bloody Mary With Mexican Garnishes

[1] A Bloody Mary with three Mexican restaurant garnishes (photo © J-Remy | Blue Moon Café). [2] Japanese accents: ingredients in the mix, an octopus tentacle and a skewer of raw tuna and beet cubes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Bamboo Sushi | Portland, Oregon). [3] The Wayfarer in New York City calls this its…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Smoking Cocktails & More Uses For A Smoke Gun

A couple of years ago, we began to notice smoking cocktails on the menus of some fine restaurants we patronize. These are not the dry-ice-generated smoke of Halloween, but flavored smoke made with wood chips or other agent that provide heavenly aroma. You don’t want the bouquet to dissipate. It’s like the alluring scent of…
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FOOD 101: Rum Facts For National Rum Day

Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum: August 16th is National Rum Day. (Here’s the pirate song, inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.) Many thanks to Pat Croce’s Rum Barrel sports bar and grill in Key West (now closed, alas) for much of this information.     WHAT IS RUM? Everyone who knows the word…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Frosecco, A Frozen Prosecco Cocktail

[1] Frosecco, a frozen Prosecco drink (photo © Cavit). [2] Flutes of Prosecco at BLT Prime | New York. [3] The Veneto region of Italy (photo courtesy Wikipedia).   A toast to National Prosecco Day, August 13th (photo #2)! The Bellini cocktail, created in 1948 at Harry’s Bar in Venice, was made with Prosecco. Here’s…
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