Impress your Valentine with this subtly sweet vanilla-scented martini recipe from Belvedere Vodka. Dressed up with edible silver leaf, it’s called a Silver Martini.

 
The silver leaf comes in packets of 25. You can use them for any special occasion, to garnish almost any cocktail.

You can vary the recipe by using vanilla-flavored vodka and omitting the fresh vanilla bean.

Preparation

1. Shake all ingredients with ice.

2. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

3. Garnish with a sheet of crumpled edible silver leaf.

Spicy Thai chicken wings (photo © Spice Market Restaurants).

Updated 2020: The National Chicken Council’s Annual Chicken Wing Report projects a record-breaking 1.4 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LIV weekend.

That’s more than 100 million pounds of wings!

It’s the most eaten food during the Super Bowl each year [source].

If you haven’t decided on a wing recipe, here’s one from Jean-George Vongerichten’s Spice Market restaurant in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.

Anyone who loves fried chicken and Thai flavors will love this dish. It’s a Thai-seasoned version of wings, coated with a sweet-and-sour sauce after being fried to a crisp.

The recipe below makes 4 servings. You can multiply the recipe to make a large batch for a party.

July 29th is National Chicken Wing Day.

Ingredients For The Hot & Sour Sauce

 
For The Wings

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until they become a deep golden brown. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.

2. SIMMER, stirring, for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and transfer to a blender. Purée carefully until smooth, transfer to a large mixing bowl, and set aside until ready to use.

3. MAKE the wings: Put the soy sauce, lime juice, nam pla, garlic, chiles and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cool completely, then pour over the mini drumsticks in a shallow baking dish and toss to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile…

4. TOSS the mango cubes with the salt in a small bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. When ready to cook…

5. POUR the oil to a depth of 3 inches in a heavy, deep pot and heat to 375°F. Remove the drumsticks from the marinade and pat dry. Combine the cornstarch and rice flour on a shallow plate. Dredge the chicken in the mixture, then carefully put in the pot. Do not overcrowd; work in batches if necessary. Cook until crisp, brown, and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the oil’s temperature.

6. DRAIN on paper towels and transfer to the bowl of hot-and-sour sauce. Toss well to coat and transfer to the serving plates. Arrange the salted mango in a little mound next to the chicken, garnish with the mint leaves, and serve.

Spoiler alert: The majority of balsamic vinegar on the market is fake balsamic.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying fake balsamic. It’s just nowhere as glorious as the real thing, but it is a heck of a lot more affordable.

The production of authentic balsamic vinegar is governed by two consortiums of producers in Modena, Italy, where it is produced. They supervise every aspect of production under the strictest controls, from the harvesting of the grapes to the packaging and labeling of the bottles. Even the shape of the bottle is mandated!
 
 
AUTHENTIC BALSAMIC VINEGAR

True aceto balsamico has an Italian government designation of D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata, similar to the French A.O.C. designation), which means that everything from the grape varietals to aging time and the type of wood of the barrels adheres to exact standards.

 
No wonder authentic balsamic is so costly—from $40 a bottle for 12-year balsamic to hundreds of dollars for 50- and 75-year old balsamics in tiny 3.5-ounce bottles. But it tastes like heaven, and can be used to garnish everything from appetizers, meat and fish to desserts—chocolate cake, ice cream, Parmigiano Reggiano and strawberries.
 
 
FAKE, FAUX OR “SUPERMARKET” BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Compare the minimum-12-year meticulous process that creates authentic balsamic vinegar to “supermarket balsamic,” much of which is ordinary red wine vinegar (perhaps made from Trebbiano grapes) colored with caramel to achieve the dark brown color of an authentic balsamic and sweetened to approximate a balsamic. It may or may not be aged for a short amount of time in large oak barrels or stainless steel barrels. It may be made in a factory in Modena, but at $3.99 a bottle, it’s not authentic balsamic vinegar. (There are “factory balsamics” made in Modena. Read more about them in a longer discussion of balsamic vinegar.)

While traditional balsamic vinegar cooks down grape must into a concentrated, flavorful syrup prior to aging, white balsamic producers add cooked-down grape juice to ordinary white wine vinegar. It creates an amber color and a slightly sweet flavor.

WHY WHITE BALSAMIC VINEGAR?

While authentic balsamic vinegar dates back to 1046 C.E. (the first written record) or earlier, white balsamic vinegar was created in recent years for consumers who didn’t like the dark color imparted to their recipes by regular balsamic. It’s ideal to use with fish, chicken and pork; in light-color sauces; and in dessert recipes like custard and sabayon.

White balsamic vinegar was first produced by Italian vinegar manufacturer Acetum; and a bottle retails for less than $15.00 (you can buy it online). Subsequently, other producers have created “white balsamic vinegar” for $5.00 a bottle and less.

To make white balsamic, grape must is added to white wine vinegar; thus, white balsamic is a wine vinegar. The must is cooked at a low temperature to avoid darkening; it is not caramelized. Thus, white balsamic has a desired golden color rather than the dark one of conventional balsamic.

White balsamic vinegar emulates the flavor profile of conventional balsamic—gentle and smooth with well-balanced flavor. It is milder and less sweet (more tart) than regular balsamic vinegar, but is sweeter than white wine vinegar and thus delicious on salad greens.

For $4.99 a bottle, you’re not getting an aged, artisan-produced bottle of vinegar. For $30 a bottle, some producers do age a Trebbiano-based white balsamic for four years or so, in small oak barrels.

Similar to buying a bottle of wine, if your palate can detect the difference, it’s worth it to pay extra for the better ingredient.

If you want to mix Super Bowl cocktails by the pitcherful—making it easier to refill glasses—here’s a tasty seasonal punch recipe from Belvedere Vodka.

For this occasion, it’s been renamed:

BELVEDERE “HAIL BERRY” PUNCH

Ingredients

Add all ingredients to a pitcher and stir. Garnish with orange slices and lemons.

Aperol is an Italian apéritif created in Padua in 1919, now owned and produced by Campari. Its ingredients include bitter orange, cinchona, gentian and rhubarb, among others.

Aperol looks, tastes and smells much like Campari, another fruit-and-herb apéritif; although it has an alcohol content of less than half of Campari (11% for Aperol, 20.5%, to 28% for Campari, depending on the country in which it is sold).

In 1950, the apéritif took off with the creation of the Spritz cocktail. Building on the popularity of the white wine and soda spritzer, Aperol’s recipe is born: 1.25 ounces Aperol, 3 ounces Prosecco and a splash of soda.

Aperol on the rocks with a slice of orange.
Photo courtesy Terence Carter.

Banana, chile and 77% cacao bar. Photo
courtesy Antidote Chocolate.

These innovative bars, made in Ecuador with Arriba Nacional cacao beans, are 50% conventionally roasted chocolate and 50% raw cacao nibs.

The result is profound, earthy and higher in antioxidants than just about any other bar.

In addition to basic bars, there are innovative flavor combinations, too:

 
The higher the percentage of cacao, the lower the amount of sugar. The 100% cacao bars have no added sugar (although the dates supply natural sugar).

Read the full review.

Talk the talk of a chocolate expert. Pick up terms in our Chocolate Glossary.