Much of the “white chocolate” out there isn’t real chocolate. Check the label: If you see “vegetable oil” instead of “cocoa butter,” it’s an inferior product without delicious chocolate flavor.

White chocolate is made from sugar, milk, cocoa butter, vanilla and lecithin (a natural emulsifier to smooth the chocolate, also listed as soy lecithin). That’s it.

If you care about the best ingredients, buy real white chocolate. We use the real deal from Guittard of San Francisco and Callebaut of Belgium. Otherwise, it’s analogous to using margarine instead of butter. You’ll really notice the difference in flavor.

Both of these white chocolate chip brands have a sweet, fresh cream flavor. The Guittard chips we’re currently using have nutty undertones and hints of citrus and vanilla. (Vanilla is an ingredient in white chocolate, while citrus notes come from the type of cacao beans used to make the cocoa butter.)

Buy the real deal, made with cocoa butter,
not vegetable oil. Photo courtesy Lake
Champlain Chocolate.

If there’s no cocoa butter, a product can’t be called chocolate. It can be called “imitation chocolate,” but no major brand wants that on its label! Thus:

 
 
Where To Find White Chocolate Chips

 
If you can’t find white chocolate chips, chop up a white chocolate bar. Our favorite—for eating as well—is from Green & Black’s, available at Whole Foods Markets, many other retailers and online.
 
 
FOOD TRIVIA: A bonus for the caffeine-conscious, there’s no caffeine in white chocolate.
 
 Chocolate Lover? Find our favorite chocolate in the pull-down menu in the right column.

This glass jug holds some mighty tasty
moonshine. Photo courtesy Stillhouse
Distillery.

Moonshine was an illegal product: The “moonshiners” who made it not only avoided paying state and federal taxes on their hooch, but they had no license to produce it in the first place.

The product got its name because it was made in the light of the moon—late at night, away from prying eyes.

As you can imagine, it wasn’t the purest product—and some people actually went blind from bad hooch. But that didn’t stop others who were thirsting for a drink.

Now, this most downscale of drinks has been given the star treatment by the manufacturers of Original Moonshine. Made from “100% estate-grown corn” in Culpeper, Virginia, it’s charcoal-filtered four times for the highest purity, quality, and smooth taste—in a Prohibition-era copper pot still.

It’s made in the same authentic tradition that moonshine has been made for hundreds of years. It’s all-natural, gluten-free, and 80-proof.

In a beautiful glass jug—definitely a keeper for serving other beverages—Original Moonshine has the subtle aroma and sweet flavor of corn. And it delivers a novelty factor like nothing else we’ve seen in a while.

Kick back with a jug as you watch The Beverly Hillbillies—or Deliverance.

Original Moonshine makes a memorable gift for about $35.00. It can be purchased online.
 
 
Find more of our favorite spirits by pulling down the menu bar on the upper right, and selecting “Cocktails & Spirits.”
 
 

You can buy cranberry liqueur, of course; but it’s fun to make your own and serve it in holiday drinks.

You have just enough time to make a batch and serve it on Christmas.

Homemade liqueur can be stored in the fridge or at room temperature for up to a year. Chill the bottle before making the cocktails below.

We love to garnish holiday cocktails with a rosemary sprig, which resembles the branch of a pine tree.

CRANBERRY LIQUEUR RECIPE

Ingredients

Serve cranberry cocktails for the holidays.
Photo courtesy Grey Goose.

1. Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; set aside to cool.

2. In a food processor, process cranberries for about two minutes, until finely chopped. Combine with sugar syrup in a large bowl. Add vodka and blend thoroughly.

3. Pour the vodka mixture into a large, airtight jar (or two smaller jars). Place in a cool, dark place for at least three weeks, shaking every other day.

4. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and strain into a pitcher or a bowl with a lip. Discard solids in cheesecloth (you can wash and reuse the cheesecloth).

5. Pour liqueur into a clean bottle. You can reuse a wine bottle or the vodka bottle.
 
 
CRANBERRY LIQUEUR COCKTAILS

Cranberry Sparkler

Here’s the cranberry version of a Kir Royale, substituting cranberry liqueur for the traditional crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur). For a nonsparkling version (analogous to a regular Kir), mix the cranberry liqueur with white wine.

 
Cranberry Martini

 
Cosmo Royale

Often, the price for gift box packaging and the extra item is nothing beyond the cost of the regular bottle—or only a small additional amount.

Either way, the box and its contents appear to be worth twice the bottle alone.

We added the red ornaments to this photo, but the “added value” holiday gifts are typically in packaging that works year-round.

Think of the anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions you anticipate in 2012.

Then, when you’re out holiday shopping, stop at the wine and spirits store and check out the “gift bargains” to be had.

Even if you don’t anticipate gifts, stock up for your own needs. It can be a bargain: the holiday Grey Goose package shown is $29.99, whereas the MSRP for the 750ml bottle only is $34.99!

Buy a bottle in gift packaging with an extra gift thrown in—for less than the cost of a regular bottle! Photo courtesy Grey Goose.

Find reviews of our favorite spirits in our Cocktails & Spirits Section.

Do you dice and slice onions “freestyle,” with mixed results?

The same size pieces cook evenly. If your dice range from small to medium, the small pieces can burn while you’re waiting for the larger dice to soften.

Watch a professional chef show you how to dice and slice onions the right way. Don’t worry that your knife skills aren’t as fast as his: He’s been slicing all day for decades!

Watch his technique—how he holds and moves the knife. Then, start at the speed you’re comfortable with and increase speed bit by bit.

Remember: More accidents happen with dull knives. A dull blade is more likely to slip instead of slice through. Take your knives to be sharpened professionally, or treat yourself to a good knife sharpener. It’s less than $30, less than having your set of knives professionally sharpened once!

By the way, if you take a knife skills class, you’ll start out by slicing onions—lots of them. So consider spending a couple of hours with a bag of onions, working on your technique.

You can use the results of your labor to make onion soup, or make lots of caramelized onions. They’re so good, they’ll disappear quickly. (While most people caramelize sliced onions, you can also use your diced onions.)

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