Well, not really, but it’s a fun concept for Easter cocktails.

FOR KIDS: Serve a Peter Cottontail Cocktail, carrot juice with a squeeze of lime in festive glasses. Garnish with fruit—a strawberry on the rim, for example.

FOR ADULTS: Serve an Easter Mary. Substitute carrot juice for the tomato juice in your favorite Bloody Mary recipe.

If you like, start with a carrot juice tasting:

Buy several different brands of carrot juice, set them out small paper drinking cups or shot glasses and let guests vote on which tastes best to them. It’s an engaging activity as guests begin to arrive.

Find more Easter and spring cocktail ideas in our Cocktails Section.

Take our Ham Trivia Quizzes. We’ve got two of them.

After you’ve mastered the answers, bring them to the Easter Dinner and test ask your fellow celebrants.

They’ll have fun learning the difference between city ham and country ham, why you’d want a bone-in ham over a boneless ham and the most expensive ham in the world.

The person who gets the most correct answer deserves an extra chocolate bunny! (Or perhaps a chocolate pig, available at VosgesChocolate.com.)

• Ham Trivia Quiz # 1
• Ham Trivia Quiz # 2

What kind of ham am I? Photo courtesy
Cherry Marketing Institute. Answer:
a spiral-cut ham.

We’ll have to get married in Seattle, just so
we can have one of Mike’s Amazing Cakes.
Did Rick & Ilse live happily ever after, after
all? Here’s looking at you, kid. Photo
courtesy Mike’s Amazing Cakes.

As you may have gathered from the parade of wedding cake programs and segments like “The TODAY Show Plans A Wedding,” the cake design is secondary only to the wedding dress.

No longer content to have an elegant white cake with frosting flowers, brides are looking for fashionable cakes. Here are wedding cake trends for 2010 as reported by Stratford University, a Virginia-based school that offers culinary arts degrees (along with a traditional university curriculum).

Slightly Different Cakes

• Initials. Couples are opting to have their entwined initials monogrammed on the side of the cake.
• Height. Many people are opting for taller cakes—up to seven tiers high.
• Nature. Nature themes are popular as cake toppings. These can range from fresh flowers and leaves or fresh fruits to pine cones, seashells and other decor.
• Being Green. Many guests don’t like classic wedding cake, covered in fondant (to be fair, homemade fondant can be delicious, but some cakemakers purchase premade fondant, which is less so). So why waste the cake: Order something people will eat (see next bullet).

• More Than Cake. Lose the cake and opt for favorite treats: a tiered “cake” of cupcakes or a tree of mini desserts, such as cheesecake, tarts and brownies. If you must have a cake to display, see Rent A Cake, below.
• Matching Dresses. A big trend matches the cake decoration to the bridesmaids’ dresses. Another option is to decorate the cake with real lace and ruffles.
• Bold Colors. Who says the cake has to be white…or even chocolate? If your favorite color is red, go for it!

Really Different Cakes

• Artistic. Choose your favorite famous painting and have the wedding cake decorated with it, using edible paints. (It’s probably best to avoid Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” and Picasso’s “Guernica.”)
• 3-D. Another hot trend in wedding cakes is for 3-D accents as part of the cake’s decoration and design. For the ultimate in 3D masterpieces (and an absolutely gorgeous gallery of wedding cakes), check out Mike’s Amazing Cakes in Seattle (designer/baker of the cake in the photo).

Saving Money

• Rent A Cake. In this economy, many people are looking for ways to save on their wedding. A new trend for budget-cutting is to rent a mock wedding cake for display (it’s been decorated with real fondant, rosetts, etc., and looks real, but you can’t eat it—instead of cake underneath the frosting, there’s styrofoam). Then, serve a budget-friendly sheet cake that is cut and plated in the kitchen.
• Go Faux. Another trend for saving money on the wedding cake, which can typically cost from $600 to thousands of dollars, is to have a faux bottom one or two tiers (frosted and decorated styrofoam, as above). This will allow the cake to look impressive to guests and for pictures, but can help bring the cost of the cake down quite a bit.
• Cupcakes. Tiers of cupcake-style wedding cakes continue to grow in popularity. They also allow for vegan and gluten-free versions so those on special diets can join in.

And now, we’ve got to go find a piece of cake to eat!

1. Soften a pint of vanilla or chocolate ice cream (or frozen yogurt) and put the ice cream in a mixing bowl.

2. Add 4 tablespoons PB (creamy or crunchy) and mix well.

3. Add an optional swirl of strawberry or raspberry jam or preserves.

4. Return to the pint and return to freezer to let harden for an hour; or enjoy it immediately as “soft serve.”

TIPS:

• To serve as a dessert, top with chopped honey-roasted peanuts or a dab of preserves; or use strawberry sauce or preserves to create a parfait.
• If you don’t want to make an entire pint, mix 1 tablespoon of PB and 1/2 teaspoon jam into a 1/2 cup of ice cream.

Make PB ice cream in minutes! Photo
courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

• You can make this treat lower calorie/healthier by choosing No Sugar Added or Fat-Free ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Find our favorite peanut butter and jelly products and more recipes in our Jam, Jelly & Nut Butters section.

[1] Pouring a glass of Lambrusco from a conventional bottle (photo © CC Food Travel | Wikipedia).

[2] The award winner: turn this bottle-decanter combo on its side, and it turns into a long-neck decanter that oxygenates the wine (photo © Cantine Ceci).

[3] This square-sided bottle was introduced by the same company, but while we love it, most wine retailers didn’t. It’s since it has been replaced with a more traditional style (photo: The Nibble).

[4] Amphorae* (singular, amphora) designed for marine transport, taken from Mediterranean shipwrecks of the Bronze Age (photo © Ad Meskens | Wikipedia).

[5] Lambrusco grapes (photo © Caspar Diederik | Wikipedia).

[6] From pizza to burgers to Buffalo wings, Lambrusco is a proper partner for American favorites (photo: The Nibble)

Updated June 2026

Congratulazioni to the designers at Cantine Ceci in Torrile, Italy (outside Parma). Their patented wine bottle innovation, the Decanta 68.2 combination wine bottle and decanter†, has won an award at the International Packaging Competition at Vinitaly 2010. It will be presented to consumers during the large Italian wine fair, which runs from April 8th to the 12th in Verona.

This next-generation wine bottle gives us a jumping-off point to recommend Lambruso, an Italian red that most Americans don’t understand well enough to take advantage of its low price points and fizzy fun.

While it’s red and fizzy, it’s vinified in dry, off-dry, and sweet styles, so you can

National Lambrusco Day is June 21st and National Red Wine Day is August 28th.

Below:

> What is Lambrusco?

> The history of Lambrusco is below.

> Lambrusco and food pairings.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> 5 red wines for summer.

> The 13 major red wine varietals.

> Popular red wines by country of origin.

> Sweet red wines.

> The year’s 45+ red wine holidays.

> A brief history of wine.
 
 
WHAT IS LAMBRUSCO?

One of the most ancient wines, Lambrusco is a sparkling red wine from the Emilia-Romagna region northeast of the Tuscany region of Italy: Mantua, Modena, Parma and Reggio nell’Emilia. Today, the red wine is also made in the neighboring Lombardy region.

It is the name of both the grape and the wine made from it.

Different appellations make different styles, with their own unique character and grape varieties or blends. Styles range from dry to sweet from fruity to savory, depending on what grapes have been used in the blend, where they are grown, and how the wine is made.

Bottles labeled Lambrusco Reggiano DOC are produced from grapes grown throughout the region.

The region, whose capital is Bologna, has a rich gastronomic history: balsamic vinegar of Modena, Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, and mortadella all hail from Emilia-Romagna.

Lambrusco is a versatile, food-friendly wine which pairs well with light and rich dishes, spicy and aromatic dishes (try a slightly off-dry Lambrusco with coconut curry, for example.)
 
The Sweetness Spectrum

Lambrusco production styles range from bone-dry to dessert-ready. These terms on the label to indicate the sweetness level:

 
The Fizz Factor

While nearly all Lambrusco features bubbles, they are not all carbonated to the same intensity. The first two are fizzy, and produce a beautiful purple or pink froth when poured.

 
 
THE HISTORY OF LAMBRUSCO

Archaeological evidence indicates that the Etruscans cultivated the vine as far back as 900 B.C.E. (predating Ancient Rome, 753–509 B.C.E. to 476 C.E.).

In Roman times, the Lambrusco grape was highly valued for its productivity and high yields. Cato the Elder mentioned that two-thirds of an acre of vines could make enough wine to fill 300 amphorae [source].

The Renaissance, a more dedicated approach to viticulture helped improve the wine, which became more visible in written documents.

In 1597 Andrea Bacci, the physician to Pope Sixtus V, wrote of the vineyards cultivated between Modena and Parma as being “famous for some white and red wines, pleasingly sparkling and with attractive perfumes…” [source].

In the 18th and 19th centuries, technological breakthroughs for producing sparkling wines enabled the production and bottling to have a longer shelf life without spoiling.

The early 20th century saw the birth of social cooperatives, with a mission to protect the growers of Lambrusco, create special sales channels, and safeguard their earnings.

In 1961, Lambrusco producers created the first consortium for Lambrusco wines. Today, the many consortia that were created subsequently are united under the Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco DOC.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Lambrusco became one of Italy’s most popular wine exports. It should be easy to find in your nearest wine or liquor store.

In each region where wine is produced, it is vinified to complement the local cuisine (the time-honored maxim us, “what grows together, goes together”).

Lambrusco’s high acidity, gentle tannins, and lively carbonation are a brilliant palate cleanser for rich cuisine. The bubbles and acid cut right through rich fats and salts, resetting the palate between bites.

The styles of Lambrusco range from bone-dry (secco) to semi-sweet (amabile), you can target your pairings accordingly.

We’ll cover classic Italian food pairings as well as American favorites with Lambrusco, but first a tip:

Always serve Lambrusco chilled, around 45°F to 55°F (7°C to 13°C). This keeps the bubbles tight, accentuates the crisp acidity, and makes it the most refreshing.
 
Lambrusco & American Cuisine

Lambrusco’s combination of chill, fizz, and fruit makes it a versatile pairing with American favorites like:

 
Emilia-Romagna Staples With Lambrusco

 
One bottle of Lambrusco can take you through a dinner of antipasto, pasta, and the cheese course (add strawberries and raspberries to the Parm).
 

[8] More pairing pizzazz: pasta, pizza, and chicken Parm (photo: The Nibble).

______________

*Amphorae (photo #5) stored and transported a variety of foods in the ancient world: fish, grains grapes, olive oil, olives, wine, and more. They varied greatly in height. Approximately 66 distinct types of amphora have been identified.

The Etruscans imported, manufactured, and exported amphorae for wines. Amphorae dated to approximately 4800 B.C.E. have been found in a Neolithic site in China. Amphorae first appeared on the Phoenician coast at approximately 3500 B.C.E.

The Roman wine amphora held a standard measure of about 39 liters (41 quarts), which led to the amphora quadrantal (about 25.9 liters) as a unit of measure The volume of a Roman amphora was one cubic foot, about 26.026 liters. The term also stands for an ancient Roman unit of measurement for liquids [source].

†This is the first combination wine bottle-decanter: useful to decant wine with sophistication in design. Decanta 68.2 can serve as a gift, a table decanter and a tabletop objet d’art. When set on its side, the degree of tilt enables perfect oxygenation. The label side is placed down on the table, so the line of the design is not interrupted. The cork is made from silicone so it can be easily re-corked (and reused with other wine!). In addition to Decanta 68.2, Cantine Ceci introduced Rock Otello Dry, the first sparkling wine in a square bottle (photo #4). Now the practical question: Can smaller retailers easily fit these larger-footprint bottles on the shelves? The gauntlet‡ has been thrown. It’s no longer good enough to create a wine with a nifty name and label design. The challenge now is to out-bottle-design your competitors. Winemakers of the world, take heed!

‡If you don’t know what a gauntlet is: It’s a knight’s glove, made of mail or plate, worn to protect the hand in combat (hopefully, it matched one’s armor!). When one knight wanted to challenge another, he threw down his gauntlet, which landed at the feet of the prospective combatant. If the second knight accepted the challenge (and he was generally honor-bound to do so), he picked up the gauntlet. Now for the big question for Medieval historians: Did the challenger get his gauntlet back when his challenge was accepted, or did the challenged knight get to keep it?

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