[1] Some people thrill to a four-layer cake, but we’re happy with just two layers. Here’s the recipe for this beauty (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[2] While there’s no evidence that red velvet cake originated in the south, you can find recipes in most southern cookbooks, like this one (photo © Chronicle Books).

[3] The toughest part of baking was to refrain from eating the bowl of icing so there’d be enough left to ice the cake (photo © McCormick).

[4] Mascarpone, rich and creamy (photo © Vermont Creamery).

[5] A top pastry chef make the beet purée from scratch, but we’re happy to purée canned beets (photo © Libby’s).

[6] Baking chocolate is unsweetened—it has no added sugar, i.e., it’s 100% cacao (photo © Scharffen Berger).

September 18th is National Red Velvet Cake Day, so what did we do? You guessed it: We baked a red velvet cake.

The recipe below, which we found in our files, is purportedly the original Red Velvet Cake recipe from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. It shows why we don’t like most red velvet recipes: not enough chocolate. Just a pretty red layer cake.

Our baker extraordinaire mom would say to this complaint: If you want a chocolate cake, bake a devil’s food cake. And experts agree that the cake is supposed to have just a hint of chocolate.

But bake the red velvet we did. We liked it, and the icing was heavenly.

But back to National Red Velvet Cake Day: Although no one can pinpoint when and where the recipe was created, “it is certain that the Waldorf-Astoria helped popularize red velvet cake in New York” [source].

Here’s the “origin story” on the hotel’s website. They call the story an urban legend.

The truth is out there!
 
 
WHAT ABOUT THE MASCARPONE?

The hotel claims to have sold the cake in the 1920s*; however, the recipe only appeared in print around the 1940s and 1950s [source].

Now here’s the rub: Few people in the U.S. at that time had ever heard of mascarpone cheese.

While the fresh, spreadable cheese was first made in Italy in the 16th or 17th century, it was very perishable and wasn’t exported at that time. In fact, it didn’t even get imported into the U.S. until the 1980s or so—and then, you had to search specialty Italian cheese stores.

It was the craze for tiramisu, “discovered” by American tourists, that brought the rich, succulent “Italian cream cheese” to New York City in the early 1980s. (Tiramisu is more than half mascarpone.)

In that culinary decade, “tiramisu became a major dessert preference in almost every Italian restaurant and bakery in New York City” [source].

We can vouch for that: We were there, eating tiramisu for dessert at every Italian restaurant meal.

Then, the rise of artisan American cheesemakers led to a delicious domestic mascarpone somewhere around the 1990s (photo #4). Vermont Creamery and Crave Brothers make such great mascarpone, that a container and a spoon is all we need to be happy.

And Crave Brothers makes chocolate mascarpone, too!

> More about mascarpone.

> The history of red velvet cake and more red velvet recipes.

> The history of tiramisu.

> Easy tiramisu recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: RED VELVET CAKE FROM THE WALDORF ASTORIA—MAYBE?

Regardless of its provenance, we enjoyed this cake very much, and are already planning to make it more “chocolatey” with the addition of chocolate chunks, next time around. And maybe we’ll add chocolate to the frosting, too.
 
Ingredients

For The Cake

 
For The Icing

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Butter and line three 9-inch round cake pans with waxed paper.

2. MIX the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla with an electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes.

3. SIFT together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and continue to mix on low speed until everything is incorporated.

4. MELT the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture while mixing on low speed. Add the puréed beets and food coloring. Continue to mix on low speed.

5. EVENLY DIVIDE the batter between the 3 pans and bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or until the center of the cake is done. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes in pans, then turn the layers out onto the rack and let cool completely.

6. MAKE the icing: Pour the cream into a bowl and whip it into soft peaks. Place in the refrigerator.

8. USING a serrated knife, trim the top of each layer of cake so that it is flat. Top each slice with icing and repeat until all the layers are covered, and then ice the top and sides of the cake.
 
 
________________

*Along with the Waldorf-Astoria, the Adams Extract company and Eaton’s Department Store in Toronto also lay claim. Irma S. Rombauer’s “The Joy of Cooking,” originally published in 1931, allegedly had a red velvet cake recipe (we haven’t been able to find an early copy to check it out) [source].

September 18th is National Rice Krispies Treats Day. Make no mistake: We really like Rice Krispies treats. But it made us wonder: What about other cereals? We also love Cheerios, Corn Flakes, and Raisin Bran.

And Rice Krispies Treats can be made with any crisp breakfast cereal, bound together with butter or margarine and marshmallows. They are one of 11 types of cookies, a no-bake of “faux” cookie.

Today, instead of another recipe for Rice Krispies Treats, we offer you a switch-of-crunch to Cheerios Treats.

There are more cereal bar recipes below, along with the history of Rice Krispies Treats.

So why Cheerios?
 
 
THE TOP CEREAL BRANDS

Cheerios are the #1 breakfast cereal in the U.S. What’s #2? Honey Nut Cheerios!

When we received this Cheerios Treats recipe from Culinary.net promising chocolate-iced treats in just 5 minutes, we got up from the computer, walked into the kitchen, and made them.

They were a hit. Next time, we’ll try Corn Flakes, a favorite of ours but way down on the top cereals list, at #19.

Rounding out the Top 10 breakfast cereals in the U.S. are, in this order, Frosted Flakes, Honey Bunches of Oats, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Life, and Fruity Pebbles. Note that eight of the Top 10 are packed with sugar [source].

Our beloved Raisin Bran just missed the Top 10 (it’s #11), and Rice Krispies are #13.

Although when Rice Krispies Treats were invented, in 1939, most cereals on the list had yet to see the light of day.
 
 
RECIPE: CHEERIOS CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER TREATS

This recipe mixes the melted milk chocolate and dark chocolate together. We’re not sure why two varieties of chocolate are used.

It seems that milk chocolate people will want to use milk chocolate, dark chocolate fans will want all dark chocolate, and those who love white chocolate can use all white chocolate.

A video of the recipe is at the bottom of this page.

The recipe was adapted from 5-Minute Dark Chocolate Cereal Bars at ScrummyLane.com. Find more seasonal dessert recipes at Culinary.net.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

If you’re using different types of chocolate, you can melt them in the same bowl.

1. LINE a 9-by-13-inch pan with parchment paper.

2. HEAT a saucepan over low heat. Add the butter, marshmallows, and peanut butter; stir to combine. Add the cereal; mix until coated. Add the cereal mixture to the pan.

3. MIX the melted milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a bowl and drizzle the chocolate over the cereal mixture. Spread it evenly over the cereal mixture and allow it to cool.

4. CUT into bars and serve. Store in an airtight container. When you need a bite of chocolate-PB goodness, just pop the lid and take one out.
 
 
MORE RICE KRISPIES & CEREAL BAR RECIPES

 
Another way to use cereal treats: Make a batch in a loaf pan as a base for cake pops, marshmallow pops, or other sweets-on-a-stick. After the pops are gone, slice the loaf, eat it as is, use the slices as a base for a sundae, or dip them in melted chocolate.

You can also toss leftover holiday candy—candy corn, for example—or stale marshmallows, into a batch of cereal bar treats.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF RICE KRISPIE TREATS

Rice Krispies Treats were invented in 1939 by Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day, recipe developers in the home economics department at the Kellogg Company. The recipe was created as a fundraiser for the Campfire Girls.

The recipe remained very popular over the decades. Kellogg subsequently trademarked the name and began to sell plain and chocolate-toped treats in 1995.

Brand names differed by country: Rice Krispies Treats in the U.S. and Mexico; Rice Krispies Squares in Canada, Ireland, and the U.K.; and LCMs* in Australia and New Zealand.

Soon other manufacturers had offered similar products under similar names, such as Crisped Rice Treats and Marshmallow Treats.

Here’s the Original Rice Krispies Treats Recipe.

Subsequently, Kellogg created Chocolate Scotcheroos with Cocoa Krispies and peanut butter (or regular Rice Krispies and chocolate morsels substituting for Cocoa Krispies. Here’s the recipe.

Today, you can go to RiceKrispies.com and find Treats recipes for every holiday of the year, and then some.

[1] Cheerios Treats with chocolate-peanut butter icing. The recipe is below (photo © Family Features).

[2] Another Cheerios Treats variation with peanut butter. Here’s the recipe (photo © Just A Taste).

[3] Cheerios Treats with a red, white and blue theme. You can use any holiday or seasonal colors. Here’s the recipe (photo © Betty Crocker).

[4] Celebrate National Rice Krispies Treats Day (photos #4 and #5 © Kellogg’s Rice Krispies | Facebook).

[5] The original Rice Krispies Treats recipe.

[6] Scotcheroos use Cocoa Krispies instead of Rice Krispies. Here’s the recipe (photo © Kellogg’s).

Rice Krispies, made from a patented process that Kellogg’s called “oven-popping,” are one of the iconic American cold breakfast cereals, launched in 1928 by W.K. Kellogg Company.

Their first television commercial aired in 1955.

When milk is added to the cereal, it collapses the crispy grains, resulting in onomatopoeic sounds that are represented by the three elfin brand characters. Snap first appeared in on the package in 1933, with Crackle and Pop joining in 1939.

The characters and their sounds are tailored for foreign languages (see †footnote).

In recent decades, their popularity has resulted in line extensions: Chocolate and Vanilla Rice Krispies (mix), Cocoa Krispies, Rainbow Krispies, and Strawberry Krispies as well as now-discontinued specialty flavors like Apple Cinnamon, Banana, and Marshmallow Rice Krispies.

There are also generic brands called Crispy Rice or Rice Crispers.

> See how the Rice Krispies package art has changed over time.
 
 

________________

*The name LCM didn’t stand for anything; it was just catchy-sounding. However, customers attributed the initials to Light Crispy Morsels, Little Cereal Milk Bar, or Little Crunchy Munchies, among others [source].

†The English Snap! Crackle! Pop! is translated into: Afrikaans: Knap! Knetter! Knak!, Belgium: Poos! Pas! Pes! Danish: Pyf! Paaf! Pof! Dutch: Pif! Paf! Pof! Finnish: Riks! Raks! Poks! French: Cric! Crac! Croc! German: Knisper! Knasper! Knusper! Spanish: Pim! Pam! Pum! Swedish: Piff! Paff! Puff!
 
 

September is National Italian Cheese Month. Italy produces approximately 600 different types of cheeses. Some of their most famous cheeses date back as long as 2,000 years. The European Commission has granted a number of these cheeses protected status; the most famous have the DOP* status.
 
 
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ITALIAN CHEESE

According to Nonna Box, the ancient Romans loved cheese and became skilled cheesemakers and breeders of livestock for goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses. While any household could make fresh cheese, Romans introduced their aging techniques to make hard cheeses to peoples throughout Europe.

Pecorino Romano, a sheep’s milk cheese, was served everywhere from imperial Roman banquets down to the military, where it was a staple food for soldiers in the field due to its long shelf life. A special kitchen for cheese making, called the caseale, was part of many Roman homes.

Medieval monasteries in Italy excelled at making high-quality cheese. Cow’s milk cheeses appeared approximately 1,000 years ago when Cistercian monks in the Po Valley of Northern Italy created Grana from extra cow’s milk that they produced. With a uniquely grainy paste (texture), records date it to 1135 at the Abbey of Chiaravalle. Today the cheese is called Grana Padano, meaning grainy cheese of the Po.

Parmigiano Reggiano appeared in the 13th century and became so treasured throughout Europe that the English diarist Samuel Pepys buried his wheel of cheese in the ground along with his wine and other valuables when he saw the Great London fire of 1666 was heading straight for his house [source].

After the list of Italian cheeses that follows, we have a delicious recipe for Heirloom Tomato & Ricotta Pizza.
 
> The history of cheese.

> The different types of cheese: a glossary.

> All cheeses by category are below.

> Italian cheeses by category are below.
 
 
ITALIAN CHEESES: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Here’s a list of many of the 600 Italian cheeses, most of which don’t travel more than locally. Below, we’ve listed cheeses that are most easy to find in the U.S.
 
 
Categories of Cheese

While systems vary from country to country, there are six basic categories of cheese:

 
Cheeses can fit into more than one category. For example, Gorgonzola is both a blue cheese and a semi-hard cheese. Asiago is both a semi-hard cheese and a hard cheese, depending on its maturity.

And, there are different classification systems that include categories such as Pressed, Soft-Ripened Cheeses, and Semi-Soft Cheeses (as well as Semi-Firm/Semi-Hard Cheeses). Gouda, Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, for example, are both pressed cheeses and semi-hard (Gouda, Cheddar) or hard cheeses (Parmigiano-Reggiano).

In the U.S., one may encounter eight categories: blue, fresh, hard, pasta filata‡‡‡, processed, semi-hard, semi-soft, and soft-ripened.

The different classifications may be confusing to the beginning turophile**, but one ultimately gets used to them.
 
 
DOP Cheeses

A cheese listed with an asterisk* is a DOP cheese (see more in the footnote*). It has a protected designation, meaning it must be made in a specific geographical area, produced from a given type of milk, using time-honored techniques.

The system was developed to assure consumers of the characteristics, quality, and authenticity they expect.

Examples include agricultural products from Aceto Balsamico di Modena (balsamic vinegar) from Italy, Champagne and Poulet de Bresse chicken from France, Emmentaler cheese from Switzerland, and Traditional Cumberland Sausage from the U.K.

There are hundreds of others, including PDO extra virgin olive oils from Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain.

The DOP designation was created in 1992, but the French AOC system (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée/Protégée [AOC/AOP]), which has been incorporated into the E.U. system (except for wines), began in 1937.
 
 
Italian Cheeses By Category

 
 
RECIPE: HEIRLOOM TOMATO & RICOTTA PIZZA

Thanks to Southern Selects, purveyor of premium produce, for this white pizza recipe. Only the crust is cooked; the ricotta and tomatoes are served fresh on top of it.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Sprinkle whole wheat flour onto the countertop and roll out the dough into a round circle, about 1 inch thick.

2. PLACE the dough on a pizza pan and use a fork to poke the dough all over. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden, then remove and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

3. WHISK together the ricotta, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Spread the ricotta mixture onto the dough and place tomato slices on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with basil and serve with a ramekin of grated parmesan cheese.

[1] With this pizza, only the crust is baked. It is then topped with fresh ricotta cheese and heirloom tomatoes. The recipe is below (photo © Southern Selects).

[2] FRESH: Ricotta, along with mozzarella, is one of the best-known fresh cheeses of Italy (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[3] BLOOMY: La Tur, made in the town of Alba in northern Italy, is a creamy, bloomy-rind cheese made from a blend of cow’s, goat’s, and sheep’s milk (photo © DeLaurenti).

[4] BLUE: Gorgonzola is Italy’s most famous blue cheese (photo © Castello Cheese).

[5] WASHED RIND: Taleggio is very aromatic with pungent flavors (photo © iGourmet).

[6] SEMIHARD: Provolone is a popular sandwich cheese (photo © DiBruno Bros).

[7] HARD: Parmigiano-Reggiano, considered one of the world’s great cheeses.

*DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) and PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) are two designations.

**A turophile is a lover of cheese. It is formed by the Greek word for cheese, tyros, plus the English -phile, meaning lover.

†The mozzarella produced in two areas has PDO status: Mozzarella di Bufala Campana and Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle. Provolone Valpadana has PDO status, as does Ricotta Romana.

‡The cheese can be semihard or hard, depending on length of aging.

‡‡A white pizza, pizza bianca in Italian, is one that does not use tomato sauce. Instead, white cheese, commonly ricotta, goes directly on top of the crust. A white pizza can also include mozzarella and parmesan.

‡‡‡Pasta filata (“pulled curd”) cheeses like mozzarella, provolone, and string cheese are named for the unique process of pulling the curds while they are dipped in hot water. The result is a paste that can be pulled apart in strips.

[1] Fabrizia limoncello (photos #1 and #3 © Moody Mixologist).

[2] Sicilian lemons (photo © Sicily On Web).

[3] How about a Pink Limoncello Reviver? Here’s the recipe.

[4] Limoncello Prosecco Sparkler. Here’s the recipe (photos #4 and #5 © Inside The Rustic Kitchen).

[5] Italian-Cuban fusion: a Limoncello Mojito Here’s the recipe.

[6] House-made limoncello is an after-dinner delight at Il Mulino Restaurant in New York City (photo © Il Mulino | Facebook).

[7] Homemade limoncello (photo CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0-license).

Welcome to American limoncello! You may know limoncello as an Italian liqueur, and it is. But a family in New England has been making their own and racking up awards so they’ve expanded to other liqueurs, canned cocktails, and baked goods.

While we’ve had a number of imported brands of limoncello, the artisanal, all-natural limoncello from Fabrizia Spirits, has taken our fancy. If you’re not familiar with limoncello:

Limoncello is lemon liqueur. It has been enjoyed in Italy for close to a century (see the history below, as an apéritif before a meal, a digestif after dinner and as a palate cleanser between courses. (Keep the bottle in the freezer to enjoy a chilled shot, sipping slowly.)

Limoncello is made from lemon peel/rind/zest (which contains lots of great-tasting lemon oil) and juice, with vodka (or grappa) as the base spirit, plus sugar and water. The latter two ingredients are turned into simple syrup.

The lemons infuse in the vodka for a few weeks, giving the vodka an intense lemon flavor. The simple syrup is then added. Brands have different levels of sweetness based on the taste of the producer (some like it sweet, others less so—we’re with the Team Less So). The liqueur is sweet, not tart.

And yes, you can make it at home. Here’s a recipe.

To viewers of the Hotel Portofino television series on Brit Box and PBS, the alcohol-averse Lady Latchmere may or may not have been served “Italian lemonade,” limoncello added to conventional lemonade. Perhaps she was given straight limoncello: The woman needed to chill!

Limoncello has its own food holiday: June 22nd is National Limoncello Day. And plan to make Italian lemonade on August 20th, National Lemonade Day.
 
 
FABRIZIA LIMONCELLO

In New England, the Mastroianni family made limoncello at home with a recipe from relatives who live in the hilltop village of Platania, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in the Calabria region of Italy.

Fabrizia, meaning “one who works with his hands,” gives the nod to artisan craftsmanship.

What started in a tiny garage in Massachusetts many years ago became award-winning Fabrizia Limoncello made with Sicilian lemons. Among other awards, it won the gold medal in the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Now produced in Salem, New Hampshire, it’s the leading Limoncello in America.
 
Made With Sicilian Lemons

The family traveled to Sicily in order to find the perfect lemons for their products.

Why Sicilian lemons?

Sicily has been called the “Lemon Riviera,” claiming the world’s finest lemons.

The island has been cultivating lemons for more than 1,200 years. The Bay of Palermo was once called the Conca d’Oro, Shell of Gold, because of the many groves of bright yellow citrus fruits gleaming in the sunshine.

The Mediterranean climate and rich volcanic soil surrounding Mt. Edna give Sicilian lemons a special sweetness and flavor. They are less acidic than other varieties and the variety has a thick oily skin, delivering lemon oil that is perfect for making good limoncello.

According to one article, nine out of ten lemons sold in Italy come from Sicily [source].

Here are the different varieties (subspecies) of Sicilian lemons.

Variations of limoncello include arancello (flavored with oranges), agrumello (flavored with mixed citrus), pistachiocello (flavored with pistachio nuts), meloncello (flavored with cantaloupe), and fragoncello (flavored with strawberry).

A version made cream is called crema di limoncello.
 
The Fabrizza Line

Fabrizia has developed a line of liqueurs and ready-to-drink products and also created the Fabrizia Lemon Baking Company.

 
Fabrizia limoncello is a real treat. We happened to have a bottle of a popular Italian brand to compare. Numerous brands from Italy are artificially flavored (it’s much cheaper than infusing peel in vodka for several weeks). Some of these limoncellos taste like lemon drop candy.

Fortunately, there are still artisan producers of the traditional Italian spirit, like Fabrizia Spirits. Fabrizia limoncello tastes fresh and natural, and bright with the flavor of citrus oil.

Trivia: Why is limoncello cloudy? Limoncello is cloudy/opaque due to the high content of the oil in the lemon peel. The oil molecules dissolve in the clear high-proof vodka.

But the subsequent addition of sugar lowers the ethanol percentage of the vodka. This brings the lemon oil out of the solution, where it mixes/emulsifies with water molecules in the simple syrup. (This is the same process by which absinthe turns cloudy when water is added.)
 
The Fabrizza Lemon Baking Company

Also, I wanted to share about our Lemon Baking Company. When the pandemic hit, and restaurants and bars shut down, the family sought another way to keep their staff working.

In 2020 they launched the Lemon Baking Company, incorporating their lLimoncello into blondies, biscotti, cookies, cake jars, lemon loaves, and whoopie pies.

Ready to dig in?

> For beverages, head to FabriziasSpirits.com.

> For baked goods, head to FabriziaLemonBakingCompany.com.
 
 
LIMONCELLO COCKTAILS

While limoncello was made to sip straight, it is a great mixer. There are many limoncello cocktail recipes, and you can create your own.

The classic Lemon Drop Cocktail combines vodka with lemon juice, triple sec, and simple syrup. But make your own version with vodka and limoncello.

Or combine gin or tequila with limoncello. Or with tonic water or mineral water.

Check out this Pink Limoncello Reviver cocktail from Moody Mixologist (photo #3).

Here are two more recipes: Cranberry Lemonade With Limoncello, and an update of the Screwdriver made with orange vodka, fresh orange juice, and limoncello.

And here are yet more limoncello cocktails.

It may sound cliched for such a recently-commercialized product, but the history of limoncello is shrouded in mystery. There is no historical documentation of limoncello before the beginning of the 20th century.

Outside of a handful of families and social circles, few Italians drank it before 1988, when the entrepreneur Massimo Canale of Capri registered the trademark “Limoncello di Capri” and began producing it in quantities that could first be sold commercially to bars, restaurants, and supermarkets throughout the area.

There are numerous printed mentions of limoncello, but no indication of where, or when, limoncello was invented.

The fact is that most liqueurs were made either by monks or by families with access to the ingredients. So anyone with a lemon tree could have been making the liqueur for generations.

Massimo Canale’s great-aunt, Maria Antonia Farace, made limoncello from the early 1900s onward, at her boardinghouse in Azzurra. She turned the lemons in her garden into the liqueur.

During the postwar period, her nephew opened a bar that specialized in the lemon liquor made with Farace’s old recipe.

In 1988, his son, Farace’s great-nephew Massimo Canale, started a small handmade production of limoncello, and registered the trademark* Limoncello.

So is that the end of it?

No! Sorrento and Amalfi have their own origin stories regarding the production of the lemon liqueur, which go back much further. Here are other origin stories from the city of Sorrento and the the Amalfi coast [source].

These origin stories take the production back to the Middle Ages.

And that, ladies and gents, is the reason behind the actual origin of limoncello.

No doubt, lemon-based liqueurs are much older than 1900, and maybe even older than the Middle Ages. Where there was plentiful fruit, it was turned into liqueur by monks or families.

Lemons are believed to have originated in northwestern India, where they have been cultivated for more than 2,500 years. Arab traders brought the lemons to the Middle East and Africa sometime after 100 C.E. Lemons arrived in Sicily, during the 9th century Arab invasions.

Many families made their own liqueurs at home, some of which, like amaretto, became major brands.

Whatever the origin, limoncello became popular throughout Italy, and from there to Europe and the U.S.

And the name?

The English translation of the limoncello means “of a yellow colo.” In some Italian dialects it also refers to a small kind of lemon with a smooth peel [source].
 
 
> The history of lemons.

> The different types of lemons.
 
________________

*In 1992, Charles C. Winchester filed for the American trademark, but it was abandoned in 2000, likely because the term had become generic [source].

The 2002 National Negroni Week runs from September 12th-18th, with celebrants meeting at their favorite watering holes to toast.

Negroni Week was established in 2013 by Imbibe Magazine and Campari, as a celebration of one of the world’s great cocktails. It also raises money for charity.

In 2013, the Negroni was the World’s #2 cocktail. This year, it’s moved up to #1 according to Drinks International, followed by the Old Fashioned, Dry Martini, and Margarita.

Call up your fellow revelers and get together this week for a Negroni or two.

But what if you’re not drinking alcohol? Head to the next section.

> Here’s the original recipe (gin, Campari, sweet vermouth) and the history of the Negroni.

> Negroni food pairings.
 
 
LYRE’S NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS

According to NielsenIQ, U.S. retail sales of non-alcoholic spirits grew 116% to $4.5 million this year. That’s quite a trend line!

Head to Lyres.com to discover an exciting world of elegant, sophisticated non-alcoholic spirits. You can make a zero-alcohol Negroni (photo #1) or any of your favorite cocktails.

Many years in the making, Lyre’s exquisite range of lovingly crafted zero-alcohol drink options was created to give people the freedom to enjoy spirits and cocktails with no alcohol.

The spirits and liqueurs* have classic bouquets and flavors and a rich mouthfeel, with length on the palate—just like conventional spirits.

There is an extensive range of non-alcoholic options. Note that the products can’t be called tequila, rum, etc. so have been cleverly renamed.

 
The packaging is top quality, with beautiful graphics.

The line has won numerous awards in international spirits competitions, often competing in categories with conventional spirits.
 
 
A NEGRONI GIFT SET

In addition to more non-alcoholic spirits than you could hope for, there’s a special Negroni Set (photo #2) consisting of three varieties to mix together:

 
There are other gift sets and even canned cocktails.
 
 
HOW IS LYRE’S MADE?

“Lyre’s is incredibly challenging to craft,” states the brand, from the expert deconstruction of the elements that create the classic flavors, to the meticulous sourcing of every all-natural, unique essence, extract, and distillate from around the globe.

It’s a proprietary process, of course. The result is a premium (yet affordable) product that is gratefully enjoyed by non-drinkers.

Lyre’s was founded by two Australians living in the U.K. The headquarters are in London, with offices around the world.

Lyre’s is made in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, Melbourne, Australia, and Montreal, Canada.
 
 
WHAT ABOUT THE NAME?

When we first heard the name, we envisioned the stringed musical instrument created in ancient Greece. It seemed fitting to have something classic and musical to describe the brand.

The brand name, however, has a different, if equally charming, provenance. It was inspired by the Australian Lyrebird, the world’s greatest mimic. It can mimic all kinds of sounds: other birdsong, even the ring of a mobile phone. You can see the bird here.

The Lyre’s team has worked hard to make its non-alcoholic spirits mimic classic spirits.

They have done a great job!

[1] A Negroni made with Lyre’s spirits (all photos © Lyre’s).

[2] You can buy the Negroni ingredients in a set.

[3] American malt whiskey-type spirit on the rocks.

[4] A zero-alcohol version of an Aperol Spritz.

[5] How about a Piña Colada?

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*In the umbrella category of alcoholic drinks, spirits and liquor are the same thing: the hardest alcohol product (often 40% A.B.V. and above) made by distillation. It can be flavored (e.g. spiced rum) but is always unsweetened. Liqueur, on the other hand, is a sweetened alcoholic product made from liquor. It is typically flavored (think amaretto [almond], crème de cacao [chocolate], triple sec [orange]), and is generally lower proof (e.g. 30% A.B.V.). Here’s the difference between a liqueur and a cordial.