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?

________________

*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.

[1] Chocolate hazelnut Bourbon milkshake. The recipe is at right. (photo © Gelson’s Markets | Facebook).

[2] Nutella for the shake (photo © Mikael Stenberg | Unsplash).

[3] Chocolate fruitcake shakes. Here’s the recipe (photos #3 and #4 © American Heritage Chocolate).

[4] How about a chocolate cookie milkshake? Toss a few Oreos or Famous Chocolate Wafers into the blender.

September 12th is National Chocolate Milkshake Day, and here’s a shocker: This milkshake started life as an alcoholic drink, along the lines of eggnog The first printed reference dates to 1885, and it wasn’t until 1922 that the ice cream milkshake was born.

There are 19 more milkshake recipes below.

> Here’s the history of the milkshake.

> The differences between a float, ice cream soda and shake.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT-BOURBON MILKSHAKE

We adapted this recipe from Gelson’s Markets, who adapted it from The New York Times.

The recipe is a hybrid: the alcohol of the early days with the ice cream shake we know and love.

 
Note that your shake will be more creamy if you use custard-based ice cream (one made with eggs, like Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen-Dazs, and Talenti, among others).
 
Ingredients Per Serving

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the milk, Bourbon, Nutella, and malted milk powder in a blender. Blend on medium speed until the Nutella is incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

2. ADD the ice cream and blend until creamy. Pour into a chilled sundae glass.
 
 
19 MORE MILKSHAKE RECIPES

Some of these shakes have alcohol, and some don’t. But you can add spirits to any recipe.

While chocolate, coffee, or strawberry liqueurs work nicely when they match the ice cream flavor, we particularly like Irish cream liqueur.

In addition to the delicious flavor, it adds to the creaminess of the shake.

 
Plus

September is National Fruits & Veggies Month, a holiday established by the USDA to bring greater attention to the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables.

The message is not only to “make the most of summer produce while it’s still available,” but to integrate more fruits and vegetables into your daily meals. It’s pretty easy: Here’s how.

So who’s tops in produce?
 
 
WHAT AMERICANS ARE BUYING

The Fresh Produce Association shared these results from a trade industry survey, The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2022. The study reflected consumer behavior in 2021.

More specifically, it surveyed consumers on their most-purchased fruits and vegetables.

 
 
CHANGES FROM LAST YEAR

The chart below lists the most frequently-purchased fruits and vegetables in 2021 in the U.S. What’s new?

 
O.K., maybe that’s not so exciting unless you’re a grocery store produce manager. But take a look:

Where do your favorites rank on the list?

[1] What are America’a Top 20 fruits and veggies? Apples are the #4 fruit (photo © Envy Apples | Facebook).

Broccoli[/caption]
[2] Broccoli is #6 on the vegetables list (photo © Burpee).

[1] What’s for brunch? A bagel with citrus cream cheese and papaya ribbons. The recipe is below (photo © Southern Selects).

[2] There are numerous subspecies of Carica papaya, demonstrating different sizes, shapes, and flavor nuances (photo © Alleksana | Pexels).

[3] A shorter, rounder variety (photo © Little Plant | Unsplash).

[4] The papaya “tree” isn’t a tree, but a giant herb—just like the banana. The green fruits turn yellow when ripe (photo © Brooks Tropicals).

[5] Green papaya salad. Here’s the recipe (photo © Rasa Malaysia).

[6] A papaya boat can be a first course, or served with yogurt or cottage cheese for breakfast. Here’s the recipe (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

September is National Papaya Month and it’s the weekend, so how about something outside the box: papaya on a bagel instead of smoked salmon? Lemon cream cheese brings the right counterpoint so that the papaya is right at home on the bagel of your choice.

The recipe, Papaya Ribbons with Lemon Cream Cheese on Toasted Bagels, was created by Southern Selects, a grower of premium products, as a creative way to use its papayas.

> The history of bagels.

> The history of cream cheese.

> The history of the papaya is below.

> There are more delicious papaya recipes below.
 
 
RECIPE: PAPAYA RIBBONS WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE ON TOASTED BAGELS

We didn’t have a ripe avocado when we made this recipe, but we didn’t miss it.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. CUT the papaya in half, scoop out and discard the seeds. Slice the halves into 4 sections lengthwise. Trim the skin from the flesh.

2. USE a vegetable peeler or a mandolin to thinly slice the papaya flesh into ribbons.

3. CUT the flesh of halved avocado into thin slices. Cut the onion into thin slices and place both on the side.

4. ZEST the lemon with a grater. Combine the lemon zest, cream cheese, and honey. Toast the bagels. When the bagels are ready…

5. SPREAD the cream cheese mixture on one side of the toasted bagel and top with sliced papaya and then avocado. You can add a couple drops of lemon juice on top of the bagel, or serve it with a lemon wedge.
 
 
MORE PAPAYA RECIPES

Savory Recipes

Today, the fruit can be found in a variety of cultures and their foods, ranging from savory to sweet. Note that you can easily substitute papaya for mango in most recipes.

 
Sweet Recipes

 
Cocktails

 
 
 
PAPAYA HISTORY & USES

The papaya, Carica Papaya L., is believed to have originated in southern Mexico and eastern Central America. Also known as the pawpaw*, the papaya is one of the 22 species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae, a family of flowering plants in the order Brassicales. (If that sounds familiar, see footnote †).

The name arrives from ababai, a word in the Carib language of South America.

It may represent the fusion of two or more species of Carica that are native to Mexico and Central America [source].

The papaya was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, in the area of modern-day southern Mexico and Central America. By the time the Spanish arrived, in 1529, the papaya had already spread throughout Central America and into South America.

Spanish invaders greatly enjoyed the salmon-orange-colored fruit and planted it throughout the Caribbean and South America. The Spanish then introduces it to Asia via the Philippines. It spread to India, and eventually to Europe.

By the 17th Century, Dutch and Portuguese colonists had brought papaya to Africa and then onto the Far East, where it became an integral part of the cuisines of Southeast Asia [source].

By the 19th century, the fruit was being cultivated in all of the world’s tropical regions [source].

And why not: The succulent fruit, moderately sweet, has those special qualities that say “tropical!” even if you were blindfolded and given a bite.

The fruit became popular for breakfast and green salads, pies, not to mention confections, juice, pie, sherbet, and other desserts. You can also toss halves on the grill, or add them to skewers.

 
Like the banana, the papaya is botanically a berry. It may look like it grows from a tall tree, but both papaya and banana are the fruits of an herb.

In 1932, Papaya King, a New York City hot dog stand, was the first to start what became a papaya juice craze. It’s still around, replicated by other mini chains such as Gray’s Papaya and Papaya Dog.

In 2020, India produced 43% of the world supply of papayas [source].

Papaya (is the third most cultivated tropical crop worldwide [source].

*Among other names for papaya are mamao, melon zapote, and papayo. But wait: Papaya is also known as papaw in Australia and other parts of the world. However, in the U.S., a pawpaw is not a papaya but an indigenous, mango-shaped fruit.

†Brassicaceae (brah-si-KAY-see-ay), a high-antioxidant Brassicaceae family of flowering plants, was formerly called the Cruciferae and is sometimes called the Brassicas. cruciferous vegetables, mustard family, or cabbage family. The vegetables are nutritional powerhouses, packed with potent, cancer-fighting phytonutrients. Members include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, horseradish/wasabi, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard greens, radish, rapeseed/canola, rapini, rutabaga, tatsoi, turnips, and watercress, among others.

‡Carib or Kari’nja is a Cariban language spoken by the Kalina people (Caribs) of South America. It is spoken by around 7,400 people mostly in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil.
 
 

The New York Coffee Festival, New York City’s flagship coffee event, is celebrating its return to the City That Never Sleeps (even after all that coffee) for the first time since 2019. The three-day festival runs from October 7th through October 9th, 2022.

It’s an opportunity for coffee lovers from all over to head to Manhattan’s Metropolitan Pavilion to discover different types of coffee, food, and coffee cocktails while enjoying presentations, live music, and art.
 
 
THINGS TO DO AT THE FESTIVAL

There are unlimited tastings from more than 100 of the most exciting and innovative exhibitors of coffee tea, and nibbles. Just a taste of the exhibitors: Blank Street, Bodum, Nguyen Coffee Roasters, Oatly, Parlor Coffee, Raaka Chocolate, Rishi Tea, and Slayer Espresso Machines. There’s lots to discover!

You’ll also be able to purchase great goodies. The last time we were there, we scored big on Chalo Chai (a terrific brand, not readily available in the U.S.) and discovered Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur.

 
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION & TICKETS

Head to NewYorkCoffeeFestival.com.
 
 
> The different types of coffee.

> The different types of espresso drinks.

> The history of coffee.

> The history of espresso.

[1] There are lots of coffee cocktails to try (all photos © New York Coffee Festival).

[2] You may possibly run into some Instagrammable characters.

[3] Coffee cupping enhances your skills at detecting the complex aromas and flavors of coffee.