That's Fit That's Fit

Eating locally isn't always better By Rigel Gregg on locally Filed under: Food and Nutrition Have you been making an effort to eat locally? Why? There are lots of reasons, but one of the biggest ones is the thought that the shorter the distance food travels to get to you the smaller the carbon footprint it leaves in the way of consuming fossil fuels. But measuring the environmental impact by "food miles" alone can be surprisingly misleading. Once other factors like production, water use, and harvesting techniques are put in the equation suddenly local isn't always better. Case in point: lamb raised in the lush fields of New Zealand and shipped across the ocean by boat to England use four times less energy and environmental resources than lamb raised in British pastures, because there the fields are exhausted and the farmers use feed. And meat isn't the only product where it may be more energy-efficient to buy it from across the globe than from across town, similar situations were found for dairy and fruit. Wow, what a mess. How are we supposed to know? Via SlashfoodRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments Comments

That's Fit That's Fit

Diet foods 'increase obesity' in children By Jonathon Morgan on overweight Filed under: Food and Nutrition, Diet and Weight Loss, Healthy Kids Especially given all the news about the growing obesity epidemic amongst children, it seems there's even more reason to be feeding your kids diet food and drinks. But apparently not, say researchers, who, in a recent study, discovered that these so-called "diet" options may actually be part of the problem. The reason, say scientists, is that, because the foods are artificially low in calories, they hinder children's ability to associate taste with calorie content. Subsequently, they'll reach adulthood without understanding which foods are most-likely to cause weight gain, and be at greater risk for obesity later in life. Continue reading Diet foods 'increase obesity' in children Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Comments

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Liqueur Notes: J Winery Pear Liqueur By Jonathan M. Forester on pears Filed under: Lush Life, Raves & Reviews, Trends, America, Spirits, Liquor Cabinet, Liqueurs J Winery Pear Liqueur is 30% abv. / 60 proof. When I was researching this liqueur I found out an interesting story about how it came about. In 1995 the present day Cellar Master of J Winery, Tom Meeker, was playing around with fermenting pears, on the grounds that would later become J Winery and Vineyard. This pear juice was slowly fermented to full dryness and then twice distilled in a copper alembic still, to produce a pear brandy that was 50% abv. / 100 proof. The pear brandy was then laid down in French Limousin oak barrels for ten years to age and was basically forgotten about. Then a couple of years ago J Winery's Winemaker, Oded Shakked, purchased the distilled pear brandy for the company J Wine to use. It was then blended with de-ionized (rain) water and liquid sugar to make the liqueur. The liqueur was then cold stabilized and aged for six more months before bottling earlier this year. Before I tell you anything more about this liqueur I am going to tell you a story. I make my own liqueurs as a hobby and four years ago I was hired to work as the hard cider maker for an award winning cider company and orchard. While there, I learned that pears don't ripen fully until they have been chilled almost to freezing. So pears left on the tree will just keep making sugar but have no nice flavor, until they are picked and chilled. But if picked and chilled; they ripen, soften, and develop their full flavor. Rarely a frost comes about and chills the fruit before they have a chance to be picked. In this case, if the pears aren't harvested immediately, and sold right away, you end up with a load of rotten fruit. Continue reading Liqueur Notes: J Winery Pear Liqueur Permalink | Email this | Comments Comments

TREND HUNTER Magazine Trend Spotting, Cool Hunting and Innovation

Personal Draft Beer Dispenser In Lifestyle Trends (TrendHunter.com) Draft Beer at home? It doesn't get better than that! Football season is almost here and you want to impress your friends. Check out this counter top beer cooler and tab offered by Hammacher Schlemmer. It has a 5 liter keg capacity and dispenses your beer just like the corner bar.

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Gin Notes: Boodles British Gin By Jonathan M. Forester on gin Filed under: Lush Life, Gin, Raves & Reviews, Trends, Spirits, Liquor Cabinet Boodles British Gin is 45.2% abv. / 90.4 proof and is made by Chivas Brothers for Pernod Ricard, USA. Boodles was named after the Boodle's Gentlemen's club in St. James's, London, which was founded in 1762 and run by Edward Boodle. It is said to have been the favorite gin of the club's most famous member, Winston Churchill. It is currently one of the most popular gins in the United Kingdom but isn't as well known in the US. I first tasted Boodles many years ago when I was club hopping in South Hampton in my late teens, with my best friend and roommate at that time named Jonathan. Having a roommate with the same name has its good and bad points, at least he had good taste in gin. Up until then I tended to order a Tanqueray and tonic when I was out, but Jon had just been served a Boodles and tonic and convinced me to try it as well. For the rest of that summer Boodles was my gin of choice. Of course back then there weren't many gins available like there are now, so Boodles was also exotic in the extreme. I found it had a more refined and elegant taste than other gins and eventually started to order it plain on the rocks. This was the gin that taught me to appreciate gin in and of itself, and the heck with tonic. Continue reading Gin Notes: Boodles British Gin Permalink Email this Comments Comments

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Friday Happy Hour: The St. Clémentine Sour By Jonathan M. Forester on tangerine Filed under: Juice, Lush Life, Recipes, Cocktails, Rum, Trends, Happy Hour, Spirits, Liquor Cabinet, Liqueurs Now that you have been hearing for a couple of days about the Second Annual Clément NYC Cocktail Challenge and the St. Clémentine Sour I thought you should have a chance to taste it. Check back here on Slashfood to find out more about the competition. Cheers and have a great weekend! St. Clémentine Sour Created by Jonathan M. Forester In style, the St. Clémentine Sour is what is known as an International Sour. It is tart, tangy, mildly musky, and slightly sweet. In all, a very complex cocktail using Clement Première Canne Rhum Agricole from French Martinique, St. Germain Elderflower French liqueur, fresh squeezed Clementine and Lemon juices, and Stirrings Blood Orange Bitters. 2 Oz. Clément Première Canne Rhum Agricole 3/4 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur 2 oz. fresh squeezed Clementine orange juice (or Satsuma, Mandarin, or Tangerine. Approximately the juice from one Clementine) 1 oz. fresh squeezed Lemon juice (Approximately the juice from half a lemon.) 1/4 tsp. of Stirrings Blood Orange bitters (If using Regan's or Fee's Orange Bitters then just 1 dash / 1/8 tsp.) Shake over ice and strain into a six oz. champagne flute or a four oz. sours glass. An optional garnish is very thin, curling Clementine and Lemon zest strips floated on top of the drink.

CONSUMING PASSIONS: Fluid Notions

Recent items from Slashfood

Bodum Pavina Double Walled Glasses

By Joanne Lutynec

Sometimes it isn't what is inside the glass that counts, it is the glass itself. Jaden at Steamy Kitchen used Bodum Pavina Double Walled Glasses to make a gorgeous cup of Espresso con panna, which is espresso topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, as show above. Though the beverage inside is what caught my eye, I had to take a closer look at the glass itself. They are insulated and double walled, handmade and mouth-blown, and come in six different sizes ranging from an iced tea glass (21 oz.) down to a 2oz. espresso / shot glass. (The glass shown in the picture is a 5oz.) Prices range from $11.95-$39.95 on the Bodum website, for a set of two glasses. Is it too early to start making my Christmas wish list?
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Friday Happy Hour: Alexander's Brother (and Sister)
By Bob Sassone

I don't think that any other "name" drink has as many offshoots as this one (though I could be wrong). We have the Alexander, and there's also recipe's for Alexander's Brother and Alexander's Sister. I wonder if there's a crazy aunt or a shady cousin around?

Alexander's Brother
3 cl gin
3 cl creme de menthe
4-6 cl light cream

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with mint leaf.

Alexander's Sister
1 shot gin
1/2 shot creme de cacao
2 dashes creme de menthe
1 to 1 1/2 shot light cream
Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with a red cherry.

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Vermouth Wine Notes: Vya Extra Dry Vermouth

By Jonathan M. Forester

I was mixing up some martinis the other day for some taste tests of various gins and a friend said to me that vermouth was just vermouth and it didn't matter which one you used. I went ballistic and told him he was nuts. I said that if you are using premium spirits then you have to use premium mixers. Then I turned him on to Vya Extra Dry Vermouth, a product that I have been using the past few months. It's kind of difficult to find but it is available if you are willing to make the effort and is also available straight from the manufacturer, shipped to certain states.

Vya is an ultra-premium vermouth that is a whole different class of being than other vermouth's I have tried. Produced and bottled in California by Andrew Quady Winery, it is created from Columbard and Orange Muscat wines and then steeped with botanicals like lavender, sage, orris, linden and others.

The aroma is teasingly sweet and herbaceous like a dessert wine with hints of herbs. The taste is both sweet and dry at the same time, a tangy, tart taste with a heck of a lot going on without being overwhelming. This vermouth is well blended with smooth and sharp herbs and spices that fill your mouth pleasingly. It is fantastic with martinis, but also tastes great served straight in a glass as an aperitif, or mixed with seltzer for a refreshing take on a wine spritzer. I have to say that if you are going to be using great gin to build your martini, then use great vermouth as well. I haven't tried their sweet vermouth yet but look forward to doing so most anxiously.

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Wine That Loves
By Joanne Lutynec

Some of us, through work, pleasure, or other pursuits, have been fortunate enough to become quite familiar with a variety of wines. If you consider yourself a seasoned wine taster or your knowledge borders on that of a sommelier, then this probably isn't for you. However, I've heard from a large number of people over the years who really have no idea which wines may go well with their meals, and quite often their insecurities will cause them not to buy any at all. Now I'm sure we can all agree that is a real tragedy.

As many of you know, proper food/wine pairing creates a whole new dimension of flavor while dining, and Wine That Loves was created just for this purpose. Using a team of sommeliers, winemakers, and chefs, they have developed a series of wines created to enhance the flavors of the foods you may eat every day.

So far they have created Wine That Loves: Pasta with Tomato Sauce, Roasted Chicken, Pizza, Grilled Steak, and Grilled Salmon. Though designed to enhance the flavor of those particular meals, they also state that the wines can simply be enjoyed on their own as well. If anyone has tried their products yet, we'd love to hear your thoughts.

CONSUMING PASSIONS: Gin Notes

From SlashFood









D. H. Krahn Gin

By Jonathan M. Forester

D. H. Krahn Gin is 40% abv. / 80 proof and made in the USA in small batches. Krahn uses French, custom made, Stupfler alembic copper pot stills, which are considered some of the best. Many gins brag about being triple or quadruple distilled. The multiple distilling is done for a variety of reasons, but usually to make the gin as clear and neutral tasting as possible, before adding the botanicals and redistilling. D. H. Krahn says that they start with clean neutral spirits and then add the botanicals. After which the gin is only distilled once to "preserve the fragile aromas and precious essential oils of the botanicals--essences that are lost each time a spirit is distilled." Then the gin sits for three months after distilling to meld and mellow.

The product was created by two Cornell students, Dave Hughes and Scott Krahn who were designing a unique brand for a class project and decided upon a premium gin. They became so enthusiastic about the class project that after graduation they pursed the dream, to create the product in reality.

The botanicals used in D. H. Krahn, as listed on their website are: "Jumbo Italian Juniper Berries, Moroccan Coriander Seed, Floridian Oranges, Californian Lemon and Grapefruit, and rounded out with a touch of Thai Ginger."

The aroma is sweet, smooth, light, and round. It has light juniper, mild spice, and a sweet fruit and citrus profile. It's a very soft and pleasing scent that develops a nice, mildy musky tone as it opens up, with the citrus becoming more evident.

The taste is light, clean, and exceptionally smooth--complex and well balanced with the botanicals bleeding well. Not one component overwhelms any of the others so you get a gin that is different from the norm, but all gin in taste. It is a very pleasant gin that will appeal to those who want something a bit more refined and elegant. A gin that isn't overpowering. This gin is best for sipping straight on the rocks or in a very dry martini, and would be wasted in mixed drinks.

D. H. Krahn can be found in many NY liquor stores and on the net at http://www.bevmax.com/. I do have to say that they have the most silly and annoying website. http://www.dhkrahn.com/ It's all about fashion and dating, but any real information on the product was buried in the last place you come to. The last line of the last topic heading. That's trying a bit too hard to make their product seem above the rest in my opinion.

CONSUMING PASSIONS: The Top 5 Red and Top 5 White Wines for Fall Dinner Parties

Photo by Michal Szydlowski via Stock.xchng

Hey, if fashion designers can roll out not just their fall but their upcoming spring collections in summer, then Rokovoko isn't too compulsive considering wine purchases for those dinner parties that are already inking up our fall calendars, right? We sought help from an expert at one of D.C.'s biggest and best-known retailers of fine wine and spirits.

By Phillip Bernstein
Wine Consultant for Calvert Woodley

Top 5 dinner-party whites:

1. 2004 Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett Schmitt-Wagner (Germany, Mosel). $17.99. German Riesling is by far the best-kept secret in wine. If you think they are all sweet, flabby wines, think again. Top-flight German Riesling such as this is racy, just sweet enough to be interesting, and a killer companion to Asian foods as well as anything spicy. It has the added benefit of low alcohol content, making your guests feel that much better.

2. 2004 Venica Sauvignon Blanc (Italy, Collio). $19.99. While people look to France's Loire valley and New Zealand for dry, crisp Sauvignon blancs, they often overlook Northeast Italy. If a wine of this quality came from a place like, say, Sancerre it would cost twice as much. Perfect with light seafood preparations and vegetarian cuisine.

3. 2004 Jean-Baptiste Adam Pinot Gris (France, Alsace). $15.99. Alsace Pinot Gris is the wine for salmon. Varieties range from dry to sweet, and to find out where on the spectrum a particular one is, you've just got to drink it. This one is toward the drier side, and has a lush, mouth-coating texture that complements salmon and other full-flavored dishes.

Photo via stock.xchng

4. 2004 Stadt Krems Riesling "Gillenparz" (Austria, Kremstal). $28.99. Another Riesling! OK, OK, trust me. This really is perhaps the world's greatest grape. Austrian examples tend to be drier then their German counterparts and this one is probably my favorite wine (red or white) under $30 right now. A rather full-bodied white, it would be great with crab cakes or any other seafood preparation. It would also go well with turkey.

5. 2004 Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet Sous la Puits (France, Burgundy). $44.99. White Burgundy is the king of white wines. One-hundred percent chardonnay, this is an expensive wine that pairs well with expensive foods. Think lobster, cream sauces, and anything else you don't normally eat for dinner. If you've never drunk white burgundy with lobster, you haven't experienced one of life's great pleasures!

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Photo by Robson Oliveira via stock.xchng

Reds:

1. 2005 Fondreche O'sud (France, Cotes de Ventoux). $11.99. This wine comes from the Southern Rhone valley of France. Similar to a Cotes du Rhone, it is a blend of Grenache and Syrah and an absolute steal for the price. Fresh and unoaked, it would be a perfect cookout wine.

2. 2005 Sherwood Pinot Noir (New Zealand, Marlbourgh). $15.99. Decent Pinot Noir under $25 is becoming very difficult to find. This one from New Zealand is a rare exception. Serve with almost anything, especially poultry or pork.

Photo from Sherwood Estates

3. 2004 Paitin Dolcetto D'Alba (Italy, Piedmont). $18.99. Dolcetto comes from Italy's Piedmont region, home to the more famous Barolo and Barbaresco. It's another underrated wine that people don't pay enough attention to, the kind of wine you can sit back and enjoy while your friends chase over-oaked, over-priced California Cabernets that don't go with any foods at all. Best with pasta or anything else Italian.

4. 2004/5 Torbreck "Woodcutters" Shiraz (South Australia). $21.99. While I obviously prefer "old world" wines for their food friendliness and better price-to-quality ratio, I am a sucker for a good Aussie shiraz. Torbreck makes awesome wines, and this is their introductory cuvee. Always an amazing value, it is bold yet still nicely balanced. Best with ribs, burgers and steak.

5. 2003 Chateau Pontet-Canet (France, Bordeaux). $79.99. It would be impossible to leave the noble Bordeaux off this list. This wine is way too young, but 2003 was a hot vintage and it is showing pretty well in its youth. Pontet-Canet has gotten rather expensive, but makes wines on the level of many of its much more expensive neighbors. Use of a decanter a few hours ahead of time will help to soften out this big cabernet-based wine. Bordeaux is the wine for lamb and roast meats.