News spread swiftly down the street - murmured rumblings of something BIG happening, something we've been awaiting for years, a monumental change in the world as we know it
That "rapture" last week may have been a bust, but we're pretty sure we've been transported to heaven. Because Sixpoint Craft Beer is now available in a can.
We'll give you a moment to swoon.
Until last week, the beloved Brooklyn brews have only been available on tap. Sixpoint began shipping packs of gorgeously designed 16 oz. cans to stores last week in a handful of favorite flavors: The Crisp Porter, Bengali Tiger IPA, Righteous Ale, and Sweet Action. Brooklyn 365 has an updated list of stores that carry it in NYC for those fortunate enough to live in the area.
Why cans instead of bottles? Brewmaster Shane Welch explained the choice to Serious Eats thusly:
"For one thing, the beer is filled to the top while the lid is stamped on under pressure, so the beer is generally fresher than in bottles where a pocket of air still exists. As a result, the dissolved oxygen levels which create stale flavors in bottled beer are usually in higher concentration in bottles versus cans. Additionally, cans are impenetrable to ambient light unlike clear or tinted glass bottles."
Sounds lovely to us.
A summer full of Sweet Action barbecues, Bengali Tiger beach parties, and Righteous rooftop cookouts?
That's the thing about tea parties. Well-dressed women, fancy hats, steaming hot liquid, polite chitchat... if that's not a surefire recipe for brawlin' I don't know what is.
Your ladies lunch just got crazy.
So make sure to bring these, your A game and some orange pekoe and get ready to rumble.
First, little old me. Then, the Queen Mother. Now President Obama. Or, should I say, President O'Bama? The Emerald Isle is apparently the place to be right now and why not? Breathtaking cliffs, castles and greenery, nonstop rainbows, all with ample fáiltes from the warm and friendly people to boot. What more could you want? Plus, it's lambing season! Baaa!
Baaaa!
Lucky for this lady - I mean, for this cailín - I am recently returned from a memorable filmmaking trip in the west of Ireland, with stops in Clifden, Connemara, Ballinrobe, Galway, Lahinch and the Cliffs of Moher - or, as they are more widely known, the Cliffs of Insanity from The Princess Bride.
See! The Cliffs of Insanity! Hurry up! Move the thing! And that other thing!
And of course, ever dutiful to my more serious responsibilities as a Gastronomista hostess, I ate as much Irish cheese as I could. I admit, I've only ever had an Irish cheddar but on this trip, I was blown away by the taste and variety of some of the cheeses I tried. Every wheel was made by a family, or generations of a family, often on not much more land than a single farm. You don't get more farm fresh than that.
My view for a day
I stocked up on a Cashel Blue, straight from the farm, Gubbeen cheese from County Cork, famous for its washed-rind cheeses, and also some of the renowned Irish Cheddars. Sigh. The sigh heard round the world.
Baaa!
Not all Irish cheeses are available in the United States, unfortunately - fie, FDA, fie!! - but a number of fine cheese purveyors carry a nice selection, including our friends at Murray's Cheese and The Bedford Cheese Shop.
Some to try:
The aforementioned Cashel Blue. Buttery and creamy, nigh spreadable, with mild tang. Ireland's first blue cheese, it's been made by a single family in County Tipperary since its development in 1984. The Bedford Cheese shop also carries Crozier, the sister blue made from sheep's milk rather than cow's milk.
Cashel "Put a knife in me, I'm done" Blue
Also from County Tipperary, Gleann Oir is a nutty cheese made from goat's milk. The good folks over at Cooleeney Farm recommend trying it in a tartlet with red onions. Recipe here.
Gleann "Nuttier Than Thou" Oir
Ardrahan, handmade by the Burns family in County Cork, is super stinky, semi-soft honey-colored goodness. The size and weight of the wheels always vary because each one is made by hand. Really amazing with whiskey - Irish whiskey, of course!
Ooze + booze
And finally, my personal favorite, Gubbeen. It means "small mouthful" -- wait, I'm sorry, what was that? Please excuse me, my mouth is full of cheese. Gubbeen Farm has been in the Ferguson family for five generations and, it should be obvious by now, when the Irish say family owned & operated, they mean it. A semi-firm washed rind cheese, it starts sharp and funky but smooths out, leaving a earthy flavor that goes perfectly with Guinness draft.
On the back of the #sweet piece we did for SOMETHING I ATE we were asked to produce a similar piece for the Gilt Taste launch party on May 18th. We were absolutely thrilled, and obviously accepted! They loved our twitter reference from the last piece, so we kept the hashtag in the hopes of generating tweets from party.
For this round we wanted to feature specialty products sold on Gilt Taste, so they sent over a beautiful selection of products to choose from.
As kids we used to get so excited about candy - and truth be told, we still do. We love the bright fun colors, it's glossy finish, the surprise of the transparency, and its ability to really do anything you want. The candy has an amazing ability to take on any flavor, any color, and any shape. So, what would be the best candy in the world? Boozy candy. We wanted to create great cocktails concentrated into a mouth sized morsel. We started with some of our favorite cocktails, the Margarita, Bourbon on the Rocks, Campari Orange, and the Peach Bellini. We then used products that we thought would highlight the flavors of the cocktails in interesting ways.
Noble Tonic No. 2 with Bourbon and Camomile
The Maple and Bourbon are both sweet caramel flavors with vanilla undertones - we used camomile tea instead of water to play up the camomile in the Noble No. 2 Tonic.
The Campari lolly was based on a Campari Orange cocktail - but we used the Blood Orange to give it an extra dimension. The Cabernet Franc Ice Syrup adds another layer of fruitiness - giving it the flavor of almost a sangria.
The Margarita was simple - a margarita in a lolly! Citrus with the kick of Tequila and the bite of the Pink Pangasinan Salt. These taste extra delicious when served with a lowball glass of sipping Tequila!
Finally we loved the idea of doing a peach Bellini - but adding pepper to give it a spicy kick. We love the Indian Long Pepper, which is an exotic pepper with floral notes.
588 Lollies on the Wall
It was a fantastic party - we have to give the Gilt team much credit for pulling off a really fun and tasty event. They did a great job highlighting the products available on the site, but also the people who have made it happen, and shared some of the behind the scenes passions that it requires to have such a successful venture.
Ms Ruth Reichl & Ms Susan Lyne Leading the Charge
Cocktails & Cocktail Lollies
Lollies & Charcuterie
You know you want one..
Still not enough?
Watch our (short but so sweet) timelapse of the install.
Sunday night we were invited to attend another Manhattan Cocktail Classic event - the Campari "Spritied Fête for the Senses Inspired by Padma Lakshmi" at The Box in the Lower East Side.
We should probably preface this post with three things. One, we are big fans of the cocktail. We are very big fans of the Negroni. Finally, we are obsessed with the color red. And as you can imagine, a Campari event at a burlesque club with its red hued lighting coupled with the seductively red and divinely delicious cocktails had us swooning all night.
There were three bars set up with master mixologists manning each. Tony Abou-Ganim of "The Modern Mixologist", Jim Meehan of PDT, Jacques Bezuidenhout, Francesco Lafranconi from Southern Wine & Spirits, and Chad Solomon & Christy Pope of Cuff & Buttons each had a specialty cocktail that was inspired by Padma Lakshmi's new cookbook "Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet". Each cocktail was extremely creative and interesting, ranging in flavours from bitter, sour, spicy, and sweet.
While all of the cocktails were delicious, our favorite was Lafraconi's Sweet cocktail - the Taj Milan: Campari, Plymouth Gin, Strega Liqueur (made with saffron, mint, and fennel), Indian Mango Curry, and Coconut Foam. A controversial choice we know, but it was sweet, spicy, and bitter at the same time and surprisingly savory and sophisticated.
Above the main bar burlesque dancers teased the accomplished bartenders - flipping, posing, dangling toes inches from them (how they kept their focus, we do not know).
Waitresses in red dresses delivered bites to the crowd as they settled in to find seats from for the show. When Ms. Lakshmi arrived - all the men in the room turned their heads and almost in unison howled, "Padma is SO sexy". Wearing an unforgiving Alaia in Campari red, she certainly makes an impression. (Seriously, who is her trainer? We want that number).
Everyone knows her as a host of Top Chef and bona fide hottie, but let's give her more credit than that. She has written two cookbooks, speaks five languages, has her own jewelry line, her own line of exotic spices, has had a successful modelling career, has been featured in numerous films, was the hostess of Italy's Domenica In, and she co-founded The Endometriosis Foundation of America. Not too shabby, we say.
Ms Lakshmi worked the crowd, and took a few minutes to answer some questions - her favorite cocktails, hangover cures, favorite recipes, what inspired her cookbooks, what a man should cook to impress a woman (a great steak, a great burger, a roast chicken, and a great dessert), cocktail party survival tricks (eat first), and finally, what was the most helpful thing in her career that has helped her get where she is today (thinking quick while hosting Domenica In, as well as learning the Italian sensibility and sensuality).
After Ms. Lakshmi's introduction, the show began. Although performances were deemed PG-13 by the MC, they were nonetheless exciting and very sexy. No photos due to The Box policy - many apologies. Instead, we give you those oh so sexy and glamorous Campari Ads:
In our humble opinion, Padma can sure bring on the glamour, and this event got us thinking; we would love to see Padma as the new face for Campari. Sure to be Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet!
Ah yes, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala. An annual blow-out of extremes, excesses, and lots and lots of cocktails. 40,000 cocktails to be exact. With 3,000 guests celebrating and drinking - that's 13.3 cocktails per guest!
We, unfortunately did not have 13.3 cocktails - but we can tell you (from today's headache and the junk-food cravings) that we had our fair share. The Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala is quite a production. Created by the talented Lesley Townsend, this was the second year of the annual event that was attended by over 130 liquor vendors - read - an amazing opportunity to taste those unknown brands in one place!
The festivities took over the entire New York Public Library - cocktail and food stations in almost every room and corner of the building, live bands, caricatures, oysters bars, burlesque dancers dancing in large bird cages, and those grand staircases and devastatingly beautiful reading rooms filled with young New Yorkers dressed for the occasion. Festive fascinators, top hats, canes, masks, floral head pieces, ties with mini martini glasses, and so many prom dresses.
It was really wonderful to spend an evening in the Library - the exquisite Beaux-Arts marble building by architects Carrère and Hastings was completed in 1911. Party-goers wrapped around the block to get into the event, and upon entry we knew it was bound to be an epic night. Each vendor had a station and a signature cocktail for the event. Renowned bartenders such as Tony Abou-Ganim and Brian van Flandern poured what seemed like an endless number of cocktails (we hope they are treating themselves to a vacation after this week).
We started the evening with one of Tony's legendary Campari Negronis, then onto the Tanqueray no. 10 Tom Nichol, Barritt's Ginger Beer Just Got Paid, Farmer's Gin Gimlet, a taste of Cayrum (so delicious), Hibiki Highball, and our two favorite cocktails of the evening: the Glenlivet Blood and Sand, and the Yamazaki cocktail.
There were some more mixed in there as well - ok maybe we got close to 13.3...
We were bummed that we were not able to hit every station and try one of each cocktail - but it's probably best we didn't.
Can someone please tell us what it is about cherries? First of all, they are delicious, they make a slammin pie, and they are so fresh and summery feeling all year round. The epitome of good girl gone bad.
These cherries are especially fresh - er - neon. Either way, we adore them, want them.
There are some undeniable mesmerizing things in the world. The ocean, lava lamps, waterfalls, diamonds, and Jell-o. Joyful, falling, bouncing, allllmost imploding (but not) Jell-o, slowed down to a hypnotic pace of 6200 frames per second where every mutation is accentuated by it's shiny (and oh-so sexy) gelatinous skin.
We recommend setting your own soundtrack for increased enjoyment.
Now that is some sexy business.
This tasty nibble is brought you by Modernist Cuisine and their state-of-the-art test kitchen. If this is a preview of what the book will look like when it thumps on our doorstep - we are excited. (June 1st - Amazon tells us).
Get yourself a good brownie (or whatever) and sit back and enjoy. More slow-mo food videos after the jump.
This Friday, April 29th, we participated in the first of a series called SOMETHING I ATE, curated by Kat Popiel of On Plate, Still Hungry and Sam Kim of SkimKim Foods. The show was a creative venture pairing art with a specifically curated menu of food and drink.
The brief asked all of the artists to document what they ate for a week, and then make a piece to culminating their dietary choices. Nevermind what we ate that week, we wanted to create something edible, interactive, portable, and sweet. Handmade lollipops came immediately to mind as a small, easily shareable object, often a conversation starter, much like a tweet.
On Twitter, the #sweet hashtag is used to describe any number of feelings, from realizing there is a 3-day weekend ahead (excitement) to falling on one’s face (sarcastic) to the taste of a rubicon mango (actually sweet.) We wanted to choose a raw material that was just as versatile -Root Liquor, an artisanal product, seemed like a perfect fit.
#sweet - before the show
Root - a nostalgic liquor that is made organically from the 1700’s recipe for “Root Tea” (what later became Root Beer thanks to prohibition) - is a product that we think is very sweet. It’s awesomeness lies in concept and execution - it is a unique and delicious liquor that can be used in cocktails, savory dishes, and in this case, sweet candy.
All of the candy is made from Root Liquor into 3 distinct flavors - Root Float, Maple Root with Sea Salt, and Chili Root.
Miss Gemma Gray Assembling the Lollies
Additionally, by referencing the language of Twitter, it winks at the contemporary food trend of photographing and tweeting throughout a meal. But much like a “conversation” of retweets on Twitter is no replacement for real conversation, no food photography can replace the physical experience of enjoying the food yourself.
Maple Root with Sea Salt Lollies
By inviting viewers to take lollipops with them, we make the digital, physical, the ethereal, concrete. It’s not just a hashtag floating around on the Internet, where the only physical connection to a thing is a click of the mouse (or touchscreen) - it’s a physical object that you can touch, taste, and take with you.
The event was a slammin' success - Sam Kim killed it with all of her delicious food. It was impressive how much food was served at this event: Sauteed Ramps and Mushrooms, Broccoli Raab with Chili de Arbol, Mixed Greens, Cumin Tamarind Carnitas Tacos, Smoky Grilled Garlic Chicken Wings, Red & White Quinoa, "Faux Gras" Banh Mi, Green Lentils with Parsley Pesto, Root Floats, and of course, our delicious Root lollies for dessert.
The SkimKim Spread.
The SkimKim Menu
We were huge fans of the Root Float: Root Liquor, Ginger Beer, Ice Cream, and gold stars (just for kicks).
A Proper Root Float
All and all it was a great night - we are looking forward to the next Something I Ate event - and we hope you will be there as well!
. Each cocktail was extremely creative and interesting, ranging in flavours from bitter, sour, spicy, and sweet. 
and Brian van Flandern poured what seemed like an endless number of cocktails (we hope they are treating themselves to a vacation after this week).
