liquor

Does America Need Its Own Liqueur?
Cocktails

Does America Need Its Own Liqueur?

The French have Grand Marnier, Mexico has Kahlua, the Italian's have Amaretto, Germany's got Jagermeister, and the Irish, Baileys.
by partysugar

The French have Grand Marnier, Mexico has Kahlua, the Italian's have Amaretto, Germany's got Jagermeister, and the Irish, Baileys. When it comes to liqueurs, everyone seems to have one except America... until now! An ingenious businessman from Las Vegas, Frank Arcella, has taken it upon himself to give America what it didn't know it always lacked: an original liqueur, entitled Redcliff, the American Liqueur. This isn't any old sweet alcoholic beverage, it's one that captures an all-American, classic taste: coca-cola. Arcella spent two years testing over 500 variations until he found a perfect blend of ingredients such as cinnamon, lime, rum, vermouth, vodka, and vanilla bean. Although I have yet to taste Redcliff I'm a little skeptical, just because everyone else has one doesn't mean we need a liqueur that represents America. But then again Redcliff could taste absolutely wonderful and be used as a mixer to create cool cocktails. What do you guys think, does America need its own liqueur?

Amaretto
Cocktails

Definition: Amaretto

Amaretto A liqueur with the distinct flavor of almonds, though it's often made with apricot pit kernels.
by partysugar


Amaretto
A liqueur with the distinct flavor of almonds, though it's often made with apricot pit kernels. The original liqueur, Amaretto di Saronno, is from Saronno, Italy - although many American distilleries now produce their own amaretto. It is usually served straight, on the rocks, or mixed into a cocktail and is often an ingredient used to enhance baked goods or desserts (as seen in my recipe for Amaretto Mousse).

Beer Prices May Go Up
beer

Beer Prices May Go Up

Quick! Run out and stock up on beer!
by

Quick! Run out and stock up on beer!
Pretty soon gas prices won't be the only reason to think twice about another beer run. Turns out that the cost of barley is rising fast and an increase in barley prices could translate to an increase in beer prices too.

It also doesn't help that production numbers were already down, energy prices already up, and the cost of raw material (like aluminum) also up. In fact, several breweries have already raised prices due to the raw material costs, however, you might not have noticed since distributors have been eating the cost.

Those price increases aren't always felt in consumers' pocketbooks. Distributors and retailers frequently eat the costs themselves. But with prices shooting up quickly, that could soon change.

Bernstein Research analyst Robert van Brugge forecast that this year's barley price increases will impact brewers' cost of goods sold - or the cost of the raw materials used in production - by 1 to 2 percent in 2007.

The analyst said he believes brewers will be forced to pass along some of that increase this year to consumers.

So run out and stock up! It's recommended that most canned beer should be consumed within 3 months of bottling. However some strong ales can be stored in the fridge for up to 6 months. Now, I'm not saying you can't drink it after 3 months, but it's definitely going to taste better if you drink it before.

Source: Forbes