TALK DRINKS

A New Season of Italian Wine Tasting

  

Vinitaly in the World Tour recently debuted the spring US Tour Dates for 2012. The highly anticipated tour will stop in Chicago at the River East Arts Center on April 30th and in New York at Three Sixty° (Tribeca Rooftop) on May 2nd for trade tastings. A consumer event will take place in New York at 82 Mercer in partnership with the American Cancer Society’s annual Taste of Hope Fundraiser. Get ready to swirl and sip your favorite Italian wines!

 For the first time ever, Vinitaly will hold its US Tour events in the Spring in order to better serve the American wine trade. For the third year in a row, Vinitaly will partner with the American Cancer Society to help raise money to fight cancer.

Vinitaly in the World is dedicated to opening up the exciting world of Italian wine to US wine press and trade, including importers, distributors, retailers, restaurateurs and sommeliers, and to educating Italian wine producers about the US market.

For more information, contact Dana Polonsky at [email protected] or 646.624.2885 ext. 106, or email [email protected]

Happy National Margarita Day!

For those of you who do not know, today is a big holiday for us here at TalkDrinks, it's National Margarita Day! Today we celebrate this classic tequila cocktail by drinking Partida Margaritas (recipe below). As we sip on a celebratory drink tonight, we thank Don Carlos Orozco. Although some may debate, Don is credited most widely for the invention of the Margarita as a way to impress the daughter of a German Ambassador in a bar in Ensenada, Mexico. Margarita Henkel, the daughter, is who the cocktail we adore so is allegedly named after. Tonight, we toast to Don, Margarita and the bartenders across the US who make us smile each time the beautifully salt rimmed glass appears in front of us. We hope you enjoy a Margarita today and if you are looking for a National Margarita Day party near you check out: http://nationalmargaritaday.com/find-a-party/.

PARTIDA MARGARITA
with 100% Organic Agave Nectar
1 1/2 oz Partida Blanco Tequila*
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
3/4 oz Partida Agave Nectar
3/4 oz Water
Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or over
fresh ice into an old-fashioned glass.
Taste for balance.

Experiencing Shochu

On February 13^th, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) and JSS (Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association) came together with 16 leading Shochu producers for an event entitled “Experience Shochu, the National Spirit of Japan.” The purpose of the event was to introduce Shochu (a Japanese spirit, similar to vodka or whiskey) to American consumers on a large scale, and introduced it was! The event drew a large crowd of individuals sampling 44 different varieties of the spirit neat or on the rocks as well as 3 cocktails created by the Liquid Chef himself, Junior Merino (which were absolutely delicious!)

You are probably asking yourself the number one question of the night: What is Shochu? (Number two being: where can I buy it?). Shochu is a Japanese spirit dating back to the 16^th century.  Unlike Sake, which is a brewed rice wine, Shochu is distilled. It comes in many varieties (providing a great range of tastes at the event) because it is commonly distilled from various forms (sweet potato, rice and barley to name a few).  With the surging popularity of Japanese food and Sake in America, we foresee a large growth of popularity for this spirit in the future and are glad we were able to sample it firsthand.

Next time you are in an authentic Japanese restaurant or Izakaya skip your usual and order a drink with Shochu, you won’t regret it!

 

Jalisco Daisy

Looking for a winter-time twist on your favorite margarita? Try the Jalisco Daisy by Mike Ryan of Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago! This delicious treat features Partida Blanco and Partida 100% Organic Agave Nectar – the rest is all fresh produce from your local market.

Jalisco Daisy, by Mike Ryan, Sable Kitchen & Bar

2 oz Partida Blanco
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz Partida 100% Organic Agave Nectar (cut with 1/4 oz water)
2 Sage leaves

Shake all ingredients. Fine strain. Serve up.