Alcohol
Inviting Writing: First Tastes
For the next round of Inviting Writing, and to celebrate the impending new year, we're seeking your stories about "first taste" experiences.To be considered for publication, please e-mail your submissions to FoodandThink@gmail.com by this Friday (Dec. 17) morning. We'll read through all of them and...
December 13, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Pass the Posset: The Medieval Eggnog
When ye olde tavern keeper asked his patrons, "What's your poison?" their answer may very well have been, "Posset, please." The warm, creamy forerunner to eggnog was "all the rage in the late Middle Ages," according to The Glutton's Glossary, by John Ayto.In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the poison was mo...
December 08, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Eight Cocktails of Hanukkah
Look up "holiday cocktails" and most of what you will find, understandably enough, is geared toward Christmas—eggnog and glogg and other names that require the entire Scrabble supply of Gs. Not that these drinks have anything to do with the birth of Jesus, but through tradition they have become ass...
December 01, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Maple Vodka: A Sweeter Spirit
Remember that alphabet of maple treats I posted earlier this year? I have a new "V": maple vodka from Vermont.On a trip home, I discovered Vermont Spirits, a small St. Johnsbury distillery that makes vodka from the fermented sugars of maple sap instead of potatoes or grain, the usual suspects."We'r...
November 18, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
October 28, 1919: The Day That Launched a Million Speakeasies
It was 91 years ago today that Congress overrode President Woodrow Wilson's veto of the Volstead Act, which spelled out the enforcement of Prohibition. To commemorate the anniversary of the act's passage (or the fact that it no longer applies), the Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, D.C. is holdin...
October 28, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Orange Wine: What's Old Is New
Some people prefer red wine. Some swear by white. A few like rosé. Personally, I like 'em all (or at least some kinds of each color). And I just discovered another color to add to my wine palette: orange.So-called orange wine is not made from oranges (although, apparently, some people do make such ...
October 27, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Educational Food and Drink Events in D.C.
Every now and then, I just have to stop and marvel at the many culinary-themed lectures, exhibits and tastings going on in the D.C. area. What a great place for a food nerd to live, eh? Here's a sampling of upcoming events:THIS WEEK AND NEXT
October 22 and 29 at 12:30 p.m.Meet curator Cory Bernat a...
October 19, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
The Science of Fizz
Ever gulped a soda too fast and felt pain, almost like it was burning your nose or throat?There's a scientific reason for that. According to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the carbon dioxide that makes soda fizzy activates nociceptors—the cellular receptors that trigger the perc...
October 05, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Argentine Wine: Malbec and More
Quick, think of a wine from Argentina.I bet I can read your mind: Malbec?That's the first thing I think of, and the first thing I see in wine store displays these days. There's a reason for that: It's consistently good, and often a bargain. Argentine malbec is my go-to red wine in the $8 to $15 ran...
September 23, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Pretzels for Oktoberfest
Tomorrow at noon local time, the lord mayor of Munich will tap the first keg of Oktoberfest beer, signifying the beginning of the German city's 200th Oktoberfest. For two weeks thousands of locals and tourists will gather in giant tents and drink liter-size steins of beer (for the metrically challe...
September 17, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Switchel: Drinking Vinegar to Stay Cool
Make hay while the sun shines, the saying goes. But what's good for the haying is not always so comfortable for the haymaker. Even today, using modern equipment, farmers are liable to work up a powerful thirst out in the fields. Just think how much thirstier a job it was for Colonial-era haying tea...
September 08, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Warm Beer and Cold Tomatoes: How Temperature Affects Flavor
Years ago, before I ever traveled overseas, I remember hearing that English people drink warm beer. This sounded disgusting, of course, because the only "warm" beer I had ever tasted was the dregs of a cup of Miller or Budweiser from a college keg party that I had drunk too slowly. A few years late...
August 27, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
A Micro-Winery in the Colorado Mountains
We've all heard of micro-breweries by now, but how about micro-wineries? The concept was new to me until this summer, when I went on a family vacation that involved spending a few nights in Conifer, Colorado.My aunt, who lives nearby, had made reservations for us at a charming four-room B&B cal...
August 24, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Bark on the Rocks: A Rustic Gin and Tonic Recipe
Having two jobs (in addition to the blog, I work at a regional Adirondack magazine) assures that I have to think about something other than food at least part of the time. But, occasionally, the subject matter of my two jobs intersects.Today, for instance, I was doing research on the Adirondack Lea...
August 11, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
A Summer Reading List for Food Lovers
It's a sticky August afternoon, and the family members are facing their third day of vacation in a tiny beach town. The thrill of splashing in the surf and crafting sand castles has faded, replaced by streaks of sunburn around the edges of swimsuits and sandal straps. ("I told you to put lotion eve...
August 05, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
The Buzz About Shade-Grown Coffee
I think it's time we had a talk about the birds and the bees. Over coffee, naturally.No, really. Did you know that the shady forests where coffee is traditionally grown in Latin America provide a critical habitat for many migratory birds? Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has an informative slide s...
July 28, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
What's a Lassi?
I don't want the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to ever end, for one cold, sweet, selfish reason: lassi, conveniently located for my lunch break. With the festival in full swing now through Monday, several ethnic food vendors have set up tents along the National Mall (usually a culinary dead zone be...
July 01, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Randall Grahm on Why Wine's Terroir Matters
Through the Smithsonian Resident Associates, I had the pleasure of meeting renowned California winemaker Randall Grahm at a tasting event last week. He discussed the idea that some wines uniquely express the place, or terroir, where they were made."It's time for us in California to start taking ser...
June 15, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Inviting Writing: When Grandma Makes You Drink Poison
We've arrived at the final chapter in our "fear and food" theme in Inviting Writing (look for a new theme on Monday), and have we got a great story for you!Our last writer remembered always dreading dinner at her intimidating grandfather's house. Christine Grogan, on the other hand, had no reason t...
June 14, 2010 |
By Amanda Bensen
Tastes Gruit, Less Bitter: Beer Without the Hops
I just can't get on board the ultra-hoppy beer bandwagon. Lately brewers have been vying to create the world's bitterest beer, and it seems that every microbrewery has put forth an IPA (India Pale Ale) that scores high on the IBU (International Bittering Unit) scale.Hops are the flowers that give b...
May 14, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
