Flavored vodka has exploded in both popularity and absurdity over the last 5 years. You can find everything from sweet to savory on the vodka liquor shelf, but it’s mostly low-quality and artificially flavored.
Tequila, however, which is overseen by the Tequila Regulatory Council of Mexico, couldn’t legally contain any additional flavorings until 2004. As a result, you’ll find fewer flavored tequilas at the stores.
Well, we’re about to leap into 2015, so we guess some celebrating is in order. But first, some comments about celebrations on New Year’s Eve from some wise philosophers. “I’m not a drinker,” said Woody Allen, “my body won’t tolerate spirits, really. I had two martinis New Year’s Eve and I tried to hijack an elevator and fly it to Cuba.” Don Marquis confesses: “I drink only to make my family seem interesting.” And perhaps the wisest philosopher all, the great Henny Youngman, said about his family, “My grandmother is over eighty and still doesn’t need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle.” We’re going one step better than that. Here are two of our favorite Christmas and New Year’s Eve drinks.
I’ve no doubt that while you collect the Parent’s Tax on your kids’ Halloween candy this year, some of you will have the beginnings of a cold or other nasty Fall malady. It’s just karma balancing the scales for raiding your offspring’s sweets. If you’re looking for a fun twist on the hot toddy to counter karmic vengeance, try my version with CaJohn’s Frostbite.
If you’re a home gardener, you’ve probably experienced the dreaded Zucchini Syndrome. Over-producing squash plants make the zukes faster than your family can eat them. You try to give them away, but no one wants them because they’re now larger than your cat. Well, the same thing can happen to chile plants, which is why I wrote Too Many Chiles with Nancy and Jeff Gerlach. But at least you can dry the chile pods to preserve them—something you can’t do easily with zucchinis and large tomatoes.
You can’t catch lightning in a bottle. You can, however, gain the ability to shake uncontrollably as you lie on the ground after running around holding a metal rod and a pickle jar in a thunderstorm. But enough about my childhood. Let’s catch fire in a glass.
I’m not quite sure what this kit is supposed to do but Molecule-R sure is amped about it. It’s the company that makes the R-Evolution mixology kit and hopefully it kicks us one of these little chemistry sets to play with in my home lab.
One thing I love to do at the Fiery Foods Show is prowl the floor looking for new ways to combine products. This Spicy Chocolate Frappe is the best result I’ve ever had.
