Irish whiskey has the clear distinction of being distilled in either the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland. Unlike Scotch whiskey, most Irish whiskies are distilled three times, and in such a way that the lovely aroma is derived from the materials used to make the whiskey. Also unlike the smoky, earthy overtones of Scotch…
Going to watch a professional sport game is an exciting event. Rooting for your favorite team, sipping on a cold beer, eating peanuts and Cracker Jacks and hot dogs and nachos and cotton candy and popcorn and greasy burgers…and…and…and… Let’s face it, a lot of the allure of going to the ball field is the…
What could be better than a nice cold craft beer? There is nothing better than standing in the beer aisle at your local grocery store and choosing your favorite, and then heading home in anticipation of that first sip. Or ordering at your favorite bar and anxiously waiting for the waiter or waitress to bring…
2015 is gearing up to be a crazy, erratic year of trends in food, drink, and in the industry overall. The Millennial generation has made them more about “I want what I want, when I want it,” and this leaves restaurant operators perplexed as to which direction to go. Combine this with a growing number…
Recently I took my family for an impromptu dinner at a family-style restaurant chain. It was later in the evening, not very busy, and I was happy after a long day to be sitting down and having someone wait on me—no cooking, no deciding what to make to make the kids all happy, and no…
Imagine. Inside King Midas’ tomb a vat was found and inside that vat was alcohol residue. From that single vat, scientists recreate an ancient recipe. And from that ancient recipe emerges a beer-wine hybrid that is quickly becoming one of the hottest trends in craft beer. It’s pretty wild that scientists were able to recreate…
Servers in restaurants are required to report all their tips to the IRS. And operators are obligated to report no less than 8% of each server’s sales as income for every pay period. So it’s been for eons, unchanged even since I waited tables way back in the day. That is, until June 2012 rolled…
Change has been edging in on the food industry for quite some time as consumers are making it more apparent that they wish to buy food locally, or humanely produced, or hand crafted, or any combination of one or more of these attributes. It should be no surprise, then, that wine connoisseurs are searching for…
Since its inception, wine has been a dietary staple and has even been “accidentally” paired with foods. For example, heavy red wines of Greece were often served with lamb dishes that were a staple of the region. In Britain there is some evidence of a more purposeful matching of wines. Wine merchants were known to…
Chocolate can trace its roots back to Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization, where crushed cocoa beans were fermented, then roasted, and then ground into a paste. The paste was used to make a bitter liquid for royalty and military warriors to drink. The valuable beans were also used as currency. In the early 16th century, Christopher Columbus…