For those of you who don’t know, I am now a contributing editor for Tea Magazine. That’s right, it’s a magazine dedicated solely to tea. I love it, though now I have piles and piles of tea. So please, stop over for a cup or 12.

The magazine isn’t online, you have to subscribe, which is a practice I whole-heartedly agree with. Still, I decided to attach a PDF of my big, two-page feature that came out in the last issue, I hope you like it! Also, here are some other pieces I have written about regarding tea.

Tea Magazine: Modern Tea in Tea Magazine

Food Republic: Coffee and Tea, Together at Last

Bites Blog: Celebrate Tea Month With These Eight Unusual Blends

Eat Me Drink Me: Lavender Earl Grey Yogurt

“Beer is not the new wine,” said Goose Island owner Greg Hall, last night at the City Winery. “Craft beer is the new wine.” During yesterday’s NYC Brewer’s Choice, 15 brewers came out, most with rare, unobtainable, small-batch beers. Brooklyn Brewery was pouring a light and citrusy re-fermented Brooklyner Weisse they made for the occasion, HE’BREW offered their thick, hoppy R.I.P.A. Rye and lighter Rejewvenator, and Ray McNeill showed off the wound he got making a batch of ESP, which he brewed Tuesday, as well as the coffee and chocolate tinged Russian Imperial Stout.

I was overall pretty impressed with the spread.  There were creamy, mustard tinged deviled eggs from Fort Defiance; soft yet chewy beef jerky from The Vanderbilt, mini smoked meat sammies from Mile End, and savory meatballs with parsnip and pickled fennel from The Farm on Adderly.  One of my favorite stands, and by the length of the line, other people’s as well, was Palo Santo’s.  I last saw chef Jacques Gautier dishing out treats at the Gourmet Latino Festival preview, but was more impressed with the wild boar in mole negro tacos and tangy ceviche he served last night.  It went perfect with the smoky Ilegal Mezcal Joven and Reposado and spicy sangrita chaser he doled out along side the food.

Despite the tight, shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, I was able to pick out a few familiar faces.  Of course Rachel Wharton and Gabrielle Langholtz from Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan were there, along with cookbook author Louisa Shafia, and Rick Field of Rick’s Picks, my favorite pickle company.   I finished up the night with a dark chocolate bonbon (or three) from Tumbador Chocolate and samples of Compass Box’s smoky, artisan scotch whiskey.  By the end of the event I was full and warm from too many cocktails like my favorite, Fort Defiance’s Warwick Bramble, which went down twice in smooth, berry sweet gulps.   Despite trying numerous concoctions and liquors, this morning I woke up refreshed, and wanting to do it all over again.

*Update: Here is the New York Press piece about RBC NYC.

Antipasti at Angelina Pizza Bar

Don’t let the name fool you—Angelina Pizza Bar offers more then just pizza. This family-friendly restaurant near West 105th Street not only has extensive Italian fare and a decent wine list but Chef Giancarlo Delanzo cooks his crazy creations in a brick oven with a rotating floor. As pies like the Bella Angelina (with zucchini flowers, smoked salmon and goat cheese, $18 or $24) or the Bianco Forte (with garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, spicy sausage and hot peppers, $16 or $22) circle the fire, Delanzo dishes up small bowls with various meats, cheese and vegetables. Within minutes, the pizzas have cooked and the chef has completed an antipasti plate ($6 to $14). A bright-eyed waiter picks it up and the process starts again. (READ THE REST AT THE WEST SIDE SPIRIT)

SUMMER IS ALL about heat, short skirts and excuses to sit outside all day drinking cold beer. Step into Studio Square, a mix between a classic German biergarten and a large cafeteria, and you’ll find a good way to combine all three excuses and plenty of reasons to make the journey to Queens. (READ THE REST AT NEW YORK PRESS)

Sausages and beer at Studio Square

July is almost over and we just realized that not only is it Good Beer Month, it’s also National Ice Cream Month (established in 1984 by the Gipper!). We’ve already held forth on all the great beer Brooklyn has to offer and now we’re giving ice cream the same treatment. Sure, everyone has their special favorite flavor (black raspberry with chocolate sprinkles, please), here are some places where you can try something fresh and surprising. (READ THE REST AT BROOKLYN BASED)

Ice cream from the Greene Ice Cream

WHEN I WORKED as a barista, every summer people would whine about the price of iced coffee.
“Why does it cost so much? There’s less here than in hot coffee!” they would cry. I smiled, nodded and took their money. I didn’t know why it was more expensive either, but an extra quarter hardly seemed worth all the fuss. And, unlike hot coffee, making the iced variety at home calls for preparation that most people just aren’t willing to put in. At hotspots around town this summer, however, iced-coffee prices can be a whopping $3 more than a comparable cup of the hot stuff. (READ THE REST AT NEW YORK PRESS)

*akek akek

Yes, I am coughing, which is not helping my horridly sore throat.  So tonight, thanks to my lovely roommate and her bottle of Johnny Walker Red Lable, am going to try and make myself better!

This photo holds the key…

A lot of honey, maybe 2 tablespoons worth

About a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Fill glass with boiling water, but leave two inches of room at the top

Stir well

Pour in a shot of whiskey and take your poor self to the couch to watch a movie!

That’s what being sick is all about.

The recipe for four shots:

3  parts vodka (any is good)

1 part triple sec

dash of Rose’s lime (or fresh if you feel up to it)

pour over ice and shake, then strain into glasses!

Bottoms up!

(no picture this time because I forgot my camera)

Yes, I said “Bitch” wine — and it’s damn good!

Last night I ducked into Eight Mile Creek, a little Australian restaurant in SoHo, to watch the debate. A cute place, classic looking with a full, posh bar, I felt comfortable there especially when I noticed one of the wine bottle labels appeared to say “Bitch” in black, flowery script.

“Hey,” I asked Andy the bartender, “Does that say Bitch?”

He smiled sheepishly and said it was a nice Grenache, and naturally, it came from Australia.

Sold!  I paid my $9 for a glass and indulged in the mild honey and raspberry-strawberry scent.  My first sip went down smoothly, as the wine was medium-sweet.  The rest of the glass went down quickly and I ordered another (was it the tastiness of the wine or the pain of watching McCain?).

The Bitch hails from 40- to 60-year-old vines grown in the Ebenezer sub-region of the Barossa, in South Australia.  Chris Ringland and Lisa Wetherell of Ringland Vintners make it.  I wasn’t able to find a place that carries it to buy, but Eight Mile Creek (240 Mulberry between Prince and Spring Streets) they certainly have it by the glass.

While I wasn’t particularly fond of the antics of the debate, Bitch made it all worth while.

The Alaska Pipeline is:

1/2 Canadian whiskey

1/2 Amaretto

Poured into a mixer with ice, shaken and strained into the shot glass(es).

Most of the people thought it was a little sweet, but I was serving them to a gaggle of Sunday afternoon bar flies.  It’s a good girly drink with a mild bite.

For something a little more manly, try portioning it 1/3 Amaretto to 2/3 whiskey.

Enjoy!

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	Click on image above for timeline of wine making in New York and below for photos of New York wine label

Many people are surprised to find that wine is made in New York. When I tell people about it their first reaction tends to be “where do they grow it?” and “is it any good?”

The wine business is a tricky one. According to the Federal Tax and Trade Bureau statistics, New York is the second in the amount of gallons produced. But it has the third largest acres of vineyards and runs number four in the amount of wineries.

Wine makers in New York are eager to show the rest of the country that while California is number one in all those categories, New York makes a fine bottle as well.

One-reason grapes grow so well here is due to the nutrients soaked in through the glaciers that once covered the land. New York State is made up of eight main wine growing regions, Long Island, The Hamptons, North Fork, Hudson River, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake, and Lake Erie.

While many of the wineries in these areas don’t ship far, they sell most of their wine to restaurants upstate. Not many restaurants and wine shops specialize in New York wines in the City. Stain Bar, in Williamsburg, sells only New York wines. So does Bridge Vineyards, also in Williamsburg.

More and more, New York wines are making the scene.

Click on the image below to see a video of the vineyard in Queens and a New York wine tasting in Brooklyn