I have a feeling that not many Americans really know what Sangria is all about. I see it on a drink menu very rarely and often times it could be better. Sangria is that drink you dream about sipping on during a long hot summer day with friends and family. Let’s discover what Sangria is all about.
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It was not long ago that no one in the U.S.A. had ever heard of the Caipirinha. Now, it is one of the top 50 drinks according to the IBA (International Bartenders Association). Made popular recently due to the influx and nationalization of Brazilian immigrants and the availability of high quality Brazilian made Cachaça.

The method of preparation for the Caipirinha is relatively standard. Differences vary by only slightly ranging amounts of one of the three ingredients. Drink 3 of these babies and you will definitely feel it!

Here is a standard recipe:

• 1 1/2 oz of Cachaça
• 1 Whole Lime, quarter peeled, cut into peices
• 1 tbsp of Sugar

Directions:

• Put the lime and sugar into a shaker
• Crush/Muddle with a muddler
• Add Cachaça
• Add Ice, preferably crushed ice
• Shake vigorously
• Pour into low-ball glass

Variations:

• Replace the Cachaça with Vodka - Called a Caipiroska
• Replace the Cachaça with Rum - Called a Caipirissima
• Or, Replace the lime with any fruit imaginable

Google Video - How to Make a Caipirinha

Great Muddler on Amazon

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Ah..Grand Marnier! A wonderfully divine Orange Cognac. I love this stuff. You can put it on anything, (I have yet to try it on my Wheaties though), but I was thinking today that I know really nothing about it. So I set out on a mission and this is what I got.

Grand Marnier:

• Began production in 1880
• The distillery is located in Neauphle-le-Chateau, France
• Made with the Citrus Begardia type of Orange
• The Oranges are grown at the Marnier-Lapostolle Plantation in the Caribbean
• It is aged in French oak casks
• It is bottled in Gaillon-Aubevoye, France
• It is distributed to 150 countries
• 100,000 bottles are filled daily
  

Things that you can add Grand Marnier to:

• Margarita
• Cosmo (or as a replacement anywhere for triple-sec)
• Ice Cream
• Gelato
• Cakes
• Syrups
• Pastries
• Marinades
• Glazes

Enjoy cooking with Grand Marnier, or just drink it neat.

Additional Resources:

• More Grand Marnier Cooking Ideas
• More Information about Grand Marnier from WikiPedia

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So you have a hot date, or expect to have a lady over at your place tonight (or sometime in the next year). Here is what you NEED to have in your fridge. Because without something bubbly, things get flat, if you know what I mean. So here is a quick quip about how to make a decision.

First, you aren’t supposed to call it Champagne unless it was made in that region of France. But do it anyway. If you tell your chick you have some great (but not actually, she won’t know the difference anyway’s) Sparkling Wine, she won’t know what your talking about. Ladies only like the words Money, Marriage, Babies, Gucci, Chocolate, and Champagne. So say Champagne.

 

 

• If you want sweet, get a spumante
• If you want not sweet, get a brut
• Cheapest without getting crappy? Korbel brut - around 12 bucks a bottle
• Really nice - Veuve Cliquot - Yellow Label - around 50 bucks
• Really sweet? Asti Spumate, very cheap also.

PS. Sweet bubbly is for saps, it makes your gut rot and the next morning feel like death.

Have Fun!

 

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Additional Resources:

• About Veuve Clicquot
• Book All About Champagne
• More In-Depth but Very Boring Article

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