Filed under: Beer , Raves & Reviews , America Since I am not a beer connoisseur, I tend to fall victim to marketing. Shopping the other day, I picked up the Lazy Days Pale Ale because it seemed so appropriate for the very warm weather we're having now. Spring is turning gradually into summer, and its name, the words "refreshing pale ale," and the image of relaxing on a beach seemed perfect.

Filed under: Teas , Juice , Water , Business , New Products , Spirits , Soda Powdered and concentrated drink mixes are nothing new, but a product called Flavor Tops packs concentrates into screw-on caps designed for bottled waters. Customers can add the mouthpieces to bottled water (assuming the tops fit the bottle) and turn their water into sports drinks, teas, or even alcoholic beverages, according to a recent press release from PR Web. Flavor Tops were developed by Innovation Fund, LLC , and have apparently been licensed to a unnamed company that will have them on the market by early 2007. Aside from soft drinks, the caps may also serve as a way of keeping vitamins and medications fresh prior to infusing them into drinks, the release said. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Wine , Raves & Reviews , America I think I've found a red wine I can handle. Red wine is tough for me for a number of reasons. For one thing, anything I drink, I like to drink it ice cold. I can't imagine the looks I'd get if I sat down in a restaurant and asked the sommelier to please chill the Merlot in a the sub-zero for a half hour. Secondly, red wine is usually just too "strong," tannic, heavy, alcoholic, bitter, and/or smelling of wood.

Filed under: Wine , Cocktails , Stores & Shopping , New Products We've all seen the pretty little wine charms that are used to identify people's wine glasses. They're usually made of wire and dangle like earrings with sparkly little beads or other charms (my parents have ones that look like different cheeses). They're perfect for looping around the stem of a wine glass, or even a martini glass, but what if you're having a cocktail party with tumblers and rocks glasses?

Filed under: Raves & Reviews , New Products , Soda I know that it's been a while since our original post about its release , but I finally got to try a can of Dr. Pepper Berries & Cream. Actually, I have to admit that it was the diet version, and not the regular. No matter. The soda really exceeded my expectations. I thought that it would be overly sweet, perhaps a bit cough-syrupy, but the soda was perfectly sweetened and the berry flavor wasn't overwhelming. You can definitely tell that the flavor is raspberry, though, which was a nice change from all the vanilla/cherry vanilla/ black cherry vanilla sodas going around.

Filed under: Juice , Recipes , Happy Hour , Soda Mint juleps (and anything else with whisky) are Kentucky Derby staples, but if you're not a big drinker, or are acting as designated driver, you might feel like you're missing out when it comes to celebrating the "run for the roses." There are plenty of non-alcoholic "mocktails" that you can mix up so you won't be left out of the party. These two recipes are both from the LCBO Mocktails  recipe section. The first is a non-alcoholic Mint Julep variation, which is both appropriate and refreshing. The second drink is known as the "Derby Mocktail" and is a fruitier, more colorful Derby choice.

Filed under: Juice , Vegetarian , Vegetables , Far East , Fruit , Raves & Reviews , New Products , America , Soda

Filed under: Whisky , Recipes , How To , Southern States , America , Spirits We've seen mint juleps here on Slashfood before. There's a mint julep flavored soda  and the 132nd Kentucky Derby will serving ooh-la-la $1,000 mint juleps on Derby Day . If you'll be betting on watching the races from home, you can mix up a proper mint julep at your own home bar. But first, a little bit of historical trivia, or trivial history.

Filed under: Wine , West Coast , Farming , Fruit , America Yesterday, the Chronicle food section focused on organic foods . Today, their wine section does the same, looking at organic wines and why they are so difficult to find . Many vineyards grow certified organic grapes, but the wines themselves are not organic. The reason? The USDA prohibits added sulfites in organic wines.

Filed under: Wine , Champagne , Cocktails , Stores & Shopping , America , Spirits I don't know what it is with me, but if something, even as useless as a garlic peeler, is pink, I want it. This set of pink stemware isn't quite useless, but it certainly isn't necessary for my bar that is already equipped with Champagne flutes, a whole family of wine glasses, shot glasses, martini glasses, and margarita glasses.