MCCN Interview with La Nina del Mezcal interview

Interview from 3rd Annual Taste of Mexico:

Dave Miller: How did you get into doing Mezcal?

Cecilia:  Well um, kind of a long story but just to put it short… It was a trip that I took to Oaxaca about four or five years ago and the it was the first time I was there taking in the culture, taking in the people and the taste of Mezcal.  It occurred to me that people in Mexico were not appreciating it as they should so I started going back to Oaxaca and learning about Mezcal.  It is very extensive.  And then I started writing about it.  And that’s how the blog started and people started calling me la nina del Mezcal.  (Watch Interview for more)

 

Fine Wine and Dr. King

Three men from different backgrounds and strongly differing beliefs met totally by chance on a rainy evening in Atlanta. While sipping fine wine the wide divide in their beliefs did not disappear, but for a time, Jim Sander’s hospitality and a mutual enjoyment of the wine bound them together in pleasant conversation, and a little known but historic meeting passed into history.

Exploring South African Wine

And then there is the unique wine called seven sisters owned by 7 seven South African Women.  Read more about their history at the company website. Click Here

 

 

 

Taste Of The Caribbean: Cola Couronne, Haiti’s #1 Soft Drink

On Visit in Haiti.  See our Drinks

The soda dates all the way back to 1924, and everyone here seems to love it. Literally everyone I asked confirmed that Couronne is the #1 soda in Haiti. There was no second place brand; no honorable mention mentioned. In Haiti, it seems, it’s Cola Couronne or nothing… and that’s not really such a bad thing.

Electric-orange in color, Couronne bears a sweetly-carbonated aroma that takes me right back to my childhood in St. Croix when my parents would buy us cases of Fanta in assorted flavors. They always came in tall glass bottles, which we took great care in returning to our local gas station.

In Haiti, you’ll almost always find Cola Couronne in tall glass bottles as well. My friend Jonathan, who used to work in the Coca-Cola plant where they make Couronne, explained to me that there is no aluminum in Haiti.  READ MORE

Woodland Hills, High Tea Cottage

What a wonderful little spot in the San Fernando Valley.  The High Tea Cottage is located one block south of Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hill.  The staff is friendly and don’t be surprised if they engage in conversation with.

Look out for special days like Downton Abbey Teacher or Customer Appreciation day which prices are slashed in half.  I was fortunate to visit on a Good Friday customer appreciation day.

We started with tea and delight fruit salad.  Then we enjoyed our tea sandwiches and scones and enjoyed our fruit filled Belgian chocolate cups.

Address: 21938 Costanso St, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Phone:(818) 887-2117

 highteacottage.com

 

Christmas Sangria

More than likely you will be serving wine at your Christmas dinner, but instead of plain ol’ wine, how about make your wine go further and serve this festive Christmas sangria? Sangria is one of the easiest cocktails for a crowd and this one is budget friendly too. No need to buy top of the line […]

Source: Christmas Sangria

Greek Wine Choices

There are over 300 indigenous grapes grown in Greece with the major ones rocking names like Agiorghitiko, Roditis, and Limnio. Fret not, you really don’t need to pronounce these grapes to enjoy them. Greek wine spans the spectrum from light and crisp to heavy and sweet white wines and light, delicate to heavy and bold reds. This is a part of the wine world really worth exploring.

Asia: About Barley Tea

Roasted barley tea is a caffeine-free, roasted-grain-based infusion made from barley, which is popular in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisine. It is also used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute in American cuisine. Barley water is a popular traditional soft drink in Britain.

Roasted barley tea is called mugicha (麦茶^?) in Japanese, dàmàichá (大麦茶) or màichá (麦茶 or 麥茶) in Mandarin Chinese, and boricha (보리차) in Korean. While the tea is generally regarded as a cooling beverage in Japan, it is served year-round, mild in summer and cool in winter, in Korea. Originally, roasted barley seeds were stewed in hot water (this is still the method generally used in Korea), but tea bags containing ground barley became more popular during the early 1980s; this is now the norm in Japan. It can be found from many different distributors in vending machines all over Japan.

In Korea, roasted unhulled barley is used to prepare the tea. Often the barley is combined with oksusu cha (roasted corn), as the corn’s sweetness offsets the slightly bitter flavor of the barley. A similar drink, made from roasted brown rice, is called hyeonmi cha or genmaicha (with green teaadded).

Health Benefit

Roasted barley tea was found to inhibit bacterial colonization and adhesion, specifically with respect to the major cause of tooth decay also implicated in cardiovascular diseases, Streptococcus mutans biofilms.^[2] It also lowers blood viscosity, proportional to the level of alkylpyrazine in the tea

Peru: Chicha Morada Recipe

Chicha morada is a sweet Peruvian beverage made from purple corn, a variant of Zea mays native to the Peruvian Andes, and spices. Non-alcoholic, it is a type of chicha usually made by boiling the corn with pineapple, cinnamon, clove, and sugar.

Its use and consumption date back to the pre-colonial era of Peru, even prior to the creation of the Inca empire. The traditional preparation of the drink involves boiling the corn in water with pineapple and, after the juices have gotten into the water, letting it cool. Sugar, cinnamon, and clove are often added for extra spice and flavor.

See Recipe

Mexican: Michelada Recipe

A Michelada is a popular Mexican cocktail or cerveza preparada (prepared beer) that became popular in Mexico in the 40s when people started mixing beer with hot sauce or salsa. Michelada is prepared differently in various parts of Mexico.  This is just one variation.

Ingredients

* Salt (any coarse salt will do)
* Cubed ice
* 1 lime, juiced
* 1 12 oz. can or bottle Mexican beer
* 1/2 tsp. hot sauce of choice, e.g. Tabasco (optional)
* 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire, Maggi or soy sauce
* 3 oz of Clamato

Directions
Cut one lime in half. Use one half of the lime to juice the rim. Make sure the glass is cold beforehand, so the salt sticks to it. Place the rim of the glass in your salt tray. Gently, but firmly, press the rim into the salt, turning the glass so the salt builds up on the rim.Fill the empty salted glass with ice. Put each half of the lime into the hand-juicer and squeeze so that the juice is over ice. Add Clamato and sauces to taste — a couple of drops will usually do the trick. Pour the beer (any of the better Mexican varieties are the best) into the glass, over the ice, lime juice, and sauces. Stir well with a long spoon.

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