The Drinks Issue: NY Times Dining in 60 seconds

by Nicole Weston, Posted Nov 29th 2006 @ 10:05AM

If a cocktail sounds really strange, you might want to take a chance, trust the bartender and give it a try before dismissing it out of hand. You might be surprised.

Whiskey is growing in popularity, so you might want to know what kinds of nibbles go well with it.

Long-aged tequilas are in higher demand, too - and they're not meant for making margaritas.

A specialty tonic water can really improve the quality of a drink, adding a subtly sweet flavor to take the edge off.

Tailgaters like to bring out the blenders and serve mixed drinks before the big game.

Drinking during pregnancy - not to mention a number of other food-related pleasures - is definitely frowned upon by others in the US, although not necessarily by doctors or people elsewhere in the world. It seems that there are risks associated with heavy drinking, but to be on the safe side in all situations, there is no standard for "heavy drinking" and is just considered to be a big no-no.

Big beers, usually produced by small brewers, are beers that have an alcohol content of more than 7% - far stronger than the average of 3-5% that is a common standard in most places. Fans feel that a lot more goes into making them than other beers and revere them almost as much as a fine wine.

Frank Bruni dines at Spicy & Tasty and gives it two stars.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, makes party food: Polpetti, Grilled Chicken Wings, Gougères and Asian Corn Fritters.

Source

Filed Under: Trends, Newspapers, In Sixty Seconds
Tags: big beers, bittman, bruni, drinking, drinks, new york times, ny times, nyt, summary, trend, trends, whiskey

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-29-2006 @3:16PM Nock said... Actually, us medical students are taught to tell patients to never drink during a pregnancy to prevent even a remote chance of FAS. Since every mother has different a size, alcohol metabolism and genetic predisposition, it is wisest to never drink while pregnant. Dr. Chen in the article, may be placed in a difficult situation especially if one of her patients has a baby with FAS. She places her practice in extreme liability. Truly, is the need to drink so strong that the risk of having a baby with FAS is worth it?
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11-29-2006 @12:58PM dlz said... fans of big beers in new england would do well to search out the offerings of the allagash brewing company of maine http://www.allagash.com. current offerings in bottles and occasionally on tap include a 9.5% beer called curieux which is a belgian ale aged in a barrel formerly used for jim beam, and the interlude (also 9.5%) which is partially aged in french merlot and sirah oak barrels. the smoothness and flavor of these brews is amazing.

and, no, i do not work for them.
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11-29-2006 @5:30PM ann said... i find it utterly amusing that foodblog-hating Pete Wells' article is basically a glorified blog-post about how no one loves his favorite cocktail
recipe included!!!
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