"hbo" news and stories

What do you do when you get a bottle of Tru Blood -- the real blood-orange soda inspired by the synthetic blood vampires like Bill Compton drink on HBO's "True Blood"?

If you're me, you head to a bar with a sinister name in an isolated part of town and see what a brilliant bartender can do.

Dutch Kills bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez happens to be a fan of the Southern Gothic tale and was downright delighted to play around with this new sweet soda, which has a faint, bitter caffeine aftertaste that goes well with bitters but can be problematic with other players on the liquor cabinet shelf.

Get the Dutch Blood recipe and more after the jump.

Sundays mean that I'll be spending my evening (an hour of it, at least) glued to the TV because the Sopranos is on. I also need sustenance during that hour and that is where the relatively new Entertaining with the Sopranos Cookbook comes in. Bearing the words "as compiled by Carmela Soprano" on the cover, the book is actually written by Allen Rucker with recipes by Michele Scicolone, the same pair who put together The Sopranos Family Cookbook (which is excellent, by the way). Entertaining is, unsurprisingly, a guide to entertaining, packed with recipes, tips and interesting party hosting ideas. Alas, there isn't a suggestion specifically for hosting a Soprano's viewing party, but there are plenty for weddings, funerals, birthdays and barbecues, so you'll definitely be able to find something to suit your needs for every other event. The book is fully illustrated with great color photos and also has many stories and bits of advice "contributed" by Sopranos family members and friends. It's a great book for any Sopranos fan.

With the endearing name of Chocolate Cherry Chip Bada Bing!, the hit HBO show, the Sopranos, has its own ice cream flavor. The ice cream sandwiches are made up of two large chocolate chip cookies with a cherry flavored ice cream in between. The sides of the sandwich are rolled in chocolate chips.

Strangely, CoolBrands International, which released the ice cream, trademarked the name several years ago. When HBO began to hint around that they were looking to expand the Soprano's brand, the coincidence of the frozen novelty sharing the name of Tony Soprano's strip club was too great to overlook and HBO signed up. Product placement and a small percent of the profits are rumored to be part of the deal.

Currently, the sandwiches only seem to be available in the New York tri-state area. where they retail for $$4.29-$4.89

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