"cosmopolitan" news and stories

Rosé wines, the ones that are pink, have long been the object of a bit of snickering amongst oenophiles. They've been labeled as too sweet and too cheap, but in recent years, rosés have improved in quality. They are being embraced not only by wine connoisseurs, but when once "club-hopping hipsters and tastemakers" were sipping Prosecco and Cosmopolitans, now it's rosé.

In the past, rosé was often made with grapes harvested for other wines and doesn't age, making it less credible than reds and whites and hard to take seriously. However, wineries around the world have begun to harvest rosé-specific grapes. Needless to say, rosé quality has improved.

Who's been seen drinking the pink? Alex Kapranos, the lead singer of the rock band Franz Ferdinand, Pamela Anderson, and the MisShapes, a group of three influential Manhattan party promoters and DJs in New York.

If you want to try, here are a few suggestions:

• Domaines Ott is the most recognizable brand of rosé and the top seller around New York's restaurant and club scene. The trendsetting rose was bought by Champagne Louis Roederer, the maker of Cristal Champagne, two years ago. However, it is rather expensive, ringing in at about twice the price of most rosés.
• Castello di Ama from Tuscany sells for about $15.
• Muga from Spain, which is about $11.
• Sofia Rosé is a wine from Francis Coppola's vineyard named for Sofia Coppola. (Though we're not so sure about that sparkling wine in a can.)

Just note that, according to some, "The rule is it's pretty much rosé exclusively all summer until the end of the season, around late September. By then we're all so rosé logged that we're happy to dry out for a while."

Source

44°North Vodka ($29) is an ultra-premium vodka made in Idaho using - what else - Idaho potatoes as part of its distillation process. The 70-proof spirit is flavored with huckleberries, which give the vodka a grapey, blueberry flavor that is quite addictive, though the thing that sets it apart (aside from the sexy bottle) from other vodkas is its quality. It is incredibly smooth and well-balanced, a perfect sipping vodka when chilled.

Of course, a vodka that is good on its own is also good in drinks. And, all things considered, it might be for the best that not too many bars in my area stock this. 

My general philosophy on drinks is that simpler is better. Hence, this drink is a slightly more precise version of one of the vodka-maker's standard recipes and really only requires two ingredients, though it can be tarted up with a twist of lime, if so desired. I've noticed that my martini glasses are on the large side, so this drink is formulated to make a 5-ounce drink. If, for some reason, your martini glass can't handle it than you'll have to treat the bartender to the leftovers before you serve the drink.

44°North Boise Metropolitan
2 ounces 44°North vodka
3 ounces cranberry juice
twist of lime (optional)

Combine vodka and cranberry juice in a shaker filled with ice, shake and strain into a martini glass. Add a twist of lime for extra punch.

Sure I love the holidays, and all the hype leading up to the New Year is very energizing, but really now, by 12:01 am on New Year's Day, I am so over all of it. The only thing that keeps me sane in that first week of the New Year? College bowl games.

I know we typically do Happy Hour on Fridays here at Slashfood, but I couldn't resist a couple of cocktails in honor of the Orange Bowl tonight in which Bobby Bowden faces off against Joe Paterno. Oops! I meant no. 22 Florida State plays no. 3 Penn State.

Sure you could pour yourself a 1:3 mix of vodka and orange juice and call it a Screwdriver, but that's too easy. These are the two winning-est coaches in college football, for garsh sake!