"popularity" news and stories

Today's Miami Herald features a story about what may soon be the peak of the mojito's popularity. The muddled mix of lime, mint, rum, sugar and soda was recently added to the menus at TGI Friday's and it'll soon show up in the new Miami Vice, the Herald reports. A huge marketing push from Bacardi is partially to thank. Sadly, another sign of the mojito's rise to stardom is the increase in pre-made mojito mixes. It seems to me that these sort of defeat the purpose of the drink, as the on-the-spot blending of its fresh ingredients are really what makes it so refreshing. Those of you already passing up mojitos for caipirinhas can give yourselves a pat on the back though, as the Herald reports that the similar Brazilian cocktail will be the next big thing. Somewhere, at a TGI Friday's, someone is probably ordering a mo-gee-to right now...

Americans are en route to surpass the French as the world’s biggest wine drinkers. Not only is French consumption of wine dropping, but Americans are drinking more wine than ever, with an average consumption of 2.7-gallons per person per year. Some attribute the increased popularity of wine to its much touted health benefits, particularly in the area of heart health, but it actually appears that appreciation of wine is a much larger trend, gaining widespread acceptance in the culture. This is most evidenced by the fact that far more people are enjoying wines younger – while in their 20s – than ever before, possibly as a result of having grown up with baby boomer parents who were more affluent and more likely to drink wine on a regular basis than their parents were.

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