Sips on a Sunday

Go green today and always

This is Alyssa at the helm of this week’s issue of Saturday Sips. We know it’s Sunday; whoops. After a hard Saturday morning volunteering at the library used book sale, Pat and I had brunch at Lucy’s in Grand Rapids, where I had the bruschetta omelette and a mimosa (orange juice for color, not taste), and Pat opted for the gyro omelette with a Bloody Mary and Modelo sidecar.

The bruschetta omelette (10/10) got me so excited for tomato season. I don’t know about you, but as someone who relies heavily on seasonal ingredients in the kitchen, I get so antsy for fresh produce this time of year. Move aside, chilis and stews. I am beyond ready for zucchini, fresh herbs and asparagus to pop off in my garden.

Speaking of tomatoes, I recently finished Stanley Tucci’s second memoir, “What I Ate in One Year,” on audiobook. I loved Taste and was equally charmed by his culinary adventures at home, restaurants and events detailed in this sophomore book.

Tucci’s memories hit close to home for me, with his family hailing from the same Southern Italian town as my mom’s side of the family, Calabria. Many scenes with him and his family vividly brought to mind memories of the center of every Italian home: the kitchen. Food, being one of the defining factors of Italy, is hardly original to the culture, or new information for that matter. Still, it’s one of the elements of being Italian that I hold dear. I loved this book as a reminder of the joy of cooking and sharing good food with good people.

While some meals in the book were wildly unrelatable (dinners at family vacations with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, hors d'oeuvres at an event with King Charles III), others I could practically taste upon mention (one-pot minestrone, fresh pasta and bolognese with not-fresh-enough beef). I’d recommend listening; however, do not do so while hungry. Please turn it on while you’re cooking and pair it with a nice glass of Ruffino’s Chianti Classico.

“And besides all that, I miss the actual act of cooking. Choosing the recipes, finding the produce, prepping it, cooking it, serving it, and eating it. The satisfaction and joy that those simple acts bring is made even greater when what is served is shared. Sharing food is one of the purest human acts."

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Reads of the week

I’ll take this moment to resurface an early Saturday Sips interview with Andrew Blake, CEO of Blake’s Beverage Company. The company is pushing its innovation in the cider category, including Austin Eastciders’s Prickly Pear, Blake’s Hard Cider’s Blue Raspberry, Tropical Mango Imperial, and Key Lime Pie hard ciders. Blake’s is riding a 26% year-over-year growth rate in the past 13 weeks — pretty solid in the current alcoholic beverage landscape.

“There’s nothing cider can’t do,” Blake said in a recent press release. “The possibilities go far beyond the apple, into exciting flavor profiles you’ve never seen before. Gen Z is asking for more vibrant flavors and better quality ingredients than previous generations, and we’re answering with novel flavor combinations and real fruit.”

Healthy sodas are all the rage! And why not? Added sugar is essentially the devil. The NY Times dives into the big surge.

But all these prebiotic sodas? Well, they might not be all that great either… maybe even carcinogenic? Axios dove into the possible downsides of the ‘healthy sodas.’

I’ve yet to make my way to Louisiana, I’ve been told repeatedly by people I need to go. I will eventually, I’m sure. But for Bon Appetit, the legendary cocktails writer Wayne Curtis dove into the ‘history of Louisiana’s drive-thru daiquiri stands.’

Forbes took a look at 10 women changing the whiskey industry, which ranges from starting neat upstart brands to a master distiller at an industry giant.