Drink of the Week: Blue Point RastafarRye

Long Island has long offered a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, and with its ever-bourgeoning local beer scene, a trip down the LIR has never been more satisfying. In our March/April New York issue, Joshua Bernstein hops an eastbound train to explore Long Island’s suds scene, and today’s Drink of the Week—the RastafarRye from Blue Point Brewing—is a great example of what this island has brewing. A deep bronze-colored ale with an assertive but well-balanced mix of hearty rye malts and floral West Coast hops, RastafarRye offers up dry, citrusy notes and a hint of rye spice and hop bitterness on the finish. An added bonus? A portion of the proceeds go to helping underprivileged children in the Caribbean. Look for it along the East Coast and with multiple retailers online. $5/22 oz., littlebroswine.com

Win a Chocolate Tea Collection from serendipiTea!

In our March/April New York Issue, we highlight serendipiTea as one of the "101 Reasons to Love Drinking in New York." Based in Manhasset, serendipiTea offers an incredible selection of organic and fair-trade teas, many of which you can find at coffee shops, restaurants and bars across New York City. And now's your chance to get a taste yourself because serendipiTea is giving away a special chocolate tea collection to one lucky imbiber. This collection includes a beautiful box filled with six chocolate-infused teas, including Buccaneer, Currantly Cordial, X-Chai, Pagan Alms, Once Upon a Tea and Faux Cocoa. We've had these teas, and they're amazing!

All you have to do to be eligible to win is click here to send us an email with your name, address and email. The deadline for entries is Monday, April 2, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. One lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced on Tuesday, April 3. Good luck!

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Homebrewers petition to change alcohol laws. Huffington Post

How far would you go to track down an elusive brew? MSNBC

The role the government plays in the wording for beer, wine and booze labels. Miami Hearald

Could cast-off coconut husks and mango cores bring electricity to those currently without? MSNBC

Onetime Mafia-held land grows top-notch wine vines. Business Week

Lust-worthy wine cellars of the mega-rich. Forbes

Drink of the Week: Channing Daughters Meditazione 2008

In our March/April issue, we delve into the world of orange wine, and today’s Drink of the Week—the Meditazione from Channing Daughters—is one of our favorite examples of the style. One of two interpretations of the orange wine style (a production method in which both the juice and the skins of white wine grapes ferment, as opposed to traditional white wines where the skins are discarded and only the juice is fermented) produced by this New York winery, the Meditazione is a co-fermented and barrel-aged mix of mostly Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay (with Tocai Friulano, Muscat Ottonel and Pinot Grigio also added in) and offers notes of fresh herbs, orange peel, dried apricots and honey. Paul Greico of Hearth and Terroir in New York City referred to it as “the greatest white wine in America,” and it’s easy to see why.
$40, channingdaughters.com

Win a Trio of Flavors From Kings County Jerky!

It's time for a new giveaway, and this week we're featuring another one of our "Favorite Things" from the March/April New York issue: Kings County Jerky. Beef jerky might just be the king of bar snacks, and Brooklyn's Kings County Jerky wins us over with their Classic, Korean BBQ and Sichuan Ginger offerings. The jerky is made from 100% grass-fed beef and toasted spices, and now's your chance to win a bag of all three varieties.

All you have to do to get your hands on this tasty trio is click here to send us an email with your name, address and email. The deadline for entries is Monday, March 26, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. One lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced on Tuesday, March 27. Good luck!

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

A longtime arbiter of tea taste passes away. New York Times

A salesman at Saks pairs ties with fine wines. Wall Street Journal

A popular pub gets a cease-and-desist for serving cocktails named after Lord of the Rings characters. Hollywood Reporter

One Port producer goes pink in hopes of attracting a wider audience. Reuters

Toasting Bavaria’s other beer fest. CNN

One writer’s take on how beer saved the world. Huffington Post

Drink of the Week: The Dutch Schultz

With St. Patrick’s Day in sight, we’re gearing up with today’s Drink of the Week—the Dutch Schultz cocktail from Phil Casaceli of Daddy-O in New York City. A union of Irish whiskey, Bärenjäger and yellow Chartreuse, this drink pays homage to increasing popularity of Irish whiskey, and it’s the perfect cocktail for toasting St. Paddy’s Day. And for more on the rise of Irish whiskey, check out “Pot of Gold” from our September/October 2011 issue.

The Dutch Schultz
2 oz. Irish single malt whiskey (Casaceli uses Michael Collins 10-Year)
1 oz. yellow Chartreuse
½ oz. Bärenjäger honey liqueur
Ice cubes
Tools: mixing glass, barspoon, strainer
Glass: cocktail
Garnish: flamed lemon peel (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice cubes. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish.

From Phil Casaceli, Daddy-O, New York City

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

An influential wine collector is accused of fraud. Los Angeles Times

Why Coke and Pepsi are changing their coloring. Chicago Tribune

A Kiss rocker plans to open a craft beer bar. Boston.com

Our March/April “Character,” Dale DeGroff takes his traveling show to Chicago. Chicagoist

Learn to approach wine as Leonardo Da Vinci did art. Vinography

Eric Asimov delights in Oregon Chardonnays. New York Times

Drink of the Week: La Colombe Pure Black Cold Brew

For today’s Drink of the Week we’re cracking a cold one—the Pure Black from La Colombe. This is the latest batch of cold-brew deliciousness in a steady line of releases from roasters across the country. For this bottled brew, La Colombe steeps its Corsica blend (a rich mix of beans from South and Central America) in stainless steel wine tanks for 16 hours before pressing, filtering, lightly sweetening with simple syrup and bottling. The result is pure cold-brew coffee perfection with notes of hazelnuts and bittersweet chocolate and a light sweetness. Keep an eye out, as it’s set to be for sale next week in La Colombe’s cafés (in New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago) and on the company’s website, lacolombe.com.
Lacolombe.com for distribution and purchasing info.

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Why wine critics don’t always get it right. Time

Molson Coors to expand its offerings with … beer-spiked iced tea? Reuters

New York’s governor proposes two bills aimed at aiding the local beer and wine industries. Long Island Business News

New Hampshire beer buffs queue up for a taste of one of the region’s most revered brews. Boston.com

Toasting the start of Washington D.C.’s cherry blossom season with a crop of seasonal sippers. NBC

Drink of the Week: Pay Per View Cocktail

Our March/April issue is hitting stands, and it’s completely dedicated to the drinks of New York. From Long Island-brewed beers to Big Apple cocktail and coffee culture, we’re excited to celebrate the people, places and flavors that make New York one of the country’s top drinking destinations. Which brings us to today’s Drink of the Week—the Pay Per View cocktail from Theo Lieberman of Lantern’s Keep. This aperitif is light on alcohol but big on flavor, combining three aromatized wines with splashes of fresh citrus and cane juice. Click here for the recipe.