ML Interest Tag: whiskey

Faith & Begorrah! Aldi Has St. Patrick’s Day Cheese & It’s Green, Too

by Erica Loop

Forget about Shamrock Shakes: Aldi has St. Patrick’s Day cheese! The newest in themed cheese launches follows on the heels of several successful dairy delights, including a cheese Advent calendar, heart-shaped cheese for Valentine’s Day and set of punny limited-edition wedges.

Aldi is taking St. Patty’s Day celebration to a new level with five holiday-inspired cheeses. At a time of the year when just about everyone is making gratuitously green products, the Happy Farms collection—available in Aldi stores starting Feb. 27—is no slouch.

The line includes a green Pesto Gouda and English Sage Derby. Along with the colorful dairy deliciousness, the collection also includes an Aged Irish Cheddar and a few alcohol-infused picks: Irish Cheddar with Beer and Irish Cheddar with Whiskey.

If you’re wondering, yes the beer and whiskey picks do contain actual alcohol. That means your teenager can’t buy them and your kiddos shouldn’t go anywhere near “mommy’s special cheese.” It also means that Aldi stores in areas prohibiting grocery store alcohol sales won’t carry the two two alcohol-infused Irish Cheddars. But they will have the other three (non-alcoholic) holiday options! The cheeses retail for $3.99 each.

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: Moose via Foodiesfeed

 

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Favorite Hotspots for Moms Night (or Day) Out

by Wendy Altschuler

Kids are back in school, so reward yourself for a summer well done by scheduling much-needed adulting time with you favorite crew. Looking for a place to host your next MNO (Mom’s Night Out) or book club meeting? Read on for our roundup of perfect spots for a bit of girl time!

Morton’s Steakhouse
You hang with a meat and potatoes kind of crowd? If you’re looking for an unobtrusive locale that provides an environment that enables great tête-à-tête interaction, consider Morton’s Steakhouse — the king of the steak and seafood market. There are several locations to choose from, making your ladies get-together a cinch: two locations in Chicago, Naperville, Rosemont, Schaumburg and Northbrook. Bonus: Your server will take a professional photograph of your group for you to take home.

Morton’s Steakhouse
Various locations throughout Chicagoland
Online: mortons.com

Kings Bowl Lincoln Park
photo: NEWCITY Kings Bowl

Lincoln Park’s NEWCITY has loads of entertainment and dining options, including two really great restaurants that offer a fun atmosphere for an ideal MNO: Earls Kitchen + Bar and Kings Lincoln Park.

Earls Kitchen + Bar
Open since fall of 2015, their menu focuses on fresh, in-season ingredients and innovative worldwide inspired meals. Earls has a large outdoor three-season patio with fire pits and cushioned couches, where you’ll enjoy live music and handcrafted drinks.

Kings Bowl Lincoln Park
is a giant retro-inspired space that includes swanky bowling, American dining and cocktails. The soy-glazed salmon is delicious and for something to talk about, order the “Savage”, which features citrus vodka, St. Germaine strawberry puree, fresh lemon juice topped with Sprite and a glass rimmed with Pop Rocks. Note: during the day, kids are welcome and invited to hang, play and dine.

NEWCITY Lincoln Park
1457 N. Halsted St.
Lincoln Park
Online: experiencenewcity.com

Arami Chicago
photo: Arami

Arami
This light-drenched restaurant in West Town is the place to go for authentic Japanese options with several unique twists on classic American fare. Arami recently launched a Sunday brunch, which may be ideal for your mom’s group outing. Be sure to check their website for fun happenings like Noodle Night, Sushi Class or Japanese Whiskey Tasting, all of which would make for a fun night out with your mom pals.

Arami
1829 W. Chicago Ave.
West Town
Online: aramichicago.com

The Gwen Chicago
Photo: Upstairs at the Gwen

Upstairs at The Gwen
Located at The Gwen Hotel Chicago, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is a lovely and private rooftop terrace with an Art Deco design, which makes for a perfect meeting spot for interesting and delicious cocktails and sharable plates. You’ll love the Prosecco Popsicles and personal bar carts!

Upstairs at The Gwen
521 N. Rush St.
Near North Side

The Terrace at Trump
Another great rooftop terrace, with one of the very best views of Chicago, is The Terrace at Trump. When you gaze upon the Wrigley Building’s clock tower, you’ll think you’re staring at a green screen—it’s that magical. And, of course, the menu options are incredible—sharable or individual. Here you can also order a Chilled Shellfish Tower, Flatbreads or a Terrace Picnic, which includes a sharable picnic basket for up to four people.

The Terrace at Trump
401 N. Wabash Ave.
Near North Side
Online: trumphotelcollection.com

Where’s your favorite spot to connect with your mom squad? Chat with us about it in the Comments!

—Wendy Altschuler

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Today Is National #Donut Day

by amynicosia

Daily
Today Is National #Donut Day
Donut be so old-fashioned.
1

Make yourself a batch of maple whiskey banana donuts. Resistance is futile.
2

Get that glazed look out of their eye with a donut-shaped scavenger hunt.
3
Here’s why some women are painting their pregnancy bumps to look like donuts. (You might want to join in!)

{ Today’s ideas brought to you by Coffee }

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Find the Coolest Campground with Hipcamp

by Erin Feher

Planning a camping trip has historically involved a handful of semi-helpful websites, clunky reservation processes and tearing apart your storage unit looking for those darn sleeping bags (We KNOW they are in here somewhere). But leave it to the Bay Area to start-up-ify our back-to-nature experience. Hipcamp started as a site that simply aggregated campsites, letting you filter, book and review, but they recently unveiled a land sharing program, which is basically like Airbnb for gorgeous private places to pitch your tent.

A Great View
While we are thankful for ReserveAmerica.com and other sites that have tried their best to round up all the available campsites under one url, the user experience has never been great, and the descriptions leave much to be desired. Enter Hipcamp: With its inspiring photography, thorough and clear site descriptions and the ability to filter by all the important stuff (tent or lodging, drive-in or hike-in, cave, beach or forest) finding a campsite just became a lot more like finding a five-star hotel. Another game changer is the user tips. Fellow campers recommend everything from where to buy fresh oysters nearby to which cabins have the softest cots.

Pitch a Tent on Private Property
Hipcamp just launched Land Sharing, so now property owners can create idyllic campsites in their own bucolic backyards. There are currently 53 listings, from working organic farms to vineyards to glamping sites outfitted with real beds twinkle lights. While it may not technically qualify as camping, we love these geodesic domes in Point Arena.

Pack Up the Car and GO
Hipcamp’s site may be teeming with bearded 20-somethings drinking whiskey by the fire, but we’ve found it to be ideal for families. All the necessary info is available on each campsite’s page, from the availability of drinking water, showers, restrooms and fire pits, to all the activities available nearby, to weather, elevation and exactly how far the site is from where you are sitting (technology!). The one hiccup the Hipcamp folks are still battling is that some government-run sites keep their availability info under lock and key, so those sites can’t be booked directly from Hipcamp’s site, but one click will get you where you need to go. As for those sleeping bags—that’s between you and your storage unit.

Online: Hipcamp.com

Where is your favorite place to camp in Northern California? Tell us in the comments below! 

—Erin Feher

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5 “Be Mine” Valentine’s Day Cocktails

by scott wardell

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, let us give you a little advice garnered from our years of experience (ha!). Instead of struggling to book a last-minute restaurant or trying to wedge your way into a crowded bar, make that special someone a deliciously flirty cocktail at home. Here are five possibilities that taste scrumptious and fit the “Be Mine” mood. A.J. Rathbun of Seattle Magazine writes:

Lover’s Moon
One warning with this nutty, lush number: it might make you sing. Which might not be a bad thing on Valentine’s Day, depending on the song. If you can’t find Kahana Royale Macadamia Nut Liqueur, sub in Frangelico, but take it down to an ounce in this recipe from Dark Spirits: Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add 1-3/4 ounces bourbon (Woodinville Whiskey’s bourbon is nice), 1-1/2 ounces Kahana Royale Macadamia Nut Liqueur, and 1 ounce heavy cream. Shake well. Add a cherry to a cocktail glass. Strain the mix into the glass. Sure, the cherry will vanish for a minute, but like the moon, it’ll reappear.

Fancy Free
I originally found this lovely liquid number on genius Seattle-based cocktail writer Paul Clarke’s blog The Cocktail Chronicles (a must for anyone who likes a good cocktail), and it’s a drink for any couple that like to kick up their heels a bit – as it has a bit of a kick itself. Fill a mixing glass or cocktail shaker halfway with cracked ice. Add 2 ounces bourbon, 1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur, and 1 dash each of Angostura bitters and orange bitters (go with Scrappy’s orange bitters here). Stir well and then strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Find out the rest of these tantalizing cocktails over at Seattle Magazine.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

photo credit: Melissa Punch

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All Good Things Come to Tribeca

by sarah choi

The sign of a seasoned parent is how you take your coffee and to what length you’ll go to get a good cup. Luckily for you downtowners, the latest outpost of Blue Bottle Coffee has landed in Tribeca at All Good Things, an addictive gourmet food hall that just opened this week. Sleep-deprived parents, rejoice! Let’s face it, the foggy folks from San Francisco know how to brew and have created quite the following among parents switching their poison from whiskey to coffee.

If caffeine is not your thing, sate your sweet tooth at Blue Marble Ice Cream. The Brooklyn-based creamery scoops up artisanal organic ice cream in classic flavors like mint chocolate chip, vanilla, and strawberry lemonade sorbet. And the kiddos won’t mind indulging you in this stop, so long as they get a cone too.

What Is It? All Good Things is like Tribeca’s own miniature Chelsea Market. In addition to New York City’s most popular Blues, think Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, Cavaniola’s Gourmet from Sag Harbor, bread baked daily on the Upper East Side from Orwasher’s, and more. The kids will get a culinary education just walking through the hall and tasting the delicious samples. You’ll love the chic warehouse aesthetic and chatting up the friendly purveyors – especially if they are the first adults you’ve seen all day!

Insider Tips: Park the wheels outside. All Good Things is great for curious foodie feet big and small, but strollers will block the entrance and create major traffic inside. There’s no seating here, so take your goods outside to the perfect stoop for pint-size people in front of the large window.

The Kids Will Adore: The frozen hot chocolate at Nunu Chocolates, Swiss health bread at Orwasher’s, and Culture frozen yogurt at Blue Marble.

You’ll Love: the New Orleans iced coffee at Blue Bottle, fig ball and any cheese from Cavaniola’s, black pepper beef jerky at Dickson’s, and gorgeous buds from Polux Fleuriste.

Best Time To Go:  Avoid the early morning commuter crowd waiting for their Blue Bottle coffee right near the entrance.

All Good Things
102 Franklin Street
(Tribeca)
Online: allgoodthingsny.com

Where’s your favorite place to get caffeinated in the city (or Brooklyn)? Let us know in the comment section below!

— Sarah Choi

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Got a Boozy Sweet Tooth? 5 Spiked Desserts

by scott wardell

The ultimate dilemma: Your server asking “Would you like to see our dessert menu?” Even though you know foregoing dessert is an option, sometimes that after-dinner sweet tooth just aches for a little something something. So go ahead, sneak a peek at the menu. Because honestly, what’s better than dessert? How about dessert and drinks…together. The best of both worlds? We think so. Our friends at Seattle Magazine must agree, as they rounded up some great spots for spiked desserts to cap off a meal or an evening in a scrumptious manner. A.J. Rathbun writes:

Boozy Milkshakes, Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery
These are every adult’s dream. You get to feel like a kid and a grown up all at once. My pick is the Extra-Dark Salted Caramel with Espresso and Rye Whiskey milkshake garnished with vanilla sugar, but there are four to choose from and each is constructed with Bluebird handmade vanilla ice cream. And booze, naturally.

Strawberries and Grappa, Artusi
A summertime gardener’s treat (and if you’re an Italian gardener, a double treat), this flavor-packed ensemble macerates fresh strawberries in Italian-after-dinner staple grappa and then finishes it off with black pepper and lush cream. As a bonus, as it contains fresh fruit, you can convince yourself that this is really a healthy dessert.

Still need a fix? Check out Seattle’s other spiked desserts over at Seattle magazine.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

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Date Night: 12 Local Spirits You Must Taste

by Erin Lem

Nothing says holiday cheer more than a delicious local spirit to get you in the festive mood. Seattle Magazine has picked out 12 can’t miss local spirits, which are not only mouth-watering yummy, but make great gifts for all those holiday parties coming up! So go ahead, support your local distiller and pick up a bottle. Cheers!

 

Ebb+Flow Vodka
$32
A big, full-bodied vodka whose 100-percent malted barley construction doesn’t keep it from leaving a little sweetness and vanilla on the tongue.
Sound Spirits, Interbay, 1630 15th Ave. W; drinksoundspirits.com

Headlong White Dog Whiskey
$34.95
An unaged whiskey, this dog cuddles up close with its bright combination of butter cream, grain and smooth spiciness.
Woodinville Whiskey Company; Woodinville, 16110 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE, Suite 3; woodinvillewhiskeyco.com

Legacy Vodka
$32.95
This rich, all-organic vodka boasts a hint of citrus and vanilla blooming alongside its wheat base.
Bainbridge Organic Distillers; Bainbridge Island, 9727 Coppertop Loop NE; bainbridgedistillers.com

Pacifique Absinthe
$62.95
Transport yourself to turn-of-the-century France with this absinthe’s classical mix of anise, fennel, wormwood and other spices.
Pacific Distillery; Woodinville, 18808 142nd Ave. NE, #4B; pacificdistillery.com

To check out the full list of local spirits you must taste, click here to read the full article.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

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Date Night: Local Shopping Trends

by Erin Lem

Take some time for yourself, Moms, and break out the plastic, because Seattle Magazine found some distinguished outfits in honor of back to school and the fall. Get inspired and round up your favorite shopping partners — it’s a take some time for yourself!

Oxford University 
Embrace fall’s thesis statement: The latest Oxfords mix prim and proper schoolgirl charm with bold laces and masculine-meets-feminine details for grown-up sass.

Fom left to right: Bass “Reid” brown cocoa suede heel with contrasting cognac waxy milled leather panels, $79.95, available at Nordstrom downtown; By Hudson “Lita” gray and tan suede saddleback flats with plaid laces, $270, at Edie’s on Capitol Hill; Miz Mooz “Nash” brown and beige leather lace-up saddleback heel, $110, and Miz Mooz “Brite” black and whiskey gray leather lace-up Oxford flat, $105, both at Clementine in West Seattle; Prada “Linnea Rossa” quilted patent leather flat with black nylon laces, $480, at Nordstrom, multiple locations including The Bellevue Collection; leather chair courtesy of Masins Fine Furnishings.

If you’re looking to stay on the pulse of Seattle’s local shopping trends, then check out the full article so you don’t miss out!

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

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