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BUZZ - trends, news and views
By Editor: Fall, 2006
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Our quick (and unscientific) look at some of the trends and news
we find interesting and relevant.
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” Turns 40
This October marks the 40th anniversary of the release of one of the Peanuts gang’s all-time favorite TV specials. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a staple of the Halloween season, and retailers like Hallmark are already stocking their shelves with commemorative merchandise. For the less trinket-oriented, snoopy.com ran an essay contest asking Peanuts fans to send in their worst Halloween stories. Read the winning essays here. Watch the special on ABC on Friday, October 27th at 8 p.m.
Organic cocktails, anyone?
Green-minded Web site treehugger.com, recently featured on The Martha Stewart Show as part of its “green week,” lists its picks for eco-conscious drinkers everywhere. Among them: Square One vodka, “the world’s first certified organic rye vodka”; Orange V organic vodka; and Modmix organic cocktail mixers, some available for order through the site. Treehugger also recommends Cocktail Organico, a blog that lists organic booze, distributors, and even nightclubs where you can sip organic cocktails all night long.
Pairing cocktails with meals the “next foodie frontier”
In a recent article, Globe and Mail columnist Tralee Pearce cites mounting evidence that you might soon be just as likely to order a martini with your Greek salad as a glass of Muscadet. Apparently restaurants and mixologists from across North America (but more notably in the U.S.) are just beginning to embrace the idea of pairing cocktails with meals. Liquor companies are eager to get the word of this new marriage out, promoting mixed drinks through initiatives such as the Bombay Sapphire Perfect Pairings food and cocktail matching competition (co-sponsored by Gourmet and GQ), which kicked off its U.S. tour on Sept. 19. And it's commonplace for rum and cognac launches to take the form of a multicourse tasting menu at restaurants. The general guideline is to equate white spirits like gin and vodka with the kinds of dishes you'd pair with white wines, and save brown spirits like bourbon and whisky for red meat and game. Finally, a sure-fire winner for steamed artichokes (Tralee’s experts recommend a gin martini).
Cocktail party dressing for guys: Fall 2006
Listen up, boys: The word is out on what you’ll need for the upcoming cocktail season. Here it is, in a nutshell: Embrace your trendy side, and pick up a dark, casual suit, with a narrow leg, waist, and lapels. It need not break the bank—consider trend-setting mass retailers like H&M and Zara for this purchase. Wear it with a slip-on shoe or boot, possibly with a pointed toe. Don’t wear it with a tie to your next cocktail party. Do embrace your Bond side with a black velvet jacket or silver silk shirt—the ladies will love it.
(from Russell Smith’s “Best Dressed” column for the Globe and Mail)
