While wondering through my new local Farmer’s Market in Larchmont Village last weekend I came across LUSH Pomegranate Juice. Eureka! I’ve been trying to find real pomegranate juice that: wasn’t from concentrate, didn’t have any other juices added and didn’t have any added sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Go ahead, next time your at the store, take a minute and actually read the labels of what’s in all those juices. It’s scary. LUSH is just pomegranate juice, water and potassium sorbate. It’s $5 for a liter, market special of 6 bottles for $25.

I was inspired that night and put together this little cocktail:

• 2 oz. Pomegranate juice
• 2 oz. (Belvedere) vodka
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup

(Simple syrup is just a mixture of sugar and water. I keep some handy in a glass jar in the fridge.) Feel free to play with the amounts, I did; the measurements above are close though. Mix ingredients together in a shaker with ice, pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Repeat as necessary. Enjoy.

I first tried Blue Tea at the Vital T Leaf in Seattle and loved it instantly. Blue Tea is actually a green tea, and a good source of polyphenols and antioxidants. It’s slightly bitter and sweet at first, and I get hints of smoke and tobacco as well. You can get it online at Vital T Leaf—a best seller.

A friend got some Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer) for us to have with some smoked pork chops (from George’s Market, of course.) Wow, easily one of the most unusual beers I’ve had, but it pairs well with smoked meat. It’s malty and sweet with a real strong Hickory smoke flavor. This one’s for sipping, maybe on a cold day around a campfire or cook out. It’s made in Bamberg, a town in Bavaria, Germany.

This is one premium sake! Gekkeikan Horin is a “junmai daiginjo” sake made with select rice polished to 50% of its original size and is slowly fermented at low temperatures. It’s light with fruity notes and is (dangerously) easy to drink. A perfect paring for some fresh Yellowtail or Tuna. Serve slightly chilled and look to spend about $36 for a bottle.

Gekkeikan Horin Sake

Jason brought some 2004 Siduri Pinot Noir to our recent family getaway in Olema, CA so he gets credit for this discovery. Nice! We really liked this one. Fruity and delicate, this is an easy Pinot to fall in love with. Lots of berry flavors, but not too jammy. Nice fruity finish. If accolades are your thing, there are quite a few for this one on the Siduri website.

About $30 a bottle. 5 stars. Joe Bob says, “check it out.”

On our recent trip to Seattle we tried (and fell in love with) the 2001 Cesari Amarone Classico while dining at the Queen City Grill. With all the great food experiences we had in Seattle, discovering this wine was one of my highlights of our Seattle trip.

Warm, fruity and complex without being too sweet or peppery. It has a nice long finish and would make a great pairing with grilled meat. Let it breathe well before serving, you’ll be glad you did. This one has a lot to say once he gets some air. It’s usually about $37 a bottle, and worth every penny. 5 stars.

For those who want all the info from the Cesari site: “Grape varieties made up of 70-75% Corvina Veronese, 20% Rondinella and 5% Molinara. The grapes to be used in the Amarone production are harvested 1-2 weeks earlier than those for the Valpolicella wine. During the grape harvesting, only perfectly unblemished and dry clusters are selected and placed in shallow cases in single layers. They are left to dry in selected well-aired locations, called fruit cellars, to avoid being attacked by mould. The drying process lasts until the end of January. During these months the bunches are constantly checked and discarded if damaged. At the end of the drying period, the grapes lose 30-40% of their weight and their concentration of sugar, an indispensable element during the following fermentation stage to ensure a noteworthy alcoholic level (around 15%), is increased. Maceration is carried out on contact with the skins for a period of 20-30 days. During fermentation, given the high alcoholic level that is produced, the yeasts must be strictly selected and be resistant both to alcohol and to cold (the Amarone fermentation period is between January and February). After drawing off the lees, the product is placed in steel vats in order to complete malolactic fermentation in the following months. At this point, the maturation process, lasting three years with ageing in large barrels (Slavonian oak) and small casks, barriques and tonneaux (French oak), will take place. Prior to the release of the product, the wine is left to mature for another 8 months in the bottles.”