Archive for Wine & Dine

Add a Dose of Delight to Your H2O

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What’s more refreshing than a glass of chilled water after a spa treatment or a workout? Nothing, you say? Well, you’re mistaken (kind of). Infusing a plain jug of water with fruit and spices means more antioxidants, added vitamins and a refreshing treat for your taste buds! At Turning Stone Resort, in Verona, NY, the award-winning Ska:na Spa mixes up different flavors of its signature infused water each season. And, if you can’t make it to Turning Stone’s swoon-worthy spa, there are plenty of infused-water combinations you can try at home! All you need is an inexpensive infusion pitcher and one of the recipes below (we love the ginger-pear version on a wintry day like today). Enjoy!

Turning Stone Resort Verona, NY

Photos courtesy of Turning Stone Resort Casino

{From left}

Tangerine-Fennel-Thyme Water

1 gallon water

12 tangerines (zest peel before slicing)

8 sprigs thyme

2 bulbs fennel, shaved

Combine all ingredients in pitcher. Allow to cold steep for 6 hours. Strain through fine mesh strainer. Fill pitcher with tangerine-fennel-thyme water. Garnish center cylinder with slices of tangerine, fennel and thyme sprigs.

Apple-Pomegranate-Rosemary Water

1 gallon water

10 apples, sliced

15 pomegranates (seeds only), muddled

1/2 cup rosemary, chopped

2 lemons, juiced

Combine apple slices, muddled pomegranate seeds, rosemary and water. Allow to cold steep for 6 hours. Strain through fine mesh strainer. Fill pitcher with apple-pom-rosemary water. Garnish center cylinder with lemon juice, pomegranate seeds, apple slices and rosemary sprigs.

Ginger-Pear Water

1 gallon water

10 pears, sliced 1/8 inch

1/2 cup ginger, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch

Combine all ingredients in pitcher. Allow to cold steep for 6 hours. Strain through fine mesh strainer. Fill pitcher with ginger-pear water. Garnish center cylinder with slices of ginger and pear.

Chill Out with Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Trademark Ice Wine

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Niagara-on-the-Lake is famous for a lot of things – picturesque scenery, a charming British manner. But the town is best known for its ice wine, a dessert wine made from grapes that have been allowed to freeze on the vine.

The Niagara Icewine Festival takes place every January (hey, that’s now!). Guests at the Riverbend Inn and Vineyard can and should check it out, but if you can’t make it across the border so quickly, fear not: ice wine is readily available everywhere.

And you know what? It’s Monday, so how about a little ice wine cocktail recipe courtesy of Food and Wine.

Photo courtesy of Food and Wine magazine

Ice Wine Martini

  • 10 large seedless green grapes, plus 2 halved grapes for garnish
  • 2 ounces ice wine
  • 2 ounces vodka, preferably Ciroc
  • Ice

In a blender, puree the 10 whole grapes with the ice wine and vodka. Pour the puree through a tea strainer into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain again into a large chilled martini glass and garnish with the grape halves.

Cheers!

It’s Alive!: A Healthy Recipe from the Philippines

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If you’re anything like us, your New Year’s resolutions involve working out more often (nice to meet you, after-work yoga class!) and eating healthier (farewell, 4:00PM sugar fix). Luckily, the Farm at San Benito in Lipa City, Philippines covers both bases. Aside from its many wellness programs, the hotel offers a gourmet vegan restaurant called Alive! that whips up breakfast granola, salads and raw-chocolate desserts using ingredients from the on-site organic garden. But if you can’t make it to Lipa City this year (new resolution: travel more), the Farm’s cookbook offers plenty of recipes to help get that resolution rolling.

Farm at San Benito

Photo courtesy of The Farm at San Benito

Crispy Vegetable Salad with Almond Butter Sauce

Ingredients

½ red and ½ white cabbage, shredded

1 carrot, julienned

¼ cup mint

¼ cup cilantro

2 cucumbers, cut in half, seeded and sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

¼ cup almonds, dehydrated and chopped

Mix all ingredients in a bowl before transferring to individual plates. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of almond butter sauce over each salad and enjoy!

New Year, Tropical You

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Well it’s 2013, and if you resolved to travel more there’s no shortage of tropical destinations on SniqueAway right now (Los Altos Club Casa de Campo, Magic Blue Boutique Hotel and Utopia Village).  But let’s say you can’t make the trip just yet. Well, we’ve picked out a few tropically inclined watering holes scattered across some decidedly non-tropical areas. So if you’re nearby, these places will bring the Beach Vacation vibes to you.

Tiki Bars

Photos courtesy of Lani Kai, Forbidden Island, Mai-Kai Restaurant and Trailer Happiness

Clockwise from top left:

Lani Kai (New York, NY): This Hawaiian-native-owned tiki bar serves up some truly tropical libations like the Pacific Swizzle with white rum, lemongrass, hibiscus tea, lime juice and passion fruit.

Forbidden Island (Alameda, CA): Try award-winning cocktails like the banana-coconut-cream-and-silver-rum Banana Mamacow at this California-based oasis.

Mai-Kai Restaurant (Ft. Lauderdale, FL): Dinner and a (Polynesian) show—this place takes the average drink menu to a new level with house specialities like the Mai-Kai Blizzard with rum, ice cream and a blend of West Indies spices.

Trailer Happiness (London, England): A small cocktail lounge that offers an off-the-beaten-path sense of seclusion alongside vibrant Hawaiian-inspired drinks, original artwork and live music.

Vermont: Where Being Called ‘Cheesy’ is a Compliment

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When you hear the word “Vermont,” what comes to mind? Maple syrup? Ice cream? Moose?

The state is known for all three, sure, but Vermont is perhaps best known for its cheese. Up and down the Green Mountains, artisan cheesemakers produce some of the best curds in the world. Vermonters are love their cheese–the Grafton Inn proudly puts Grafton Village cheeses on its menu–and visitors can explore the Vermont Cheese Trail to see how its made.

Photo courtesy of Vermont Creamery

Fortunately, Vermont cheese is easy to find outside the Green Mountain State as well. Here are a few popular and high-quality labels to look for in a cheese shop near you (most offer online ordering as well):

Shelburne Farms – Located south of Burlington on the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne Farms is known for its robust aged and smoked cheddars.

Vermont Creamery: Vermont Creamery’s Cremont (pictured above) is a delightful blend of cow and goat’s milk in a soft, spreadable cheese; it produces several other cheeses as well, in addition to excellent cultured butter and creme fraiche.

Maplebrook: The mozzarella is great, and the feta is fantastic, but for pure cheese indulgence you can’t beat Maplebrook’s Burratta–mozzarella filled with fresh, buttery cream and stracciatelli (shreds of mozzarella).

Cellars at Jasper Hill Farm: In addition to its own cheese, Jasper Hill works with small cheesemakers to pro

duce truly artisan varieties. Weybridge, from Sholten Family Farm, is a favorite, as is the Cabot Clothbound cheddar.

Non-cheese bonus: Fat Toad Farm‘s “cajeta,” or goat’s milk caramel, comes in several flavors including vanilla, cinnamon, and coffee.