Foxon Park Soda: a Moxie of my Own

by Foodie Fatale on May 12, 2013

in Connecticut,The Family Business

photo61 300x300 Foxon Park Soda: a Moxie of my Own

A small glass of deep violet liquid, offset by tiny white bubbles, dancing in effervescence. The taste is syrupy and sweet, unabashedly artificial in its grape flavor, with a slight hint of the familiar fruit essence. Exploding carbonation intensifies the taste…

Charles Passy passionately declared his love of Moxie soda in his recent Wall Street Journal post “Why Soda is the Great American Beverage”

I’ve got “Moxie” of my own. It’s called “Foxon Park.”

I grew up in Connecticut in the 1970s and my parents didn’t drink soda.  Not only did I never pine for it- I disliked it.

There was one exception to this rule. When we went out for Pepe’s pizza (the religion of choice in my family), I was allowed a bottle of Foxon Park Grape soda, the taste of which was perfectly suited to the pizza. In my young opinion, it was in a class of its own- and incomparable to Welch’s.

photo53 300x300 Foxon Park Soda: a Moxie of my Own

Foxon Park is a cultural institution in Connecticut, infused with nostalgia. My love of the soda is not only about its taste, it’s about seeing my great Aunt Chris drink a glass of Foxon Park strawberry soda at the kitchen table. It’s about hearing my father describe the delivery of Foxon Park seltzer bottles to his house when he was little, and the spray fights that ensued.

I also love the fact that the 80-year-old company is still a family-owned and -run business. And those 12oz bottles are still glass. The soda labels and website now brag: “Made with 100% Real sugar.” 

With age, my preference has shifted from Grape to White Birch Beer (which I enjoyed as recently as this past Thursday at Pepe’s, of course). I do still occasionally buy a bottle of Grape, for old time’s sake.

Some taste are timeless. Whether it is Grape or White Birch, Foxon Park  stays close to my stomach, and my heart. And although I still don’t drink soda, I do drink Foxon Park.


 

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Campari & Grapefruit at Homestead Inn & Thomas Henkelmann

by Foodie Fatale on April 25, 2013

in Connecticut,Restaurants,Travels,Wine and Cocktails

photo32 e1366735881291 225x300 Campari & Grapefruit at Homestead Inn & Thomas Henkelmann

Stepping onto the grounds of Homestead Inn and Thomas Henkelmann in Greenwich, Connecticut is transcendant in that you are immediately, magically in Europe. I will save describing the beauty of a meal at  Thomas Henkelmann and instead tell you about the most delicious drink I enjoyed last Saturday evening.

I stopped at Homestead’s elegant bar en route to hear Barbara Cook at The Performing Arts Center in Purchase. Given the evening’s classic entertainment and the buds on the trees, it seemed fitting to order a timeless drink that I usually reserve for warm weather: Campari & Grapefruit.

Bartender Astley, dapper as always in a crisp ivory traditional French waiter’s jacket (de rigueur at Thomas Henkelmann), served me the very best I have tasted. Icy cold and a perfect balance of the bitter Campari and sweet-tart grapefruit juice.

He told me it was so good because he used a shaker to mix the  juice and Campari. I’m sure that is in part the reason. But I like to think that it is because any drink Astley serves in that lovely setting is beyond compare.

 

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February Cocktails Part III: Zinc’s “Allspice Flip”

by Foodie Fatale on February 28, 2013

in Connecticut,Recipes,Restaurants,Wine and Cocktails

StElizabethAllspiceDram 224x300 February Cocktails Part III: Zincs “Allspice Flip”

I know I shouldn’t really talk about cigarettes and food in the same breathe. But one sniff the “Allspice Flip” cocktail at Zinc (New Haven) immediately transported me to my junior year of high school, when my older (senior) friend Sarah smoked Djarum clove cigarettes and listened to Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark’s Motion and Heart.  She was to me the epitome of “cool” and the scent of cloves always makes me feel like it is fall in Connecticut  and Sarah is smoking a clove cigarette and driving her parents’ car and we are so cool, and so adult and so free. The rum-based St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram in Zinc’s “Allspice Flip” is flavored by the dried berry of the Pimenta dioica tree, known as “Allspice” because its fragrance and flavor are reminiscent of cinnamon,nutmeg, and most powerfully, cloves. The smell and the taste were sublime.

ZincFoodAllSpiceFlip 224x300 February Cocktails Part III: Zincs “Allspice Flip”

The top of the cocktail was beautifully, luxuriously covered with a frothy cloud of egg white, garnished with a freshly ground sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. This spice combination not only added flavor, but-  as it sank slightly into the cloud created a pleasing visual contrast to the stark white foam.

Sipping past the top, the cocktail’s primary ingredient was unmistakably Normandy’s potent apple brandy, Calvados.  I first encountered Calvados during my junior year of college, which I spent in Paris. My friend Zoe’s grandparents, Warren and Jean, had lived near St. Sulpice since the end of Word War II , when Warren worked for The Marshall Plan. From their American in Paris household freely flowed Roblechon, Beaujolais, couscous– and on special nights -  Calvados. Warren served his Calvados neat, and it never failed to make my head whirl.

In the “Allspice Flip,” mixed with an apple cider reduction, its bite was tempered. And like Barcelona‘s “Bourbon Spice Rack” and 116 Crown‘s “Elm City Herbal Tea“(the first two cocktails in this series), fresh lemon brightened the drink, and gave it a whisper of spring. An ice-cold cocktail for winter, with the “cool” warmth of cloves.

Allspice Flip
Zinc; New Haven, CT
Ingredients
2 oz Daron Calvados
3/4 oz apple cider reduction
1/2 oz Allspice Dram
1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1 pasteurized egg white

Directions
Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously for 5-7 seconds.
Strain into a champagne flute If done properly, a thick froth should form at the top of the glass (the harder you shake, the frothier the drink)
Dust the top with a mixture of grated cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper

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February Cocktails Part II: 116 Crown’s “Elm City Herbal Tea”

by Foodie Fatale on February 24, 2013

in Connecticut,Recipes,Restaurants,Wine and Cocktails

ElmCityHerbalTea1 224x300 February Cocktails Part II: 116 Crowns Elm City Herbal Tea

Elm City Herbal Tea; 116 Crown, New Haven

“Winter lies too long in country towns; hangs on until it is stale and shabby, old and sullen.” 
–Willa Cather, MY ANTONIA

And February lingers on.
Maybe it’s my late-in-the game catch up to Mad Men (all 5 seasons in the past month), but I’m starting to get a real feeling for dark liquor. This past weekend, it was rye. There’s something about both rye and bourbon that is especially suited to the cold weather. They taste dark, just like their color. They taste dangerous. I like it.

JohnGinnetti 224x300 February Cocktails Part II: 116 Crowns Elm City Herbal Tea

I am in all cases a huge fan of John Ginnetti, the owner and cocktail master at

116 Crown in New Haven. His cocktails are smart, thoughtful and creative. Not too precious, and often rather inspired. Last summer, I wrote about his Doc Holiday, which combined Michter’s Rye with freshly muddled native strawberry, DePaz Cane Syrup, lime and lemon juice. John’s “Elm City Herbal Tea” uses rye in an entirely different way. The base of the drink is piping hot Earl Grey Tea, whose primary flavor is of the Bergamot orange, a small citrus tree that blossoms in the Mediterranean during the last days of winter. How appropriate.

The name “Herbal” alludes not to tea, but to the Amaro Sabilla, whose strong bitter and tannic taste dominates the AmaroSabilla 224x300 February Cocktails Part II: 116 Crowns Elm City Herbal Teacocktail. I have developed a taste for bitter lately,  after encountering my “gateway amaro” of Campari, which I sipped with ruby red grapefruit all last summer.  The Italian Varnelli Distillery creates their  Amaro Sabilla from a mixture of herbs and roots, which are “prepared over a wood fire and sweetened with the honey produced in the Sibillini Mountains.”

John balances the Amaro with local honey from Urban Farmer and Beekeeper Benjamin Gardner.

Although the Elm City Herbal Tea may be garnished with whipped cream, I opted for fresh lemon slices and a lovely assortment of edible flowers. Both enticing reminders of the imminent vernal equinox. I loved sipping this beautiful, flavorful warm tea, while the Earth slowly tilted just that much closer toward the sun.

Elm City Herbal Tea
John Ginnetti, 116 Crown; New Haven, CT

Ingredients
1 oz Amaro Sabilla
1 oz High West Double Rye
Honey (to taste)
2 oz Earl Grey tea

Directions
Mix first three ingredients in your favorite mug and stir until honey begins to thin
Add hot Earl Grey and continue to stir
If you take your tea with milk, a knob of stiff whipped cream can be added
Alternatively, garnish with lemon slices and edible flowers

photo52 300x224 February Cocktails Part II: 116 Crowns Elm City Herbal Tea

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February Cocktails Part I: Barcelona’s “Bourbon Spice Rack”

February 18, 2013

These last days of February are quite simply a countdown to Spring. Outside my house, the snow remains piled up following last week’s blizzard and today’s wind chill makes it feel like 10 degrees. There are no signs of color or life. Until the days are longer and the trees start budding, I need warmth. [...]

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Eating Las Vegas

December 28, 2012

Foodie Fatale….Eating Las Vegas at the Aria Resort and Casino Looking down from the plane, the dark red sand of the desert below appears to be an abstract painting in progress, constantly moving as though perpetually drawn by an unseen brush. Mesas and mountains rise out of the sand, as well as lakes whose bright [...]

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Foodie Fatale on Bonnie Grice’s Eclectic Cafe (WPPB 88.3)

December 21, 2012

Podcast: Play in new window | Download Foodie Fatale on Bonnie Grice’s Eclectic Cafe (88.3) Thanks to Peconic Public Broadcasting 88.3 WPPB – FM and Bonnie Grice for having me as a guest on the Eclectic Café yesterday. Along with food great Fern Berman, we had a wonderful time tasting and discussing the delicious foods of coastal Connecticut and the [...]

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Eggnog à La Foodie Fatale

December 19, 2012

As featured in the food section of  The Day… Each year, I look forward to celebrating the holiday season with egg nog. In mine, a dusting of chile adds an unexpected heat that is well-balanced by the milk and cream. And dark rum gives it a wonderfully rich caramel flavor. Sit by a fireplace, pour a [...]

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Naples Family Vegetable Stew (Ciambotta): Foodie Fatale on Better Connecticut

November 26, 2012

Please watch my appearance on Better Connecticut on WFSB Channel 3, where I showed hosts Scot Haney and Kara Sundlun how to make the hearty Naples Family Vegetable Stew. WFSB 3 Connecticut Read the heartwarming story behind this stew and a family, a farm and preservation through food: Naples Family Farm: Preservation Naples Family Vegetable Stew (Ciambotta) Ingredients 2 tbs olive oil 1 medium [...]

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Naples Family Farm: Preservation

November 18, 2012

“Food and holidays and celebrations are at the center of everything. But it isn’t the food, it’s the fellowship. And it’s still this way in this house.” Phyllis Naples  Driving along Durham, Connecticut’s Main Street you may notice the faint but persistent smell of hay, and the dated plaques that adorn the numerous farmhouses built [...]

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