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Best of 2016: Bitters and the mystery of blending

Erika Szymanski
Features
5 min read
I had expected great things from my first experiences with cocktail bitters. Bitter flavors are great, and so are condiments. Make me a kale and radicchio salad spiked with anchovies, garlic, and mustard and I'll nosh contentedly. So I was surprised, when I splashed some of the classic Angostura on

Bitters and the mystery of blending

Erika Szymanski
Features
5 min read
I had expected great things from my first experiences with cocktail bitters. Bitter flavors are great, and so are condiments. Make me a kale and radicchio salad spiked with anchovies, garlic, and mustard and I'll nosh contentedly. So I was surprised, when I splashed some of the classic Angostura on

What kind of pink will China drink?

Erika Szymanski
Features
5 min read
It's no secret that the wine drunk in China is, overwhelmingly, red. Chinese tradition has it that red is a prosperous color. Red wines Some Chinese drinkers see red wine as having health benefits, good for the skin or for blood circulation. Wine consumption is often a social status-building move

The Some science behind canned wine

Erika Szymanski
Features
6 min read
You don't need me to tell you that canned wine is kind of hip. Chalk that up to a winning combination of novelty, extreme portability, and the kind of casual anti-snob vibe that appeals to young urbanites with disposable incomes these days. No real mystery that canned wine is hip,

Why does wine smell?

Erika Szymanski
Features
6 min read
Why doesn't a glass of water smell like anything? Or a bowl of sugar? And why does a glass of wine smell like so many things? For something to smell like anything, two conditions must be satisfied. One: it must contain volatile molecules. Two: those molecules must trigger olfactory receptors.

How fair is fair trade wine?

Erika Szymanski
Features
6 min read
Even if you don't shop at Whole Foods, even if you don't drink coffee, you've probably heard of Fair Trade. The program (programs, really; fair trade certifications are issued by a handful of agencies) rose up in the 1960's, but really gained steam in the 1980's as an upmarket-focused movement