A Road Trip Explores Pennsylvania’s Rye Whiskey

“Tis July’s immortal Fourth; all fountains must run wine today!” Melville wrote in 1851, in “Moby-Dick.” “Would now, it were old Orleans whiskey, or old Ohio, or unspeakable old Monongahela!” Now, after nearly a century in oblivion, Pennsylvania rye is finally making a return — rye whiskey is among the fastest-growing spirits categories in the…

How to Make a Recipe Your Own

Good morning. Cook a recipe once and you’re playing a cover song. Cook it four or five times, though, and you’re playing a new arrangement, even if it’s relatively faithful to the original. That’s been the case for me with Rick Martinez’s recipe for Tajín grilled chicken (above). I first made it as Rick intended…

Finger Foods, an Investigation

Sorry in advance for the frequent use of the phrase “finger foods” in this newsletter. As a society, we have got to come up with something more appealing. Hand cuisine? Digit diet? Those two options are even worse. “Finger food” also minimizes just how enjoyable and engaging it can be to eat food by hand,…

A Tea to Celebrate a Big Anniversary

The Republic of Tea was founded in 1992 and then acquired two years later by Ron Rubin, an entrepreneur who worked in the beer, wine and liquor business before starting a bottled beverage company. It’s called the Republic of Tea because some of the original owners also created the Banana Republic clothing company. Mr. Rubin…