Inside the Italian town that gave us Parmesan cheese

On a trip to the grocery store the other day, I found myself standing in the pasta aisle.

Stocked between the packages of linguine and penne, rigatoni and fusilli, and hovering above exorbitant rows of pre-mixed jars of pasta sauce, were an army of plastic shakers, crammed with Parmesan cheese.

Grabbing one, I rolled the container over and skimmed the ingredients: cellulose powder, potassium sorbate, calcium chloride, lipase, sorbic acid…the list went on, with a string of other words that sounded just as unnatural. 

Don’t get me wrong; I’d grown up eating the Parmesan cheese I was now side-eyeing. After ladling chunky Bolognese sauce onto a plate of steaming, buttered spaghetti noodles, the cheese was the next best part, even though sometimes you’d have to whack the bottom to get the clumpy pieces to break apart. After a few vigorous shakes with roughly a quarter of the container dispersed, the pasta was ready to eat.

I never gave much thought to this cheese, which for some reason, could sit on a shelf with dried goods and not go bad, sometimes for more than a year. But after visiting a local caseificio, (known locally as a classic dairy farm) in Parma, Italy, I had a new appreciation for one of North America’s favourite cheeses.

A 1,000 year-old secret

 Like the city’s name suggests, Parma is the birthplace of Parmigiano Reggiano, which is a protected designation of origin product, and somewhat of a national treasure to all of Italy.

For one thousand years, the production of Parmigiano Reggiano in Parma has followed an ancient recipe using just three simple ingredients: milk, salt and rennet—familiar and natural ingredients, I might add. With such simple origins, the final product is also lactose-free, high in protein and low in fat.

Originating in the Middle Ages, Benedictine monks were the first to start churning out large wheels of cheese with a long maturation period, using salt from the nearby Salsomaggiore salt mines and fresh cow’s milk.

Free from additives and preservatives, the longer the cheese aged, the more value it held.

According to the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano, which was founded in 1901 in a bid to authenticate and differentiate between copycat Parmesan cheeses, the first evidence of cheese being used as commerce through trade dates back to a record of sale in the 12th century. From dowries to land agreements, cheese was used as a form of currency for hundreds of years.

The making of a perfect Parmesan

At Azienda Agricola Bertinelli, a producer of Parmigiano Reggiano, the process starts with roughly 550 litres of raw milk.

“Half of the milk is from the previous evening that is kept in large containers and half is from this morning,” said Giovanna Rosati, spokesperson for the  Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano. “In the morning, they push the container over the vat and the partially skimmed milk falls into the vat. They are not allowed to use a decreamer, because it would alter the milk. It’s a great example of a protected designation of origin (PDO) product, which is a product that owes its characteristics to its area of origin, where it is produced, not to some secret patented recipe,” she added.

From there, rennet (an enzyme found in the stomach of dairy cattle) is added and the milk begins to naturally curd. Next, it’s the job of the master cheesemaker to break the curd down and begin cooking the cheese. Using steam, the curds sink to the bottom of the vat and begin to form one giant mass. From start to finish, the process takes roughly 50 minutes, in which two twin wheels of cheese are created. 

But the work doesn’t stop there. After cooking, each cheese is wrapped in a traditional linen cloth, then placed in a traditional mould, which gives it its classic wheel shape. Next, it’s transferred to a casein plate, which is outfitted with a sequential alphanumeric code that enables the cheese to be traced all the way back to its origins.

Holding up the stencil, Rosati looks almost like a WWE wrestler with the prized championship belt. “This engraves a few key details on the rind of the cheese,” she explains, noting it includes the code of the dairy producer where the cheese was made, as well as the month and year of production.

To be classified as a true Parmigiano Reggiano product, the cheese must be aged for a minimum of 12 months and undergo a rigorous quality control check, which includes a series of tapping tests to check for air pockets or tears.

And as for the cheese that doesn’t pass the test?

It’s cut up and sold as regular Parmesan—not to say that it isn’t outstanding, but without that stamp of approval, it’s no Parmigiano Reggiano. 

This story first appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of OFFSHORE. To read the full version, click here to access a digital copy.

580 hotel restaurants take eel off the menu to prevent its extinction

The members of Relais & Châteaux’s World Culinary Council have voted to immediately remove eel from their own menus and are sending a call to action to the rest of the group’s 580 hotels and restaurants to do the same.

The move comes after its NGO partner, Ethic Ocean, launched an alert that public authorities must urgently listen to scientists who recommend suspending European eel fishing.

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla), which is featured in menus all over the world–and revered in certain French, Spanish, Belgian, Dutch and Japanese culinary cultures–is considered critically endangered and features on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red Listof Threatened Species.

Over the last 20 years, European scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) have been warning about all the causes of the alarming decline of this species–but for the last three years, they have recommended suspending fishing.

A fishy dilemma

The 21 Relais & Châteaux chefs elected to the Association’s World Culinary Council gathered in October and voted to approve an immediate ban of European eel from its menus.

“Chefs have a critical role to play: we can stop the demand. We have a chance to protect eels from becoming extinct, and of preserving biodiversity to allow future generations to continue to enjoy them, but only if we act now. As the world’s largest network of chefs, Relais & Châteaux hopes to save this species.” —Mauro Colagreco, vice-president, Chefs of Relais & Châteaux 

In partnership with Ethic Ocean, Relais & Châteaux calls on the 27 European Union ministers to hear this chef mobilization and scientific recommendation in order to take the necessary measures this December to safeguard this species.

The European eel species suffers from numerous challenges including water pollution (particularly rivers), habitat destruction, dams that impede their biological cycle and illegal fishing, which has created a black market, fetching up to €5,000 per kilo.

Eels are the only fish that are targeted at their juvenile stage, on top of the fact that it takes them a long time to reach reproductive maturity.

Textured cocktails and flavoured salts are next top culinary trends

 Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury & lifestyle portfolio, is returning with its annual Culinary + Cocktail Trend Forecast, highlighting predictions from its vast team of global culinary and beverage experts that will be featured on plates and bar menus in 2024.

From global salts and seacuterie, to textured cocktails and umami flavors, Kimpton is forecasting both new and evolving trends that will further enhance the dining experience.

Kicking off in December 2023 and continuing throughout 2024, guests will have the opportunity to experience many of these trends at Kimpton restaurants and bars across the globe.

2024 culinary trends

Salt with a story

While salt is one of the most common ingredients in cooking, expect to see a noticeable shift to unrefined salts (Black Hawaiian Salt, Kala Namak, Persian Blue Salt, Celtic Salt, Fleur de Sel) as consumers move away from table salt staples in search of something far more unique to add to their favorite dishes.

Sourcing will also be a priority for many chefs, working with global salt producers to identify salts from around the world and understand their history and use cases.

Tinned fish and “seacuterie”

In the last year, luxury tinned fish sales have soared as people embrace seafood’s diverse range of flavors and sustainable practices.

Expect to see more unique conservas on charcuterie boards as well as dedicated ‘seacuterie’ boards including samplings of luxury canned fish like Spanish sardines in olive oil, habanero smoked oysters, and Maine eel smoked in alderwood packed in California olive oil. 

Cabbage is king

Cabbage will take over plates as culinary professionals and consumers alike turn to the cruciferous vegetable for its versatility, taste and texture.

Both well-known varieties such as Napa, Savoy and Red Cabbage and the more coveted Caraflex or Conehead cabbage will be showcased in a multitude of ways on menus including charred, fermented, roasted, braised, and even caramelized.

Creative dry-aging 

The technique of dry aging has grown in popularity and is increasingly sought after by consumers. Leveraging the proper equipment, dry aging provides enhanced control of texture, adds depth of flavour and complexity to elevate any dish.

With dry aging, chefs are able to push beyond beef into more interesting dishes with duck, lamb and fin fish. Vegetables like beets and carrots are being dry aged with koji to create a charcuterie-like texture and flavor.

Even spirits like bourbon and gin are being treated with dry aging techniques to take cocktails to the next level. 

Pastry makes a comeback

Consumers are saving room for dessert as chefs roll out inventive confections.

Kimpton is particularly seeing a rise in Asian and French influences for the sweetest course.

Guests can expect to see a rise in sweet and savoury combinations, such as carrot mochi and chocolate smoked salt croissants with alternate sugars like date-based sugar, beet sugar and coconut sugar growing more prominent.

2024 cocktail trends

Along with food trends, Kimpton has released the following predictions for cocktail offerings in 2024:

Textured cocktails for the senses

Rose and pistachio dust, dragon fruit crisp and edible helium bubble clouds are some of the sensory ingredients diners will soon find on bar menus in 2024 to add texture and visual appeal to the liquid base. 

A new wave of umami 

Kimpton bar leaders predict more experimentation with different types of fat washing as a new way to create smooth, creamy and velvety undercurrents in spirits rather than more traditional sweet syrups. Expect to find creations like a salmon martini or beverages using unique washing ingredients such as duck confit and spam.

Pantry ingredients featured in cocktails

Bars will incorporate ingredients from the kitchen to up level cocktail and non-alcoholic beverages, including biquinho peppers, salsa macha, soy sauce, fish sauce, whole cacao, black tahini, lion’s mane and sweetened condensed milk as an alternative to more traditional cocktail infusions.

Over-the-top garnishes

From snap peas to using 3D printers, simple garnishes will evolve to elaborate final flourishes that completely transform a cocktail from salty and savory to citrusy and bright in an instant.

Cinnamon revisited 

Breaking out of its autumnal shell, the versatility of cinnamon will offer dynamic flavor pairings as a popular additive and bridge to trans-seasonal beverages and dishes, like cinnamon and smoked salt coffee and chica moradas. 

Unique Latin American spirits

While tequila, gin and bourbon continue to shine on menus, 2024 will see the rise of Latin American spirits and liquors such as Aguariente, Singani and Cocuy, served within craft cocktails or enjoyed on the rocks. 

On a trip to Coastal Mississippi, explore 100KM of the best seafood

Indulge your senses and embark on a delectable journey along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where culinary creativity meets coastal, southern charm.

From sizzling grills featuring unique seafood combinations to the elegant ambiance of fine dining establishments, Coastal Mississippi has become an epicenter of delight. Across the three vibrant counties along the coast of Mississippi, culinary masters blend local flavors with international flair – creating a symphony of tastes that reflect the region’s distinctive style.

“Across our 62-miles of shorelines, there are many culinary gems including flavors from around the world,” said Judy Young, CEO of Coastal Mississippi Tourism. “From fresh-caught seafood to international cuisine and southern favourites, visitors have an array of options to choose from.”

World class seafood

Nestled on the serene banks of the Jourdan River, Jourdan River Steamer offers an enchanting dining experience, combining vintage elegance with contemporary culinary artistry.

With its panoramic views of the river, guests can indulge in a menu featuring fresh Gulf Coast seafood and other culinary delights, such as Royal Red Shrimp, Snow Crab and more.

Hook Gulf Coast Cuisine portrays culinary excellence on the Gulf Coast, offering a remarkable dining experience that seamlessly blends coastal charm with gourmet innovation. Located in Pass Christian, this restaurant boasts a menu brimming with locally sourced seafood, featuring fresh catch escabeche, pecan crusted mangrove snapper, seared Tuna, and more – all capturing the region’s rich culinary heritage.

Southern favourites

Inside a beautiful replica of an 1820s style historic home featuring salvaged bricks and a grand central chimney, The Chimney’s Restaurant in Gulfport is known for its fresh seafood & steak dinners.

Travellers can gaze upon the lush greenery, majestic oaks, and Gulfport waterfront – all while enjoying an extensive menu of southern comfort favorites and chef specialties.

In Bay St. Louis, travellers can visit The Sycamore House, a pair of 19th-century Acadian cottages on the National Register of Historic Places, for delectable dinner, brunch, and dessert options. Chef’s Stella LeGardeur and Michael Eastham have curated a menu to tempt every guest with dishes like their savory crab meat and mushroom cheesecake.

To plan your perfect Coastal Mississippi culinary escape,
visit coastalmississippi.com to learn more.

These are Canada’s top 10 best new restaurants

The 2023 Canada’s Best New Restaurants Top 10 were recently unveiled by Air Canada, with Toronto restaurant Kappo Sato taking the coveted top spot.

Led by chef Takeshi Sato, Kappo Soto is a Kappo-style Omakase restaurant where the tasting menu is prepared entirely in front of guests. In second place, the lavish steakhouse Wild Blue elevates fine dining in the mountain ski town of Whistler through its prime selection of meat and seafood. This year’s third-place winner, Marilena Café and Raw Bar, serves upscale seafood in a relaxed environment in Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2023 highlights the top restaurants that have opened across the country between late spring 2022 and May 31, 2023, and deliver exceptional experiences through the quality of their food, level of service and commitment to culinary creativity.

It is the only cross-country restaurant ranking to use a single, anonymous reviewer, and now in its 22nd year it is also the longest running. From the culinary vision and quality of ingredients on the menu to the team spirit that surrounds it, every element factored into an equation to determine the Top 10 list.

About the top 10 restaurants

The Top 10 were selected by food critic and author of Canada’s Best New Cookbook, Amy Rosen, who returns to the program having been the program’s first anonymous writer from 2002-2003.

Over the course of a secret month-long cross-Canada journey, Amy dined anonymously at more than 30 establishments that were nominated by a panel of food industry experts.

Here is the complete list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2023:

  1. Kappo Sato (Toronto, ON): Chef-owner Takeshi Sato, who worked at Tokyo’s Michelin-starred Ukai, conducts a two-and-a-half-hour kappo omakase in a tranquil room, where a tasting menu is prepared entirely in front of guests sitting comfortably wrapped around a smooth wooden counter.
  2. Wild Blue (Whistler, BC): The luxurious steakhouse Wild Blue has elevated fine dining in the resort town Whistler. Highlights from Chefs Alex Chen and Derek Bendig include a tender pink ribeye, served with the ocean-deep umami of yakiniku sauce, and buttery pommes purées.
  3. Marilena Café and Raw Bar (Victoria, BC): Chef Kristian Eligh and his team provide a new form of Vancouver Island hospitality that is upscale yet assertively unstuffy. Negroni’s on tap mix well with the Victoria restaurant’s seafood towers, plush pea agnolotti tossed with truffle butter, and ceviche mixto with pomegranate seeds.
  4. Rizzo’s House of Parm (Fort Erie, ON): Chef Matty Matheson’s hometown of Fort Erie is host to his newest restaurant.  Hefty mozzarella sticks with a fresh marinara dipper are a must for the table before enjoying the name-sake saucy, cheesy, and broiled Parms, available in chicken, eggplant or veal.
  5. Petit Socco (Winnipeg, MB): The intimate restaurant has 10 seats, an open kitchen and only two employees; co-owners and life partners Adam Donnelly and Courtney Molaro. The four-course dinner includes tempura shishito peppers coated in house berbere- spiced mayo sprinkled with sesame seeds and a giant tostada for two piled high with chopped poached prawns, sushi-grade tuna, Salvadoran curtido and avocado crema.
  6. Bonheur D’Occasion (Montreal, QC): Chef-owner Philippe Gauthier creates one of the most generous meals of the year with a level of hospitality best described as kindness. One of the most beloved dishes is the mille feuille by pastry chef Victor Adnet made with phyllo dough, deeply caramelized with maple sugar and layered with gently whipped clover cream.
  7. Folke (Vancouver, BC): In the hands of co-owner and chef Colin Uyeda, Folke’s vegan food is for anyone who enjoys gorgeous, inventive and extremely delicious food that happens to be plant-based.  Co-owner and pastry chef Pricilla Deo bakes a magnificent chocolate cake, layered with mousse, strawberry gelée, Earl Grey custard and fudge crunch.
  8. Le Molière par Mousso (Montreal, QC): Chefs Antonin Mousseau-Rivard, Daniel Vézina and Samuel Sauvé-Lamothe bring the classic brasserie to life in a soaring new Quartier Latin space. Stay for dessert and order the doré meunière that usually is pan-fried in browned butter with hazelnuts and lemon, but here, uplifted with siphon sauce.
  9. Espace Old Mill (Stanbridge East, QC): Jean-Martin Fortier’s inn and restaurant in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, provides visitors the most pleasant of countryside experiences. Guests will enjoy Chef Éric Gendron’s hand-chopped Legacy Speckle Park beef with sweet peppers and nasturtiums from just outside the window.
  10. Darlings (Bloomfield, ON): Jesse Fader left Toronto for Prince Edward County, where he has opened this upscale pizza restaurant in Bloomfield. Dishes worth visiting include the fresh-made Stracciatella made by Fader, which is suggested as a dipping sauce, and slices of sugar pie served in crimson County cherries.

The full Top 10 list is featured in the November issue of Air Canada enRoute magazine and online at CanadasBestNewRestaurants.com.

This luxury cruise line’s menu just got a Puerto Rican revamp

Fresh, local flavors lead the way for Holland America Line‘s cuisine on Caribbean sailings with new regionally themed menus in the Dining Room and Lido Market.

Adding to the culinary journey, Caribbean-bound guests can now enjoy a new themed brunch, indulge in local rum tastings, and savor a traditional, pirate-inspired rum punch crafted by renowned mixologist David Wondrich, who also will share his expertise on a March cruise aboard Zaandam.

Offered on sea days, all dishes on the new Caribbean Brunch menu in the Dining Room showcase fresh, local ingredients.

Local flavors on display 

The Dining Room features a range of new dishes showcasing island staples and favorites on all Caribbean cruises, including:

  • Chilly Caribbean shrimp cocktail with orange habanero aioli
  • Jerk pork tenderloin with peanuts, rice pilaf and black beans
  • Mahi mahi diablo with cilantro rice and guajillo chilies
  • Spiced pork belly with pineapple, salsa, roasted squash and sweet potatoes
  • Corn and salt fish fritter with garlic aioli
  • Chicken and callaloo soup with butternut squash, garlic, thyme and toasted coconut
  • Steamed stone crabs served chilled with a Dijon aioli dipping sauce (supplemental charge).

Taste the Caribbean islands in Lido Market

During Caribbean sailings, the casual Lido Market features regional favorites like Puerto Rican tostones. Made fresh daily with plantain chips, Puerto Rican tostones are served open-faced for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Topping selections range from tropical fruit for breakfast to pulled pork, garlic shrimp or vegetarian for dinner.

The Lido Market’s popular crepe bar features regional fruits and toppings with a buttered rum sauce. Lido dinner options include Caribbean lamb curry, Caribbean roasted pork sandwich, jerk lamb shank, braised brisket criollo, frita cubana, Jamaican garlic shrimp, Jamaican braised oxtail, rockfish cou-cou, and a selection of regional island hot sauces.

For more information, visit hollandamerica.com.

The secret to making Royal Caribbean’s signature onboard cocktails

Over the course of a year, over 44 million alcoholic beverage transactions are made across Royal Caribbean International’s fleet of 26 ships. What goes into making the drinks you get on a cruise?

 

When it comes to creating cocktails for Royal Caribbean International’s fleet of 26 ships, Director of Beverage Operations Ed Eiswirth isn’t in the market of competing with what other cruise lines are doing.

“Although Norwegian, Carnival and MSC are my competitors, absolutely, their beverage program — I don’t try to compete head-to-head,” he says. “I pay attention to what they’re doing and I follow what they’re doing. But, realistically, the guests that are coming on board — I’m competing with the local bar they go to… We spend a lot of time looking at what’s going on shoreside.”

Calling it a mix of “a little bit of art and a little bit of science,” he says menu ideation and cocktail concoction starts with looking at the trends. While cruise lines have historically been late adopters to trends, often garnering a reputation for serving up popular drinks like strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas, Eiswirth says Royal Caribbean aims to be ahead of the curve.

“We spend an awful lot of time on trend data, trend analysis, trend research, just what’s going out in the world, plus, what’s going on our ships, what are we selling, what’s selling well, what’s working on the menu,” says Eiswirth, who was in the midst of developing cocktails for Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s newest ship launching in 2024. “If there’s a trend, guests are going to start coming on board looking for it.”

For example, during the planning stages for the launch of The Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar, a new southern comfort style concept that launched on Wonder of the Seas, after some market research, Eiswirth and his colleague Alexandra Palmeri, Beverage Operations Lead, knew they wanted to “lean heavily on bourbon and moonshine — the spirits of the south.”

After multiple trials and tribulations, one of the hits that they developed was a creative take on a classic old fashioned — a peanut butter and jelly old fashioned. Although the recipe came together quickly, and they knew “Screwball whiskey was taking off,” it took a long time to master the garnish. Notably, it’s served with two tiny peanut butter and jelly sandwiches presented between two circular pieces of white bread.

“This is about taking the nostalgia of that crust-off peanut butter and jelly sandwich that somebody’s grandmother made you and then putting it on a cocktail you’re enjoying as an adult. If we have people who come on the ship who are excited to get the PB&J old fashioned, that’s a win for me,” he says. “Honestly, that drink would not be as popular without the garnish. I really think that garnish makes that drink, it makes it saleable and it makes it Instagrammable.”

Another hit is a take on a manhattan, made with brown sugar bourbon and topped with candied bacon.

When they’re gearing up to revamp a menu, Eiswirth says they work their way down to 75-100 serious contender recipes with input and ideas from mixologists.

“The first cut we do is literally read through each recipe and we will look at a couple of different filters. Ease of execution is probably the first filter we look at. Over the course of a year, our 26 ships do over 44 million alcoholic beverage transactions. Call it five million guests, 44 million transactions. And that’s just alcohol transactions,” he explains. “So obviously, we’re very busy. Shoreside restaurants do 25-30 drinks a half hour, we do 150-200 drinks a half hour on the pool deck.”

Another filter, which wasn’t even in the picture six years ago, is how Instagrammable the end result is. The majority of the time, he says recipes get the boot “if they don’t make sense on paper.” However, sometimes there’s an exception made when things that don’t seem to work do — like pineapple and peanut butter. Factors like availability of the ingredients also come into play, eventually cutting the original list down to 30.

“We will then go into a test kitchen or borrow somebody’s bar and we’ll make every single one of them. Tasting them ourselves, we’ll cut that 30 down to 20. And then we start really testing those 20 — we do a testing around the office within the food and beverage group,” he says. “Then we get everything ready to go. Everything costed out, garnishes figured out, what we want to replace, what the new menu looks like.”

Next, it’s time to present the options to Sean Treacy, Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations and Linken D’Souza, Global Vice President Culinary, Dining & Beverage.

“It will go through the tasting and they will give us a thumbs up or thumbs down on a cocktail. We expect the success rate of about 50% of what we provide to Lincoln and Sean will, on the first taste, get approved for going on a menu. Alex and I do not name drinks when we’re in development because when you put a name on something, you grow attached to it,” he says. “If we believe in the flavour combination, if we believe in the drink, we’ll go back and tweak and re-taste it [if it doesn’t get approved.”

In the end, he says it’s all about balance and finding something that appeals to the diverse pallets of the people who come on board.

“Our goal is to balance menus to a point where every guest that comes on board can find three or four things that they like or crave on a menu in each venue,” he shares. “Once we get the drinks approved, the work really starts because we have to write all the recipes, get the training done.”

—STORY BY ANN RUPPENSTEIN

Four festive Caribbean cocktails to try this holiday season

For children, the holidays are a time to sample the latest and greatest in seasonal confectionary; an all-you-can-eat feast of whatever cookies and sweets their relatives baked that year. For adults, the holidays represent a time to indulge in sweet things of a more liquid and alcoholic variety. Mulled wine, snowballs, and spiked eggnog may headline the list of festive favourites for many cocktail drinkers, but they certainly aren’t the only drinks you should be filling your glass with this season. 

For a bit of mixological inspiration, we looked to the sunny islands of the Caribbean: renowned both for their love of rum and fruity flavours and their general enthusiasm for the holidays. We embarked on a bit of a Caribbean tour to bring you signature recipes from four different destinations. Inject a little tropical sun into your festive fun this year with these flavourful, punchy cocktails that are quintessentially Caribbean.

The Bahamas: Goombay Smash

The Goombay Smash is a rum-based cocktail with a historic pedigree in The Bahamas, originally formulated by Emily Cooper on Green Turtle Cay. While the original recipe may remain a secret, versions of the drink have spread to all of The Bahamas’ major islands, impressing locals and visitors alike with its strong fruity flavour.

Recipe:

  • 11 ounces dark rum
  • 11 ounces light rum
  • 11 ounces coconut rum
  • 11 ounces apricot brandy
  • A whole can of pineapple juice (46 oz)

Mix in a container and shake vigorously before serving over ice. 

Anguilla: Sorrel

Sorrel is a tangy, intensely aromatic brew with a trademark red colour derived from the plant of the same name – a close relative of Hibiscus. Sorrel drinks are the holiday drink in the Caribbean, and that includes Anguilla, the luxurious yet quiet island known for embracing the holidays with its own dedicated “Festive Season”. This a cocktail that smells as delicious as it tastes and immediately conjures nostalgic memories for many Anguillian drinkers. 

Recipe:

  • Sorrel petals – 4 ounces
  • Ginger- 2 ounces
  • Cinnamon- half a stick
  • Cloves- 4
  • Lemon or orange rind (let this boil and steep overnight)
  • Add ¼ water

Combine ingredients in heatproof bowl

Boil water and pour over mixture. Cover, and refrigerate overnight

Strain the mixture, then chill it again. Strain once more if desired. Add rum to dilute or sweeten your liking and enjoy!

St. Martin: Guavaberry Kir

Guavaberry is one of St. Martin’s most famous flavours and exports. Boasting a complex flavour profile including woody, sweet, and spicy notes, Guavaberry is carefully cultivated on both the French and Dutch sides of the island and used in jams, spreads, and spirits. This simple cocktail highlights the incredible flavour of Guavaberry Liqueur. Feel free to substitute raspberry liqueur or your favourite fruity schnapps if you forgot to bring some Guavaberry back with you on your last trip!

Recipe:

  • 1oz St Maarten Guavaberry Liqueur
  • 5oz Champagne

Pour pre-chilled liqueur into a frozen champagne glass. Top with chilled champagne and dress with a small curl of orange skin. 

Antigua & Barbuda: Hibiscus Sangria

Nothing says “indulgence” like Sangria, and where better to get a Sangria recipe from than one of the capitals of indulgence, Antigua and Barbuda? This dual-island destination may be known for its mix of excellent resorts and wild beauty, but it’s quickly developing a reputation for excellence in mixology! Here’s a fresh take on using the familiar ingredient of sorrel to achieve some truly refreshing flavours. 

Recipe:

  • 1 bottle of red wine 
  • 1 cup of sorrel juice 
  • 1/2 cup of hibiscus tea 
  • 1/2 cup of brandy or rum 
  • Assorted fruits (pineapples, oranges, limes, grapes)

To brew your own hibiscus tea: place several (2-3 fresh or ¼ cup of dried flower) petals in a teapot and cover it with boiling water; allow to steep for approximately 5 minutes. Strain and bring to room temperature (preferably the tea should be chilled). Combine red wine, sorrel juice, and hibiscus tea with brandy or rum. Add sliced fruits of your choice to the mixture. Using a ladle, serve the beverage in a glass of your choice. Ensure you include a mixture of the fruit for a festive holiday beverage.

A tantalizing food journey through San Juan, Puerto Rico

With a blowtorch in one hand and a rocks glass in the other, Dennis Rivera meticulously lights a small pile of tobacco leaves sitting on a slab of wood from a Spanish white oak sherry barrel on fire and places the glass on top to infuse it with the smoke. Rivera, a brand specialist at Puerto Rican rum distillery Ron del Barrilito in Bayamón, is creating a cigar fashioned — a twist on an old fashioned — made with ingredients like chocolate and orange bitters, cocoa powder, and rum instead of rye.

“It smells amazing already,” he says. “This is a cigar simple syrup. We do it here ourselves; we create the tobacco syrup in house.” Ron del Barrilito is the oldest Puerto Rican rum, made in the same way since 1880, but the cocktails on offer in the visitor’s centre are fresh takes on classic cocktails. Here, rum bottles fetch as much as US $750 for a collector’s edition that’s been aged for 35 years.

After touring the premises and learning all about the history of the business and the distilling process, the tables have turned, and now I’m the one mixing drinks by taking part in a mixology class offered on site, concocting three rum-based drinks, including a pina colada.

Nicknaming the one-ounce shot glass “Monday” and the two-ounce glass “Friday,” we follow the instructions and skillfully create some top-notch cocktails. The reward is not only to drink the fruits of our labour — everyone in the class is also presented with an official certificate for successfully completing the course.

Now, who said drinking couldn’t be educational?

A gastronomic adventure

The next morning, as local chef Nivia Villanueva arrives at Plaza del Mercado de Río Piedras, a traditional market in San Juan, her eyes light up when she sees the abundance of fresh local produce on offer just a few short weeks after the destination was hit by Hurricane Fiona.

“Look at this!” she says with excitement, holding up a large avocado that’s quadruple the size of the typical ones found in grocery stores back in Canada. “We also need peppers, onions and garlic.”

 

Our mission today is to pick up the ingredients needed to prepare a typical Puerto Rican feast for lunch. We’ll soon be whipping up dishes like mofongo, a local favourite made from fried mashed plantains. Since moving back to Puerto Rico to be part of the solution and recovery efforts after the devastating impacts of hurricanes Maria and Irma back in 2017, Villanueva has been on a quest to share her love for cooking and the history of Puerto Rican cuisine with travellers. She strives to source local ingredients as much as possible as well as to support nearby farmers and small businesses.

“I share my passion for Puerto Rico’s culture and cuisine, emphasizing local products and my secret ingredient — a pinch of love,” she explains. Although the bounce back was much quicker this time around (there are barely any traces of impact left in the San Juan area), the Puerto Rican-born chef wants to get the message out that the island is open and ready for visitors. By night, we’re told the area surrounding the market transforms into a vibrant spot for nightlife with ample bars to choose from.

Food: a cultural connection

After gathering all the necessary ingredients for our gastronomic venture, we head to Villanueva’s condo apartment to get cooking. Our group is spread out across the kitchen chopping vegetables and mashing the plantain down in small wooden containers. Progress is made quickly and a short while later, we’re lining up to plate our concoctions. The end result is quite possibly the best tasting meal I’ve ever had a hand in cooking.

The next day, Elliot Cintron of The Spoon Experience guides me through the picturesque cobblestoned streets of Old San Juan to five culinary stops while also stopping by some interesting sights in the area like the smallest apartment building in San Juan — which fits between his outstretched arms — and La Puerta de la Bandera, a large colonial door with the image of the Puerto Rican flag alongside some street art. I’m on the Sunset Walk & Taste Tour, which is as much about food and drinks as it is about getting a historical overview of the 500- year-old city.

Our first stop is Chocobar Cortés where almost everything on the menu has a chocolate element from the avocado toast to the aptly named chocoburger. Even the cocktails incorporate the sweet ingredients with options like a chocolate old fashioned using chocolate bitters. We’re here to sample frozen chocolate — essentially the opposite of hot chocolate and more like a chocolate shake, which hits the spot. Another delicious stop is at Singular restaurant for cocktails and Arroz Congri, a dish made up of black beans and rice in this case topped with steak. The restaurant is located in the Hotel El Convento, a historic hotel in the historic walled city of Old San Juan set in a former Carmelite convent dating back to 1651.

Just when I think I can’t possibly squeeze in even more food, Cintron brings the group to Señor Paleta, an ice-cream and popsicle shop utilizing local products. The locations of the food tour stops vary slightly each day but one thing is for sure — no one leaves hungry.

—STORY BY ANN RUPPENSTEIN

Hotel brand seeks foodie “CEO” for new job sampling food on all five continents

Sampling Mexico’s sizzling street tacos, inhaling the bold aroma of Turkish coffee, uncovering the tangiest chimichurri in Argentina – it’s a job any foodie would covet and now, it could be yours. Ramada® by Wyndham, one of the world’s most well-known hotel brands, is searching for its first-ever Chief Eats Officer (“CEO”), a newly created role that will take one lucky job-seeker around the globe as they help the brand uncover and share some of the world’s best culinary and cultural delights. Best of all, the gig comes with a $10,000 payday and bragging rights as the most mouth-watering job ever.

Known for its diverse portfolio of award-winning hotels in more than 63 countries around the globe, Ramada helps travelers sample the world. The appointed “CEO” will be tasked with uncovering the culture and cuisine throughout five different continents and creatively showcase their finds on the brand’s social media and marketing channels. In exchange, the selected candidate will receive $10,000 and a $150 daily travel stipend to help them make the most of their globetrotting adventure. The “CEO Comp Package” also includes paid accommodations and air travel, an upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Diamond membership and bucket-list travel experiences.

Known for its diverse portfolio of award-winning hotels in more than 63 countries around the globe, Ramada helps travelers sample the world. The appointed “CEO” will be tasked with uncovering the culture and cuisine throughout five different continents and creatively showcase their finds on the brand’s social media and marketing channels. In exchange, the selected candidate will receive $10,000 and a $150 daily travel stipend to help them make the most of their globetrotting adventure. The “CEO Comp Package” also includes paid accommodations and air travel, an upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Diamond membership and bucket-list travel experiences.

For more information and how to apply, visit www.ramada.com/ceo.