The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New items for your kitchen
A nonalcoholic spritz perfect for the party
Replicating spirits like gin and rum without alcohol is a challenge that’s best met with the addition of other flavors and lively carbonation. Enter the premixed alcohol-free cocktail. Among the best is the new canned Amalfi Spritz by Lyre’s, a company based in Australia that in a little over two years has developed one of the most comprehensive portfolios of faux spirits. The cocktail has fizz, bitterness and citrusy notes to compensate for the absence of alcohol’s buzz and body. For a holiday gathering pour quarts of it over a block of ice in a punch bowl and float orange wheels and pomegranate seeds on top. Lyre’s Amalfi Spritz, 250 milliliters (8.45 ounces), $44.97 for 12, $84.99 for 24, lyres.com.
Roasted almond butters with French pedigree
A new sideline for La Tourangelle, a company that specializes in fine nut oils, is a smooth almond butter made from nuts roasted, like the oils, in cast-iron kettles. It’s the technique used by the company, originally from the Loire Valley in France and with headquarters now in Woodland, California, near San Francisco. There are two rich, toasty varieties: French Roast, which is sodium-free, and Fleur de Sel, with a scintilla of sea salt. Neither contains sugar or other additives.
La Tourangelle almond butters, 16 ounces, French Roast, $12.99; Fleur de Sel, $13.99, latourangelle.com.
Two new sources for food news
There are two new sources for food news, one audio, the other visual. Whetstone Radio Collective, a network for podcasts founded by Stephen Satterfield, a writer and media entrepreneur, started with a narrative about climate and food on Dec. 8, with nine more programs covering topics like rituals and culinary traditions, mezcal and ancestral foodways in Indigenous communities. It’s part of Whetstone Media, which also publishes a magazine. Broken Palate is an online food newsletter on the Substack platform that made its debut last week and plans to feature four to five posts a week on assorted topics relating to food, dining and people. It was created by New York restaurateur John McDonald, who helped start Tasting Table 10 years ago before selling it last year. For now it’s free, but a paywall is going up. Whetstonemagazine.com/ radio; brokenpalate.com.
Florence Fabricant, c. 2021 The New York Times