Space 1026
1026 Arch St. 2nd Floor,
Philadelphia, PA
www.space1026.com

For an age old process such as print making, the everyday audience rarely gets to see a glimpse at the components involved - the layers of every color and manual production of a technique drawn to most artists because of its immediacy and immense satisfaction in the ability to reproduce.  Space 1026 members have long been versed in the properties of print and the possibilities that emerge out of individual projects and collaborations - print is the synthesis in which their community is maintained.  Hung in their typical saloon style, one can see the gritty reality behind a finished print (acetates, inked acetates, original photocopies, etc.) and the overlapping influences that occur within the collective.

(Photos courtesy of Space1026 Flickr.  To see more go here!)

Wednesday, March 24:  Block Party Space 1026 Book Preview at The Print Center
Thursday, March 25, 7-10pm: Separations Anxiety Soiree for the Southern Graphics Council Conference at Space 1026 & Draw a Fundred (event to raise awareness of childhood lead absorption in New Orleans, 7-10pm
Current: Space 1026’s Reading Room Installation at The Print Center, part of Philagrafika 2010: The Graphic Unconscious (pics below)

This event will coincide with Mark Remarque, the 2010 conference of SGC International, and the city-wide festival Philagrafika 2010.

“COPY JAM!” will be an interactive print event. During the party, fifty works by fifty artists will be displayed in a grid on the wall. Upon arrival, each guest will be handed a complimentary ticket that can be exchanged for one black & white photocopy of any work the guest chooses. There will be no sales; one ticket equals one copy. Copies will be made LIVE in the gallery for one night only!

A full list of participating artists is available on the COPY JAM! webpage.

All are welcome, and we hope to see you there!

—

Juxtapoz Magazine

Through the end of the month, three bars around Philadelphia will be hosting special Happy Hours centered around Art in the Age’s Root.

BAR, Standard Tap, and Charlie’s Pub are dishing out $4 Root cocktails, on alternating days for the next three weeks. In addition to the drink specials, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction will be at each bar, giving away free swag from their Old City boutique.

Check out the schedule after the jump, and plan your Thursday happy hours accordingly.

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
116 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 922-2600
www.artintheage.com

BAR
1309 Sansom St
Thursday, March 11th
7-9 PM

Standard Tap
901 North 2nd St.
Thursday, March 18th
8-10 PM

Charlie’s Pub
114 N. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 25th
8-10 PM

Through the end of the month, three bars around Philadelphia will be hosting special Happy Hours centered around Art in the Age’s Root.

BAR, Standard Tap, and Charlie’s Pub are dishing out $4 Root cocktails, on alternating days for the next three weeks. In addition to the drink specials, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction will be at each bar, giving away free swag from their Old City boutique.

Check out the schedule after the jump, and plan your Thursday happy hours accordingly.

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
116 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 922-2600
www.artintheage.com

BAR
1309 Sansom St
Thursday, March 11th
7-9 PM

Standard Tap
901 North 2nd St.
Thursday, March 18th
8-10 PM

Charlie’s Pub
114 N. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 25th
8-10 PM

If you haven’t had a chance to read the book, I highly recommend it. Holmes essentially argues against the wildly held belief that there was a cultural gap between science and the arts throughout the Romantic period. For example, that Merry Shelley’s Frankenstein is solely about the horrors of science and a warning against the pursuit of scientific discovery. Holmes provides compelling evidence that Romantic artists were, in fact, as fascinated by the possibility and romance of discovery as they were by the potential terrors of scientific misstep.

The book is essentially “a rely of scientific stories” (as was his talk) that illustrate the wonderment and optimism of the period. It all begins with the Cook’s 1769 voyage and the work of young naturalist Joseph Banks. Banks quickly shifted from nature studies into a sort of cultural anthropologist as the expedition came into contact with new and fascinating cultures such as the Tahitian natives. Holmes relayed a particularly interesting anecdote about a British marine standing guard outside of Cook’s camp looking down the moonlit beach to see Banks and two Tahitian women dancing completely naked down the shore.

From Banks, Holmes briskly moved through other big scientists of period, including William and Caroline Herschel. The brother-sister team were amateur astronomers who resided in Bath, and who discovered Uranus, the first new planet to be discovered in over 1,000 years. The moment of discovery was recounted in a poem by John Keats, the last of the great Romantic poets. Holmes also talked at length about the first balloon flights that were going on during this time, and how the views of earth from above that people were getting for the first time greatly influenced the way people, and the Romantic artists, viewed the human race and our place here on earth. Holmes likened it to the first shots of earth rising above the moon taken during the Apollo 8 mission.

Holmes also talked about English chemist Humphry Davy and his early experiments with nitrous oxide. Davy and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, another great Romantic poet, used to experiment with laughing gas on themselves, and there experience certainly influenced Coleridge’s work at the time. Davy went on to invent the miner’s safety lamp and “established British chemistry as the leading professional science in Europe.”

If you’re wondering what a “useable feast” is all about, here’s the dish straight from the horse’s mouth:

“’A Useable Feast’ is a unique exhibit in which functional pottery will be placed in a restaurant on display and to be used with a communal dinner, creating an active environment for guests where the common experience of eating and drinking becomes a celebration of the interdependence among pottery, food, cooking, and people.”

We love that this is happening at Noble.  They’re sustainable approach to food extends beyond their farm fresh ingredients.  Much of the interior is made from sustainable lumbered wood, and they have a ROOFTOP HERB GARDEN, which we love.

Award winner Christian Gaal will kick off the even at 7pm with a Preview Hour showcasing his Signature Seasonal Cocktails, some of which feature ROOT.  The Family Style Dinner will start promptly after at 8pm.

This is all part of the 44th Annual National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference, taking place in Philly for a week starting March 29th.  Tickets for the Useable Feast are $85, and seating is limited to book your reservations now by calling 215.568.7000. Proceeds will benefit the Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) Chapter Network program which educates consumers about the importance of farming and locally grown food.

Guests have the unique opportunity to choose from 75 plates and many other functional items

BAR
1309 Sansom St
Thursday, March 11th
7-9 PM

Standard Tap
901 North 2nd St.
Thursday, March 18th
8-10 PM

Charlie’s
114 N. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 25th
8-10 PM

Hop to see you all there!

BAR
1309 Sansom St
Thursday, March 11th
7-9 PM

Standard Tap
901 North 2nd St.
Thursday, March 18th
8-10 PM

Charlie’s
114 N. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 25th
8-10 PM

Hop to see you all there!

BAR
1309 Sansom St
Thursday, March 11th
7-9 PM

Standard Tap
901 North 2nd St.
Thursday, March 18th
8-10 PM

Charlie’s
114 N. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 25th
8-10 PM

Hop to see you all there!

Every Tuesday, we put up a handy guide that includes a prix-fixe menu, special or a value-driven deal for every night of the upcoming week. We’ve wrangled all of the deals and menus that come our way into one convenient place for you, rather than firing them at you artillery-style as they come in. Click through to see what’s on deck for this week, from an outdoor happy hour to free wine on a Friday night.

Tuesday, March 9:  P&K is hauling out the outdoor tables tonight in light of the lovely weather; check out their happy hour $5 wines, $3 beers, $2 snacks and $1 oysters from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 10:  Supper allows customers to BYOB on Wednesdays for no additional charge.

Thursday, March 11:  ROOT is throwing a happy hour at BAR from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with $4 drink specials (made with ROOT, of course), plus craft beer specials. Parent company Art in the Age will be giving away merchandise. [BAR, 1309 Sansom Street]

Friday, March 12:  Blackfish BYOB in Conshohocken offers complimentary wine every Friday from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. and after 9:00 p.m. with a different red and white offered each week. Limit of two glasses per person. 

Saturday, March 13:  Modo Mio’s “turista” menu is one of the best prix-fixe deals in town - pick four courses off of the menu for $33 per person, plus tax and tip. It’s available Tuesday through Saturday.

Sunday, March 14:  Square 1682, the Hotel Palomar’s restaurant, has launched a Sunday night six-course prix-fixe dinner for $45 plus tax and tip from 5:30 p.m. to 10:20 p.m.. Each week chef Guillermo Tellez explores the cuisine of a different Latin country.

Monday, March 15:  Check out Bitter Mondays at the Sidecar Bar, where all domestic pale ales and IPAs are $1 off from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.

—

Grub Street Blog Hypes ROOT

Every Tuesday, we put up a handy guide that includes a prix-fixe menu, special or a value-driven deal for every night of the upcoming week. We’ve wrangled all of the deals and menus that come our way into one convenient place for you, rather than firing them at you artillery-style as they come in. Click through to see what’s on deck for this week, from an outdoor happy hour to free wine on a Friday night.

Tuesday, March 9:  P&K is hauling out the outdoor tables tonight in light of the lovely weather; check out their happy hour $5 wines, $3 beers, $2 snacks and $1 oysters from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 10:  Supper allows customers to BYOB on Wednesdays for no additional charge.

Thursday, March 11:  ROOT is throwing a happy hour at BAR from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with $4 drink specials (made with ROOT, of course), plus craft beer specials. Parent company Art in the Age will be giving away merchandise. [BAR, 1309 Sansom Street]

Friday, March 12:  Blackfish BYOB in Conshohocken offers complimentary wine every Friday from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. and after 9:00 p.m. with a different red and white offered each week. Limit of two glasses per person. 

Saturday, March 13:  Modo Mio’s “turista” menu is one of the best prix-fixe deals in town - pick four courses off of the menu for $33 per person, plus tax and tip. It’s available Tuesday through Saturday.

Sunday, March 14:  Square 1682, the Hotel Palomar’s restaurant, has launched a Sunday night six-course prix-fixe dinner for $45 plus tax and tip from 5:30 p.m. to 10:20 p.m.. Each week chef Guillermo Tellez explores the cuisine of a different Latin country.

Monday, March 15:  Check out Bitter Mondays at the Sidecar Bar, where all domestic pale ales and IPAs are $1 off from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.

—

Grub Street Blog Hypes ROOT

$30/Ticket
215-235-2345

Rockland Mansion
East Fairmount Park
3810 Mount Pleasant Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19121
$30/Ticket
215-235-2345

When was the last time you googled yourself on the web?  In an age where documentation is so important in identifying who you are as a person, place or organization, some would find discomfort in not having a place to be found.  Take Fairmount Park’s Rockland Mansion.  It celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, yet it is unidentified through GPS nor brochure maps.  The result of its obscurity is its a lack of funding to promote the mansion’s profile.  Past owners and tenants of the Rockland Mansion were not celebrities nor any significant figures that could bring much attention to this smaller sized mansion until now.  Its current tenants, the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia in conjunction with the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Foundation seek to raise its awareness to the public through a series of events.  An upcoming lecture of “Villa Living along the Schuylkill in the 1800s”, takes place March 13th, at 11:30am and 3:30pm at the mansion.  If you are interested in purchasing tickets please call 25-235-2345.  Tickets sell for $30 and seating is limited, so hurry!

The three story square shaped house was built in 1810 as a classic Philadelphia style villa influenced by elements of Western, Roman and Greek architecture.  Prominent features include an elliptical staircase, decorative ornamentation on fireplaces and plasterwork and full length sliding sash windows that lead the parlor to the back porch overlooking the river.

For the full article in the Philadelphia Inquirer by Carolyn Davis, “Hidden Gem”, go here

Pictures by Michael Bryant:

www.fairmountpark.org

If you’re wondering what a “useable feast” is all about, here’s the dish straight from the horse’s mouth:

“’A Useable Feast’ is a unique exhibit in which functional pottery will be placed in a restaurant on display and to be used with a communal dinner, creating an active environment for guests where the common experience of eating and drinking becomes a celebration of the interdependence among pottery, food, cooking, and people.”

We love that this is happening at Noble.  They’re sustainable approach to food extends beyond their farm fresh ingredients.  Much of the interior is made from sustainable lumbered wood, and they have a ROOFTOP HERB GARDEN, which we love.

Award winner Christian Gaal will kick off the even at 7pm with a Preview Hour showcasing his Signature Seasonal Cocktails, some of which feature ROOT.  The Family Style Dinner will start promptly after at 8pm.

This is all part of the 44th Annual National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference, taking place in Philly for a week starting March 29th.  Tickets for the Useable Feast are $85, and seating is limited to book your reservations now by calling 215.568.7000. Proceeds will benefit the Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) Chapter Network program which educates consumers about the importance of farming and locally grown food.

Guests have the unique opportunity to choose from 75 plates and many other functional items

BAR
1309 Sansom St
Thursday, March 11th
7-9 PM

Standard Tap
901 North 2nd St.
Thursday, March 18th
8-10 PM

Charlie’s
114 N. 3rd St.
Thursday, March 25th
8-10 PM

Hop to see you all there!

—

The Hansen Family Blog

—

The Hansen Family Blog

As the snows are finally melting in Tamworth, we will soon be casting about local farms in order to assemble our own “peep.” We’ve settled on a breed – the noble Araucana (also known as the the “South American Rumpless”) – known for its blue-green eggs. The Araucana thereby affords its keepers a permanent, dye-less Easter.        

We’ll also soon construct a suitable home for the chickens. The design will finally satisfy vicariously my own dream of inhabiting an A-frame cabin circa 1973.

At this year’s Flower Show, Reverend Michael Alan is exhibiting and demonstrating the fine art of botanical illustrations with the PSBI (Philadelphia Society for Botanical Illustrators).  There are three days left to see it in person, so hurry!

The 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show
Sunday,  February 28th through Sunday, March 7  
Pennsylvania  Convention Center
12th & Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19107-2299 
 
Mon - Fri: 10-9:30pm
Saturdays: 8-9:30pm
Sundays: 8-6pm
Buy tickets online here

See previous works of Reverend Michael Alan below:

Chrysanthemums for Erin, 2009, watercolor

Fortunato & Montresor, 2009, watercolor

Spring (Four Seasons Series), 2009, watercolor

Art in the Age ROOT Poster, 2009, watercolor

The Binding of Tad, 2008, watercolor

To see more works go to www.reverendmichaelalan.com

 1. Yelp was founded in 2004 to help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists and mechanics
2. As of December 2009, more than 26 million people visited Yelp in the past 30 days
3. Yelpers have written over 9 million local reviews, over 85% of them rating a business 3 stars or higher
4. In addition to reviews, you can use Yelp to find events, special offers, lists and to talk with other Yelpers
5. Every business owner (or manager) can setup a free account to post offers, photos and message her customers
6. Yelp makes money by selling ads to local businesses – you’ll see these yellow, clearly labeled “Sponsored Results” around the site
7. Paying advertisers can also promote a favorite review at the top of their Yelp page, but can never change or re-order their other reviews
8. Yelp has an automated filter that suppresses a small portion of reviews – it targets those suspicious ones you see on other sites
9. You can Yelp on your phone at http://m.yelp.com, or use Yelp for iPhone, Yelp for BlackBerry, Yelp for Palm Pre, and Yelp for Android
10. The Weekly Yelp is available in 30 city editions to bring you the latest business openings and other happenings

First and Foremost Yelp is a website where you can write reviews about the businesses that you love and hate. But you can also go on talk threads where you can ask questions about things that you want to know about in your city or beyond, rant and rave about interesting topics, or just talk pop culture and music with like-minded people. Take it a step further and post local events like concerts that you want to see, host your own Unofficial Yelp Gathering, or even attend regular events like Film and Book Clubs. Do enough of all the above, have a photo, and use your real name, and you might qualify for Elite status; where you can enjoy perks like free parties and lunchboxes.

Yelp is a site that has a lot of interesting things going for it.But on Saturday March 20th Philadelphia Yelp is set to take it one step further with it’s Homegrown Party!

Envision yourself in a grand, historical 3-story mansion built and designed by the masterminds behind City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Wandering through its nooks and parlors to discover Philadelphia’s craftiest, most organic, and creative businesses. Getting to sample fresh food and delicious cocktails, all while getting your cuticles done, your mustache trimmed, your shoes shined, and your hair consulted in the grand Beauty Parlor room.

DJ QiCommand will be skillfully mashing up your favorite songs, and if you feel so inclined, have a game at the ping pong table or try your artistic hand in one of the many interactive workshops.

Mix and mingle with the city’s finest local businesses and move and shake with folks in the know.

This party is free to attend!! Must be 21+

*Complimentary rides from the party courtesy of Zipcar!

Saturday, March 20, 2010
8-10pm
CITYSPACE
2200 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Food:
Supper
National Mechanics
Elevation Burger
Fuel
terra
The Pita Pit

Drinks:
The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co
ROOT Liqueur
Organic Spirits
Canadian Club Whiskey
Victory Beer
Honest Tea

Retail Installations and workshops:
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Sugarcube
Square Peg Artery and Salvage
TrickGo
Magic by Trickzone

Beauty:
Plume
2 B Groomed Barbering Studio
Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa

Photography:
Michael Ferry Photography
Thomas Robert Clarke Photography

Donations to benefit:
Mill Creek Farm

*Carpooling necessary and we can’t promise everyone a ride!

RSVP now, but stay tuned as we add more action to the party!

The Homegrown Party is free, and all it takes to attend is having a Yelp Account. To Learn more about Yelp, and the Philly Homegrown Party, check out the Event Listing.

—

Culture Mob

1. Yelp was founded in 2004 to help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists and mechanics
2. As of December 2009, more than 26 million people visited Yelp in the past 30 days
3. Yelpers have written over 9 million local reviews, over 85% of them rating a business 3 stars or higher
4. In addition to reviews, you can use Yelp to find events, special offers, lists and to talk with other Yelpers
5. Every business owner (or manager) can setup a free account to post offers, photos and message her customers
6. Yelp makes money by selling ads to local businesses – you’ll see these yellow, clearly labeled “Sponsored Results” around the site
7. Paying advertisers can also promote a favorite review at the top of their Yelp page, but can never change or re-order their other reviews
8. Yelp has an automated filter that suppresses a small portion of reviews – it targets those suspicious ones you see on other sites
9. You can Yelp on your phone at http://m.yelp.com, or use Yelp for iPhone, Yelp for BlackBerry, Yelp for Palm Pre, and Yelp for Android
10. The Weekly Yelp is available in 30 city editions to bring you the latest business openings and other happenings

First and Foremost Yelp is a website where you can write reviews about the businesses that you love and hate. But you can also go on talk threads where you can ask questions about things that you want to know about in your city or beyond, rant and rave about interesting topics, or just talk pop culture and music with like-minded people. Take it a step further and post local events like concerts that you want to see, host your own Unofficial Yelp Gathering, or even attend regular events like Film and Book Clubs. Do enough of all the above, have a photo, and use your real name, and you might qualify for Elite status; where you can enjoy perks like free parties and lunchboxes.

Yelp is a site that has a lot of interesting things going for it.But on Saturday March 20th Philadelphia Yelp is set to take it one step further with it’s Homegrown Party!

Envision yourself in a grand, historical 3-story mansion built and designed by the masterminds behind City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Wandering through its nooks and parlors to discover Philadelphia’s craftiest, most organic, and creative businesses. Getting to sample fresh food and delicious cocktails, all while getting your cuticles done, your mustache trimmed, your shoes shined, and your hair consulted in the grand Beauty Parlor room.

DJ QiCommand will be skillfully mashing up your favorite songs, and if you feel so inclined, have a game at the ping pong table or try your artistic hand in one of the many interactive workshops.

Mix and mingle with the city’s finest local businesses and move and shake with folks in the know.

This party is free to attend!! Must be 21+

*Complimentary rides from the party courtesy of Zipcar!

Saturday, March 20, 2010
8-10pm
CITYSPACE
2200 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Food:
Supper
National Mechanics
Elevation Burger
Fuel
terra
The Pita Pit

Drinks:
The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co
ROOT Liqueur
Organic Spirits
Canadian Club Whiskey
Victory Beer
Honest Tea

Retail Installations and workshops:
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Sugarcube
Square Peg Artery and Salvage
TrickGo
Magic by Trickzone

Beauty:
Plume
2 B Groomed Barbering Studio
Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa

Photography:
Michael Ferry Photography
Thomas Robert Clarke Photography

Donations to benefit:
Mill Creek Farm

*Carpooling necessary and we can’t promise everyone a ride!

RSVP now, but stay tuned as we add more action to the party!

The Homegrown Party is free, and all it takes to attend is having a Yelp Account. To Learn more about Yelp, and the Philly Homegrown Party, check out the Event Listing.

—

Culture Mob

—

Fader Magazine February/March 2010 Issue

—

Fader Magazine February/March 2010 Issue

3/1-3/28 Sale Price = $30.99

How to Drink ROOT:

Simple - Like beer? Have a shot of ROOT.  It compliments those dark beers, especially if they boast flavors of chocolate or coffees. Also sipping after dinner for a digestif, recommended.

Easy - Like to save the fancy for the mixologist behind the bar?  Root & ginger ale, root beer, club soda, birch beer or any other fizzy drink makes a tasty effortless drink.

Novice - A few basic ingredients can deliver a successful, tasty cocktail.  ROOT Hot Toddy  - ROOT Willow - ROOT ‘n’ Guiness Float

Involved - If you feel like your skills are up to par, maybe these recipes are up your alley.  ROOT Champerelle - Hot Buttered Sailor  -   Sassparilla Fizz

Second Chance First Friday Reception:

When: March 5th
Time: 6 - 8PM
Where: 116 N. 3rd Street (Art in the Age Store)

Despite the arctic blast we call, February, thanks to everyone who made their way out to last Friday’s opening reception of THE FARM.  Artist and farm manager, Robin McDowell installed a narrative exhibition beautifully documenting a brief introduction of the farm, her personal experiences as well as ongoing projects in Tamworth, NH.  Also on view are found objects and personal belongings from the farm such as vintage tools, garden books, preserves and maps, to name a few, casually installed around a work desk constructed by the artist.  To the far left of the exhibition wall are a series of wood block letter press series of texts sold in varied editions, available for purchase until the end of the exhibition in addition to a limited quantity of raspberry jams and berry vinegars affixed with hand printed custom tags.

For a look inside the exhibition and event pics, check out the images from the February First Friday Opening Reception!

For any questions regarding the exhibition or featured artwork in the current show, please email Juliea@artintheage.com

Art in the Age is a store in Philadelphia’s Old City named for one of German essayist Walter Benjamin’s most famous works. It is the brainchild of advertising executive Steven Grasse. After reading two interviews with him this week, Mr. Grasse has fast become a hero of mine.

The man whom Philadelphia Magazine called, in the same breath, a Legend and a Mad Man, had some very inspired things to say.
“The new luxury is knowing where the stuff comes from and knowing that the person who made it got paid,” Grasse says. “That is the new luxury. Not the fancy packaging, or the glam, but the ethics of it, the sustainability and goodness of it.”

In addition to the fantastic profile in Philadelphia Magazine, Mr. Grasse was recently interviewed by Printeresting’s Jason Urban, where his opinions were more transparent.

“AITA is a reaction against the Walmartization of the world. Cheap shit from China is killing us. This is why we make soap, preserves, and small batch organically certified liquor… There is an art to living. If you live in a McMansion and spend your days at a strip mall buying cheap shit from China, dude, you have lost your fucking aura.”

In November, I had the opportunity to visit the store with Joe Gannon, and while we just missed an in-store performance by one of my favorite bands, White Denim, we were there in time for a tasting of Grasse’s most recent project, Root Liquer, a delicious organic, root-beer-flavored liquer made by a California distillery exclusively for AITA. There was even some artwork on display from Billykirk’s Kirk Bray. The store is very well laid out, and it showcases a well-thought-out curation of products, many of which are of their own creation.

If you haven’t yet, read the two profiles of Mr. Grasse. They explain his brilliance better than I ever could. For more of his worthwhile insight, follow Mr. Grasse on Twitter, @StevenGrasse.

For more Art in the Age, see their channel on YouTube.

—

All Plaidout Blog

Art in the Age is a store in Philadelphia’s Old City named for one of German essayist Walter Benjamin’s most famous works. It is the brainchild of advertising executive Steven Grasse. After reading two interviews with him this week, Mr. Grasse has fast become a hero of mine.

The man whom Philadelphia Magazine called, in the same breath, a Legend and a Mad Man, had some very inspired things to say.
“The new luxury is knowing where the stuff comes from and knowing that the person who made it got paid,” Grasse says. “That is the new luxury. Not the fancy packaging, or the glam, but the ethics of it, the sustainability and goodness of it.”

In addition to the fantastic profile in Philadelphia Magazine, Mr. Grasse was recently interviewed by Printeresting’s Jason Urban, where his opinions were more transparent.

“AITA is a reaction against the Walmartization of the world. Cheap shit from China is killing us. This is why we make soap, preserves, and small batch organically certified liquor… There is an art to living. If you live in a McMansion and spend your days at a strip mall buying cheap shit from China, dude, you have lost your fucking aura.”

In November, I had the opportunity to visit the store with Joe Gannon, and while we just missed an in-store performance by one of my favorite bands, White Denim, we were there in time for a tasting of Grasse’s most recent project, Root Liquer, a delicious organic, root-beer-flavored liquer made by a California distillery exclusively for AITA. There was even some artwork on display from Billykirk’s Kirk Bray. The store is very well laid out, and it showcases a well-thought-out curation of products, many of which are of their own creation.

If you haven’t yet, read the two profiles of Mr. Grasse. They explain his brilliance better than I ever could. For more of his worthwhile insight, follow Mr. Grasse on Twitter, @StevenGrasse.

For more Art in the Age, see their channel on YouTube.

—

All Plaidout Blog

Generationals is the collaboration of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer. Following the breakup of their previous band the Eames Era, they returned home to New Orleans in 2008 to form Generationals and record their first record, Con Law.

They tapped the Oranges Band founder Daniel Black (the mind behind the Eames Era’s swan song Heroes and Sheroes) to engineer and produce the record at his D.C.-based home-studio. Black recorded Con Law in the style of his heroes—George Martin, Phil Spector, Jeff Lynn and Quincy Jones—with a meticulous attention to detail and a willingness to make the recordings sound old. The result is one of those classic “first record” moments that blissfully wills its listeners into repeat listens.  

The sounds of Con Law were cobbled together from the far corners of the instrument room to form a cohesive group of songs written in straight-forward pop structures. Chiming 12-string electric guitars sit next to 8-bit sequencers, synth-bass and trumpet. Often the shakers, hand-claps and acoustic guitars sound like Paul Simon and Tom Petty, while another arrangement recalls Junior Walker and Booker T., all recorded to an old 24-track 2-inch tape machine that threatened to melt down several times.

Live, the Generationals can include as many as seven pieces with background singers, a trumpet, guitars, keys, bass and drums. And when the whole band is singing en masse on songs like “Faces in the Dark” and “When They Fight, They Fight,” …shit sounds real good. You would want to be there when that happens. — Park the Van

AITA Exclusives:

• Watch Generationals Perform Two Songs in Our Store!

“When They Fight, They Fight”

“It Keeps You Up”

]]> http://www.artintheage.com/blog/watch-generationals-perform-two-songs-in-our-store/feed/ http://www.artintheage.com/press/bar-biz-magazinecom-features-root-030210/ http://www.artintheage.com/press/bar-biz-magazinecom-features-root-030210/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:37:40 +0000 intern http://www.artintheage.com/?p=11587 ART IN THE AGE

Art In The Age ROOT - Recipe: ROOT 76 from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Check out Barman Doug Fitz, from one of Rittenhouse Square’s Snackbar, show off his skills and demonstrate making the ROOT 76 using ROOT, a certified organic pre-Temperance Root Tea.

Click here to find out more about ROOT and it’s history, along with more videos featuring Doug Fitz.

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Bar Biz Magazine.com

Art In The Age ROOT - Recipe: ROOT 76 from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Check out Barman Doug Fitz, from one of Rittenhouse Square’s Snackbar, show off his skills and demonstrate making the ROOT 76 using ROOT, a certified organic pre-Temperance Root Tea.

Click here to find out more about ROOT and it’s history, along with more videos featuring Doug Fitz.

—

Bar Business Magazine.com

Pool
CAROLINE ATTWOOD, ALLYSON REES, JACQUI MA AND ELLE HANKINSON, WGSN 26.02.10

Graphics trends seen at Pool where less radical than those at other tradeshows; key themes
were domestic and graphics colours were more muted than those seen elsewhere.

IN BRIEF
Key trends
Animals
Funny animals
Skeletons
Macabre
Hand gestures
Pattern
Type
Page layout
Linear illustration
Multi image
Emotive photo
Analogue
Faded and worn

Type:

-Branding resembles an optical eye poster is
-Chunky stencil lettering is key
-Traditional fonts remain popular
-Character font humorously displays a brand name

—

WGSN.com

3/1-3/28 Sale Price = $30.99

How to Drink ROOT:

Simple - Like beer? Have a shot of ROOT.  It compliments those dark beers, especially if they boast flavors of chocolate or coffees. Also sipping after dinner for a digestif, recommended.

Easy - Like to save the fancy for the mixologist behind the bar?  Root & ginger ale, root beer, club soda, birch beer or any other fizzy drink makes a tasty effortless drink.

Novice - A few basic ingredients can deliver a successful, tasty cocktail.  ROOT Hot Toddy  - ROOT Willow - ROOT ‘n’ Guiness Float

Involved - If you feel like your skills are up to par, maybe these recipes are up your alley.  ROOT Champerelle - Hot Buttered Sailor  -   Sassparilla Fizz

Dollars you’ll need to plunk down for an ultraluxe candle from Le Labo, available at Art in the Age in Old City

—

Philadelphia Style Magazine, Spring 2010

A few hundred years ago settlers picked up the recipe for a beverage called Root Tea, which was the combination of roots, spices and herbs that fermented and became alcoholic. A couple hundred years later prohibition started to kick in so Root Beer was created to fill the gap of this product, recreating the flavor it lacked the alcholic contents. Cut to present day where Art in the Age have decided to start creating Root Tea again, alcohol content and all, calling it simply Root.

I actually tweeted about Root and the folks over at Art in the Age sent me an entire bottle to sample, which totally surprised me, I was expecting one of those tiny, hotel sized bottles. Upon opening the bottle I couldn’t quite place the smell, though it was frustratingly familiar. Of course that smell was root beer, but more like a full bodied, pungent root beer smell. You might even say it was a little magical, like something you might read about it in Harry Potter.

Tasting it is quite a treat, and though it’s similar to root beer, it’s nothing like it. Root beer is overly sweet and fizzy, while Root is deep and full-bodied to taste. I can definitely taste the anise, and maybe a bit of the lemon, though it’s really hard to put a label on the exact flavor. Honestly it tastes like herbs and roots, which is a wonderful thing to try. I’ve been drinking it with Hendricks, bitters and a bit of tonic water to even things out. The first night I had one of those I was warm and toasty for the rest of the night.

I think what’s really exciting about Root is that no one (to my knowledge) is making a product like this. I didn’t even know anything like this existed until a few weeks ago. This novelty is definitely a part of it’s allure, but I can definitely say that the flavor is amazing and something that’s worth trying.

Plus look at that bottle! How rad is the design? I think if you brought this to a party or gave this to someone as a present you’d win major bonus points. I’m going to have to bring my bottle to work, otherwise my co-workers might beat me up.

Bobby

—

Kitsunenoir.com

A few hundred years ago settlers picked up the recipe for a beverage called Root Tea, which was the combination of roots, spices and herbs that fermented and became alcoholic. A couple hundred years later prohibition started to kick in so Root Beer was created to fill the gap of this product, recreating the flavor it lacked the alcholic contents. Cut to present day where Art in the Age have decided to start creating Root Tea again, alcohol content and all, calling it simply Root.

I actually tweeted about Root and the folks over at Art in the Age sent me an entire bottle to sample, which totally surprised me, I was expecting one of those tiny, hotel sized bottles. Upon opening the bottle I couldn’t quite place the smell, though it was frustratingly familiar. Of course that smell was root beer, but more like a full bodied, pungent root beer smell. You might even say it was a little magical, like something you might read about it in Harry Potter.

Tasting it is quite a treat, and though it’s similar to root beer, it’s nothing like it. Root beer is overly sweet and fizzy, while Root is deep and full-bodied to taste. I can definitely taste the anise, and maybe a bit of the lemon, though it’s really hard to put a label on the exact flavor. Honestly it tastes like herbs and roots, which is a wonderful thing to try. I’ve been drinking it with Hendricks, bitters and a bit of tonic water to even things out. The first night I had one of those I was warm and toasty for the rest of the night.

I think what’s really exciting about Root is that no one (to my knowledge) is making a product like this. I didn’t even know anything like this existed until a few weeks ago. This novelty is definitely a part of it’s allure, but I can definitely say that the flavor is amazing and something that’s worth trying.

Plus look at that bottle! How rad is the design? I think if you brought this to a party or gave this to someone as a present you’d win major bonus points. I’m going to have to bring my bottle to work, otherwise my co-workers might beat me up.

Bobby

—

Kitsunenoir.com

We all need to make promises to ourselves during the so-called, never ending winter months.  Despite the arctic freeze, in order to stay warm one must not only nourish the “body” with warm spirits (aka hotty toddies), but also “stimulate” the mind before the most anticipated arts festival, Philagrafika 2010, is over.

Two of the must see shows in very non-traditional exhibition spaces include:

1.  Duke Riley’s at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania about the 50% fictional narrative installation of Ralston Laird’s reclaimed ownership of Petty’s Island (refer back to my past blog post of the back story here)

(above: artist Duke Riley)

Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

2.  Cannonball Press’ artist book installation inside the USS Olympia, the world’s oldest steel warship still afloat, currently docked at Philadelphia’s Seaport.  Founding artists of the Brooklyn based print collective and micro-publisher, Martin Mazorra and Mike Houston, created a re-interpretation of the newsletter once made as an edition for on board sailors of the USS Olympia called, The Bounding Billow”.  This installation is made possible by the Barra Foundation and is part of the Out of Print program, Philagrafika 2010.  

(below: letterpress recreations by Cannonball Press)

(above:  USS Olympia)

Independence Seaport Museum
Penn’s Landing
211 South Columbus Blvd. & Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106

(Exhibitions runs until April 10, 2010!)

Print Aweigh, Take Away!
The APS Museum and the Independence Seaport Museum join forces for a family-friendly weekend of a walking tour, printing demonstrations, and hands-on activities.

Saturday April 10 & Sunday, April 11, 2010

10 am – 5 pm

For more information please visit www.phillyseaport.org

Second Chance First Friday Reception:

When: March 5th
Time: 6 - 8PM
Where: 116 N. 3rd Street (Art in the Age Store)

Despite the arctic blast we call, February, thanks to everyone who made their way out to last Friday’s opening reception of THE FARM.  Artist and farm manager, Robin McDowell installed a narrative exhibition beautifully documenting a brief introduction of the farm, her personal experiences as well as ongoing projects in Tamworth, NH.  Also on view are found objects and personal belongings from the farm such as vintage tools, garden books, preserves and maps, to name a few, casually installed around a work desk constructed by the artist.  To the far left of the exhibition wall are a series of wood block letter press series of texts sold in varied editions, available for purchase until the end of the exhibition in addition to a limited quantity of raspberry jams and berry vinegars affixed with hand printed custom tags.

For a look inside the exhibition and event pics, check out the images from the February First Friday Opening Reception!

For any questions regarding the exhibition or featured artwork in the current show, please email Juliea@artintheage.com

Below is a small selection of these kitschy, conceptual creations, proving that our ability to conceptualize often out-weighs our ability to realize.

For more artifacts from the future, visit the Izismile and the wonderful, long-standing blog Paleo-Future.

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Werd.com

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Werd.com

By Jen McCabe

February 24, 2010, 6:54AM

I came across these wonderful terrariums on one of my favorite retail sites, Art In the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. They were made by Dave, an inspired enthusiast of the new Pennsylvanian rose-gold herbal elixir, a finely crafted spirit called ROOT. Dave had a few empty bottles laying around after the holidays and liked the bottles so much, he decided to put them to good use. The end result is so beautiful! I thought that this would be a wonderful DIY project for terrarium admirers out there to work on. This project goes from 21+ to all ages in just 750 millilitres time.

o make one of these cool terrariums, you’ll just need a nice jar or bottle, marbles or small stones, carbon (charcoal) pellets, potting soil, a stick, a paper towel or napkin and sand (optional). Of course, the main attraction involves collecting several varieties of moss, which can be found on nearly every surface in Portland for FREE! Read the complete, simple instructions, HERE. These would be a wonderful addition to your dinner party table settings or nice in clusters as a part of wedding decorations.

If you are itching to try the ROOT libation, The Liberty Glass bar and restaurant in Portland is making some lovely cocktails with the liquor. For more ROOT info - check out my blog from a while back, HERE.

—

Oregonlive.com

Made from Root Liqueur, cinnamon, anise, vanilla and citrus with dark chocolate ganache, John and Kira’s Root Chocolates might have slipped by you over the holidays when they debuted on the Art In The Age/Root website. But dear God, we’re not gonna let them pass us by again. According to the Piazza’s Facebook page, they’ll be available at this Saturday’s Piazza Farmer’s Market from 10AM-2PM. Duly noted.

—

Phoodie.info

his event will coincide with Mark Remarque, the 2010 conference of SGC International, and the city-wide festival Philagrafika 2010.

“COPY JAM!” will be an interactive print event. During the party, fifty works by fifty artists will be displayed in a grid on the wall. Upon arrival, each guest will be handed a complimentary ticket that can be exchanged for one black & white photocopy of any work the guest chooses. There will be no sales; one ticket equals one copy. Copies will be made LIVE in the gallery for one night only!

A full list of participating artists is available on the COPY JAM! webpage.

All are welcome, and we hope to see you there!

—

Juxtapoz.com

—

Southwest Airlines’ Spirits Magazine

Made from Root Liqueur, cinnamon, anise, vanilla and citrus with dark chocolate ganache, John and Kira’s Root Chocolates might have slipped by you over the holidays when they debuted on the Art In The Age/Root website. But dear God, we’re not gonna let them pass us by again. According to the Piazza’s Facebook page, they’ll be available at this Saturday’s Piazza Farmer’s Market from 10AM-2PM. Duly noted.

—

Phoodie.info

ROOT-daves-terrariums-04.jpgI came across these wonderful terrariums on one of my favorite retail sites, Art In the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. They were made by Dave, an inspired enthusiast of the new Pennsylvanian rose-gold herbal elixir, a finely crafted spirit called ROOT. Dave had a few empty bottles laying around after the holidays and liked the bottles so much, he decided to put them to good use. The end result is so beautiful! I thought that this would be a wonderful DIY project for terrarium admirers out there to work on. This project goes from 21+ to all ages in just 750 millilitres time.

To make one of these cool terrariums, you’ll just need a nice jar or bottle, marbles or small stones, carbon (charcoal) pellets, potting soil, a stick, a paper towel or napkin and sand (optional). Of course, the main attraction involves collecting several varieties of moss, which can be found on nearly every surface in Portland for FREE! Read the complete, simple instructions, HERE. These would be a wonderful addition to your dinner party table settings or nice in clusters as a part of wedding decorations.

If you are itching to try the ROOT libation, The Liberty Glass bar and restaurant in Portland is making some lovely cocktails with the liquor. For more ROOT info - check out my blog from a while back, HERE.

—

Oregon Live.com

“Security and adventure might be considered opposites in some situations, but the gardener who raises plants from seeds can experience both…” (The New Seed Starter’s Handbook).

At the AITA Farm we’ve been preparing for the summer crop. In November we tilled a large parcel of the grounds and laid down winter rye, and in January we ordered seeds for an assortment of all-organic and mostly heirloom tomatoes, potatoes, corn, eggplants, peppers, and greens, as well as some more exotic species of fruits and flowers. Yet winter ends late in New Hampshire –we may not be able to plant until May 1, after the final frost has passed. And so we are compensating by sprouting our seeds indoors a few months in advance of their planting. We have rigged a primitive system of fluorescent bulbs and electric heaters to simulate daylight and spring temperatures, and invested in a bag of organic seed-starter as big as Robin. Thus begins our experiment in organic farming and human folly. 

Below: Our DIY fluorescent grow-lights, future ”seedbeds,” and a dirtbag. 

Every Tuesday, Critical Mass pokes around the art blog world so you don’t have to.

— I’m going through a phase where I can’t get enough of that shmarmy music played during romantic ’90s movies. Something about the Spinto Band’s cover of “Brazil” for Art in the Age makes me think of Ray-Bans on Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei in a one piece.

— Speaking of future snow, you may want to whip out this little DIY ditty from Free People before the next power outage. The fancy light from these purty little candles may help wane the pain of missing RuPaul’s Drag Race.

— The mavens over at Shmitten Kitten have once again stumbled upon a fun little site to share with other rowdy singles. Ex-Boyfriend Dead Letter Office solves one glaring problem of the Internet – a place to go to anonymously rant and rave about your now insignificant other. It may not be a solution to world peace, but it’s something.

— The old adage, “You learn something new everyday,” was never more true thanks to PW Style. Like, did you know that Johnny Depp has a lazy eye? File that under “flaws that only men can pull off and still be sexy,” along with peg legs and cute little stutters.

—

Philadelphia City Paper’s Critical Mass Blog

I had a chance to drink some ROOT over the weekend.  As you can see from the empty bottle, it was popular.  If you can find it, definitely pick up a bottle or two.  A nice video relating the history of the drink is after the jump.

“ROOT traces its heritage all the way back to the 1700s when colonists were first introduced to the Root Tea that Native Americans would drink as an herbal remedy. Brewed from sassafras, sarsaparilla, wintergreen birch bark, and other roots and herbs, Root Tea was used to cure a variety of ailments. As colonial settlers passed the recipe down form generation to generation, the drink grew in potency and complexity. This was especially true in the Pennsylvania hinterlands where the ingredients naturally grew in abundance. These homemade, extra-strong Root Teas were a favorite in colonial homes and public houses all over the northeastern colonies.”

—

The World’s Best Ever.com

I had a chance to drink some ROOT over the weekend.  As you can see from the empty bottle, it was popular.  If you can find it, definitely pick up a bottle or two.  A nice video relating the history of the drink is after the jump.

“ROOT traces its heritage all the way back to the 1700s when colonists were first introduced to the Root Tea that Native Americans would drink as an herbal remedy. Brewed from sassafras, sarsaparilla, wintergreen birch bark, and other roots and herbs, Root Tea was used to cure a variety of ailments. As colonial settlers passed the recipe down form generation to generation, the drink grew in potency and complexity. This was especially true in the Pennsylvania hinterlands where the ingredients naturally grew in abundance. These homemade, extra-strong Root Teas were a favorite in colonial homes and public houses all over the northeastern colonies.”

—

The World’s Best Ever.com

While checking out this new store & wine shop we noticed ROOT is there!  This all-in-one culinary destination has an on-site bakery, imported and prepared foods, French, Spanish & Italian cheeses, meats and  are continuously serving their signature grind coffee. This one stop shop will serve all of your culinary needs, and be sure to pick up a bottle of ROOT at the checkout.

Can You Spot ROOT?

Garces Trading Company
1111 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
P: 215-574-1099
F: 215-574-1088
info@garestrading.com

Pioneer Spirit
-2 ounces Root
-1 tsp. vanilla Stoli
-1 count Broker’s Whiskey
-A dash of Angostura bitters
-Serve over ice with a splash of soda
-Garnish with a cinnamon dusted orange wedge

The Liberty Glass in Portland is owned by brother and sister team Jason and Rose McCormick.  Jason’s a musician, Rose is an artist.  They hail from Ohio, hence the huge ear of corn tattooed on Rose’s forearm (from the Midwest, gotta represent…). There’s a cool front porch where Rose’s three-legged dog, Otis, holds court.  Everything’s served on those blue tin plates that are made for camping.

The Liberty Glass
938 N Cook St
Portland, OR 97227
(503) 517-9931

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth this year at the 2010 POOL trade show in Las Vegas!  New shirts by Becky Suss, Jungil Hong and Matt Leines (to name a few) were a hit!  We received lots of compliments on our embroidery hoops used to display select print graphics (ppppst, you can get them at Michael’s, who knew?).  First time tasters of ROOT topped off a long hard day’s work with the taste of anise and ginger meanwhile taking note of the perfect gift for almost anyone who’s a fan of aromatic spices/root beer/organic liquor.

Another major shout out to the organizers of POOL and the many welcoming and talented designers showcasing nearby such as free gold watch, out of print and uzi!

—

Nylon Guys Magazine

MARIA BOBILA

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Nylon Guys Magazine

MARIA BOBILA

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Nylon Guys Magazine

The expansion and contraction caused by below-freezing night temperatures followed by daylight thaw results in a build-up of liquid pressure within the maple trees. When a small hole is drilled into the trunk, the liquid (sap) will flow outward to relieve the pressure. Once collected, this sugary sap can be boiled down slowly until it reaches its most popular and most concentrated form: MAPLE SYRUP! (Epic pancake breakfasts, here we come!)

We are lucky to have a long driveway lined with ancient maples! “An ideal spot,” my maple-syrup-making neighbor commented yesterday. We spent the morning installing 58 taps. By the time we had finished, the sap was running freely into the buckets, creating a chorus of delightful plunks into the metal buckets. A maximum of 2 taps were put into each tree. The previous standards called for 4 taps per tree, but 2 taps are accepted as “non-invasive.”

HOW TO:
STEP 1: Drill a hole 2″ deep into the trunk

STEP 2: Spray the opening with alcohol to sanitize it. Spray the metal tap with alcohol.

STEP 3: Insert the tap into the hole. Hit lightly with a hammer to lodge.

STEP 4: Hand bucket from hook. Cover bucket with lid.

Stay tuned for more updates & scenes from the sugar shack…

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction:
You may remember Steven Grasse from Gyro Worldwide, his flagship agency that made headlines worldwide with outrageous advertising campaigns. Now, instead of pitching other company’s products, Grasse is making and selling his own from a new store in Old City where the theme of the place is all about roots.

116 North 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.922.2600
www.artintheage.com
EMAIL: info@artintheage.com

ROOT
If you’re interested in buying Root, go to the Art in the Age website and click on the Root tab. There you’ll find a list of state liquor stores that are carrying Root. Or you can order Root online @ HITIMEWINE.net and CASK STORE

Philadelphia location to purchase ROOT:
TOP OF THE HILL SHOP CTR
8705 GERMANTOWN AVE
PHILADELPHIA PA, 19118-2716
Phone: 215.753.4520

116 North 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.922.2600
www.artintheage.com
EMAIL: info@artintheage.com

ROOT
If you’re interested in buying Root, go to the Art in the Age website and click on the Root tab. There you’ll find a list of state liquor stores that are carrying Root. Or you can order Root online @ HITIMEWINE.net and CASK STORE

Philadelphia location to purchase ROOT:
TOP OF THE HILL SHOP CTR
8705 GERMANTOWN AVE
PHILADELPHIA PA, 19118-2716
Phone: 215.753.4520

If you couldn’t make it, then you really missed out on a good one. But do not fret. We have lots of photos.

And for those of you who did make it out, we hope you had a dreamy night’s sleep with your hand-made dream catcher at the head of your bed.

Don’t forget to take a snap shot of you and your dream catcher and post it on the Art in the Age Facebook page.

By Lauren Salkeld

As a lover of root beer, I was pretty excited when a bottle of Root arrived on my desk. This organic spirit, which is made by the Philadelphia art collective Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, is inspired by root tea, the alcoholic precursor to root beer. According to the Art in the Age Web site, back in the 1700’s, root tea was an herbal remedy made with sassafras, sarsaparilla, birch bark, and other wild roots and herbs. Colonial settlers learned about it from the Native Americans and it was particularly popular in Pennsylvania where many of the ingredients were grown. When the temperance movement took hold, a Philadelphia pharmacist removed the alcohol from root tea and oddly enough renamed it root beer.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2010/02/like-root-beer-try-root.html#ixzz0fpnqgq35

—

Epicurious.com

By Lauren Salkeld

As a lover of root beer, I was pretty excited when a bottle of Root arrived on my desk. This organic spirit, which is made by the Philadelphia art collective Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, is inspired by root tea, the alcoholic precursor to root beer. According to the Art in the Age Web site, back in the 1700’s, root tea was an herbal remedy made with sassafras, sarsaparilla, birch bark, and other wild roots and herbs. Colonial settlers learned about it from the Native Americans and it was particularly popular in Pennsylvania where many of the ingredients were grown. When the temperance movement took hold, a Philadelphia pharmacist removed the alcohol from root tea and oddly enough renamed it root beer.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2010/02/like-root-beer-try-root.html#ixzz0fpnqgq35

—

Epicurious.com

Posted by: Joel // February 16 2010

If you haven’t tried ROOT by Art in the Age, then it’s time for a taste. ROOT has a very unique flavor, is very aromatic in the glass, and is exceptionally full-bodied. It’s not a Root Beer flavored vodka, a sickly sweet liqueur, or a dessert drink. While incredibly unique in flavor, it’s clean on the palate with strong notes of birch, spices, citrus and vanilla bean. ROOT is versatile enough in a cocktail, but nice and simple on the rocks too. (They even encourage a little experimentation.) 

For around $40, this truly unique liqueur is definitely a good buy. » Click here to learn more

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Slymiser.com

Posted by: Joel // February 16 2010

If you haven’t tried ROOT by Art in the Age, then it’s time for a taste. ROOT has a very unique flavor, is very aromatic in the glass, and is exceptionally full-bodied. It’s not a Root Beer flavored vodka, a sickly sweet liqueur, or a dessert drink. While incredibly unique in flavor, it’s clean on the palate with strong notes of birch, spices, citrus and vanilla bean. ROOT is versatile enough in a cocktail, but nice and simple on the rocks too. (They even encourage a little experimentation.) 

For around $40, this truly unique liqueur is definitely a good buy. » Click here to learn more

—

Slymiser.com

I first undertook the Rootini. While the name itself sends shivers down my spine (see Derek Brown’s Goodbye to ’80s Bartending Trends entry #1) I decided to give it whirl. Here’s the ingredients:

The Rootini

2 oz ROOT liqueur
½ oz Navan
Splash of heavy cream
Granulated sugar

Glassware: chilled martini glass

Begin chilling down a martini glass. In a shaker, add ice and 2 oz of ROOT liqueur. Add ½ oz of Navan and a splash of heavy cream. Rim the chilled martini glass with the granulated sugar. Shake the ingredients vigorously in the shaker and pour straight up into the martini glass.

So this cocktail received a mixed response. Some people hated it. Some people didn’t mind it. Those two reactions told me it wasn’t quite ready for prime time. OR this cocktail will need time for a little more experimentation to hit the right flavors.

I worked on this particular drink throughout the evening when I could. Then, as things began to wind down, I thought about the ROOT and ginger beer cocktail I’d seen. So I decided to start off simply putting ROOT with Gosling’s Ginger Beer. The result was great and it got a good reception from everybody. My bar manager, Doug, called it “a great summer drink.” So keep this in mind when the warm weather comes back to DC.  I’ll keep experimenting.

—

Done Like Dundee, Gone Like Gandhi Blog

I first undertook the Rootini. While the name itself sends shivers down my spine (see Derek Brown’s Goodbye to ’80s Bartending Trends entry #1) I decided to give it whirl. Here’s the ingredients:

The Rootini

2 oz ROOT liqueur
½ oz Navan
Splash of heavy cream
Granulated sugar

Glassware: chilled martini glass

Begin chilling down a martini glass. In a shaker, add ice and 2 oz of ROOT liqueur. Add ½ oz of Navan and a splash of heavy cream. Rim the chilled martini glass with the granulated sugar. Shake the ingredients vigorously in the shaker and pour straight up into the martini glass.

So this cocktail received a mixed response. Some people hated it. Some people didn’t mind it. Those two reactions told me it wasn’t quite ready for prime time. OR this cocktail will need time for a little more experimentation to hit the right flavors.

I worked on this particular drink throughout the evening when I could. Then, as things began to wind down, I thought about the ROOT and ginger beer cocktail I’d seen. So I decided to start off simply putting ROOT with Gosling’s Ginger Beer. The result was great and it got a good reception from everybody. My bar manager, Doug, called it “a great summer drink.” So keep this in mind when the warm weather comes back to DC.  I’ll keep experimenting.

—

Done Like Dundee, Gone Like Gandhi Blog

Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction presents THE FARM, a narrative exhibition documenting daily life and new initiatives at the Art In The Age Farm in Tamworth, NH through personal anecdotes, photographs, salvaged objects, and letterpress prints. The presenting artist, Robin McDowell, is Art In The Age’s Farm Manager and a former Philadelphian. McDowell installed a narrative exhibition beautifully documenting a brief introduction of the farm, her personal experiences as well as ongoing projects in Tamworth, NH. Also on view are found objects and personal belongings from the farm such as vintage tools, garden books, preserves and maps, to name a few, casually installed around a work desk constructed by the artist. www.artintheage.com

More Location Info: Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

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Around Philly.com

An indie pop group whose electronica-tinged tunes nod to Pavement, Of Montreal, and Field Music, the Spinto Band formed in 1996, spearheaded by Nick Krill, who was inspired to form the band when he came across some song lyrics written by his late grandfather, Roy Spinto. The band’s original lineup included Jon Eaton, Albert Birney, brothers Thomas and Sam Hughes, and brothers Jeffrey and Joey Hobson; Birney would eventually leave the group in order to go to art school. Self-releasing seven albums over the course of the next eight years, the Spinto Band was picked up by Bar-None for the release of their eighth album, Nice and Nicely Done, in 2005. The album generated quite a bit of critical buzz, enough so that the album was picked up for re-release on Virgin UK the following year. The next three years found the Spinto Band making high profile appearances on the Jools Holland Show and at the SXSW festival, as well as releasing several singles on EMI and Virgin. The Spinto Band’s ninth full-length, Moonwink, was released on Fierce Panda and Park the Van in the fall of 2008.

Brevity, soul and wit: some of the hallmarks of the Spinto Band’s latest forthcoming release. Slim & Slender is the Delaware native sextet’s self-recorded debut; A succinctly stated 4 song package, this EP serves as a precursor to the self-recorded LP to follow in 2010; The early results were so good and exciting that the band’s label, Park The Van Records, wanted to get this collection of tracks out as quickly as possible, opting for 10″ vinyl and digital download commercial release options, landing October 6, 2009. — All Music Guide / Park the Van Records

AITA Exclusives:

• Watch The Spinto Band Perform 2 Songs in Our Store

Local(ish) talents and all around awesome dudes The Spinto Band stopped by our store a few months back and brought with them two charming tunes. Both songs, the pop gem “Jackhammer” and the breezy, fun cover of the classic Brazilian tune “Aquarela do Brasil” aka “Brazil”, originally composed by Ary Barroso, can be found on their newest EP release, Slim and Slender on Park the Van. But first, check out the vids!

“Jackhammer”

“Brazil”

Chris Kline, a.k.a., Salty Snacks, lives in Philadelphia, and is a member of Space1026. His work consists of drawings and sculptures  influenced by pop culture images and cartoons. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saltysnacks

Come into Art in the Age in the month of February and receive 50% off the Chris Kline and Art in the Age tee, “Character Bank” available in both men’s and women’s. 

Chris Kline, a.k.a., Salty Snacks, lives in Philadelphia, and is a member of Space1026. His work consists of drawings and sculptures  influenced by pop culture images and cartoons. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saltysnacks

Come into Art in the Age in the month of February and receive 50% off the Chris Kline and Art in the Age tee, “Character Bank” available in both men’s and women’s. 

A quick scan reveals, unsurprisingly, that Americans, Europeans, and the Japanese prefer a lot of highly processed and heavily packaged stuff (frozen pizzas are popular, as are bags of potato chips piled literally ceiling high), while families from Bhutan, Egypt, and elsewhere have assembled colorful piles of fresh fruit and vegetables. Menzel has also included brief notes on families’ favorite dishes: narwhal is a favorite in northern Canada, while the English participants mention a truly objectionable mayonnaise sandwich. 

Ever wonder where root beer came from? Well, it used to be root tea, an alcoholic drink the settlers picked up from the Native Americans — but prohibition ended all of that, so it was drained of its alcohol and rechristened “root beer.” Now you can get a taste of the original, organic, and very alcoholic tea with Root. Made from birch bark, black tea, spearmint, sugar cane, and other natural ingredients, every sip is like a step back in time. Read more…
—
Stupid Dope.com

Ever wonder where root beer came from? Well, it used to be root tea, an alcoholic drink the settlers picked up from the Native Americans — but prohibition ended all of that, so it was drained of its alcohol and rechristened “root beer.” Now you can get a taste of the original, organic, and very alcoholic tea with Root. Made from birch bark, black tea, spearmint, sugar cane, and other natural ingredients, every sip is like a step back in time. Read more…
—
Stupid Dope.com

Yelp’s Philly Homegrown Party!

When:

Saturday, March 20, 2010 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Where:

CITYSPACE

2200 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Cost:

Free

What/Why:

To RSVP:
Elites should click here: http://www.yelp.com/el…

 

 

Non-Elites should click the RSVP button to the right AND click “I’m In.”
Please list your +1 when you RSVP.

Elites and guests may arrive at 7. ONLY ELITES AND THEIR GUESTS MAY ARRIVE AT 7. ALL OTHERS WILL NOT BE ADMITTED UNTIL 8.

To attend this event, every RSVP’ed guest must have a Yelp account. Although this event is free, it is only open to those 21 years of age and older.
—

Envision yourself in a grand, historical 3-story mansion built and designed by the masterminds behind City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Wandering through its nooks and parlors to discover Philadelphia’s craftiest, most organic, and creative businesses. Getting to sample fresh food and delicious cocktails, all while getting your cuticles done, your mustache trimmed, your shoes shined, and your hair consulted in the grand Beauty Parlor room.

DJ QiCommand will be skillfully mashing up your favorite songs, and if you feel so inclined, have a game at the ping pong table or try your artistic hand in one of the many interactive workshops.

Mix and mingle with the city’s finest local businesses and move and shake with folks in the know.

This party is free to attend!! Must be 21+

*Complimentary rides from the party courtesy of Zipcar!

Saturday, March 20, 2010
8-10pm
CITYSPACE
2200 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Food:
National Mechanics
Elevation Burger
Fuel
terra
The Pita Pit

Drinks:
The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co
ROOT Liqueur
Organic Spirits
Small batch Bourbon
Honest Tea

Retail Installations and workshops:
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Sugarcube
Square Peg Artery and Salvage
Magic by Trickzone

Beauty:
Plume
2 B Groomed Barbering Studio
Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa

Donations to benefit:
Mill Creek Farm

*Carpooling necessary and we can’t promise everyone a ride!

RSVP now, but stay tuned as we add more action to the party!

When: Thursday February 11th  POSTPONED TO: THURSDAY FEBRUARY 18TH

Time: 6:30 to 8:30pm
Where: Art in the Age Store Located at 116 N. 3rd Street
What: Art in the age and Reverend Michael Alan present an evening of information and instruction as he guides you through the process of creating your own personal dream catcher. Learn the history of these peaceful objects, and make your own with materials provided by Art in the Age.

This event is free, but space is limited so please R.S.V.P. To Nicole at nicole@artintheage.com

Www.artintheage.com
www.reverendmichaelalan.com

Despite the arctic blast we call, February, thanks to everyone who made their way out to last Friday’s opening reception of THE FARM.  Artist and farm manager, Robin McDowell installed a narrative exhibition beautifully documenting a brief introduction of the farm, her personal experiences as well as ongoing projects in Tamworth, NH.  Also on view are found objects and personal belongings from the farm such as vintage tools, garden books, preserves and maps, to name a few, casually installed around a work desk constructed by the artist.  To the far left of the exhibition wall are a series of wood block letter press series of texts sold in varied editions, available for purchase until the end of the exhibition in addition to a limited quantity of raspberry jams and berry vinegars affixed with hand printed custom tags.

For a look inside the exhibition and event pics, click on the thumbnails below!

For any questions regarding the exhibition or featured artwork in the current show, please email Juliea@artintheage.com

What to Do This Week

Start the week on a high note.

MAKE
A Dream Catcher
What: Reverend Michael Alan shares his knowledge on webbed creations and teaches you to construct one.
Why: Get caught up.
When: Thurs., 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, 116 N. Third St. (215-922-2600). To register (required), e-mail nicole@artintheage.com.

—

Daily Candy.com / Philadelphia

And so now we get to the good part: Happy Hour’s food and the drinks, what we made and how we made it. The key word was “easy” because we were having this little shindig on a work night and had about 2-3 hours to prep before our guests arrived. We chose three appetizers–Pancetta Crisps with Pear and Goat Cheese, Portable Caprese, and Kors d’Oeuvres Spinach and Artichoke dip with crackers. All very delicious and deceptively simple. Our three drink options included Cherry-Lime Rickeys, Root ‘n Gingers, and Ginger, Cranberry, Apple Punch.

There’s nothing easier than store-bought dips, but this is not your ordinary store-bought dip. Kors d’Oeuvres is a line of dips and spreads handmade in Brooklyn by Korey Provencher and they are seriously next level. We had our first addictive taste(s) of Kors d’Oeuvres at the Brooklyn Flea where Provencher often hawks his goods. At the time he had six dips (the collection now features eight!) you could try with a pretzel, Frito, or chip from the pile laid out for sample dipping. It was love at first bite when we tried the Southern Blue Cheese and Herb spread, but it was love at second bite when we tasted the Spinach and Artichoke dip. That’s the one that did us in. We would’ve stood there all day, depleting his pile o’ chips and sampling all the dips but we didn’t want to seem rude (or starving) so we hurriedly bought our own tub. Of course we had to hide it from ourselves to make sure we didn’t snack it into oblivion before the get-together so if you’re gonna spring for a dip yourself (non-New Yorkers can get them on his web site), we highly recommend springing for two (this’ll set you back 16 bucks, but we consider it money well spent). One for your mouth, one for the party. The Spinach and Artichoke dip isn’t too rich and when heated up a tad before serving, it’s like the taste of comfort in your mouth.

We’re of the opinion that most everything tastes better with bacon so when we came across the recipe for these pancetta crisps topped with goat cheese in the new issue of Bon Appetit, we were sold. With just four ingredients, they were incredibly easy to make, but if you try them at home (which you totally should) be sure to keep an eye on the timer when baking your pancetta. The slices are so thin, a moment too long and they burn to a crisp. Once you top them with the cheese, a slice of pear, and a sprinkle of thyme, they are truly delectable. Not to mention kinda fancy and impressive-looking.

Now, these little suckers are genius. I mean all the makings of a caprese salad in one pop? C’mon, Mark Bittman’s bite-sized creation was calling our names. Not to mention, serving an app on a toothpick felt radly retro.

We needed a sweet to finish off all the fun savories, so Lisa baked up a batch of mini red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Thanks to the help of Heather, they were all perfectly frosted.

Once we had the apps taken care of, we moved on to concocting cocktails. We’d made the GINger, cranberry, apple cider punch for our Thanksgiving day feast, and it was such a hit we decided to relive its glory. It’s also great for entertaining because you can easily make it ahead of time and have something to pour for your guests without breaking out the cocktail shaker.

A Root n’ Ginger is another adult bevvie that doesn’t require shaking. A little bit of Root (have you guys tasted this stuff? The sassafrassy organic liqueur came out last year from Philadelphia folks behind Art in the Age and it is taaaaasty) mixed with homemade ginger beer and ice and you’ve got something that tastes just like an extra delicious root beer…root beer that gets you tipsy, that is!

After sipping a black cherry rickey at our first venture to the Vanderbilt a few weeks back, we decided to tackle this old school cocktail on our own with a cherry lime twist.  For these rickeys you gotta break out the shaker, but the extra work is well worth it. They’re a perfect combination of sweet and sour and the grenadine makes them a festive shade of pink. We served ‘em up with vintage paper straws for added awesomeness. Unfortunately, in all the prep and booziness, we forgot to take photos of Root (which is truly a travesty as the bottle’s design is as lovely as the liqueur’s taste!) and the Cherry-Lime Rickeys. They were disappearing almost as soon as we made them, so you’ll just have to stock your home bar and have a happy hour of your own to see how pretty they are! To make your life, and your drinking, easy, here are all the recipes. Salud!

Appetizers:

Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear Slices (from Bon Appetit)

Makes 16

16 thin slices pancetta

16 teaspoons soft fresh goat cheese (from 5-ounce log)

2 very ripe small pears, halved, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Fresh thyme leaves

-Preheat oven to 450°F. Place pancetta slices in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Using spatula, slide pancetta crisps onto platter. Top each with 1 teaspoon goat cheese and 1 pear slice. Sprinkle with thyme and serve.

Portable Caprese (from Mark Bittman/New York Times)

Skewer a small ball of mozzarella, a grape tomato and a bit of basil leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil.

Red Velvet Cupcakes (from Paula Deen)

We suggest halving the frosting, we still have some left over!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Cocktails:

GINger, Cranberry, Apple Cider Punch (from Martha Stewart)

1/3 cup fresh cranberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups fresh apple cider

2/3 cup chilled ginger beer

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 1/2 ounces (1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons) gin, if desired

Muddle cranberries with sugar in a pitcher. Add apple cider, ginger beer, lemon juice, and gin if desired. Divide among 4 glasses. Serve chilled or over ice.

Root N’ Ginger (from Art in the Age)

You can purchase Root here.

2 oz ROOT
4 oz. ginger beer
ginger slice

Pour ROOT into a tall glass of chilled ginger beer. Garnish with sliced ginger.

Cherry-Lime Rickey

1 oz. cherry syrup (I used grenadine)

1/2 lime, cut into 3 slices

2 tsps of sugar

2 ozs vodka

4 ozs club soda

1 cup of crushed ice

Put lime and sugar into a cocktail shaker and muddle until juicy and fragrant. Add vodka, cherry syrup, and crushed ice.  Cover the shaker and shake vigorously until combined and chilled. Pour into glass and add club soda.

—

Num Num Chronicles

And so now we get to the good part: Happy Hour’s food and the drinks, what we made and how we made it. The key word was “easy” because we were having this little shindig on a work night and had about 2-3 hours to prep before our guests arrived. We chose three appetizers–Pancetta Crisps with Pear and Goat Cheese, Portable Caprese, and Kors d’Oeuvres Spinach and Artichoke dip with crackers. All very delicious and deceptively simple. Our three drink options included Cherry-Lime Rickeys, Root ‘n Gingers, and Ginger, Cranberry, Apple Punch.

There’s nothing easier than store-bought dips, but this is not your ordinary store-bought dip. Kors d’Oeuvres is a line of dips and spreads handmade in Brooklyn by Korey Provencher and they are seriously next level. We had our first addictive taste(s) of Kors d’Oeuvres at the Brooklyn Flea where Provencher often hawks his goods. At the time he had six dips (the collection now features eight!) you could try with a pretzel, Frito, or chip from the pile laid out for sample dipping. It was love at first bite when we tried the Southern Blue Cheese and Herb spread, but it was love at second bite when we tasted the Spinach and Artichoke dip. That’s the one that did us in. We would’ve stood there all day, depleting his pile o’ chips and sampling all the dips but we didn’t want to seem rude (or starving) so we hurriedly bought our own tub. Of course we had to hide it from ourselves to make sure we didn’t snack it into oblivion before the get-together so if you’re gonna spring for a dip yourself (non-New Yorkers can get them on his web site), we highly recommend springing for two (this’ll set you back 16 bucks, but we consider it money well spent). One for your mouth, one for the party. The Spinach and Artichoke dip isn’t too rich and when heated up a tad before serving, it’s like the taste of comfort in your mouth.

We’re of the opinion that most everything tastes better with bacon so when we came across the recipe for these pancetta crisps topped with goat cheese in the new issue of Bon Appetit, we were sold. With just four ingredients, they were incredibly easy to make, but if you try them at home (which you totally should) be sure to keep an eye on the timer when baking your pancetta. The slices are so thin, a moment too long and they burn to a crisp. Once you top them with the cheese, a slice of pear, and a sprinkle of thyme, they are truly delectable. Not to mention kinda fancy and impressive-looking.

Now, these little suckers are genius. I mean all the makings of a caprese salad in one pop? C’mon, Mark Bittman’s bite-sized creation was calling our names. Not to mention, serving an app on a toothpick felt radly retro.

We needed a sweet to finish off all the fun savories, so Lisa baked up a batch of mini red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Thanks to the help of Heather, they were all perfectly frosted.

Once we had the apps taken care of, we moved on to concocting cocktails. We’d made the GINger, cranberry, apple cider punch for our Thanksgiving day feast, and it was such a hit we decided to relive its glory. It’s also great for entertaining because you can easily make it ahead of time and have something to pour for your guests without breaking out the cocktail shaker.

A Root n’ Ginger is another adult bevvie that doesn’t require shaking. A little bit of Root (have you guys tasted this stuff? The sassafrassy organic liqueur came out last year from Philadelphia folks behind Art in the Age and it is taaaaasty) mixed with homemade ginger beer and ice and you’ve got something that tastes just like an extra delicious root beer…root beer that gets you tipsy, that is!

After sipping a black cherry rickey at our first venture to the Vanderbilt a few weeks back, we decided to tackle this old school cocktail on our own with a cherry lime twist.  For these rickeys you gotta break out the shaker, but the extra work is well worth it. They’re a perfect combination of sweet and sour and the grenadine makes them a festive shade of pink. We served ‘em up with vintage paper straws for added awesomeness. Unfortunately, in all the prep and booziness, we forgot to take photos of Root (which is truly a travesty as the bottle’s design is as lovely as the liqueur’s taste!) and the Cherry-Lime Rickeys. They were disappearing almost as soon as we made them, so you’ll just have to stock your home bar and have a happy hour of your own to see how pretty they are! To make your life, and your drinking, easy, here are all the recipes. Salud!

Appetizers:

Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear Slices (from Bon Appetit)

Makes 16

16 thin slices pancetta

16 teaspoons soft fresh goat cheese (from 5-ounce log)

2 very ripe small pears, halved, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Fresh thyme leaves

-Preheat oven to 450°F. Place pancetta slices in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Using spatula, slide pancetta crisps onto platter. Top each with 1 teaspoon goat cheese and 1 pear slice. Sprinkle with thyme and serve.

Portable Caprese (from Mark Bittman/New York Times)

Skewer a small ball of mozzarella, a grape tomato and a bit of basil leaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil.

Red Velvet Cupcakes (from Paula Deen)

We suggest halving the frosting, we still have some left over!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Cocktails:

GINger, Cranberry, Apple Cider Punch (from Martha Stewart)

1/3 cup fresh cranberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups fresh apple cider

2/3 cup chilled ginger beer

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 1/2 ounces (1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons) gin, if desired

Muddle cranberries with sugar in a pitcher. Add apple cider, ginger beer, lemon juice, and gin if desired. Divide among 4 glasses. Serve chilled or over ice.

Root N’ Ginger (from Art in the Age)

You can purchase Root here.

2 oz ROOT
4 oz. ginger beer
ginger slice

Pour ROOT into a tall glass of chilled ginger beer. Garnish with sliced ginger.

Cherry-Lime Rickey

1 oz. cherry syrup (I used grenadine)

1/2 lime, cut into 3 slices

2 tsps of sugar

2 ozs vodka

4 ozs club soda

1 cup of crushed ice

Put lime and sugar into a cocktail shaker and muddle until juicy and fragrant. Add vodka, cherry syrup, and crushed ice.  Cover the shaker and shake vigorously until combined and chilled. Pour into glass and add club soda.

—

Num Num Chronicles

Created by Doug Fitz of Snack Bar

Art In The Age ROOT - Recipe: ROOT 76 from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

After the holidays I had several empty bottles of ROOT on hand. In what might be called a Wardian moment, I wondered if the bottles would make suitable terrariums. And so began my little experiment.

I decided that moss would be the flora of choice for my terrariums. Unlike more complex plants, mosses lack vascular systems, instead absorbing water directly through their tissue. Mosses thrive in low light conditions, and require little soil, lending them a heartiness that allows certain species to survive in urban environments.

After a bit of collecting I had some healthy samples, including Haircap Moss, which looks like a miniature pine tree forest. Among the samples were various liverworts, a close relative of moss, and the common green clumpy moss found in between cracks in the sidewalks around Philadelphia.

Searching the internet yielded plenty of helpful suggestions on building a moss terrarium. Without duplicating all of that information here, I’ll describe how I managed to use ROOT bottles specifically.

First you need drainage at the bottom of the terrarium. Without drainage, water will collect at the bottom of the vessel, and the saturated soil will likely rot. Adding some marbles or small stones to the bottom of the ROOT bottle will provide the drainage.

Next I added activated carbon (charcoal) pellets to the bottle. These can be found at most garden supply stores, and their purpose is to help purify the air inside the terrarium from toxins and contaminants.

Spanish moss was then added to keep the yet-to-be-added topsoil from falling down around the marbles and ruining drainage. Interestingly enough, Spanish moss is not really a moss at all, it is a flowering plant, and has excellent absorption properties.

At this point it was necessary to use a stick to help spread the Spanish moss around above the marbles, creating a blanket for the soil. You can use just about anything as a stick, like a bent coat hanger for instance.

Then I added generic potting soil. Sand can be added in layers with the soil to help drainage and to provide visual contrast. Other additives can also be mixed in at this stage, like cornstarch which is a natural antifungal. Any steps to help maintain a healthy environment inside the terrarium should be taken now, because ideally it will not require much maintenance once complete.

I made a simple paper funnel to help with adding the soil into the mouth of the ROOT bottle. As the soil is added, tamp it down lightly with your stick until you have a few inches of soil present.

Lastly, I added the moss samples to the bottles, carefully folding them to fit the bottle opening and then gently planting them with the help of the stick. A final trick is to wrap a piece of paper towel on the stick to help clean the inside of the glass from any dirt that may have stuck to it.

A few weeks after the first few terrariums were built, they are a success! Testing with different amounts of light exposure and cork placement, I’ve managed to keep the moisture at acceptable levels for the mosses to thrive. When the cork is seated, moisture tends to build, and when it is removed, excess moisture evaporates out of the open bottle.

Who would have known making terrariums from empty ROOT bottles could be so much fun - almost as much fun as it was to drink the ROOT in the first place?

Watch the videos below and stop on over to Snackbar to try these for yourself. You will thank us later.

Root 76

Art In The Age ROOT - Recipe: ROOT 76 from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Root Canal

Art In The Age ROOT - Recipe: ROOT Canal from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Root Veggie

Art In The Age ROOT - Recipe: ROOT Veggie from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Oddly enough, the New Hampshire snowline is receding. So instead of shoveling, we celebrated by creating this savory soup. If you’ve got an hour and a variety of root vegetables (no pun intended), you’re on your way to spicy bliss…

ROOT Vegetable Soup
by Cameron & Robin

INGREDIENTS
3 white onions
1 cup ROOT
1/2 cup white table wine
1 tblsp. champagne vinegar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 brown sugar

2 cups assorted new & fingerling potatoes
1 1/2 cups wax beans (ours were frozen — surplus from LAST SUMMER’S CSA — awesome!)
1/2 cup diced radishes (also stored from last summer)
1/2 cup diced turnips
2 large carrots (”winter carrots” recently dug up from under the snow by our neighbors)
2 celery stalks
2 bay leaves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine sliced onions, ROOT, wine, butter, vinegar, and sugar in a large soup pot. Heat on high, stirring constantly, until onions are caramelized & translucent.

Cut all vegetables into bite-size pieces. Add to onions. Cover with water.

Simmer on medium heat until vegetables are soft. Season to taste.

Enjoy with toasted naan!

Pittsburgh Magazine Hypes Root Liqueur in its Bits & Bites section by Kate Chynoweth.

—

Pittsburgh Magazine, February, 2010

If you’re a marketer who has steered clear of Twitter, your (non)strategy may be paying off! It’s possible that this Twitter thing may just take care of itself.

In the middle of last year, Twitter’s growth slowed from 7.8 million new users a month to 6.2 million, according to a recent study from RJ Metrics. That report also found that only 17 percent of Twitter users updated their accounts in December — an all-time low. An earlier study by the Nielsen Co. revealed 60 percent of Twitter users do not return from one month to the next. Taking that into account, it’s tempting to conclude that Twitter is following in the footsteps of another social-media ghost town, Second Life.

In fairness, the raw data may be deceptive. Twitter’s proponents argue that its numbers appear low because so many people access Twitter via ways other than its Web site. But some marketers are ready to write the microblogging service off. “I’m not a big fan of Twitter,” says Joel Ewanick, group vp of marketing for Hyundai. “My Twitter meter has gone down.” Ewanick says he finds Facebook, which has copied most of Twitter’s best features, to be a superior platform. “[Twitter has] become the butt of a joke. You start seeing in popular culture people making fun of Twitter.” Geoff Cottrill, CMO for Converse, seconded that.

“Twitter is a little bit overrated,” he says. “There will be a new media toy that will replace it in a year or two.” Meanwhile, according to VentureBlog, Procter & Gamble execs recently told venture capitalists that they didn’t think Twitter was “particularly relevant to what they’re doing on the brand-building and advertising side” and that “they do not believe that Twitter will ever approach what they get out of a Google or Facebook.” (A P&G rep declined comment on the report.)

Like Second Life, Twitter has become a wasteland for brands. Verizon, a company that spent more than $1 billion on advertising in 2009, has around 5,000 followers — about 0.3 percent the amount that Perez Hilton has. Coca-Cola has 15,000. Apple’s not even on Twitter. And some corporate Twitter accounts suffer from prolonged neglect. Delta Airlines’ Twitter page went from June 17 to Dec. 22 last year without a single update. Delta reps could not be reached for comment.

Sienna Farris, director of social media marketing strategy for New York agency Strawberry Frog, says that Twitter isn’t for everyone. Farris, like other experts contacted for this article, says that all marketers should be mining the real-time mentions of their brands on Twitter, but otherwise, there are just a few areas where Twitter makes sense for marketers — customer relations management, the hawking of deals and as a vehicle for promotions. (Twitter also seems to be a great venue for smaller, lesser-known brands.)

When it comes to Twitter’s success among large brands, Dell is the exception that proves the rule. The PC maker not only has a large following on the platform, but also has some ROI to show as well. The brand claimed $6.5 million in Twitter revenues in 2009. About half of that came from @DellOutlet, a Twitter account dedicated to announcing deals at the company’s factory outlet (the rest of the revenues come from international Twitter accounts). Richard Binhammer, senior manager of corporate affairs better known by his Twitter name “RichardatDELL,” says that with its permission-based, real-time nature, Twitter makes sense for that brand. “At Dell Outlet, we don’t know what our inventory’s going to be from day one to day two,” says Binhammer. “It’s pretty unpredictable. It’s an outlet store, so it’s open-box specials.” @DellOutlet, at this writing, has close to 1.6 million followers.

@DellOutlet is actually one of dozens of Dell Twitter accounts. Some of those are dedicated to customer service, which raises the question: Is this CRM or PR? Binhammer says that’s irrelevant. The real goal, he maintains, is reaching consumers: “It’s not about us launching a customer support channel, and that channel happens to be Twitter. What happens is, we go wherever our customers are on the Web. Some of our customers happen to be on Twitter. Where they are is where we need to go.”

Dell’s success didn’t go unnoticed. Comcast, which suffered the same kind of blog-based complaints over customer service as Dell has, now operates a successful Twitter CRM program. In July, Best Buy also launched Twelpforce, a Twitter-based customer-relations management plan that was meant to blur the lines between customer service and marketing, according to company CMO Barry Judge. “Clearly, Twelpforce has the potential to be a resource for our customers in helping them do the things they aspire to with technology,” Judge wrote on his blog. “Secondly, I think Twelpforce can be a catalyst to think very differently across our company about customer service. No longer do we need to passively wait in our channels for people to come to us. With Twelpforce specifically and social media in general, we can actively seek out the conversations that increasingly are happening outside our channels.” Despite Best Buy’s commitment, though, to date the company’s Twitter page has only about 19,000 followers.

Looking at the astronomical follow rates of celebrities like Ashton Kutcher or Oprah Winfrey, it’s tempting to conclude that unless you’re peddling deals like Dell Outlet, the best strategy is to hitch your brand to a personality. That’s what Ford did with Scott Monty, a former advertising exec-turned-Twitter gadfly who is now the head of social media for Ford Motor. As a sort of living representative of Ford, Monty, who has about 37,000 followers, has appeared on the Adam Carolla Podcast and at BlogWorld Expo. “We’re getting a ton of listeners or attendees who wouldn’t think about Ford or a Ford product,” Monty says. Jim Tobin, president of Ignite Social Media, a Web 2.0 marketing consultancy, says Ford benefits greatly by the association with Monty. “He’s a Ford employee,” explains Tobin, who believes Monty has more credibility than a celebrity endorser. “Everyone knows that Tiger [Woods] is getting paid to promote whatever he’s promoting.”

But Monty appears to be an anomaly. Other brands that have tried to launch a persona on Twitter have failed to win many fans. Adam Denison, Monty’s counterpoint at Chevrolet, has 2,300 followers. Denison says the company decided in December to switch its Twitter focus to its Chevrolet account — which had about 1,600 followers at last check.

Chevrolet is having more luck on Facebook, where its official site has more than 62,000 fans. David Berkowitz, senior director of emerging media and innovation for interactive shop 360i, says anemic Twitter accounts and robust presences on Facebook will be the norm. “For some brands, just maintaining their turf [on Twitter] with the occasional update might be enough,” he says. “A bigger danger is to go in and make it clear they’re going to get involved [in Twitter] and then ignore it.” Not too many brands are doing the former these days.

At first blush, a greeting-card company like Hallmark would seem to have it all over an outfit like Someecards. The 99-year-old Hallmark has its own corporate campus in Kansas City, Mo., and employs 14,000 people — 700 of whom are full-time writers and artists. By contrast, Someecards has been in business less than two years. Its full-time staff numbers five — and the company president doubles as the chief writer.

But when it comes to Twitter, the profile reverses itself. Hallmark has 2,017 followers. And Someecards? Try 1.7 million. “And we’ve only been using Twitter a little over a year now,” adds CEO Duncan Mitchell.

Witness a curious dichotomy of social media: While most brands are now tweeting as a way to reach consumers, the biggest ones with the most resources are often left in the dust by the indie brands with a fraction of their market share.

There are several theories behind this twist. To be effective, marketers say, tweets don’t just have to be brief, but cool and snarky as well — two traits that seldom come easy to a buttoned-up, publicly traded corporation. Another reason is that upstart brands are more readily associated with entrepreneurial personalities, who can in turn use Twitter to convey the mood and swagger of their brands better than a large PR department. Whatever the reasons, it’s the up-and-coming brands that seem to have squeezed the most marketing juice out of Twitter.

“It gives my brand a greater reach. It helps to extend the bounds of a small business,” says Javier Alfonzo, CEO of OddFit, a custom T-shirt company based in Providence, R.I. Like many brands, OddFit tweets various special offers and new products, but Alfonzo — who has some 4,800 followers at present — takes it a step further.

“I like to use Twitter to express my creative personality,” he says. Some of his tweets feature snippets of wisdom, the likes of which OddFit will put on a T-shirt (e.g., “Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have”). Others have nothing to do with T-shirts — at least literally — such as the link Alfonzo recently tweeted for an online tutorial on breast enhancement using Photoshop. Accompanying it was the line: “Here’s how they do it, girls!” (It’s tough to imagine getting a tweet like that from, say, Procter & Gamble.)

Duncan Mitchell of Someecards also sees value in sardonic content for his tweets, and the medium seems ready-made for his company. “We believe in short-form communication,” Mitchell says. “Our cards match our tweets in size.” Plus, since his business partner Brook Lundy is already writing new cards daily, “faster than we can produce a card, we can produce a tweet. It’s not a lot of extra effort to write short, snarky one-liners.”

Someecards uses shortlinking service Bitley to tweet linkbacks to the company site where visitors can see its latest cards, but the reason for its huge following is doubtless its content, which ranges from reliably funny to uniquely outrageous. (Case in point, a Jan. 21 tweet: “Reminder! Order Valentine’s Day cards and gifts by Feb. 1 for on-time delivery and a better chance of oral sex.”) This stripe of humor is possible because Twitter is an opt-in medium, so only “interested parties,” as Mitchell terms them, are going to receive his quirky one-liners.

Meanwhile, some small brands don’t boast massive followings, but nonetheless say that Twitter is a marketing lifeline — quick, targeted and (best of all) free. Russell Whitmore runs a small vintage jewelry shop in Brooklyn, N.Y., called Erie Basin. He uses Twitter to notify his 640 followers (if that number seems small, consider that diamond-giant Zales has only 471 followers) about the new estate pieces he gets in.

“I tend to tweet things that I personally like or find interesting,” Whitmore says. The feeling that a ring or brooch has been personally selected or chosen adds to the appeal of the tweet. Whitmore’s linkbacks bring followers to his blog, where they’ll find item photos that he puts a great deal of effort into. “If you post a link to a picture of something pretty, it’s likely that people will retweet the image,” Whitmore says. “So you end up getting a following from other people’s followers.”

But does any of this really generate hard revenue for a brand? Some say yes; others not quite. “We definitely have sales directly from Twitter,” Whitmore says. “Several times, Twitter users have messaged me asking to buy a specific item.” Ditto for Someecards — which generates revenues from advertising, not the sale of cards. “I am 100 percent convinced that we have won pitches for ad business that we wouldn’t have gotten without our Twitter following,” Mitchell says.

Then there’s Root, a small-batch, craft liqueur made by Philadelphia-based Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Root has only 400 Twitter followers, but they’re all “fans of the brand,” according to Web strategist Michael Feldman. “We don’t approach [tweeting] from a marketing or advertising perspective,” he says. “It’s not necessarily a numbers game for us. It’s more important to have a small, active following than a large, passive one.”

—

BrandWeek.com

If you’re a marketer who has steered clear of Twitter, your (non)strategy may be paying off! It’s possible that this Twitter thing may just take care of itself.

In the middle of last year, Twitter’s growth slowed from 7.8 million new users a month to 6.2 million, according to a recent study from RJ Metrics. That report also found that only 17 percent of Twitter users updated their accounts in December — an all-time low. An earlier study by the Nielsen Co. revealed 60 percent of Twitter users do not return from one month to the next. Taking that into account, it’s tempting to conclude that Twitter is following in the footsteps of another social-media ghost town, Second Life.

In fairness, the raw data may be deceptive. Twitter’s proponents argue that its numbers appear low because so many people access Twitter via ways other than its Web site. But some marketers are ready to write the microblogging service off. “I’m not a big fan of Twitter,” says Joel Ewanick, group vp of marketing for Hyundai. “My Twitter meter has gone down.” Ewanick says he finds Facebook, which has copied most of Twitter’s best features, to be a superior platform. “[Twitter has] become the butt of a joke. You start seeing in popular culture people making fun of Twitter.” Geoff Cottrill, CMO for Converse, seconded that.

“Twitter is a little bit overrated,” he says. “There will be a new media toy that will replace it in a year or two.” Meanwhile, according to VentureBlog, Procter & Gamble execs recently told venture capitalists that they didn’t think Twitter was “particularly relevant to what they’re doing on the brand-building and advertising side” and that “they do not believe that Twitter will ever approach what they get out of a Google or Facebook.” (A P&G rep declined comment on the report.)

Like Second Life, Twitter has become a wasteland for brands. Verizon, a company that spent more than $1 billion on advertising in 2009, has around 5,000 followers — about 0.3 percent the amount that Perez Hilton has. Coca-Cola has 15,000. Apple’s not even on Twitter. And some corporate Twitter accounts suffer from prolonged neglect. Delta Airlines’ Twitter page went from June 17 to Dec. 22 last year without a single update. Delta reps could not be reached for comment.

Sienna Farris, director of social media marketing strategy for New York agency Strawberry Frog, says that Twitter isn’t for everyone. Farris, like other experts contacted for this article, says that all marketers should be mining the real-time mentions of their brands on Twitter, but otherwise, there are just a few areas where Twitter makes sense for marketers — customer relations management, the hawking of deals and as a vehicle for promotions. (Twitter also seems to be a great venue for smaller, lesser-known brands.)

When it comes to Twitter’s success among large brands, Dell is the exception that proves the rule. The PC maker not only has a large following on the platform, but also has some ROI to show as well. The brand claimed $6.5 million in Twitter revenues in 2009. About half of that came from @DellOutlet, a Twitter account dedicated to announcing deals at the company’s factory outlet (the rest of the revenues come from international Twitter accounts). Richard Binhammer, senior manager of corporate affairs better known by his Twitter name “RichardatDELL,” says that with its permission-based, real-time nature, Twitter makes sense for that brand. “At Dell Outlet, we don’t know what our inventory’s going to be from day one to day two,” says Binhammer. “It’s pretty unpredictable. It’s an outlet store, so it’s open-box specials.” @DellOutlet, at this writing, has close to 1.6 million followers.

@DellOutlet is actually one of dozens of Dell Twitter accounts. Some of those are dedicated to customer service, which raises the question: Is this CRM or PR? Binhammer says that’s irrelevant. The real goal, he maintains, is reaching consumers: “It’s not about us launching a customer support channel, and that channel happens to be Twitter. What happens is, we go wherever our customers are on the Web. Some of our customers happen to be on Twitter. Where they are is where we need to go.”

Dell’s success didn’t go unnoticed. Comcast, which suffered the same kind of blog-based complaints over customer service as Dell has, now operates a successful Twitter CRM program. In July, Best Buy also launched Twelpforce, a Twitter-based customer-relations management plan that was meant to blur the lines between customer service and marketing, according to company CMO Barry Judge. “Clearly, Twelpforce has the potential to be a resource for our customers in helping them do the things they aspire to with technology,” Judge wrote on his blog. “Secondly, I think Twelpforce can be a catalyst to think very differently across our company about customer service. No longer do we need to passively wait in our channels for people to come to us. With Twelpforce specifically and social media in general, we can actively seek out the conversations that increasingly are happening outside our channels.” Despite Best Buy’s commitment, though, to date the company’s Twitter page has only about 19,000 followers.

Looking at the astronomical follow rates of celebrities like Ashton Kutcher or Oprah Winfrey, it’s tempting to conclude that unless you’re peddling deals like Dell Outlet, the best strategy is to hitch your brand to a personality. That’s what Ford did with Scott Monty, a former advertising exec-turned-Twitter gadfly who is now the head of social media for Ford Motor. As a sort of living representative of Ford, Monty, who has about 37,000 followers, has appeared on the Adam Carolla Podcast and at BlogWorld Expo. “We’re getting a ton of listeners or attendees who wouldn’t think about Ford or a Ford product,” Monty says. Jim Tobin, president of Ignite Social Media, a Web 2.0 marketing consultancy, says Ford benefits greatly by the association with Monty. “He’s a Ford employee,” explains Tobin, who believes Monty has more credibility than a celebrity endorser. “Everyone knows that Tiger [Woods] is getting paid to promote whatever he’s promoting.”

But Monty appears to be an anomaly. Other brands that have tried to launch a persona on Twitter have failed to win many fans. Adam Denison, Monty’s counterpoint at Chevrolet, has 2,300 followers. Denison says the company decided in December to switch its Twitter focus to its Chevrolet account — which had about 1,600 followers at last check.

Chevrolet is having more luck on Facebook, where its official site has more than 62,000 fans. David Berkowitz, senior director of emerging media and innovation for interactive shop 360i, says anemic Twitter accounts and robust presences on Facebook will be the norm. “For some brands, just maintaining their turf [on Twitter] with the occasional update might be enough,” he says. “A bigger danger is to go in and make it clear they’re going to get involved [in Twitter] and then ignore it.” Not too many brands are doing the former these days.

At first blush, a greeting-card company like Hallmark would seem to have it all over an outfit like Someecards. The 99-year-old Hallmark has its own corporate campus in Kansas City, Mo., and employs 14,000 people — 700 of whom are full-time writers and artists. By contrast, Someecards has been in business less than two years. Its full-time staff numbers five — and the company president doubles as the chief writer.

But when it comes to Twitter, the profile reverses itself. Hallmark has 2,017 followers. And Someecards? Try 1.7 million. “And we’ve only been using Twitter a little over a year now,” adds CEO Duncan Mitchell.

Witness a curious dichotomy of social media: While most brands are now tweeting as a way to reach consumers, the biggest ones with the most resources are often left in the dust by the indie brands with a fraction of their market share.

There are several theories behind this twist. To be effective, marketers say, tweets don’t just have to be brief, but cool and snarky as well — two traits that seldom come easy to a buttoned-up, publicly traded corporation. Another reason is that upstart brands are more readily associated with entrepreneurial personalities, who can in turn use Twitter to convey the mood and swagger of their brands better than a large PR department. Whatever the reasons, it’s the up-and-coming brands that seem to have squeezed the most marketing juice out of Twitter.

“It gives my brand a greater reach. It helps to extend the bounds of a small business,” says Javier Alfonzo, CEO of OddFit, a custom T-shirt company based in Providence, R.I. Like many brands, OddFit tweets various special offers and new products, but Alfonzo — who has some 4,800 followers at present — takes it a step further.

“I like to use Twitter to express my creative personality,” he says. Some of his tweets feature snippets of wisdom, the likes of which OddFit will put on a T-shirt (e.g., “Until you make peace with who you are, you’ll never be content with what you have”). Others have nothing to do with T-shirts — at least literally — such as the link Alfonzo recently tweeted for an online tutorial on breast enhancement using Photoshop. Accompanying it was the line: “Here’s how they do it, girls!” (It’s tough to imagine getting a tweet like that from, say, Procter & Gamble.)

Duncan Mitchell of Someecards also sees value in sardonic content for his tweets, and the medium seems ready-made for his company. “We believe in short-form communication,” Mitchell says. “Our cards match our tweets in size.” Plus, since his business partner Brook Lundy is already writing new cards daily, “faster than we can produce a card, we can produce a tweet. It’s not a lot of extra effort to write short, snarky one-liners.”

Someecards uses shortlinking service Bitley to tweet linkbacks to the company site where visitors can see its latest cards, but the reason for its huge following is doubtless its content, which ranges from reliably funny to uniquely outrageous. (Case in point, a Jan. 21 tweet: “Reminder! Order Valentine’s Day cards and gifts by Feb. 1 for on-time delivery and a better chance of oral sex.”) This stripe of humor is possible because Twitter is an opt-in medium, so only “interested parties,” as Mitchell terms them, are going to receive his quirky one-liners.

Meanwhile, some small brands don’t boast massive followings, but nonetheless say that Twitter is a marketing lifeline — quick, targeted and (best of all) free. Russell Whitmore runs a small vintage jewelry shop in Brooklyn, N.Y., called Erie Basin. He uses Twitter to notify his 640 followers (if that number seems small, consider that diamond-giant Zales has only 471 followers) about the new estate pieces he gets in.

“I tend to tweet things that I personally like or find interesting,” Whitmore says. The feeling that a ring or brooch has been personally selected or chosen adds to the appeal of the tweet. Whitmore’s linkbacks bring followers to his blog, where they’ll find item photos that he puts a great deal of effort into. “If you post a link to a picture of something pretty, it’s likely that people will retweet the image,” Whitmore says. “So you end up getting a following from other people’s followers.”

But does any of this really generate hard revenue for a brand? Some say yes; others not quite. “We definitely have sales directly from Twitter,” Whitmore says. “Several times, Twitter users have messaged me asking to buy a specific item.” Ditto for Someecards — which generates revenues from advertising, not the sale of cards. “I am 100 percent convinced that we have won pitches for ad business that we wouldn’t have gotten without our Twitter following,” Mitchell says.

Then there’s Root, a small-batch, craft liqueur made by Philadelphia-based Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Root has only 400 Twitter followers, but they’re all “fans of the brand,” according to Web strategist Michael Feldman. “We don’t approach [tweeting] from a marketing or advertising perspective,” he says. “It’s not necessarily a numbers game for us. It’s more important to have a small, active following than a large, passive one.”

—

BrandWeek.com

“The spirits business is a business of telling stories,” Steven Grasse, the creator of some of today’s most iconic spirits brands (Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum), is telling me as we discuss his latest creation, Root, a 100 percent USDA certified organic extraordinary liqueur, which, you guessed it, is inspired by root beer—which Grasse has taken to a whole new level.

Grasse’s Pennsylvania Dutch and Mennonite, um, roots and his love of American history have everything to do with the inspiration to create Root, a spirit like no other in the marketplace that traces its heritage to the 1700s, when native Americans taught the settlers to make the very potent, highly intoxicating root tea brewed from sassafras, sarsaparilla, wintergreen, birch bark and other roots as an herbal remedy—and because at the time it was dangerous to drink the water.

During the temperance movement, Charles Hires, a pharmacist living in Philadelphia, created a beverage that removed the alcohol from root tea and made what we know today as root beer and introduced it at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.

Grasse decided to make a spirit to replicate the flavors of the original root tea. Because the FDA banned sassafras root in 1960, he has worked out a special essence of sassafras made from citrus, wintergreen and spearmint. This mixture is married to orange and lemon peel, along with black tea, birch bark and a mélange of spices using 100 percent organic ingredients—and the result is spectacular.

When I raise the glass to smell the bouquet it is completely and overwhelmingly that of root beer, yet with notes of birch, cinnamon and spices. It’s smooth, and all the various components, like vanilla bean and citrus, single themselves out in perfect harmony. I was worried it would be too sweet, but instead it is a perfect balance of flavors and textures. The finish has a very complex, smoky-cigar kick, which I love. Honestly, I’ve never tasted anything like it and became a fan immediately.

Grasse, being a former ad man, decided to produce a spirit that didn’t fall into any category—and to do it in Pennsylvania, one of the most restrictive states in the country. He used the most generic bottle he could find; his point being that the bottle doesn’t matter, the story does. His story is authentic through and through, and he is set on a course to build a brand around America’s first original liqueur.

I asked Grasse what his favorite way to drink Root was. “I’m not a fancy cocktail person,” he said, “so I drink mine with Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer. During the holidays, I was adding some eggnog.” Yum. Grasse has provided Root to some of the best cocktailians in the country, like Preston Eckman of APO Bar + Lounge in his hometown of Philadelphia.

Preston’s Root in Sand (see video below), a spin on the old Blood and Sand cocktail, is one drink I’m dying to try. Bartenders must be having so much fun concocting drinks with a liqueur that they have never had available to them before.

In the meantime, here are a couple of recipes definitely worth trying at home:

Root Miner: A twist on the classic Martinez
an original cocktail by Nicholas Jarrett

1 ½ ounces Hendricks gin
1 ounce Root
1 ounce Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
Dash of Rhum Clément Créole Shrubb
Dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

Stir over cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Root and Birch
by Art in the Age

2 ounces Root
4 ounces Pennsylvania Birch Beer

Serve over ice.

Next up for Grasse is a spirit inspired by his grandmother’s gingersnap-cookie recipe, whose possible name will be Snap, that will hopefully be coming out around June. He tells me he thinks he loves this more than Root. He also has bought a farm in New Hampshire, where he will building a distillery and will be growing everything on the property that they put in their bottles. I personally can’t wait for his next story to unfold…or pour for that matter. Available at Wally’s, 2107 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, 310-475-0606, wallyswine.com —Lora Zarubin

—

Cocktail Confidential

“The spirits business is a business of telling stories,” Steven Grasse, the creator of some of today’s most iconic spirits brands (Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum), is telling me as we discuss his latest creation, Root, a 100 percent USDA certified organic extraordinary liqueur, which, you guessed it, is inspired by root beer—which Grasse has taken to a whole new level.

Grasse’s Pennsylvania Dutch and Mennonite, um, roots and his love of American history have everything to do with the inspiration to create Root, a spirit like no other in the marketplace that traces its heritage to the 1700s, when native Americans taught the settlers to make the very potent, highly intoxicating root tea brewed from sassafras, sarsaparilla, wintergreen, birch bark and other roots as an herbal remedy—and because at the time it was dangerous to drink the water.

During the temperance movement, Charles Hires, a pharmacist living in Philadelphia, created a beverage that removed the alcohol from root tea and made what we know today as root beer and introduced it at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.

Grasse decided to make a spirit to replicate the flavors of the original root tea. Because the FDA banned sassafras root in 1960, he has worked out a special essence of sassafras made from citrus, wintergreen and spearmint. This mixture is married to orange and lemon peel, along with black tea, birch bark and a mélange of spices using 100 percent organic ingredients—and the result is spectacular.

When I raise the glass to smell the bouquet it is completely and overwhelmingly that of root beer, yet with notes of birch, cinnamon and spices. It’s smooth, and all the various components, like vanilla bean and citrus, single themselves out in perfect harmony. I was worried it would be too sweet, but instead it is a perfect balance of flavors and textures. The finish has a very complex, smoky-cigar kick, which I love. Honestly, I’ve never tasted anything like it and became a fan immediately.

Grasse, being a former ad man, decided to produce a spirit that didn’t fall into any category—and to do it in Pennsylvania, one of the most restrictive states in the country. He used the most generic bottle he could find; his point being that the bottle doesn’t matter, the story does. His story is authentic through and through, and he is set on a course to build a brand around America’s first original liqueur.

I asked Grasse what his favorite way to drink Root was. “I’m not a fancy cocktail person,” he said, “so I drink mine with Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer. During the holidays, I was adding some eggnog.” Yum. Grasse has provided Root to some of the best cocktailians in the country, like Preston Eckman of APO Bar + Lounge in his hometown of Philadelphia.

Preston’s Root in Sand (see video below), a spin on the old Blood and Sand cocktail, is one drink I’m dying to try. Bartenders must be having so much fun concocting drinks with a liqueur that they have never had available to them before.

In the meantime, here are a couple of recipes definitely worth trying at home:

Root Miner: A twist on the classic Martinez
an original cocktail by Nicholas Jarrett

1 ½ ounces Hendricks gin
1 ounce Root
1 ounce Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
Dash of Rhum Clément Créole Shrubb
Dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

Stir over cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Root and Birch
by Art in the Age

2 ounces Root
4 ounces Pennsylvania Birch Beer

Serve over ice.

Next up for Grasse is a spirit inspired by his grandmother’s gingersnap-cookie recipe, whose possible name will be Snap, that will hopefully be coming out around June. He tells me he thinks he loves this more than Root. He also has bought a farm in New Hampshire, where he will building a distillery and will be growing everything on the property that they put in their bottles. I personally can’t wait for his next story to unfold…or pour for that matter. Available at Wally’s, 2107 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, 310-475-0606, wallyswine.com —Lora Zarubin

—

Cocktail Confidential

What do you think? AITA and the Farm are committed to the revival of healthful living in America, but we are divided over the merits of this most interesting solution…

The first Friday of every month, Philadelphia comes alive with gallery openings, performances, talks and copious free booze. Check out Street’s picks for some shows to check out this Friday and beyond.

Art in the Age

116 N. 3rd St.

artintheage.com

6:00­ — 8:00 p.m.

Traditional galleries aren’t the only ones getting in on the fun ­— Old City boutique-cum-storefront art space Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction hosts exhibitions throughout the year. Browse through their selection of handprinted shirts, homemade soaps and high-end apparel and accessories while getting your visual art fix.

The store, which is committed to a local and DIY mentality has even gone as far as to acquire a farm. The 72-acre outpost in rural Tamworth, New Hampshire is manned by Penn grad Robin McDowell (C ‘08) who, before moving to the snowy wilds of the northeast, had no experience driving a tractor, cutting down trees or refurbishing a 200-year-old farmhouse. Instead, she was more familiar with the inside of an artist’s studio. McDowell combines her newfound skills with her old through this documentation of her work in this new exhibition of photographs, found objects and letterpress prints. If you’re lucky, AITA will be serving up cocktails made with their new ROOT liquor, which is only available in small batches and exclusively in the Philadelphia area.

The exhibition opens tomorrow, February 5 and runs through March 21.

Space 1026

629 N. 2nd St.

space1026.com

7:00­ — 10:00 p.m.

Font geeks and bicoastal hipsters, unite! This First Friday, Street favorite Space 1026 presents It Was Good While It Lasted, a joint exhibition by graphic design darlings Blake E. Marquis and Justin Van Hoy. Marquis and Van Hoy met six years ago at the Los Angeles-based design firm Studio Number-One, became besties, and after leaving the firm, individually established themselves as some of the hottest names in printmaking and design. Now a Brooklyn expat, Marquis has designed everything from illustrations for the Wall Street Journal (a surprising move for the perennially stuffy business rag) to posters of Margaret Cho for MySpace’s Secret Show comedy series. When he is not busy organizing This, an L.A. based artist collective, Van Hoy has published and produced books on print, designed campaigns for Mini Cooper, Obey Clothing and Atari, and acted as art director for America’s least favorite hipster photographer, the Cobrasnake.

—

34th Street Magazine

The first Friday of every month, Philadelphia comes alive with gallery openings, performances, talks and copious free booze. Check out Street’s picks for some shows to check out this Friday and beyond.

Art in the Age

116 N. 3rd St.

artintheage.com

6:00­ — 8:00 p.m.

Traditional galleries aren’t the only ones getting in on the fun ­— Old City boutique-cum-storefront art space Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction hosts exhibitions throughout the year. Browse through their selection of handprinted shirts, homemade soaps and high-end apparel and accessories while getting your visual art fix.

The store, which is committed to a local and DIY mentality has even gone as far as to acquire a farm. The 72-acre outpost in rural Tamworth, New Hampshire is manned by Penn grad Robin McDowell (C ‘08) who, before moving to the snowy wilds of the northeast, had no experience driving a tractor, cutting down trees or refurbishing a 200-year-old farmhouse. Instead, she was more familiar with the inside of an artist’s studio. McDowell combines her newfound skills with her old through this documentation of her work in this new exhibition of photographs, found objects and letterpress prints. If you’re lucky, AITA will be serving up cocktails made with their new ROOT liquor, which is only available in small batches and exclusively in the Philadelphia area.

The exhibition opens tomorrow, February 5 and runs through March 21.

Space 1026

629 N. 2nd St.

space1026.com

7:00­ — 10:00 p.m.

Font geeks and bicoastal hipsters, unite! This First Friday, Street favorite Space 1026 presents It Was Good While It Lasted, a joint exhibition by graphic design darlings Blake E. Marquis and Justin Van Hoy. Marquis and Van Hoy met six years ago at the Los Angeles-based design firm Studio Number-One, became besties, and after leaving the firm, individually established themselves as some of the hottest names in printmaking and design. Now a Brooklyn expat, Marquis has designed everything from illustrations for the Wall Street Journal (a surprising move for the perennially stuffy business rag) to posters of Margaret Cho for MySpace’s Secret Show comedy series. When he is not busy organizing This, an L.A. based artist collective, Van Hoy has published and produced books on print, designed campaigns for Mini Cooper, Obey Clothing and Atari, and acted as art director for America’s least favorite hipster photographer, the Cobrasnake.

—

34th Street Magazine

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction opens a new exhibition today,
entitled The Farm. Created by Robin McDowell, the exhibit “documents
daily life and new initiatives at the Art In The Age Farm in Tamworth,
NH through personal anecdotes, photographs, salvaged objects, and
letterpress prints.” Expect fancy cheese and ROOT cocktails.

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UWishUNu.com

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UWishUNu.com