Now fades the summer landscape on the sight,

And all the air an Autumn stillness holds,

Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds:

Beneath that rugged birch, that maple’s shade,

Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap,

Summer in his narrow cell ’til next year laid,
The busiest season of Tamworth to sleep.

For now the blazing hearth shall burn,

With extensive housework to take care:

We run to meet winter’s return,

The next long months to bear,

The harvest to our sickle bar did yield,

Our sweat from stubborn heat has broke;

How jocund did they drive the John Deere afield!

How bow’d the chaffs beneath its sturdy stroke!

The Epitaph

Here rests Summer days upon the lap of Earth
A season for sowing both seeds and elation.
Fair afternoons brought us humble mirth,
And Labor Day marks the end of vacation.

No farther seek sun-drenched memories to disclose,

Or draw our schemes for the seasons ahead

(Crisp days and much raking before repose),

The trees of Great Hill, already red.

Robin McDowell née Thomas Gray (1716-71)

Check out the video and recipe to recreate these for yourself…

The SNAP Blossom:
For First Layer:
 1 Envelope Knox
 1/2 cup (ginger) SNAP
 1/8 cup. Orange Blossom Honey
 3/8 cup. Water
 8 (small) organic edible wild flowers
 
For Second Layer:
1/2 envelope Knox
1/4 cup Orange Blossom Water (such as FEE Bros.)
1/8 cup water
1/8 cup agave nectar
 
You will also need:
A measuring cup
a spoon
8 jello shot cups (we used three oz disposable SOLO cups)
a sauce pan
a range or hot place
a refrigerator
 
In a small bowl, gently stir one envelope Knox powder into 1/8 cup room temperature water. Let sit at least five minutes, the Knox will soften, and the mixture will thicken. Add this mixture to orange blossom honey and agave nectar to a sauce pan and heat on low, stirring constantly. When the gelatin has dissolved, and there are no detectable signs of granulated gelatin, remove from heat (a couple minutes).  Pour into a spouted measuring cup, and add 1/2 cup SNAP. After mixing thoroughly, pour evenly into small cups or molds. We used a one ounce (1/8th cup) pour. Any pour is fine, just make sure to leave room in the cup for the second layer of gelatin.  Bring to refrigerator set. This may take as little as 45 minutes or as long as an hour and a half.
With a toothpick, prick a hole in the surface of the each SNAP shot, and “plant” an edible flower bud. Choose the most delicate flowers with thinnest stems, as they are the easiest to eat. Return to fridge so the flowers don’t wilt while you prepare the second layer of gelatin. 

 in a small bowl, gently stir one envelope Knox powder into 1/8 cup room temperature water. Let sit at least five minutes, the Knox will soften, and the mixture will thicken. Add this mixture to Orange Blossom Water and remaining water to a sauce pan and heat on low, stirring constantly. When the gelatin has dissolved, and there are no detectable signs of granulated gelatin, remove from heat. Pour into a spouted measuring cup, and let cool about 5 minutes. Pour evenly and gently over the SNAP layer, encasing flowers. If the flowers insist on floating, use a tooth pick to push them into place after the gelatin has had a few minutes to thicken in the refrigerator.  

To speed up the process make sure to let the bars without it know what they’re missing! 

And while you’re waiting for them to get their act together, stop by one of these other fine drinking establishments for an original SNAP cocktail.

BARS IN PA SERVING ROOT:

Adsum

ALFA

Bar Ferdinand

Chicks Cafe

El Camino

Emeril’s Chop House

Farmacia

Noble: An American Cookery

North 3rd

Oyster House

Sassafras Bar

Savona

Silk City

Supper

Tattooed Mom

Timber Wood-Fired Grill of Abington

Time

The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.

Tweed

Union Trust Steakhouse

Village Whiskey

Valanni

The Walnut Room

Wishing Well

Zavino Wine Bar & Pizzeria

Be sure to check back as the list grows!

Makeready 1: Isaac Tin Wei Lin: One of Us

One of Us is the first commissioned piece for The Print Center’s Makeready series. The site-specific installation will feature Lin’s striking day-glo patterns, painted and printed onto various room surfaces and sculptural element. Described as a “veritable cartoon flash mob,” this ambitious printed environment is a “must-see” for Autumn art-goers.

See more of Isaac’s work at Fleischer-Ollman Gallery

Pulling from History: Letterpress
This special exhibition is co-curated by John Caperton (The Print Center’s Jensen Bryan Curator) and Matt Neff, Philadelphia-based printmaker & manager of The University of Pennsylvania’s Common Press. It is the second installation of The Print Center’s Pulling from History series. Featuring contemporary letterpress works by Ken Botnick, Johanna Drucker, and Carl Pope, the exhibition will feature these pieces in side-by-side narrative with selected examples of letterpress printing forms throughout history.

See more of Matt’s work at MATTNEFFONLINE.com and (Interview) Art In The Age.

———————

Both exhibitions run from September 7 - November 20, 2010 with an Opening Reception on Thursday, September 16 from 5:30-7:30 pm.
Gallery talks given by the artists will begin at 5:30 pm.

The Print Center is located at 1614 Latimer Street in Philadelphia 

Art in the Age is pleased to announce our September exhibition,  NIX BESSER, the rich Pennsylvania Dutch history and traditions that inspired SNAP, brought to life through the creations of Michael Alan.

Michael Alan is the exclusive illustrator behind the Art in the Age SNAP artwork, and is also an accomplished baker and mixologist.  The Reverend collaborates frequently with Philadelphia’s Wild Flour Bakery, and almost always has something delicious in the works.  He has been hard at work creating new recipes inspired AITA SNAP, and his latest, “The Good Reverend’s Ginger Snap Cookies” and “Haymaker’s Punch” are already huge hits.

With Art in the Age, the Reverend Michael Alan will bring the rich history of SNAP to life through his wonderful illustrations and folk art crafts.  Inspired by the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch roots of SNAP, the reverend will work with AITA to recreate a traditional country kitchen that harkens back to a much simpler time.

Included within the exhibition will be illustrations of heirloom cookie recipes that have been collected by Reverend Michael Alan from friends and family. The drawings are an homage to yesteryear, and investigate how cherished recipes and the tradition of baking can bridge the past with the present.

Join us this Friday, September 3rd, from 6-8PM for the opening reception.

Cookie samplings of each illustrated recipe and AITA refreshments will be served.

The Art in the Age store located at 116 North 3rd Street.

HERE ARE THE DEETS:

SNAP COCKTAIL COMPETITION
September 13th, 7PM - Rain or Shine
Liberties Walk, 1040 N. 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA

***SPACE IS LIMITED, SO YOU MUST RSVP TO STEPHANIE@ARTINTHEAGE.COM***

***IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A PARTICIPATING BARTENDER, DOWNLOAD AND FILL OUT THE PDF FORM AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.***

Cocktails will be judged by:

Drew Lazor, City Paper

Melissa Monosoff, Master Sommelier of Savona

Charlotte Voisy, William Grant & Sons Portfolio Ambassador

They will be judged on Taste (50%), Originality (25%) and Presentation (25%)

Charles and Ray were avid filmmaker and photographers, and in the following film entitled “Goods,” Charles describes what he calls “the new covetables.” In this lecture, which was originally projected on three screens simultaneously, Charles discusses the value of simple materials that most of us take for granted. This unpretentious approach was typical of the Eames, and it is easy to understand why the Eames’ influence on form and function will inspire forever.

Blackstrap molasses retains the natural goodness that gets stripped away by the refining process. It also provides a very distinct and earthy flavor. Gingersnap liquor. More info at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction….

—

Tom’s Kit.com

Blackstrap molasses retains the natural goodness that gets stripped away by the refining process. It also provides a very distinct and earthy flavor. Gingersnap liquor. More info at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.

—

Tom’s Kit.com

As men, it’s hard to dispute the claim that the way to our hearts is through our stomach. Make us a steak, bake us some cookies, roasts, whatever. We love food and we have no problem admitting it. A bunch of guys got together and formed Art In The Age to do what all men have thought about doing – make liquor. While another vodka, bourbon, or scotch would have sufficed, they chose to go a different route and make what is essentially ginger Snap liquor. They called it Snap (see what they did there?) and it’s an organic spirit based on the same ginger snap cookies gramma has been making for decades – the kind with blackstrap molasses and fresh ginger. It’s liquor that tastes like a ginger snap, and that’s enough for us. $40

—

Cool Material.com, 8.26.10

As men, it’s hard to dispute the claim that the way to our hearts is through our stomach. Make us a steak, bake us some cookies, roasts, whatever. We love food and we have no problem admitting it. A bunch of guys got together and formed Art In The Age to do what all men have thought about doing – make liquor. While another vodka, bourbon, or scotch would have sufficed, they chose to go a different route and make what is essentially ginger Snap liquor. They called it Snap (see what they did there?) and it’s an organic spirit based on the same ginger snap cookies gramma has been making for decades – the kind with blackstrap molasses and fresh ginger. It’s liquor that tastes like a ginger snap, and that’s enough for us. $40

—

Cool Material.com, 8.21.10

…I am also breaking out my storm windows and gathering emergency flashlights to prepare for an onslaught of rogue Vegetable Tsunamis…

——————————–

DAY ONE: Abundant vegetable harvests contained by mesh emergency walls…

DAY TWO: Cucumbers infiltrate the entire kitchen table…

DAY THREE: Pink Rose Radish, Lettuce varietals, and Beans break through the containing walls…

DAY FOUR: Tomato onslaught moves the farm into RED ALERT status…

OTHER INCIDENTALS:

Phlox Explosions…

Bantam Corn Refugee Camp…

Huddled Sunflower Masses…

Heirloom Tomato Non-Pesticide Zone…

RESCUE PRESERVING CREWS ARRIVED THIS PAST WEEKEND TO AID IN VEGETABLE TSUNAMI RECOVERY EFFORTS…

Be sure to stop by the store and grab one of the new Mast Brothers Chocolate Bar flavors before they sell out!

We think these cocktails will thrill at parties so Mike allowed us to capture Do-it-yourself videos to make recreating them even easier.

Of course if mixology isn’t your thing, remember you can always stop by Sassafras Bar in historic Old City and leave it to the pros– don’t forget to tell them who sent you!

Enjoy!

For most of us, even our favorite pair of jeans are an afterthought — a trusty partner that dresses up and down on command, an unassuming piece that lets the shoes do the real talking. But when Victor Lytvinenko met his perfect pair, it was love.

“When we started, it was never really our intention to start a company,” says Lytvinenko, who founded Raleigh Denim with his wife, Sarah. “We were living in Europe, and I found these jeans that were just really comfortable and fit different. I was obsessed and started just making them in our apartment.”

To be fair, you, too, might become obsessed after meeting a pair of Raleigh Denims. The handmade men’s line features a tailored fit through the hip and thigh, with materials sourced no more than 200 miles from their North Carolina shop.

“We don’t want to outsource anything,” says Lytvinenko, who gets his denim from the nearby Cone Mills’ White Oak plant, a 100-year-old mill. “We started this with these really high ideals, and we want to keep them as we grow.”

Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko will be at Art in the Age to discuss Raleigh Denim and their work process.

Raleigh Denim
Trunk Show
Thursday, 6-8 p.m.

—

Metro.us, 8.24.10

Near the end of the 19th century, the U.S. was mired deeply in the Temperance Movement, which later resulted in the Prohibition of Alcohol, or “The Noble Experiment” depending on your point of view. Either way, it proved to be a dastardly time for any spirit loving man. During the movement an innovative Philadelphia pharmacist took the popular “Root Tea”, (a Native American herbal remedy passed down from generation to generation) and removed any trace of alcohol to yield a beverage not encumbered by Prohibitionists. Dubbed “Root Beer,” the beverage took like wild fire and has made its place in beverage history.

Pennsylvania based Art in the Age has recreated the original version of what we’ve come to know as Root Beer, and added some hoppiness. Distilled from organic sugar cane, the dark hued Root ($40) has a unique flavor– sweet, aromatic, and full-bodied. Sip or use as the primary ingredient of your new favorite cocktail.

—

823 Society.blogspot.com

Near the end of the 19th century, the U.S. was mired deeply in the Temperance Movement, which later resulted in the Prohibition of Alcohol, or “The Noble Experiment” depending on your point of view. Either way, it proved to be a dastardly time for any spirit loving man. During the movement an innovative Philadelphia pharmacist took the popular “Root Tea”, (a Native American herbal remedy passed down from generation to generation) and removed any trace of alcohol to yield a beverage not encumbered by Prohibitionists. Dubbed “Root Beer,” the beverage took like wild fire and has made its place in beverage history.

Pennsylvania based Art in the Age has recreated the original version of what we’ve come to know as Root Beer, and added some hoppiness. Distilled from organic sugar cane, the dark hued Root ($40) has a unique flavor– sweet, aromatic, and full-bodied. Sip or use as the primary ingredient of your new favorite cocktail.

—

823 Society.blogspot.com

Join us this Thursday, August 26th, for the Raleigh Denim Trunk Show and meet and greet, with owners/designers Sarah and Victor Lytvinenko. These talented craftspeople are paying a special visit to the Art in the Age store for an intimate discussion on the creation of quality denim. The Lytvinenko’s will also be bringing along a special selection of their handmade styles and washes, which will be available for purchase.

Check out this great video of Sarah and Victor in their Raleigh workshop.

Raleigh Denim: Handcrafted in North Carolina from David Huppert on Vimeo.

Thursday, August 26th from 6-8PM
Art in the Age is located at 116 N. 3rd Street

Check out some of the videos below as Phoebe from Chick’s Cafe & Wine Bar along with Katie and Andy from Oyster House debut their newest SNAP inspired cocktails!

Root! Yes, this is alcoholic. Yes, you can drink it- assuming you are over 21. Yes, it is delicious and all natural!

The fantastic artisans at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction have brewed up the original recipe for rootbeer and it is available in most parts of PA and some parts of North Carolina.

Spirits : Ingredients
Birch Bark

Just like the Root  Teas that came before it, birch bark gives ROOT its pleasantly strong backbone of full-bodied aroma and flavor. Harvested from white birch trees, the bark is first subjected to a slow destructive distillation process that yields a crude birch tar. This tar is then steam distilled to produce a pure sap that is mixed in with ROOT’s cane sugar base.

Spirits : Ingredients
Smoked Black Tea

Our smoked black tea gives ROOT its distinctive tea notes, burnished rose-gold hue, and delicate hints of smokiness. Instead of being dried in the sun like most other teas, the organic lapsang souchong tea we use is smoked over a pine fire to impart the necessary flavor requirements.

Spirits : Ingredients
Sugarcane

ROOT is distilled from a pure organic cane sugar base. Not excessively sugary, the cane sugar allows for great clarity in the finished spirit and accommodates ROOT’s earthier, slightly bitter undertones and its clean finish.

Spirits : Ingredients
Essence of Sassafras

A couple hundred years ago, all the colonists made their Root Teas with sassafras root. However, scientists later found that the ingredient posed certain risks to the liver, and the FDA banned it as a food ingredient in the 1960s. No worries though, we’ve mighty close to approximating sassafras unique flavor with a mixture of organic citrus fruits, spearmint, and wintergreen.

Spirits : Ingredients
Orange and Lemon Peel

We use American-grown, pesticide-free, certified-organic lemons and oranges to give ROOT a subtle touch of citrus aroma and flavor that comes out when mixed, and to closely mimic the taste of sassafras root.

Spirits : Ingredients
Allspice

Produced from the dried, unripe fruit of the Pimenta diocia plant, allspice was a favorite of many colonists who felt that the spice combined the flavors of several aromatic spices and added a desired layer of complexity to their Root Teas.

Spirits : Ingredients
Anise

Aniseeds lends ROOT its licorice notes, which combine especially well with the sprits birch and sassafras flavors.

Spirits : Ingredients
Cloves

A spice produced from the dried flower buds of clove trees, clove was another favorite ingredient in colonists’ highly spiced Root Teas. Native Americans also found the spice to relieve tooth pain.

Spirits : Ingredients
Cinnamon

Cinnamon, much like ROOT’s birch flavoring, is harvested from the bark of the cinnamon tree through a similar process. Along with clove and nutmeg, it gives ROOT its pleasant baking spice flavors.

Spirits : Ingredients
Cardamom

A member of the ginger family, cardamom’s strong, unique flavor is a welcome addition to ROOT’s well-rounded spiciness.

Spirits : Ingredients
Nutmeg

The seed of a type of evergreen tree, nutmug, along with clove and cinnamon, contributes heavily to ROOT’s distinctive, highly spiced taste.

They have also made SNAP!

Spirits : Ingredients

What would happen, we asked,if we took a traditional German “Lebkuchen” and distilled the ingredients into an organic spirit? What is a lebkuchen, you ask? A ginger snap!

But not the mass-market, high-fructose junk at the supermarket. We’re talking a real Pennsylvania Dutch (which actually means Pennsylvania German, not Dutch. Many years ago, someone apparently misheard “deutsch” for “dutch”) ginger snap made with hearty blackstrap molasses and fresh ginger. The kind our mothers, grandmothers, and great-great-great-grandmothers used to make.

—

Endeavors in Domestic Art.com, 8.21.10

Root! Yes, this is alcoholic. Yes, you can drink it- assuming you are over 21. Yes, it is delicious and all natural!

The fantastic artisans at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction have brewed up the original recipe for rootbeer and it is available in most parts of PA and some parts of North Carolina.

Spirits : Ingredients
Birch Bark

Just like the Root  Teas that came before it, birch bark gives ROOT its pleasantly strong backbone of full-bodied aroma and flavor. Harvested from white birch trees, the bark is first subjected to a slow destructive distillation process that yields a crude birch tar. This tar is then steam distilled to produce a pure sap that is mixed in with ROOT’s cane sugar base.

Spirits : Ingredients
Smoked Black Tea

Our smoked black tea gives ROOT its distinctive tea notes, burnished rose-gold hue, and delicate hints of smokiness. Instead of being dried in the sun like most other teas, the organic lapsang souchong tea we use is smoked over a pine fire to impart the necessary flavor requirements.

Spirits : Ingredients
Sugarcane

ROOT is distilled from a pure organic cane sugar base. Not excessively sugary, the cane sugar allows for great clarity in the finished spirit and accommodates ROOT’s earthier, slightly bitter undertones and its clean finish.

Spirits : Ingredients
Essence of Sassafras

A couple hundred years ago, all the colonists made their Root Teas with sassafras root. However, scientists later found that the ingredient posed certain risks to the liver, and the FDA banned it as a food ingredient in the 1960s. No worries though, we’ve mighty close to approximating sassafras unique flavor with a mixture of organic citrus fruits, spearmint, and wintergreen.

Spirits : Ingredients
Orange and Lemon Peel

We use American-grown, pesticide-free, certified-organic lemons and oranges to give ROOT a subtle touch of citrus aroma and flavor that comes out when mixed, and to closely mimic the taste of sassafras root.

Spirits : Ingredients
Allspice

Produced from the dried, unripe fruit of the Pimenta diocia plant, allspice was a favorite of many colonists who felt that the spice combined the flavors of several aromatic spices and added a desired layer of complexity to their Root Teas.

Spirits : Ingredients
Anise

Aniseeds lends ROOT its licorice notes, which combine especially well with the sprits birch and sassafras flavors.

Spirits : Ingredients
Cloves

A spice produced from the dried flower buds of clove trees, clove was another favorite ingredient in colonists’ highly spiced Root Teas. Native Americans also found the spice to relieve tooth pain.

Spirits : Ingredients
Cinnamon

Cinnamon, much like ROOT’s birch flavoring, is harvested from the bark of the cinnamon tree through a similar process. Along with clove and nutmeg, it gives ROOT its pleasant baking spice flavors.

Spirits : Ingredients
Cardamom

A member of the ginger family, cardamom’s strong, unique flavor is a welcome addition to ROOT’s well-rounded spiciness.

Spirits : Ingredients
Nutmeg

The seed of a type of evergreen tree, nutmug, along with clove and cinnamon, contributes heavily to ROOT’s distinctive, highly spiced taste.

They have also made SNAP!

Spirits : Ingredients

What would happen, we asked,if we took a traditional German “Lebkuchen” and distilled the ingredients into an organic spirit? What is a lebkuchen, you ask? A ginger snap!

But not the mass-market, high-fructose junk at the supermarket. We’re talking a real Pennsylvania Dutch (which actually means Pennsylvania German, not Dutch. Many years ago, someone apparently misheard “deutsch” for “dutch”) ginger snap made with hearty blackstrap molasses and fresh ginger. The kind our mothers, grandmothers, and great-great-great-grandmothers used to make.

—

Endeavors of Domestic Art.com, 8.21.10

These impressive works of art are making their way into State Stores as we speak and beginning Monday you can stop in and check them out for yourself. While you’re there, don’t forget to pick up a bottle of ROOT and SNAP to take along home with you!

—

Flavor Wire.com, 8.20.10

Another hectic day and not much time for social activity which you might have noticed from my Twitter posts…
But the show must go on, so here they are - new daily inspirations from Internet.

REAL PACKAGING ART IN MECHANICAL AGE
That’s just awesome! A well thought brand, a well thought story, a well thought design. Just enjoy! There’s nothing to add to this great design of SNAP by Art in the age of mechanical reproduction

—

Lukedtd.Blogspot.com, August 19, 2010

Gin Ranly, Director of Education at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, recently gave an excellent lecture at the AITA store entitled “Can You Drink From Your Sink?” Ranly gave an inspiring and informative presentation explaining where our drinking water comes from; comparing Philly’s filtration system to other cities and citing basic ways to conserve water.

The first 10 guests received cutting edge water filtration pitchers from MAVEA, who co-sponsored the event.

Watch some clips of the lecture below.

Gin Ranly at AITA from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Gin Ranly on Bottled Water from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Gin Ranly Comments on Fracking from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

When Philadelphia adman Steven Grasse talks about his 20 years at the helm of Gyro Worldwide, the successful agency he shuttered in 2008, his assessment is as blunt as you might expect from the man who invented Bikini Bandits, a video series about strippers, guns, and hot rods: “I was the asshole who did the Camel ads,” he says. “At Gyro, we had this ‘I’ll fuck anything that moves’ philosophy.” That all changed in 2008, when he sold Sailor Jerry — the rum brand he created before going on to help develop Hendrick’s Gin — to William Grant & Sons for “more money than I ever made in advertising,” he says. Grasse quickly changed the name of his agency to Quaker City Mercantile and transformed its mission completely. “Now we only work on brands that we create and own or with clients I truly like personally,” he says.

The most personal of those projects is Art in the Age the Old City store and liquor brand Grasse began working on the day he sold Sailor Jerry. You could call it a modern-day general store, or “Pottery Barn for hipsters,” as many have before, but it’s a space unlike any other in Philly. It sells a mix of local fashion brands, private-label staples, graphic-art books, and high-end housewares, but its most defining characteristic is that it’s almost never the same place twice: it doubles as a gallery space for local artists, with monthly exhibitions, and hosts regular lectures and workshops on everything from worm composting to beer-making.

The shop’s somewhat whimsical calendar stems in part from Grasse’s genuine desire to be a cultural omnivore. But being a businessman first, there’s a capitalistic impulse at work, too. In the past year, Art in the Age has launched two liquor brands: The first, Root, is based on a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for root beer from the days before Prohibition, when root beer actually contained alcohol. The second, Snap, which launched last month, is made with blackstrap molasses and based on a Mennonite recipe for ginger snaps Grasse remembers from his childhood. Because the store isn’t a licensed liquor purveyor, the events double as tastings as well as opportunities for Grasse to snag email addresses and build his burgeoning spirits empire.

Speaking of burgeoning empires, Grasse in no way intends to keep the Art in the Age brand within Philadelphia’s confines. Eighteen months ago, he purchased a 200-year-old, 72-acre farm in Tamworth, New Hampshire, its 1913 bowling alley still intact. He’s spent the past year renovating the buildings and converting the fields to organic — the better to farm grains and fruits for distilling and preserving. He also purchased the town’s general store, which he intends to turn into a lyceum of sorts. “We’ll have lectures and things, an apartment upstairs for artists-in-residence, a print studio — we’re basically trying to single-handedly revive the American transcendental movement,” says Grasse. A five-acre plot across from the store also belongs to Grasse; there, he intends to build a distillery that uses only grains and produce grown within a 10-mile radius. “It would be nice to create a market where farmers get the money they’re owed.”

In February, we visited Art in the Age’s current digs and got the chance to speak with Grasse about the shop, its buying ethos, and its plans for the future.

—

Sight Unseen.com

When Philadelphia adman Steven Grasse talks about his 20 years at the helm of Gyro Worldwide, the successful agency he shuttered in 2008, his assessment is as blunt as you might expect from the man who invented Bikini Bandits, a video series about strippers, guns, and hot rods: “I was the asshole who did the Camel ads,” he says. “At Gyro, we had this ‘I’ll fuck anything that moves’ philosophy.” That all changed in 2008, when he sold Sailor Jerry — the rum brand he created before going on to help develop Hendrick’s Gin — to William Grant & Sons for “more money than I ever made in advertising,” he says. Grasse quickly changed the name of his agency to Quaker City Mercantile and transformed its mission completely. “Now we only work on brands that we create and own or with clients I truly like personally,” he says.

The most personal of those projects is Art in the Age the Old City store and liquor brand Grasse began working on the day he sold Sailor Jerry. You could call it a modern-day general store, or “Pottery Barn for hipsters,” as many have before, but it’s a space unlike any other in Philly. It sells a mix of local fashion brands, private-label staples, graphic-art books, and high-end housewares, but its most defining characteristic is that it’s almost never the same place twice: it doubles as a gallery space for local artists, with monthly exhibitions, and hosts regular lectures and workshops on everything from worm composting to beer-making.

The shop’s somewhat whimsical calendar stems in part from Grasse’s genuine desire to be a cultural omnivore. But being a businessman first, there’s a capitalistic impulse at work, too. In the past year, Art in the Age has launched two liquor brands: The first, Root, is based on a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for root beer from the days before Prohibition, when root beer actually contained alcohol. The second, Snap, which launched last month, is made with blackstrap molasses and based on a Mennonite recipe for ginger snaps Grasse remembers from his childhood. Because the store isn’t a licensed liquor purveyor, the events double as tastings as well as opportunities for Grasse to snag email addresses and build his burgeoning spirits empire.

Speaking of burgeoning empires, Grasse in no way intends to keep the Art in the Age brand within Philadelphia’s confines. Eighteen months ago, he purchased a 200-year-old, 72-acre farm in Tamworth, New Hampshire, its 1913 bowling alley still intact. He’s spent the past year renovating the buildings and converting the fields to organic — the better to farm grains and fruits for distilling and preserving. He also purchased the town’s general store, which he intends to turn into a lyceum of sorts. “We’ll have lectures and things, an apartment upstairs for artists-in-residence, a print studio — we’re basically trying to single-handedly revive the American transcendental movement,” says Grasse. A five-acre plot across from the store also belongs to Grasse; there, he intends to build a distillery that uses only grains and produce grown within a 10-mile radius. “It would be nice to create a market where farmers get the money they’re owed.”

In February, we visited Art in the Age’s current digs and got the chance to speak with Grasse about the shop, its buying ethos, and its plans for the future.

—

Sight Unseen.com, 8.18.10

By Peter Crimmins

A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas cookie has entered the Center City bar scene dressed up as alcohol. A Philadelphia-based artisan boutique created a spirit based on the lebkucha, a type of honey cake which has an intellectual pedigree.

It’s called Snap, distilled from molasses with a ginger aftertaste – the ingredients of the leb-kucha. Bartender Ed Jones at Farmacia in Old City gives Snap some crackle by adding pop rocks.

Jones: While it definitely has a ginger finish, I was very impressed with black strap molasses quality.

Snap is made by a company called Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction, named after an early 20-century essay about aesthetics and capitalism. The creators of Snap say that, by being rooted in a Pennsylvania Dutch culinary tradition, it upholds the essay’s premise that hand-made products inherently have more aesthetic value than mass-produced ones.

Food historian William Weavers says the original lebkucha cookie is an intimate part of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking.

Weavers: I’ve interviewed a lot of folks, and everybody remembers Lebkucha at Christmastime. “Oh! Grandmother’s lebkucha,” that sort ofthing. So it has a lot of warm and fuzzy memories in the culture.

Weavers says the original lebkucha cookie was based on honey, but honey was expensive so frugal bakers would stretch it with cheaper molasses.

—

Whyy.org, August 18, 2010

By Peter Crimmins

A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas cookie has entered the Center City bar scene dressed up as alcohol. A Philadelphia-based artisan boutique created a spirit based on the lebkucha, a type of honey cake which has an intellectual pedigree.

It’s called Snap, distilled from molasses with a ginger aftertaste – the ingredients of the leb-kucha. Bartender Ed Jones at Farmacia in Old City gives Snap some crackle by adding pop rocks.

Jones: While it definitely has a ginger finish, I was very impressed with black strap molasses quality.

Snap is made by a company called Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction, named after an early 20-century essay about aesthetics and capitalism. The creators of Snap say that, by being rooted in a Pennsylvania Dutch culinary tradition, it upholds the essay’s premise that hand-made products inherently have more aesthetic value than mass-produced ones.

Food historian William Weavers says the original lebkucha cookie is an intimate part of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking.

Weavers: I’ve interviewed a lot of folks, and everybody remembers Lebkucha at Christmastime. “Oh! Grandmother’s lebkucha,” that sort of thing. So it has a lot of warm and fuzzy memories in the culture.

Weavers says the original lebkucha cookie was based on honey, but honey was expensive so frugal bakers would stretch it with cheaper molasses.

—

Whyy.org, August 18, 2010

Last night the City Tap House in University City premiered the Brooklyn Dutch, a combination of ROOT, Brooklyn Brown Ale, and homemade vanilla bean syrup.  The cocktail was such a hit, that it has earned a place on the City Tap House’s specialty cocktail menu!

Last night also was the premier of a new SNAP cocktail at ALFA in Rittenhouse Square.  Simply dubbed “Snapple”, this refreshing cocktail involved a mixture of SNAP, fresh brewed tea, lemonade, and simple syrup.  If you still haven’t had a chance to try SNAP, the Snapple is available to order off of the ALFA cocktail menu, and will surely offer some relief from this late summer heat.

It’s been an age old myth that you should never drink the waters of Philadelphia as it is ridden with dense bacteria and chemicals that will make you sprout another head. Well tonight, Art in the Age set the record straight with the lecture “Can You Drink From Your Sink?”.

Stop by and join Gin Ranly, Director of Education at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, as she discusses our most precious resource and answers Philadelphian’s most pondered question. MAVEA will also be giving away free filtered pitchers to 10 guests.

Tuesday, August 17th
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
116 N. 3rd St.
6 pm - 8 pm
FREE

—

Phrequency.com, 8.17.10

Art in the Age ROOT Liqueur

“Think root-beer-flavored liquor.”

—

Maxim Magazine September, 2010

Art in the Age ROOT Liqueur

“Think root-beer-flavored liquor.”

When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey uncovering a trail of secrets, lies and contamination.  Fox’s grassroots research is extremely relevant to what is going on in our own backyards here in Pennsylvania.  Watch the trailer and an interview with Josh Fox below.

If you have yet to try a taste of Art in the Age’s just-released SNAP,  drop into Alfa (1709 Walnut St.) this evening. As part of their Monday-night “Dog and Pony Show” happy hour, they’ll be mixing two $5 cocktails — the SNAPPLE (SNAP, Jeremiah Weed sweet tea vodka, fresh-squeezed lemonade) and the Governor’s Garden (sister spirit ROOT, Pimm’s, English cucumber, lemon, ginger beer and Chick’s bartender Phoebe Esmon’s “Weeping Phoebe” rhubarb bitters). The “show” runs from 7 p.m. to last call.

—

City Paper.net, 08.16.10

If you have yet to try a taste of Art in the Age’s just-released SNAP,  drop into Alfa (1709 Walnut St.) this evening. As part of their Monday-night “Dog and Pony Show” happy hour, they’ll be mixing two $5 cocktails — the SNAPPLE (SNAP, Jeremiah Weed sweet tea vodka, fresh-squeezed lemonade) and the Governor’s Garden (sister spirit ROOT, Pimm’s, English cucumber, lemon, ginger beer and Chick’s bartender Phoebe Esmon’s “Weeping Phoebe” rhubarb bitters). The “show” runs from 7 p.m. to last call.

—

City Paper.net, 8.16.10

On awesome packaging and samples… Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction just launched SNAP. The follow up spirit to ROOT and they were kind enough to send over a sample ~ which of course came adorably packaged! Custom tissue paper, fun sticker, awesome bottle, and all! See lots of pics on the next page!

So far we’ve only tasted quick sips, so, perhaps more to come on playing around with them in cocktails and in delicious recipes like… Root infused Pecan Pie? But for now ~ pics of the gorgeous branding, packaging, and illustrations all on the next page!

—

Not Cot.com, 8.16.10

On awesome packaging and samples… Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction just launched SNAP. The follow up spirit to ROOT and they were kind enough to send over a sample ~ which of course came adorably packaged! Custom tissue paper, fun sticker, awesome bottle, and all! See lots of pics on the next page!

So far we’ve only tasted quick sips, so, perhaps more to come on playing around with them in cocktails and in delicious recipes like… Root infused Pecan Pie? But for now ~ pics of the gorgeous branding, packaging, and illustrations all on the next page.

—

Not Cot.com, 8.16.10

As an avid reader of fashion magazines and blogs, I’ve noticed a curious trend over the past few years. Upscale boutiques are described as “curated,” selling “discerning” and “careful” collections of items. Are they just borrowing the language of museums or is something else at work when the worlds of retail and curation collide?

While I’d scribble a critical comment in the margins of any student paper that began this way, the Oxford English Dictionary defines curate as both “to act as curator of (a museum, exhibits, etc.)” and “to look after and preserve.” This scanty definition raises two key issues. To “look after and preserve” suggests that there are certain objects that have been accorded value, either individually or, more likely, culturally, while the first half of the definition invokes a person whose job it is to preserve such objects (in a museum, for example), and also to arrange them, as in an exhibit. Such arranging suggests something further, which is that the arranged objects will have more meaning because of the process of exhibition and the knowledge of the curator.

Both of these aspects are clearly at work in a curated boutique, such as Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, a store that sells the work, especially jewelry, clothing and home accessories, of a group of Philadelphia area artists. Its name, of course, is that of a famous essay by Walter Benjamin on the impact of mass production on the meaning of objects. Art in the Age is not coy about their retail philosophy:

“Rather than exist at a distance in the white cube of the gallery space, we weave our offerings into the collective surface of myriad personal contexts. In this troubling epoch of industrial commodification, standardization of reproduction, and fomentation of a society of shallow spectacle, Art In The Age issues a challenge and rally cry. We fight fire with fire, subsuming the onslaught of watered down facsimiles and inaccessible displays with thought-provoking products of real cultural capital.”

Curation, in this instance, is a counterpoint to a retail environment defined by dollar stores and Targets, where items are produced and sold in huge quantities as cheaply as possible. Art in the Age displays its wares as if in a museum, with lighting, for example, to emphasize its unique qualities. They are usually accompanied by information about provenance: Where is it from? Who made it? What is it made of? Older techniques and materials, symbols of a bygone age of hand or small batch production, are highlighted. While the art gallery is the most obvious reference point, the history museum and archive, as storehouses of forgotten and potentially fascinating trifles, is playfully hinted at too. Indeed, any distance between the museum and the store is collapsed in a set of stationery with Civil War images from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 

However, unlike the gallery or museum, the shopper is encouraged to touch, wear or imbibe (at least in the case of the liquors made by the store) the objects. Rather than hold the distanced but appreciative viewer as an ideal, the curated boutique creates a shopper who is knowledgeable but emotionally invested. The most important overlap between the curated boutique and the gallery or museum is in their role in the lives of the people who frequent them. Visiting a gallery or museum is a performance of cultural capital. Invested with the power to confer significance on objects, the museum becomes a space where knowledge about taste is transmitted. Similarly, the objects in the curated boutique require knowledge to “get.” The curator in each instance is the guide–or to use a term of Pierre Bourdieu’s, the “cultural intermediary”–whose touch inscribes an aura on the newly fetishized objects of the age of mechanical reproduction.

—

Off the Wall.com, 8.16.10

CRUST

3 cups unbleached flour
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
3 tblsp. frigid cold water
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tblsp. sugar

FILLING
2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
2 cups raspberries
1 tblsp. diced ginger
1/4 cup SNAP
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tblsp. lemon juice & zest
1/4 cup sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut cold sticks of butter into small squares.
2. Combine flour/salt/sugar with butter squares and knead with hands until flaky
3. Add cold water slowly until ball is formed. Divide into TWO parts (one for bottom crust, one for top crust).

4. Roll out onto floured surface

5. Use a spatula to gently lift the rolled dough off the counter surface, and turn into a 9″ round pie tin. Poke a fork into the dough gently to allow for ventilation.

6. Wash rhubarb & chop into bite-size pieces.

7. Use pie weights or aluminum foil & peas (in this case…dried beans or pasta work, too) to weigh down the dough.
8. Bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees fahrenheit. Remove pie weights/peas/beans and bake for 5 minutes at 425 (until slightly crisp).

9. While the shell is baking, combine all filling ingredients in a large saucepan/cast iron over medium heat. Simmer until thick.

10. Remove shell from oven, ladle filling into hot crust.

11. Roll out remaining dough onto floured surface and cover filled pie.
12. Use a fork to crimp edges together. Slice off excess. Cut 4-5 slits in the top to allow steam/liquids to escape.
13. Baste gently with egg whites. Bake uncovered in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

14. Compost your scraps!

* Alternate version: Top with organic granola!

Popsicle # 16 Dark and Stormy SNAP Style

(ginger beer and SNAP!)

With dreams of popsicle potential in mind, I was super excited to try Art in the Age’s new ginger liquor, SNAP. It is based on a local Pennsylvania Dutch recipe and comes in a pretty bottle.

To keep it simple, I did a basic dark and stormy cocktail combo but the results were too strong to eat in pop form.  Most of the popsicles didn’t freeze hard enough to be pulled out of the mold.  I have seen popsicle recipes for boozy popsicles before but I must have gotten the proportions wrong.

I have not given up hope for SNAP’s popsicle future since SNAP by itself is quite delicious.  Got any suggestions?

—

Hammer & Popsicle.com

Popsicle # 16 Dark and Stormy SNAP Style

(ginger beer and SNAP!)

With dreams of popsicle potential in mind, I was super excited to try Art in the Age’s new ginger liquor, SNAP. It is based on a local Pennsylvania Dutch recipe and comes in a pretty bottle.

To keep it simple, I did a basic dark and stormy cocktail combo but the results were too strong to eat in pop form.  Most of the popsicles didn’t freeze hard enough to be pulled out of the mold.  I have seen popsicle recipes for boozy popsicles before but I must have gotten the proportions wrong.

I have not given up hope for SNAP’s Popsicle future since SNAP by itself is quite delicious.  Got any suggestions?

—

Hammer & Popsicle.com, 8.15.10

Check out this great video profile of Brooklyn chocolatiers, Rick and Michael Mast, produced by The Scout.

The Mast Brothers from The Scout on Vimeo.

If you haven’t had a chance to try one of the delicious chocolate creations from the Mast Brothers,  be sure to stop by the Art in the Age store and pick up one of their handcrafted delights.

Available flavors include:
Dark Chocolate + roasted hazelnuts
Dark Chocolate + almonds, sea salt, olive oil
Dark Chocolate, Dominican Republic 70% cacao
Dark Chocolate, Madagascar 72% cacao
Dark Chocolate + Fleur de Sel

ALFA American Tavern has the perfect cure for the mundane Mondays and it’s in the form of ROOT and SNAP cocktails!

AITA Spirit concoctions will be $5 and the show will be going on from 7pm to 2am!

Our favorite bartender, EB will be crafting some classic cocktails guaranteed to improve any weekday–even Monday.

Make sure you stop by and try these featured cocktails–don’t forget to tell them who sent you!

Governors Garden

ROOT
Pimms Cup No. 1
English Cucumber
Lemon
Weeping Phoebe Rue the Day Bitters
Ginger Beer

SNAPPLE

SNAP
Jermiah Weed Sweet Tea
Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

ALFA

1709 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

p: 215.751.0201

e: info@alfa-bar.com

Jell-O-Shots - They’re not just for wastrels

Many of us remember our very first beer, but it takes a certain type of person — and a certain knack for not automatically striking traumatic drinking experiences from memory — to remember her very first Jell-O shot.

Recent creations include the SNAPricot Cobbler (above, top; using Art in the Age’s new SNAP liquor along with gelatin, fresh apricot, apricot syrup and molasses); vivid blueberry vodka and pear vodka shots that could be mistaken for shimmering emeralds and sapphires from deep within the Cave of Wonders (below); and an unreal Neapolitan ice cream sandwich that employs strawberry, vanilla and chocolate vodkas and ice creams to create the signature tricolor layering (above, bottom).

—

City Paper.net, 8.10.10

Jell-O-Shots - They’re not just for wastrels

Many of us remember our very first beer, but it takes a certain type of person — and a certain knack for not automatically striking traumatic drinking experiences from memory — to remember her very first Jell-O shot.

Recent creations include the SNAPricot Cobbler (above, top; using Art in the Age’s new SNAP liquor along with gelatin, fresh apricot, apricot syrup and molasses); vivid blueberry vodka and pear vodka shots that could be mistaken for shimmering emeralds and sapphires from deep within the Cave of Wonders (below); and an unreal Neapolitan ice cream sandwich that employs strawberry, vanilla and chocolate vodkas and ice creams to create the signature tricolor layering (above, bottom).

—

City Paper.net, 8.10.10

1 1/2 parts Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky
1 part SNAP
1 part apple cider
3/4 part Elderflower Liqueur

1 1/2 parts Aged White Rum
1 part SNAP
1 part fresh lime juice
1/2 part simple syrup
2 dashes of cinnamon dram

Enjoy!

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure how to put what Art in the Age does into words. But I like it…a lot.

Their full name, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, was inspired by an essay written by Walter Benjamin in 1936 entitled The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, in which Benjamin “mourns the loss of ‘the aura’, the moment of awe seizing the first time beholder of a singular work of art.” He argues that “forces of commercialization have subject ‘the aura’ to a perverse transmutation of value, resulting in cheapened ‘cult value’.” Inspired by his piece, Art in the Age is “determined to prove the possibility of increased artistic accessibility across cultural forms without the sacrifice of value.”

In short, they value craft and making things the way they were originally supposed to be made.

Founded by ad man, Steven Grasse, who helped create the Hendrick’s Gin brand and also runs a creative agency called Quaker City Mercantile, Art in the Age runs a shop in Philadelphia, creates products of their own and hosts artist exhibitions.

They also make booze. Given the nature of this site, I’ll be focusing on that.

But first, a few quotes from founder, Steven Grasse:

“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.” -From an interview with Jason Urban of Printeresting.

“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.” -From an interview with Philadelphia Magazine.

—

The Dapper Dude.com, 8.10.10

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure how to put what Art in the Age does into words. But I like it…a lot.

Their full name, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, was inspired by an essay written by Walter Benjamin in 1936 entitled The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, in which Benjamin “mourns the loss of ‘the aura’, the moment of awe seizing the first time beholder of a singular work of art.” He argues that “forces of commercialization have subject ‘the aura’ to a perverse transmutation of value, resulting in cheapened ‘cult value’.” Inspired by his piece, Art in the Age is “determined to prove the possibility of increased artistic accessibility across cultural forms without the sacrifice of value.”

In short, they value craft and making things the way they were originally supposed to be made.

Founded by ad man, Steven Grasse, who helped create the Hendrick’s Gin brand and also runs a creative agency called Quaker City Mercantile, Art in the Age runs a shop in Philadelphia, creates products of their own and hosts artist exhibitions.

They also make booze. Given the nature of this site, I’ll be focusing on that.

But first, a few quotes from founder, Steven Grasse:

“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.” -From an interview with Jason Urban of Printeresting.

“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.” -From an interview with Philadelphia Magazine.

—

The Dapper Dude.com. 8.10.10

(via Make)

Knox
(ginger) SNAP
Apricot Syrup
Molasses
Fresh Apricot
Molasses Dough, baked with raw sugar atop

Enjoy.

—

MyJelloAmericans.blogspot.com, August 9, 2010

Knox
(ginger) SNAP
Apricot Syrup
Molasses
Fresh Apricot
Molasses Dough, baked with raw sugar atop

Enjoy.

—

MyJelloAmericans.blogspot.com, August 9, 2010

By Nick Nemeth

Post-Tales, I had planned a multitude of postings regarding successful branding and whatnot for spirit companies… particularly during events like Tales of the Cocktail. However, for now I’m going to leave it at this — While events like the Plymouth Bartender’s Breakfast are among the favourites of nearly everyone in attendance, what’s the ROI for the brands? After dumping that much money into an event, do they actually connect with their customers? Do they convert many new sales? …Probably not

With the advance of social media tools like Youtube, brands have been able to broadcast their product’s imagery and messages to a more dedicated group of viewers, and are generating content that resonates with audiences. Of the many you can find online, below are just a few of my favourites.

4. Art in the Age Root Liqueur – “The Story of Root” (1:45)
I posted about this one a little while back. While I only got my first chance to taste Root Liqueur at Tales a month or so ago, the brand’s involvement in a multitude of different social venues has made it one that’s pretty hard to miss. When I saw this little informational video on their website, I thought it was pretty hard not to love.

—

CocktailsandCordials.com, August 9, 2010

By Nick Nemeth

Post-Tales, I had planned a multitude of postings regarding successful branding and whatnot for spirit companies… particularly during events like Tales of the Cocktail. However, for now I’m going to leave it at this — While events like the Plymouth Bartender’s Breakfast are among the favourites of nearly everyone in attendance, what’s the ROI for the brands? After dumping that much money into an event, do they actually connect with their customers? Do they convert many new sales? …Probably not

With the advance of social media tools like Youtube, brands have been able to broadcast their product’s imagery and messages to a more dedicated group of viewers, and are generating content that resonates with audiences. Of the many you can find online, below are just a few of my favourites.

4. Art in the Age Root Liqueur – “The Story of Root” (1:45)
I posted about this one a little while back. While I only got my first chance to taste Root Liqueur at Tales a month or so ago, the brand’s involvement in a multitude of different social venues has made it one that’s pretty hard to miss. When I saw this little informational video on their website, I thought it was pretty hard not to love.

—

CocktailsandCordials.com, August 9, 2010

BARS IN PA SERVING ROOT:

333 Belrose Bar & Grille

90 Main

Abbaye

AJ’s Soda Club

Al Dar Bistro

Alfa

Alison two

Altoona Hotel

American Ale House

Andrews Saloon

Artful Dodger

APO

Backstreet Bar

BAR

Barclay Prime

Bar Ferdinand

Beau Monde & L’Etage

Bella Italia Caterers

Bella Serra

Bella Tori

Blue Pear Bistro

Bossa Nova

Bourbon Blue

Bridget Foys

Brillo Box

Buffalo Billiards

Bullfrog Brewery

Cafe Fresco

Carmassi’s Tuscany Grill

Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse

Center Bridge Inn

Champions Sports Bar

Champs Sports Bar & Grill

Charlie’s Pub

Chick’s Café

City Tavern

Common Plea Restaurant

Continental Midtown

Continental Martini Bar

Cooperage Whiskey & Wine Bar

Copabanana

Country Club of York

Curious Goods at the Bake Oven Inn

Creed’s Seafood & Steaks

Dettera Restaurant & Wine Bar

Derek’s Restaurant

Dillworth Inn

Dish Osteria

Dobbin House Tavern

Double Tree Pittsburgh

El Camino

Eleven

Elzina’s Lounge

Embury

Eulogy Belgian Tavern

Farmacia

Fatty’s Pub

Firehouse Lounge

Flannery’s Tavern on the Square

Fork

Francesca’s Main Street Pub

Frenchy’s Restaurant

Garces Trading Co.

Gateway Lodge

GiGi Restaurant & Lounge

Gold Crown Pizzeria

Good Dog

Grille 3501

Green Rock Tavern

Grey Restaurant and Lounge

Gulifty’s Restaurant

Happy Rooster

Harmonia Club

Honey Restaurant

Horizons

Hotel Bethlehem

Hull’s Landing

Hyatt Regency Philadelphia @ Penn’s Landing

Il Pizzaiolo

Interchange Lounge

Isabella Restaurant & Bar

Jack’s Firehouse

Jack’s Rose Bar

Jacksons Restaurant Rotisserie Bar

Jockey’s Cafe

Kaya

Lancaster Arts Hotel

Las Bugambilias

LaScala’s

Latvian Society of PA

Le Virtu

Madriver

Magnolia’s

Malibooz Bar & Grill

Manayunk Tavern

MangoMoon

Marathon Gril/On the Square

Mattuccis Willow Cafe

Mccormick & Schmick’s Seafood

Midatlantic Restaurant & Taproom

Mighty Oak Barrel

Misconduct Tavern

Mixx

National Mechanics

New Wave Cafe

Nino’s

Noble American Cookery

North 3rd

North Bowl

Oakmont National Pub

Old Stonewall Golf Club

Oooka

Osteria

Oyster House

Panda Bar

Percy Street BBQ

Perkiomen Cafe

Plough and the Stars

P.O.P.E.

Positano Coast

Prohibition Taproom

Pub & Kitchen

P.Y.T

Q BBQ & Tequila

Rainbow Inn

Rembrandt’s

Rouge

Rum Bar

Sands Casino Resort

Sapphire

Sassafras

Savona

Shanesville Steakhouse and Tavern

Sheraton Dining at Society Hill

Side Bar and Restaurant

Sidecar Bar & Grille

Silk City (Check out photos from ROOT Cocktail Competition, July 28th)

Simon Pearce Restaurant

Six Penn Kitchen

Smokin Betty’s

Snack Bar

Soba Lounge

Sole Food

Somma Pizza and Sports Bar

Sonoma Grille

Spence Cafe

Sports & Spirits

Sportsman Lodge

Springfield Grille

Standard Tap

Sugar Moms

Supper

State Street Grill

Stella, Pizzeria

Square1682

Tattooed Mom’s

Tamari

Tequila’s Restaurant & Bar

The American Pub

The Artful Dodger

The Back Door Cafe

The Bridge Bar @ Renaissance Fulton Hotel

The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co

The Freight House

The Haven Bar

The Inn at Turkey Hill

The Newtown Grill

The Pines Tavern

The Pour House

The Restaurant School

The Round Corner Cantina

The Settlers’ Inn

The Ugly American

The Ugly Moose

The Union League of Philadelphia

The Wishing Well Public House

Time

Triumph Brewery

Typhoon

TWEED

Twenty Manning Grill

Urban Saloon

Valanni

Varga Bar

Vetri Ristorante

Village Whiskey

Viva Marconi Pizza Pub

Walnut Room

Wegmans Market in Collegeville

Westmoreland Club

White Dog Cafe

Willow

XIX (NINETEEN) Restaurant

Yo Rita

Zavino Pizzeria & Wine Bar

ZOLA

Keep checking back here as the list grows!

After 378 years and multiple generations, the Tuttle family farm in Dover, N.H. is up for sale.  Founded by English settler John Tuttle, who arrived in the New World in 1632 with a land grant from King Charles II, the farm has been passed down through the generations, and has been billed as the country’s oldest continually operating family farm.  After years of hard work, and dwindling demand for the crops he produces, 63-year-old Will Tuttle has decided the family legacy will end with him.  “This is a different business now,” says Tuttle, “Farming at any level is a labor of love, but now the future is so uncertain.  Looking forward, I don’t see much opportunity for small farms to thrive.  It’s a tough grind.”

Although the Tuttle farm is protected by a conservation restriction that prohibits it from being developed after it is sold, high land values and suburban sprawl make it increasingly challenging for small farmers to hold strong.  “A lot of people won’t drive a few extra miles for fresh vegetables,” said Michelle Tuttle. “They are going to Wal-Mart and Target and trying to save whatever they can, and we don’t have the buying power to compete.” 

Many small-scale farmers, like Morse Pitts of New York’s Hudson Valley, also struggle with rapidly changing zoning areas.  In Pitts case, his town recently rezoned the area surrounding his farm land as industrial.  If he wants to cultivate soil that’s not surrounded by industry and its potential for water and air pollution, Pitts would be forced to move.  Yet like many other small independent farmers, he can’t afford to.

Aside from the standard instability farmers must endure; bad weather, pests, disease, and the inconsistencies of the market, independent and organic growers face other great but often overlooked economic hardships. They must shoulder far higher production costs than their conventional counterparts when it comes to everything from laborers to land. Without meaningful support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, their longevity hangs in the balance. President Obama and secretary of agriculture Tom Vislack are attempting to nurture sustainable, small-scale farming while still showering billions on industrial agriculture. Growers who’ve gone the chemical, mechanized route have ready access to reasonable loans, direct subsidy payments to get through tough years, and crop insurance, plus robust research, marketing, and distribution resources.   Organic and holistic growers who raise crops, or grass-fed, free-range livestock,  must contend with circumstances made harder by a USDA rigged to favor industrial agriculture and factory food. As Ben Lilliston of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis puts it, “Obama said he wants to double exports in the next five years — when he’s talking about ag exports, he’s talking corn, soy, commodity crops. How can you do that and still support sustainable ag? You can’t.”

Unless the current administration decides to truly support small farmers, the future of small American farms looks bleak. Unconventional operators continue to rely on inherited land, free and low-cost labor, and off-farm income. But if all that fails, they’ll have no where to turn.  Morse Pitts is not the only farmer who sees no other option than to sell his land and transition to something else.  “Turns out,” he writes, “my dream of leaving a farm for the next farmer was kind of silly.”

Come one, come all, there’s a FREE lecture and you’re invited!

Stop by and join Gin Ranly, Director of Education at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, as she discusses our most precious resource and answers Philadelphian’s most pondered question — “Can You Drink From Your Sink?”

Art in the Age & MAVEA welcome you to join the fun on Tuesday 8/17 from 6-8 p.m. at the AITA store in Old City. 

At AITA we care about the environment and want to help you to break the bottled water habit, that’s why we’ve decided to giveaway a FREE MAVEA Elemaris pitcher to 10 lucky guests!!!  Spread the word and bring a friend because you gotta be there to win!

For more information please read the invitation below or email Stephanie from AITA.

Hope to see you there!

Watch as Al Soteck, of the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., whips up some amazing ROOT cocktails at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.  In the following videos, Al wins over the crowd with his Appalachian Flip and  Coal Cracker Buck.  See what the cocktail experts have to say about ROOT.

Tales Of The Cocktail: The Promenade of Jubilation from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Coal Cracker Buck by Al Soteck
1 Part ROOT
1 Part Rye Whisky
1/3 Part Fresh Lemon Juice
1/3 Part Fresh Ginger Syrup
2 Muddled Blackberries
Shake, serve tall, top with seltzer.
Garnish with fresh mint.

Tales Of The Cocktail: ROOT at the Hotel Monteleone from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Appalachian Flip by Al Soteck
2 Parts ROOT
1/2 Part Rich Demerara Syrup
1 Whole Egg
Pale Ale
Dry shake, shake again with ice, and double strain
Pour into fizz glass. Top with pale ale

The folks at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction sure do love them some alchemical Americana. Hot on the heels of AITA’s wildly successful ROOT concoction comes SNAP, a distilled spirit based on the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for lebkuchen, or ginger snap. SNAP distinguishes itself from other ginger-flavored booze brands on the market by using fresh ginger and sweetening the 80-proof stuff with real blackstrap molasses, and rounding out the earthy, warm flavor with clove, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and rooibos tea. Originally set to hit state stores early this month, SNAP was shipped a couple weeks ago , which is impressive since awesome things almost never reach our grubby paws on time, much less ahead of schedule. To celebrate the official launch, AITA plans to colonize your local PLCB outposts with some custom, decidedly non-mechanically produced bottle displays, which you can get a sneak peak at here.
 
Visit AITA’s website to watch a cute video all about SNAP , and of course check out their recommended mixin’s. Invite us over on some sweaty Sunday afternoon for a jug of Haymaker’s Punch, and we’ll love you forever. Promise.

—

Phoodie.Info, 8.3.10

The folks at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction sure do love them some alchemical Americana. Hot on the heels of AITA’s wildly successful ROOT concoction comes SNAP, a distilled spirit based on the traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for lebkuchen, or ginger snap. SNAP distinguishes itself from other ginger-flavored booze brands on the market by using fresh ginger and sweetening the 80-proof stuff with real blackstrap molasses, and rounding out the earthy, warm flavor with clove, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and rooibos tea. Originally set to hit state stores early this month, SNAP was shipped a couple weeks ago , which is impressive since awesome things almost never reach our grubby paws on time, much less ahead of schedule. To celebrate the official launch, AITA plans to colonize your local PLCB outposts with some custom, decidedly non-mechanically produced bottle displays, which you can get a sneak peak at here.
 
Visit AITA’s website to watch a cute video all about SNAP , and of course check out their recommended mixin’s. Invite us over on some sweaty Sunday afternoon for a jug of Haymaker’s Punch, and we’ll love you forever. Promise.

—

Phoodie.Info, 8.3.10

More time to prepare a SNAP Celebration? Try some of these recommendations…(CLICK ON IMAGES TO VIEW LARGER VERSION)

A SUMMER SNAPicnic

Pack a basket with the makings of sun tea, a thermos of pre-made Haymaker’s Punch, and a delicious lunch!

A SNAP SAMPLING SOIREE

Invite all of your eclectic friends over for a sampling party! Set up a “buffet” of mixers, herbs, fruits, spirits, and varied glassware. Your guests can mix n’ match their own SNAP cocktail according to their tastes/personalities!

A HOLIDAY SNAP (Recipe) SWAP

Get friends and family together around the holidays. Stoke up the fire, and exchange new and old recipes. If each guest brings one original creation, you’ll have MORE than enough SNAP-themed goodies to feast upon!

A FORMAL SNAP SETTING

Dress SNAP up by serving as a before OR after dinner drink during more formal meals. The unique orange label also makes an eye-catching centerpiece. As autumn draws nearer, try using dried pieces in floral arrangements, like pussy-willows and Chinese jack-o-lanterns.

Check out the rest of the SNAP USER GUIDE…

INSTALLMENT 1: SNAP-ing For The First Time…

INSTALLMENT 2: Simple SNAP Classics

INSTALLMENT 3: Cocktails of Courage & Adventure

INSTALLMENT 4: Oh, The Culinary Possibilities!

This past Friday, July 30, Art in the Age held a reception featuring the  work of designer and Illustrator Jessica Hische.  The reception marked the half way point of Jessica’s two month Illustrative Initials exhibition at the AITA gallery.  Jessica’s fans showed up in force, and AITA refreshments were enjoyed by all.  

Don’t wait too long to claim a letter of your own, they’re going fast!  Stop by the AITA store and check out Jessica Hische’s Illustrative Initials throughout the month of August.

Art in the Age is located at 116 North 3rd Street (just north of 3rd & Arch).

Via home experimentation, I’ve found that in cooking, SNAP pairs well with fruits and other piquant flavors. It lends a subtle body to your dish/sauce, and stands up to heat. It is versatile and complementary to other strong flavors, in the same way that herbed butter is used in a saute, or a flavored vinegar in a dressing or sauce…

SWEET & TANGY…

SNAP/Rhubarb Dessert Sauce

2 oz. SNAP
4 stalks of fresh rhubarb
Diced fresh ginger
Handful wild blueberries
1 tblsp. Brown sugar
1 tblsp. Butter
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash cinnamon

SNAP-Marinated Fruits

Marinate orange/grapefruit slices, fresh berries, or melon in SNAP, and toss into fruit salads or top ice cream/coffee cakes with the “drunk” fruits.

RICH & SAVORY…

SNAP Caramelized Onions

When caramelizing onions for a burger topping, frittata, or panini, add an ounce or two of SNAP to the butter in the frying pan to create a more savory result.

WONKY & WONDERFUL…

Here was a bit of a surprise…

SNAP with Asian Marinades and Sauces

Soy sauce, a dash of rice vinegar, and a dash of SNAP create a flavor and aroma similar to Plum Sauce or a Sweet Dumpling Sauce

SNAP added to a teriyaki marinade adds a similar flowery element

—————————–

Most of all, don’t be afraid to experiment with SNAP in YOUR kitchen with sweet, savory, and unexpected ingredients!

Saute-ing and marinating not your best subject? Try baking SNAP into this delicious GINGER SNAP COOKIE RECIPE from The Illustrious Reverend Michael Alan…

Art In The Age SNAP: Recipe - Ginger Snap Cookies new from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Here at Kennett Square Farmers’ Market, we sure do love our city-folk comrades. What better excuse than to have a festival, to conjure up their presence? With the Buy Fresh Buy Local festival behind us, now we are putting our energies into planning our second annual Fermentation Festival. What fun; we certainly can’t wait to see such resplendent Philly folk (hint, hint) return to the KSQ Farmers Market, as for example, Art in the Age. What an incredibly unique and inspiring business, full of innovation, ingenuity, and passion for connecting talented, aspiring artists, with the ready masses. Heck, their mission statement could be a thesis statement, in and of itself. Rather than butchering it in my own attempts to capture it again for you, and lest it lose its “aura” in the translation, hop onto their website to learn more.

We were so thrilled to have a visit from the two Nicoles at Art in the Age, for our Buy Fresh Buy Local Festival. They came with a glorious spread of totes and t-shirts, all splashed with the chummy mug of none other than Walter Benjamin, in addition to samples of their delicious bread, baked by a local artisan and crafted with their very own homemade spirits, Root and Snap. This brings us to the final message: get your Snap, tomorrow! It officially “drops” in estate stores August 1st. Curious about Snap? Read more here. It’s inspired by the historic Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for Ginger Snaps. Yum.

Thank you, Art in the Age, for keeping it real in the Age. We can’t wait to see you October 1st, for our Fermentation Festival!

—

Kennett Square Farmer’s Market.com, 7.31.10

Here at Kennett Square Farmers’ Market, we sure do love our city-folk comrades. What better excuse than to have a festival, to conjure up their presence? With the Buy Fresh Buy Local festival behind us, now we are putting our energies into planning our second annual Fermentation Festival. What fun; we certainly can’t wait to see such resplendent Philly folk (hint, hint) return to the KSQ Farmers Market, as for example, Art in the Age. What an incredibly unique and inspiring business, full of innovation, ingenuity, and passion for connecting talented, aspiring artists, with the ready masses. Heck, their mission statement could be a thesis statement, in and of itself. Rather than butchering it in my own attempts to capture it again for you, and lest it lose its “aura” in the translation, hop onto their website to learn more.

We were so thrilled to have a visit from the two Nicoles at Art in the Age, for our Buy Fresh Buy Local Festival. They came with a glorious spread of totes and t-shirts, all splashed with the chummy mug of none other than Walter Benjamin, in addition to samples of their delicious bread, baked by a local artisan and crafted with their very own homemade spirits, Root and Snap. This brings us to the final message: get your Snap, tomorrow! It officially “drops” in estate stores August 1st. Curious about Snap? Read more here. It’s inspired by the historic Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for Ginger Snaps. Yum.

Thank you, Art in the Age, for keeping it real in the Age. We can’t wait to see you October 1st, for our Fermentation Festival!

—

Kennett Square Farmer’s Market.com, 7.31.10

Good morning everyone!

Tonight, Art in the Age is hosting the opening reception for Jessica Hische’s Illustrative Initials from 5-7pm. The exhibit also includes letters from her popular project, Daily Drop Cap. Check out a video here explaining why Jessica loves lettering, and then go out and immediately rent Helvetica.

—

PhiladelphiaWeekly.com, July 30, 2010

2 oz Root Liqueur
1/2 oz Rich Demerara Syrup
1 Whole Egg

Shake once without ice and once with, strain into a fizz glass, and top with pale ale (Sierra Nevada).

Normally, I do not like to post recipes that require specialized ingredients that I have not seen on the market, but this drink was damn tasty. And it also used a beer float to a great effect which is always a bonus in my book. Root is a liqueur based on Colonial recipes for root tea that was brewed from sassafras, sarsaparilla, and wintergreen birch bark amongst other roots and herbs. With the temperance movement at the end of the 19th century, this spiritous brew morphed into root beer soda. While Art in the Age’s version does not use sassafras (banned by the U.S. government in the 1960s), they have tried to replicate the flavor as best as possible. So far it seems that their current day product has not moved too far from Pennsylvania yet.

The flip I had with Root was created by Al Sotack, head bartender of the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., in Philadelphia (link has a video of him making one). The Appalachian Flip was rich with diverse root beer-like flavors without seeming simple and syrupy like today’s soda versions. The pale ale served to lighten up the drink and the hops signature complemented the herbal ingredients in Root rather well. Al should be commended not only for the creation of this drink, but for his willingness to double-shake up these badboys nonstop for the entirety of the tasting room session.

The tasting booth also had the company’s newest product, Snap, which is their ginger snap (cookie) liqueur. I did not have the opportunity to try it, but I have high hopes for it given the craftsmanship they put into their Root product.

—

CocktailVirgin.Blogspot.com, July 29, 2010

2 oz Root Liqueur
1/2 oz Rich Demerara Syrup
1 Whole Egg

Shake once without ice and once with, strain into a fizz glass, and top with pale ale (Sierra Nevada).

Normally, I do not like to post recipes that require specialized ingredients that I have not seen on the market, but this drink was damn tasty. And it also used a beer float to a great effect which is always a bonus in my book. Root is a liqueur based on Colonial recipes for root tea that was brewed from sassafras, sarsaparilla, and wintergreen birch bark amongst other roots and herbs. With the temperance movement at the end of the 19th century, this spiritous brew morphed into root beer soda. While Art in the Age’s version does not use sassafras (banned by the U.S. government in the 1960s), they have tried to replicate the flavor as best as possible. So far it seems that their current day product has not moved too far from Pennsylvania yet.

The flip I had with Root was created by Al Sotack, head bartender of the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., in Philadelphia (link has a video of him making one). The Appalachian Flip was rich with diverse root beer-like flavors without seeming simple and syrupy like today’s soda versions. The pale ale served to lighten up the drink and the hops signature complemented the herbal ingredients in Root rather well. Al should be commended not only for the creation of this drink, but for his willingness to double-shake up these badboys nonstop for the entirety of the tasting room session.

The tasting booth also had the company’s newest product, Snap, which is their ginger snap (cookie) liqueur. I did not have the opportunity to try it, but I have high hopes for it given the craftsmanship they put into their Root product.

—

CocktailVirgin.Blogspot.com, July 29, 2010

Soak A TINY PINCH of the following in a 2oz. shot of SNAP:

- Red Pepper Flakes (4-5 flakes will do it)
- Cayenne Pepper (WARNING: DO NOT TOUCH YOUR NOSE OR EYES AFTERWARD)
- Crushed Mint Leaves (Mush up in bottom of glass with the back of a spoon. This mixture gives you the sensation of drinking a more savory mojito)
- Pickled Ginger (Oddly enough, I had a jar of this in the refrigerator. Chances are, you might, too…)

After soaking for at least 5 minutes at room temp, transfer to a chilled glass, or throw it back straight as a SNAP Shot (pun intended). Overwhelmed by the pow’r and glory? Toss in 1-2 small ice cubes.

Try sipping these devilish macerations in two different manners:

1. Take a sip and let the liquid move from the front of your tongue to the back. You’ll get the most flavor up front.
2. Take a sip and let the liquid hit the BACK of your tongue first. You’ll get a smoother texture, and a tingly back-of-mouth sensation from the spices first.

And for one last bold home-tested fave…

Hudson Corn Whiskey & SNAP (equal parts, on the rocks)

Hudson Corn Whiskey, distilled by the lads at Tuthilltown Spirits in Gardiner, NY, is robust and un-aged sipping whiskey. Tuthilltown’s liquid is a smoother, more sophisticated version of what one could imagine drinking out of a tin cup, offered by a rollicking bearded man, emerging from his farm still. 100% New York Corn (Tuthilltown Spirits), blended with 100% North American Botanicals (SNAP) is an aggressive and audacious combo of America’s finest harvests.

*Enjoy this rustic spirit responsibly. Unintentional Side Effects May Include: Compulsive mountain-cresting and ruckus-causing into the pre-dawn hours.

Walnut D’Gari
(ginger) SNAP
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Enjoy.

—

My Jello Americans.blogspot.com, 07.28.10

In the following video interview with Art in the Age, Jessica Hische talks about the inspiration behind her incredibly popular Daily Drop Cap project.

Art In The Age Presents… Jessica Hische from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Join us this Friday, July 30th, for a reception featuring Jessica Hische’s Illustrative Initials exhibition.  A toast and introduction will be given by Jessica at 7PM.  Refreshments will be served.  

The AITA store is located at 116 North 3rd Street.

There is something about Tales of the Cocktail, the huge spirits industry conference that has been held here every July for eight years, that leads one to make epic pronouncements about booze.

Take, for instance, this one from F. Paul Pacult: “Gin is such a lovely invention. There is the wheel, and then there’s gin.”

Pacult, a critic and the publisher of the influential newsletter Spirits Journal, made that observation during a session on how to “Hone Your Sensory Skills to a Higher Level.”

His seminar, in which we tasted six spirits, was a sort of refresher course, with basic reminders: Tasting spirits is different from tasting wine. Don’t swirl too much, and go for shallower, fast sniffs, with your lips slightly parted, rather than a long inhale. Take a small, quick sip to clear the palate before taking a larger sip for the actual sample. “Don’t overtax your palate,” says Pacult, who never attempts more than about eight spirits in a sitting. “Don’t think too much. Don’t over-analyze.”

Of course, he then passed out rating sheets specifying 49 criteria on which to grade each spirit. Ten minutes after we were taught how to smell, Pacult informed us that we should detect a hint of “eastern Speyside” in the Chivas Regal blended Scotch we were sipping. A bit later we tasted Martell XO cognac, which rarely retails for less than $120 a bottle. “How does it taste?” Pacult asked. “It doesn’t suck,” shouted someone from the audience.

Pacult’s instruction seemed almost quaint in comparison with the rest of Tales With reps from the the large liquor companies, public relations people and thousands of attendees swarming the Hotel Monteleone, and with all of the flashy promotional events - including a Cointreau-branded burlesque show by Dita Von Teese that kicked off the week and Diageo’s happy hour, with 51 bartenders serving 46 kinds of cocktails on three floors of the Louisiana State Museum - it was easy to forget that Tales of the Cocktail started as a small educational conference for bartenders and spirits industry folks.

It has been an essential gathering during an era when bartending has evolved into the “mixology” we hear so much about these days. It’s no surprise that an embarrassing old cocktail gets “buried” every year in an elaborate jazz funeral procession. The Appletini and the Red Headed Slut have been killed off in years past. This year: Sex on the Beach.

What mostly draws me to Tales now is the chance to get a sneak peek at emerging trends and new products we’ll be seeing on the local bar scene later this year. Hot item: It’s still tiki,tiki everywhere, including lots of new rums I’ll be writing about soon. And the bartender’s existential question of whether to embrace vodka was summed up by one panel: “I Hate Vodka, I Love Vodka.”

It’s clear that the speak-easy trend of the past three or four years is on the wane, so much so that a caricature of the speak-easy bartender has emerged and become an object of lampoons. “The bigger your beard, the curlier your mustache, the better bartender you must be,” sniped Angus Winchester, a London “global bar” consultant and a “brand ambassador” for Tanqueray gin, at a seminar called “Bartending Fun-da-mentals.” “Mustaches and arm garters do not make a bartender.”

(It should be noted that there were lots of both in New Orleans, in addition to trilby hats and seersucker suits.)

In his seminar, Winchester suggested that too many bartenders - in the race to elevate themselves to “mixologists” or “bar chefs” - have lost their sense of fun. He suggested that perhaps it’s time to get away from the sanctimony and remember why people go to bars in the first place: “Bartenders get paid to flirt with girls and boys all evening. It’s about hosting.”

As for new products, I nearly cried when I saw Zucca, the Italian rabarbaro (an amaro-like spirit that is infused predominantly with Chinese rhubarb) that I’d pined for back in April. Eric Seed, of Haus Alpenz, finally persuaded the company in Italy that produces Disaronno amaretto to let him import Zucca, which it also owns. “They were skeptical,” Seed said. “But I explained there is now an appeal for amari in the U.S.”

Beyond Zucca, I also tasted an amazing gin made from damson plums - a sort of American cousin of British sloe gin - that will soon be launched by DH Krahn. After the success of its Chairman’s Reserve rum from St. Lucia, Washington’s Team Spirits will soon introduce a new spiced rum. I’d never been a fan of spiced rums, such as Captain Morgan or Sailor Jerry, but Chairman’s Reserve was subtle and delicious. It has changed my opinion.

Finally, a product I hope we’ll see soon is Root, inspired by an 18th-century Pennsylvania recipe for root tea, the precursor to root beer or birch beer. At 80 proof, and with its complex maceration of birch bark, spices and herbs, Root is the opposite of a silly, artificial “root beer” liqueur. I would actually call it the first American amaro.

Going a step further, I would say that the product launches coming to liquor store shelves in 2010 might be the most exciting I’ve seen since I’ve been covering this beat. And because Tales of the Cocktail is the time of year for boozy pronouncements, I guess I can get away with saying that. 

—

The Washington Post - 7.27.10

There is something about Tales of the Cocktail, the huge spirits industry conference that has been held here every July for eight years, that leads one to make epic pronouncements about booze.

Take, for instance, this one from F. Paul Pacult: “Gin is such a lovely invention. There is the wheel, and then there’s gin.”

Pacult, a critic and the publisher of the influential newsletter Spirits Journal, made that observation during a session on how to “Hone Your Sensory Skills to a Higher Level.”

His seminar, in which we tasted six spirits, was a sort of refresher course, with basic reminders: Tasting spirits is different from tasting wine. Don’t swirl too much, and go for shallower, fast sniffs, with your lips slightly parted, rather than a long inhale. Take a small, quick sip to clear the palate before taking a larger sip for the actual sample. “Don’t overtax your palate,” says Pacult, who never attempts more than about eight spirits in a sitting. “Don’t think too much. Don’t over-analyze.”

Of course, he then passed out rating sheets specifying 49 criteria on which to grade each spirit. Ten minutes after we were taught how to smell, Pacult informed us that we should detect a hint of “eastern Speyside” in the Chivas Regal blended Scotch we were sipping. A bit later we tasted Martell XO cognac, which rarely retails for less than $120 a bottle. “How does it taste?” Pacult asked. “It doesn’t suck,” shouted someone from the audience.

Pacult’s instruction seemed almost quaint in comparison with the rest of Tales With reps from the the large liquor companies, public relations people and thousands of attendees swarming the Hotel Monteleone, and with all of the flashy promotional events - including a Cointreau-branded burlesque show by Dita Von Teese that kicked off the week and Diageo’s happy hour, with 51 bartenders serving 46 kinds of cocktails on three floors of the Louisiana State Museum - it was easy to forget that Tales of the Cocktail started as a small educational conference for bartenders and spirits industry folks.

It has been an essential gathering during an era when bartending has evolved into the “mixology” we hear so much about these days. It’s no surprise that an embarrassing old cocktail gets “buried” every year in an elaborate jazz funeral procession. The Appletini and the Red Headed Slut have been killed off in years past. This year: Sex on the Beach.

What mostly draws me to Tales now is the chance to get a sneak peek at emerging trends and new products we’ll be seeing on the local bar scene later this year. Hot item: It’s still tiki,tiki everywhere, including lots of new rums I’ll be writing about soon. And the bartender’s existential question of whether to embrace vodka was summed up by one panel: “I Hate Vodka, I Love Vodka.”

It’s clear that the speak-easy trend of the past three or four years is on the wane, so much so that a caricature of the speak-easy bartender has emerged and become an object of lampoons. “The bigger your beard, the curlier your mustache, the better bartender you must be,” sniped Angus Winchester, a London “global bar” consultant and a “brand ambassador” for Tanqueray gin, at a seminar called “Bartending Fun-da-mentals.” “Mustaches and arm garters do not make a bartender.”

(It should be noted that there were lots of both in New Orleans, in addition to trilby hats and seersucker suits.)

In his seminar, Winchester suggested that too many bartenders - in the race to elevate themselves to “mixologists” or “bar chefs” - have lost their sense of fun. He suggested that perhaps it’s time to get away from the sanctimony and remember why people go to bars in the first place: “Bartenders get paid to flirt with girls and boys all evening. It’s about hosting.”

As for new products, I nearly cried when I saw Zucca, the Italian rabarbaro (an amaro-like spirit that is infused predominantly with Chinese rhubarb) that I’d pined for back in April. Eric Seed, of Haus Alpenz, finally persuaded the company in Italy that produces Disaronno amaretto to let him import Zucca, which it also owns. “They were skeptical,” Seed said. “But I explained there is now an appeal for amari in the U.S.”

Beyond Zucca, I also tasted an amazing gin made from damson plums - a sort of American cousin of British sloe gin - that will soon be launched by DH Krahn. After the success of its Chairman’s Reserve rum from St. Lucia, Washington’s Team Spirits will soon introduce a new spiced rum. I’d never been a fan of spiced rums, such as Captain Morgan or Sailor Jerry, but Chairman’s Reserve was subtle and delicious. It has changed my opinion.

Finally, a product I hope we’ll see soon is Root, inspired by an 18th-century Pennsylvania recipe for root tea, the precursor to root beer or birch beer. At 80 proof, and with its complex maceration of birch bark, spices and herbs, Root is the opposite of a silly, artificial “root beer” liqueur. I would actually call it the first American amaro.

Going a step further, I would say that the product launches coming to liquor store shelves in 2010 might be the most exciting I’ve seen since I’ve been covering this beat. And because Tales of the Cocktail is the time of year for boozy pronouncements, I guess I can get away with saying that. 

—

The Washington Post - 7.27.10

But wait just one minute…Muddler? Wire strainer? Martini shaker…highball, hurricane, rocks…Ango-what?-a-Bitter?! How can I enjoy the remainder of my new bottle of SNAP without the blessings of a fully-stocked bar and personal be-mustached mixology man by my side?!

Have no fear! And look no further than your fridge/pantry/backyard…

Here are some recommendations for how to rather simply fill your glass with a SNAP-tastic SNAP Classic…

SNAP & Bourbon (pictured at top of post)

SNAP
Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey
Boylan’s Ginger Ale
Fresh Lime

Combine equal parts bourbon and SNAP in a highball glass over ice. Add Ginger Ale to taste. Finish with a quick squeeze of fresh lime. Garnish with the lime wedge.

SNAP & Ginger

SNAP
Ginger
Ice

Pour 2 oz. of SNAP into a chilled glass with ice cubes. Grate fresh ginger into the glass to reach desired spiciness. If you don’t have a grater, shave the ginger with a sharp knife.

SNAP-Spiked Haymaker’s Punch

See our How-To Video with The Ever-Gracious Reverend Michael Alan.

SNAP
Apple Cider Vinegar
Local Honey
Fresh Ginger
Sparkling/Still Water
One Lemon
Ice

SNAP Lemonade

2 oz. SNAP
1/2 Lemon
Honey/sweetener of your choice (to taste)
Club Soda
Fresh Mint (if available)

Vinegar not your thing? Mix SNAP with lemon juice, a sweetener of your choice, and fresh mint (if available). Hit it with some club soda to make a party batch!

SNAP Iced Tea

2 oz. SNAP
4 oz. Iced Black Tea

Any Indian black tea is perfect for this one. Assam is a personal favorite. PG Tips Black tea brew up with a great color and aroma. And of course, regular pekoe tea bags also work just fine! Add a fresh lemon twist for garnish!

This Friday, July 30th,  at the Art in the Age store, Jessica Hische will present her exhibition, Illustrative Initials, featuring pieces from her ongoing project Daily Drop Cap.

Art In The Age Presents… Jessica Hische from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Join us from 6-8pm for the reception, featuring a toast and introduction by Jessica at 7PM.  Refreshments will be served.  

The AITA store is located at 116 North 3rd Street.

The folks behind The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. have developed quite a reputation by updating and reinventing time-honored classics. Their low-key speakeasy atmosphere specializes in pre-Prohibition cocktails. With this in mind, we asked our friend and Head Bartender, Al Sotack to work his magic with our historical spirit, ROOT– we knew he wouldn’t disappoint!

Al was kind enough to allow us to film him in action and share his recipe– better start channeling your inner-mixologist!

Appalachian Flip

Ingredients:

2 Parts ROOT
1/2 Part Rich Demerara Syrup
1 Whole Egg
Pale Ale

Directions:

Dry shake (without ice)

Then shake again with ice, and double strain.

Pour into fizz glass and top with pale ale
 

If you’re in the Philadelphia area, be sure to stop by The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. at 112 S. 18th Street– tell them we sent you!

Art In The Age - Recipe: Appalachian Flip from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

SNAP’s warm world-of-egg-nog personality immediately advocates for its inclusion in a hot drink like a toddy, poured steaming into a tin mug and sipped by a screaming campfire that spits embers into the knot of your scarf. But it’s more versatile than that, at least according to some of Philly’s most noted bartenders. After the jump, check out SNAP-based cocktail recipes from Christian Gaal, Katie Loeb, Phoebe Esmon and Preston Eckman.

—

City Paper.net - 7.26.10

SNAP’s warm world-of-egg-nog personality immediately advocates for its inclusion in a hot drink like a toddy, poured steaming into a tin mug and sipped by a screaming campfire that spits embers into the knot of your scarf. But it’s more versatile than that, at least according to some of Philly’s most noted bartenders. After the jump, check out SNAP-based cocktail recipes from Christian Gaal, Katie Loeb, Phoebe Esmon and Preston Eckman.

—

City Paper.net - 7.26.10

Nick Diamonds’ polymorphous pop band, Islands, is back with their third studio album, Vapours.  The 2006 debut, Return to the Sea, found eccentric and mellifluous pop tunes performed with a cast of characters from Montreal’s thriving music scene (including members of Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade), helmed by Nick Diamonds and Jamie Thompson.  Thompson departed amicably from the group shortly after the album was released, and 2007’s Arm’s Way found the band turning in a new direction towards lushly orchestrated, guitar-driven prog-rock.  Thompson has returned to the band for Vapours, a record that flits back and forth between moody synthesizers and drum-machine-heavy beats, while remaining firmly rooted in the classic pop sensibilities and multitude of melodic hooks that Islands is known for.


Produced by Nick Diamonds and Chris Coady (who has worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead, TV On The Radio, among others), this is the group’s most stunning work to date.

 (via ANTI-)

AITA Exclusives:

• Watch Islands Perform 3 Songs at Art in the Age

“Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby”

NEW SONG - “Lonely Love”

NEW SONG - “Shotgun Vision”

Their newest album Vapours is available now and highly recommended.

Fresh off the success of Root , its organic, alcoholic root tea, Art in the Age is back with another organic alcoholic treat. Snap ($33) is an 80 proof, 100% organic spirit inspired by authentic ginger snaps made with blackstrap molasses and fresh ginger, featuring flavors of both ingredients, with a hint of butter. Serve it straight, with a splash soda, or mixed with a good bourbon for a cold weather pick-me-up.

Uncrate.com - 7.26.10

Fresh off the success of Root , its organic, alcoholic root tea, Art in the Age is back with another organic alcoholic treat. Snap ($33) is an 80 proof, 100% organic spirit inspired by authentic ginger snaps made with blackstrap molasses and fresh ginger, featuring flavors of both ingredients, with a hint of butter. Serve it straight, with a splash soda, or mixed with a good bourbon for a cold weather pick-me-up.

Uncrate.com - 7.26.10

- SNAP is NOT ROOT. It has a completely different flavor/mixology profile, and therefore, cannot be mixed in the same way
- SNAP is unique. It is based on the ubiquitous “ginger snap”, but requires particular ingredients to really “open”

The Aftermath of SNAP Experiments at The Farm…

- Classic Ingredient suggestions (a few drops of each open up SNAP for easy sipping):
        - Fresh Lemon juice
        - Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg Organic brand is nice!)
        - Fresh Lime juice
        - Another high-proof alcohol (herb/flower tincture, whiskey, etc.)
        - Other Bitter citrus flavors – grapefruit

- Adventurous Ingredient suggestions
        - Red pepper flakes
        - Cayenne pepper
        - Black coffee
        - Assam Tea
        - Shoot with a Hefeweizen

Tales of the cocktail is in full swing this week, and the william grant & sons house party saw over 800 attendees last night! here’s a look at some of the fun:

William Grant & Sons House Party at Tales of the Cocktail featured a Hendrick’s Croquet Pitch, a Citrus Grove with cocktails from Milagro and Solerno, as well as innovative cocktails from Lillet, Hudson Whiskey and Root.

Guests at the William Grant & Sons House Party enjoyed a variety of cocktails from across the range of William Grant products in the unique and enchanted surroundings of a Garden District Mansion.

Rachel Furman and Lisa Hare, Brand Ambassadors for Sailor Jerry Rum, in the Sailor Jerry Rum room at the William Grant & Sons House Party at Tales of the Cocktail.

Lisa Hare, Sailor Jerry Brand Ambassador, mixes up cocktails at the William Grant & Sons House party at Tales of the Cocktail.

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The Hungry Diva.com, 7.24.10

Tales of the cocktail is in full swing this week, and the william grant & sons house party saw over 800 attendees last night! here’s a look at some of the fun:

William Grant & Sons House Party at Tales of the Cocktail featured a Hendrick’s Croquet Pitch, a Citrus Grove with cocktails from Milagro and Solerno, as well as innovative cocktails from Lillet, Hudson Whiskey and Root.

Guests at the William Grant & Sons House Party enjoyed a variety of cocktails from across the range of William Grant products in the unique and enchanted surroundings of a Garden District Mansion.

Rachel Furman and Lisa Hare, Brand Ambassadors for Sailor Jerry Rum, in the Sailor Jerry Rum room at the William Grant & Sons House Party at Tales of the Cocktail.

Lisa Hare, Sailor Jerry Brand Ambassador, mixes up cocktails at the William Grant & Sons House party at Tales of the Cocktail.

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The Hungry Diva.com, 7.24.10