Special Reader Discount! 25% off SF Food & Wine Event

Bottlenotes is offering Drink of the Week readers $10 off tickets to “Around the World in 80 Sips.” That means $30 will get you tastes of wine from around the world, with special food pairings.

It will be held February 19 at Crushpad in San Francisco. Hope to see you there! I can testify first-hand that these folks know their wine and know how to show you a good time.

To register — with your … Read more

Arizona Margarita

Even if you won’t be rooting for Arizona on Super Bowl Sunday, an Arizona Margarita is a great game day cocktail.

It’s made with prickly pear juice, which comes from a cactus common in the Southwest. Supposedly, prickly pear juice is great for preventing hangovers. Not sure if that’s true, but it’s worth a shot!… Read more

AFC Paloma

Entertaining an AFC crowd? Herradura Tequila created the AFC Paloma just for you. Into the NFC? Try the NFC Margarita.… Read more

NFC Margarita

For all you Arizona fans, Herradura Tequila created the NFC Herradura Margarita. If you’re a Pittsburgh fan, check out the AFC Herradura Paloma.… Read more

Spoof Jim Beam Ads, Win $25,000

Jim Beam recently launched its first TV campaign with 3 funny new commercials, with the tag line “the bourbon.” Not satisfied with the success of these ads, Jim Beam now wants you to remake their ads. The creator of the best ad will win a grand prize of $25,000, a trip for four to Las Vegas, and a chance to have your video showcased on JimBeam.com. Four runners-up prizes, Sony HD Digital Video Cameras, will … Read more

Creamy Artichoke Dip

This artichoke dip is so good! It’s by no means health food, but it fits right in with any Super Bowl Sunday snack menu. Serve it with tortilla chips, potato chips or a good loaf of crusty bread.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups chopped artichoke hearts (frozen and thawed or from a can, drained)
6 oz. cream cheese
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

… Read more

Touchdown

The Super Bowl is coming up, and it is a drinking occasion! Sure, beer is great. But if you’re looking for something different, here’s a Super Bowl cocktail that’s sure to please.

Photo by sirmikester.… Read more

Online Wine Shop Sells Only Half Bottles

Opening a bottle of wine is a commitment. A typical bottle of wine equals about five or six glasses (depending on the size of your glass, naturally).

If you’re dining at home alone or with one other person and looking for a little wine to compliment your meal, six glasses may be a bit more than you want. This is when a half bottle, more common in Europe, would do the job.

However, in my … Read more

Slow Cooker Super Bowl Chili

Whether you’re a Steelers or Cards fan, chili is a tasty way to tame your hunger so you can focus on yelling at the screen and second guessing the coach.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
2 16 oz cans kidney beans, drained
2 14 oz cans tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion
1 red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp parsley
½

… Read more

Cherry Sling Margarita

For the first Mixology Monday of 2009, we were challenged to use an ingredient that was new. At least new to us. Wondering what that could be I landed on a bottle of Agavero Licor De Tequila. A-64 proof tequila liqueur made from a blend of añejo and repasado tequilas, mellowed with essence of damiana flower.

I combined my Agavero with a Cherry Blossom Sling Margarita mix I picked up at Williams-Sonoma. I topped it … Read more