Netflix And Sip: Best Wines To Pair With Your Favorite TV Shows

Admit it: It's fun to throw on a blanket and binge-watch TV. With abundant streaming services—Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, there are more high quality shows now than ever. While many of you may have a go-to snack, but how about the perfect drink? 

To make your binge-watching session even better, I asked several experts for the best show and wine pairings. Here are their top picks, cheers!

Billions

When you’re watching a show fueled by power and complexity, you need to drink a rich, full-bodied and multi-layered wine. Paul Hobbs’ Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard—a 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($350/bottle)—certainly fits the bill.

Much like the show’s intriguing plot twists, the opulent flavors—of dark fruit, contrasting bright cherries and anise—layer over esoteric flavors of new leather. Hobbs frames his wine with a satisfying tannic texture, which drives you through a powerful and provocative finish.However, “if you're stretching a salary at the DA's office, go for a more accessible Cabernet from Julien Fayard like the 2016 Idiosyncrasy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($45/bottle).” Created in a premier vineyard site by one of Napa’s top winemakers, this Cabernet displays just the right mix of bold and powerful qualities that characterize Axe and Chuck.

—Vanessa Conlin: Head of Wine for Wine Access 

The Crown

If you want to feel as royal as Queen Elizabeth, the 1907 Madeira D'Oliveiras Malvasia 1907 ($825/bottle) is a must-try. As a long-time favorite of British royalty since 1455, Madeira wines have found its way into British history on several occasions. In 1455, the popular Portuguese wines were notably banned from Charles II’s broad importation ban of all European wares. In 1478, the Duke of Clarence—brother of Edward VI—received a death sentence for treason, and he decided to drown in a barrel of Madeira. History aside, this wine will charm you with its "complex yet sweet flavors along with hints of dried apricot, quince and caramel."

Meanwhile, for those with a less regal budget, pick the NV Ridgeview “Bloomsbury” Brut ($36/bottle). “Made in South Sussex, this English Quality Sparkling Wine was the official wine served for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and has refreshing notes of citrus, apples and sweet honey.”

—Bill Burkhart, Sommelier at The Grill Room in the Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans

Game of Thrones

When I think of Game of Thrones, I think of magical dragons, the impending threat of a long winter and a race to the throne. So what should you pour before catching the final season’s premiere? I would suggest a burgundy. As an extension of GoT’s ‘tale of medieval intrigue,’ I reckon Charles the Great’s favorite wine—Pinot Noir—could be an excellent choice for setting the mood. In particular, I'd recommend splurging on the 2011 Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret Richebourg Grand Cru ($349/bottle)—a highly elegant wine with complex and rich flavors such as ripe strawberry and cinnamon notes, resulting in a velvety feeling on the palate.

— Jon Griffiths, Corporate Beverage Director of Datz Restaurant Group in Tampa, Florida

As a cheaper—but no less impressive—alternative, the official Game of Thrones Pinot Noir 2016 ($15 to $27/bottle on Drizly) is a must-try for wine-drinkers and GoT fans alike. Beyond its inspiration by the show’s “complexity and nuances, the wine also has nobility and pedigree tied to its premium vineyard sources in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.” This pays tribute to the lineage of the noble houses of the Seven Kingdoms, which is further enhanced by the imprinted corks with either the House Tyrell or House Martell sigil.Click to read full article

Synthetic 'Alcarelle' Promises to Make You Feel Drunk Without the Hangover

The scientist David Nutt has big plans for Alcarelle, his “hangover-free” alternative to alcohol. The English professor, famous for his research on how psychedelics affect the brain, said in 2016 that his concoction could replace all regular alcohol by 2050. Now, he’s offering a more temperate prediction: Alcarelle will be publicly available in five years; an alternative to boozy options at the bar.

In an interview published Tuesday in the The Guardian, Nutt explains that Alcarelle is intended to induce that tipsy, social feeling you get from drinking alcohol without the ensuing pain and health problems. The goal is for drink companies to eventually incorporate Alcarelle into their products, creating an alternative option to alcoholic drinks. In that scenario, Alcarelle would be regulated as a food additive. 

While Alcarelle is the name of the synthetic alcohol, its active ingredient is an alcohol replacement molecule dubbed “alcosynth.” Nutt describes the molecule as an alcohol antidote and says he discovered it while researching how to reverse drunkenness in 1983 as a Ph.D. student. He says that alcosynth activates the GABA receptors — neurotransmitters that send chemical messages through the brain and nervous system — that induce tipsiness, causing an almost-alcohol effect.

Alcohol is linked to numerous health consequences.

“We know where in the brain alcohol has its ‘good’ effects and ‘bad’ effects, and what particular receptors mediate that — GABA, glutamate, and other ones such as serotonin and dopamine,” Nutt says. “The effects of alcohol are complicated but … you can target the parts of the brain you want to target.” 

Only time — and regulation — will tell whether Alcarelle actually makes it to market. As of now, Nutt and his team are the only ones slurping it down (mixed with some fruit juice).Click to continue the full article

Is Karaoke recreation? Beer license for new Salt Lake singing room hinges on the answer

By Dennis Romboy, KSL | Posted - Mar 27th, 2019

Members of the Utah alcohol commission are wrestling with that question as they decide whether to grant Heart & Seoul Karaoke a license to sell beer at its new downtown location.

Brody Horton, co-owner of Heart & Seoul, made his case before the Utah Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission Tuesday, but left without a permit, at least for now. A Provo location has been open for 18 months, but its proximity to the Provo City Center Temple precludes it from having a liquor license.

Commissioners expressed concern about opening the door to other businesses seeking a recreational beer license and weren't sure how or if karaoke fits under the law.

"I'm having some trouble," Chairman John T. Nielsen said.

State liquor law defines a recreational amenity as a billiard parlor, bowling facility, golf course, miniature golf, golf driving range, tennis club, sports arena, concert venue or "substantially similar" activity.

Horton argued Heart & Seoul, patterned after Korean singing rooms, qualifies. Customers, he said, are coming for an activity.

"They're not paying to drink and also sing karaoke. They’re not paying to drink and also bowl. They’re not paying to drink and also throw an ax across the room," he said.

Ax throwing raised an interesting point.

Last March, the commission approved a beer license for Social Axe under the "substantially similar" clause, making it the first establishment in Utah where it's OK to hurl a sharp blade attached to a wooden handle at a target while downing a cold brew.

"If we can approve axe throwing, karaoke seems safer with alcohol than axes," said Commissioner Sophia DiCaro. "If we have flexibility to call it recreational, I think it's one where call a spade a spade. It looks recreational to me."

Horton and co-owner Matt Smith explained that alcohol would be served only in singing rooms where everyone is 21 or older. Drinks would be limited to three per person and tallied on a wristband. Large windows in each room would allow staff to monitor the activity, Smith said.

Whether it's an ax or a microphone, people are paying for an experience, renting a room or renting an alley, as is the case for bowling, Horton said.

"You’ve done your homework. Are you in law school? You ought to go to law school. That’s pretty persuasive," Nielsen said.

Commissioner Thomas Jacobson told Horton he liked his argument, but said recreation involved physical activity and karaoke is stationary.

Horton begged to differ. The definition of recreation, he said, doesn't include anything about physical activity. Rather, it's activity done outside of work.

"I would love to put a heart rate monitor on you for billiards and karaoke and compare the two," he said.

Jacobson said allowing karaoke would set a precedent for allowing reading clubs seeking alcohol licenses.

"My concern is how far people will take it from here. Where do we go next?" he said.

Horton said Heart & Seoul shouldn't be affected by the fear of future businesses that may not have their things "buttoned down or as secure as we have presented it."

Jacobson said commissioners were inclined to turn down Heart & Seoul's request for a beer license. But after listening to Horton's arguments, "instead of no … we want to try to help you and we need to find the proper category to put you in, assuming there is one."

The commission voted unanimously to defer a decision until its April meeting.

7-Eleven's new 'Lab Store' features taqueria, craft beer station

By Thomas BarrabiPublished March 27, 2019

7-Eleven became the latest retailer to experiment with a new convenience store format this month, unveiling a “Lab Store” in Dallas, Texas that features everything from street tacos to a craft beer refilling station.

Dubbed an “experimental testing ground” by 7-Eleven officials, the lab store debuted on March 22. The location features indoor and outdoor seating and a streamlined checkout process that allows customers to pay through their phones.

The store’s food and beverage options include a coffee and smoothie bar, a station called “The Cellar” selling wine and craft beers, a frozen yogurt and ice cream bar and various baked goods that are made on site. In addition, the experimental format includes alcohol beverages on tap and a Laredo Taco Company counter, featuring handmade tortillas and various Tex-Mex offerings.

“Convenience retailing is light years away from the days of bread and milk being sold from ice docks in 1927, and the industry is changing at a faster rate than ever before,” said Chris Tanco, 7-Eleven executive vice president and chief operating officer. “7-Eleven stays at the forefront by pushing the boundaries and being unafraid to try new things. This new lab store will serve as a place to test, learn and iterate new platforms and products to see what really resonates with customers and how we can use those learnings to influence future store designs.”Click the link to continue reading

No kids allowed: Key Largo welcomes first adult-only resort

Samantha Branca

KEY LARGO, FLA. (WSVN) - Bungalows Key Largo, an adult-only resort, is offering a one-of-a-kind experience in the Keys.

Vacationers are able to choose from a waterfront or garden bungalow that sleeps up to four people.

Each bungalow comes with two bicycles for easy access around the property and semi-private beach.

Not in the mood to bike? The resort offers a golf cart pick up and drop off service to all guests.

According to the company’s website, the resort is offering a limited time rate starting at $399 per person, per night for a 2-night minimum stay throughout 2019.

Paddleboards, snorkeling equipment, kayaks and other water sport equipment are available for unlimited use.

Leave the kids at home, as this resort only allows guests ages 18 and over on the property and has a minimum check-in age of 21.

To book a reservation, click here.

16 Tips on How To Run A Bar Successfully

Learning how to run a bar is not an easy task. Although there are many schools that teach people how to bartend, there aren’t any that teach people how to run a bar successfully. Most people learn the hard way – by jumping in with both feet and making a ton of mistakes along the way (and hopefully learning from those mistakes).

This article is not written for people deciding about whether to open a bar or not and does not get into the aspects of bar ownership like finances and legalities, but instead takes the operational approach, focusing on what a bar owner or manager needs to do to ensure long-term success.

How to Run a Bar – Tip #1
Start Décor-ating

The first thing you’ve got to look at is the first thing your customers look at when they step into your bar. Give your customers something to see and talk about when they come to your bar. People go to bars for relaxation and entertainment. And part of that can be achieved simply by the way your bar is decorated. In addition to ensuring that your establishment is always clean, make sure that your décor matches with the theme of your bar. If it’s a country bar, would someone know by walking in and looking at the walls?

Make sure everything from the color of the paint to the pictures and other paraphernalia adorning the walls of your bar are in line with your theme and the customer you’re trying to attract. Give your customers some eye candy by hanging interesting things on the wall, painting the walls an inviting color, hanging mirrors in the right place, putting up vertical blinds or curtains or blacking out the windows – as long as it fits with your theme.

How to Run a Bar – Tip #2
Create an Eye-Catching Menu

Your menu is your bar’s resume – it tells the customer what kind of experience they are going to have when they order. When it comes to menus, a picture really is worth a thousand words. Take the time to have your menu professionally made – both your drink and food menus. Your menu has to have pictures and it should highlight high-profit items. It should be easy to read and easy for customers to locate items but it shouldn’t be too crowded. A professionally designed menu can increase profits all by itself. After you get your menu designed, post it outside so passers-by can see all the wonderful items your establishment offers – even when you’re closed.

How to Run a Bar – Tip #3
Set the Right Prices

Both food and drink prices should be in line with the experience that your customers get from ordering said items. Stay away from the mentality that you can simply increase profits by increasing your prices. This is a short-term fix at best and it will likely leave you with less and less customers as time goes on. Look at it is from your customers’ perspective. When they wake up and count their cash the next day after partying at your bar the night before, will they be pleasantly surprised or floored at how much it cost them? You don’t want your prices too low as people tend to associate low quality with low price. And you don’t want your prices too high either – as you’ll get people in the first time but you won’t get them back.

How to Run a Bar – Tip #4
Get Your Managerial Hands Dirty

As a manager or owner, you’ve really got to know what you’re doing. From how to cook each and every dish in the kitchen, to how to bartend with speed and efficiency during the busiest of times. If you don’t know how to do something in your bar, how are you going to train your staff to do it? And if it’s not you training the staff, how are you going to know what procedural changes and systems to implement if you never get your own hands dirty? A bar manager or owner has to lead by example. This is not a job where you get to sit in a glass office and watch over the little mice working below you. Earn your staffs’ respect by doing their job better than they do it. If you aren’t familiar with some area of your bar – schedule yourself shifts in that area until you become proficient. The best way to know what works and doesn’t work is by jumping in and experiencing it firsthand.

How to Run a Bar – Tip #5
Hire Top-Notch Staff

It is absolutely essential for your establishment to have good staff if you want to achieve lasting success. People visit a bar as much for the people behind the bar as for the bar itself. Start off by hiring personable, outgoing, professional-looking staff. You’re looking for someone who has the ability to entertain people – someone who is easy to talk to and quick to smile. Whether they have experience or not is secondary. Bartending skills can be taught on-site but social skills can’t.

For the full article, click the link below

Your guide to opening a beer bar: From creating a business plan to financing

Creating a business plan

Summarize your concept in a few tight sentences that you can eventually use as the starting point of your pitch to investors.

What are you going to name your bar? This is the beginning of your dream becoming a household name. It’s more important than you may think. Be creative, steering clear of the generic, let it espouse your vibe and make it catchy and memorable.

Determine how much initial capital do you need: However much initial capital you think you will need — you need about 20 to 40 percent more than that … SERIOUSLY, 20 to 40 percent more — when in doubt, round up.

Be sure to include the amount of initial capital that you have in personal funds and how much money you will need to raise from outside sources.

RELATED: Craft a brewing business plan: Tips from a brewery in planning

Solidify your first hires: Everything from whether or not you’ll have a manager or you’ll be managing the bar yourself, to your bouncer and security needs, to how many bartenders you plan to hire should be laid out in your initial business plan so that when you begin your search for your opening staff, you know who you’re looking to hire. Here are a few staff members that current bar owners say are absolutely essentially (and they may surprise you):

• A really good bookkeeper: Your finances are going to overwhelm you. When I asked the owner of Summers, Chris Taha, for something he’d do differently he quickly responded, “Have a good bookkeeper from day one.”
• “An accountant with a backbone who will make you do what you need to do — like pay your taxes.”– Scott Perez, Walkers
• A liquor lawyer to negotiate the liquor license.
• A lawyer who will first help you negotiate the terms of your lease and who will then serve to handle your legal needs (you are opening a bar).
• A plumber you can count on, consistently, all the time (again, you are opening a bar).
• If you’re choosing to hire a manager, they will be your eyes and ears, choose wisely.To continue reading the article, click the link below