Wine Basics for Your Home

Thanks to the continued love affair  with wines, savvy consumers are making sure  to have the proper accoutrements to optimize the wine drinking experience. Storing and chilling are critical junctures in wine consumption, and if not handled correctly, you may not only diminish the taste — you could lose your investment.

Keep wine out of dark, damp or musty spaces — like your basement! The singular modular wine rack from Pottery Barn ($12.00) is perfect for storing wine. These  iron wine racks are the ultimate in space-saving simplicity. Simply secure one to the wall and hook multiples below to create a chain-like vertical rack.

Fill your rack with a  collection of Sterling Vineyards varietal like the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or the Shiraz from the Sterling Vintner’s Collection.

Typically, white wines and roses are to be chilled, while heartier reds are best consumed at room temperature. But when there’s no time to chill a wine the conventional way in a bucket or in the fridge, wine chillers work like a charm. They can cool wines down to the desired temp in a matter of minutes without compromising the wine. Try a Blossom Hill Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or White Zinfadel in the chiller and taste how refreshing and crisp the outcome is.

Stainless steel chiller available at Target ($29.99). 

Note: Don’t assume a wine with a twist off cap, aka Stelvin closure, is a cheap  wine. Twist off caps are fast becoming the winemakers preferred method for the bottling process, as they practically eliminate the problem of mold-contaminated wine corks. 

Loews Eleven: Brilliance in a Brilliant Town

When visitors approach Atlanta’s  nighttime skyline from the north, the “Capital of the South” looks like Emerald City, a dazzling array of colorfully lit skyscrapers outlined in garnet green, ruby red and diamond-hot white lights. It is a breathtaking display, even if it does border on gaudy. But so what, it’s spectacular.

Stay on course, and you’re bound to arrive at Peachtree Street and find that it is literally jammed with great prospects for night life, dining and entertainment. One of the latest and most spectacular of those is the Atlanta Loews Hotel at Peachtree and 11th streets and its jewel inside — Eleven, one of the hottest clubs in town. Located in the hotel’s lobby, with dramatic story-high windows that entice passers-by to come in for a cocktail at its stunning bar, Eleven features a beautifully lit wall of bottled libations from every corner of the world.

“It’s not just a bar. It’s a venue that spotlights exactly what Atlanta has,” explains Loews entertainment director, DeMarco McMillan. “The point is really to become a part of the community and bring [people] together, regardless of race or class or ethnicity. It’s a comfortable, vibrant and inciting environment. It’s what we call a ‘guestination.’ ”

On Thursday nights, Eleven hosts free jazz concerts featuring performers from both the national and local music scenes. While the well-heeled soak up the sounds, the well-versed indulge in signature drink concoctions and top-shelf cocktails. –roz edward

Where: Eleven, in the lobby of Atlanta’s Loews Hotel at Peachtree and 11th streets

What: “Music and Mingle” event every Thursday. First Thursdays of the month feature industry headliners, which have included Ledisi and Norman Brown.

Guests rush the bar at Eleven where expert bartenders make every effort to accommodate the enthusiastic crowd with superbly mixed drinks and top-notch service.

Signature Cocktail: The lavender drop martini is Eleven’s twist on the popular lemon drop martini. Of course, this is with lavender. The color is subtle, but the drink is potent.

3 Great Playoff and Poolside Cocktails

Hey Everybody,
Sorry I've been away so long, but had some advertising issues with Google so am looking to migrate site. In the meantime I owe you guys some cocktail recipes so let's get started.

We just ended one of the warmest winters on record. Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner bringing on an onslaught of  reasons to get together with friends and family — cookouts, NBA finals and pool parties are happening (at least here in Atlanta they are).

Below are three great poolside cocktails that are sure to make your next pool party a splash. These drinks are made with Ciroc, Malibu and Remy Martin.

Coco Loso

1.5 ounces of Ciroc Coconut
Splash of pineapple juice
One wedge of lime

Pour Ciroc Coconut vodka over ice in a low ball glass, then add pineapple juice. Squeeze fresh lime juice into cocktail, stir and garnish with a lime.

What's This Barbie Doll Thing All About?

Apparently increasing numbers of black women have decided to give in to the beauty stereotype of the counter culture and are going for the blonde hair and blue eyes look that's become the standard for some sectors of the entertainment and fashion industries. But what's the fascination black women are having with the Barbie doll image, the candy colored hair, the hot-pink lipstick and the  waist cinching clothing? Crazy costumes and colorful hair may be good gimmicks, but how about having the talent to sustain you without all of the distractions. Take Nicki Minaj for example:

Reason No. 1: Nicki Minaj’s “It’s Barbie bitch” picked up where Lil’ Kim left off. "I don't know, I feel like Nicki is glorifying the hypersexualized image of female beauty more than she is critiquing it. I don't think the average listener is going to peel back the layers and realize that the impossible body proportions Nicki's sporting shows that American beauty standards are messed up," comments one blogger Laura.

Reason No. 2: Not to be outdone and to reclaim the title Lil Kim appears here rocking a blonde wig and blue eyes for folks to think Kim was beautiful again. "I always got the sense that Black Barbie image was more about the perfection of black women because Barbie = perfection. They are calling themselves the best," says blogger Rebecca.




 Reason No. 3: Rihanna may have toned it down in favor of a more realistic look with the fire-engine red hair, but the message is there. The Barbie Doll images is a means of connecting themselves with girls and girl culture. In Barbie’s world, clothes, cars and exciting lifestyles are the priority. "They want little girls to see them and look up to them, like she would with Barbie, but identify with the kick ass message in the next verse," continues Rebecca.






 Reason No. 4: Rapper Diamond
"It’s like fighting a losing battle when it comes to being a female rapper. You’re going against all odds and you just have to go hard with your work," explains the former Crime Mob member.
To carve out a place for themselves in the industry female rappers  are often forced to choose between tomboy or boy toy personas.

March Madness Cocktails: Bacardi, Tequila, MillerCoors Beer

The NCAA Tournament is the year’s greatest event for college basketball enthusiasts — there’s just nothing like wall-to-wall basketball from noon to midnight. And what do fans want while watching their favorite teams on the court, to enjoy the experience with other b-ball devotees, either in sports bar or a friend’s home, anywhere with a tv, shots and beer.

Corazon (Heart) on the Rocks - This tequila is so good that Wine Enthusiast magazine suggests consumers drink it on the rocks with just a healthy twist of lime to complement the sweetness.

Of course, after you throw back that tequila you’re going to want to follow it up with an invigorating beer back. Rolling out’s recommendation: pretty much any MillerCoors brew, but specifically Coors Light or Miller Lite.

Coors Light is constantly bringing innovation to its bottles and cans, with recent features including the cold-activated bottle and cans, and two-stage, cold-activation bottles and cans.

Miller Lite is the only beer to win four gold awards in the World Beer Cup® for best American-Style light lager and it won the gold medal for best American-style Lager or Light Lager at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. 

Academy Award Winning Cocktails: The Oscar Goes To ...

Typically with all of the hoopla of the Academy Awards aftermath and the all night revelry that accompanies those glamorous parties for winners and losers, several cocktails distinguished themselves in the sea of libations and rose to the top of the heap to take Oscar Gold. Thankfully, some of my favorites were served at the swankiest parties and now you and I can recreate them at home for our close-up with the camera moments. So with out further adieux — the Oscar for best cocktails in a lead role go to .... -roz edward

For the 2012 Governors Ball, the official after-party of the Academy Awards, the signature drink featured was a stunning Moet Red Carpet Glamour Cocktail. I was able to get a hold of the recipe to share with my favorite stars and fans. 

Red Carpet Glamour Cocktail

1 ounce fresh sour mix

1 ounce Hum Botanical Spirit

Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne

Rose petal for garnish

Fill a chilled champagne flute half way with ice.

Stir the sour mix and Hum together in a mixing glass with ice.

Strain into the flute until half full.

Top with champagne.

Garnish with a single rose pedal.

Drunk With Love

Short of voodoo, if you could mix a potion for passion and pleasure that would make your love swell with passion and your body blaze like firewater, wouldn’t you do it?  Absolutely! 

Remy Martin, often called the nectar of the gods, offers the ideal love potion — Remy Red — all  bottled and ready to work its magic. The fine cognac is best consumed just as it is — straight, no chaser. For optimal results, heat in a snifter over a candle warmer. 

Remy Martin also produces a Cherry Heering liqueur which can be combined with champagne for a festive Cupid’s Bowl cocktail. For the more daring, try the Remy Martin Knockout cocktail with Cointreau, cranberry and pineapple juices. He’ll never know what hit him.

Here's a new celebrity favorite, low calorie X-Rated Fusion Liqueur cocktail. A sensuous blend of ultra-premium French vodka and blood orange, it’s unapologetically pink and delectable. And at only 96 calories per serving, it’s no wonder it’s a favorite of celebs La La Anthony, Giuliana Rancic, Gabrielle Union and Ciara.

The Midnight Kiss

2/3 glass of Sparkling Rose

1 ounce X-Rated Fusion Liqueur

Pour the Sparkling Rose in a flute and top with the X-Rated Fusion Liqueur.

The Starbright Valentine 

1 1/2 ounces SKYY Vodka

1/2 ounce X-Rated Fusion Liqueur

1/4 ounce simple syrup

Half a lemon squeeze

Champagne

Muddle a star fruit in a shaker. Shake all ingredients, then strain into a champagne glass. Top with champagne. –roz edward