consciouseating
ginger ale and ginger beer) are all natural—again, not all sugar free—and amazing. Organic or fresh-squeezed fruit juices also make good mixers. Mo- nin has a sugar-free pomegranate syrup that can substitute for grenadine.”
Gluten-Free Spirits, Wine and Beer
HOLIDAY CHEER T
Special Drinks Help Make a Party Memorable by Judith Fertig
his year, glass- es of choice holiday cheer
might help everyone feel jollier the morn- ing after, as well as during festive get- togethers. As party hosts or guests, we can stock or bring gluten-free bever- ages and organic spirits, wines, mixers and cocktails that
Musician Dave Matthews’ Dreaming Tree wines of
Sonoma County, California, tout lighter bottles for a smaller carbon footprint, labels made of 100 percent recycled paper and
sustainably grown corks. He recently partnered with The Wilderness Society.
avoid sugary syrups to help keep our “fa- la-la” spirit going stronger and longer. Leave it to award-winning author A.J. Rathbun, a Seattle-based wine and spirits expert, to steer us away from ingredients that can turn naughty on those that are nice. He leads us off with some of his favorite beverages.
Organic Spirits
In the category of organic spirits, Rathbun likes Square One organic vodka, Casa Noble tequila and Juniper gin. “Also, if you can find their products,” he advises, “great organic and sustainably made spirit-makers from the state of Washing- ton include Bainbridge Organic Distillery, Side Track Distillery, Sound Spirits and the Woodinville Whiskey Company.”
44 Collier/Lee Counties
Organic Wines and Bubbly
“Much like spirits,” Rathbun says, “you may have to do some research on wines and spar- kling wines, and then find the finest organic options in your area.” Some good choices for organic wines
include Nuova Cappelletta, from Italy’s Piedmont region and Snoqualmie wines from Washington State. Also, the Or- ganic Wine Company of San Francisco imports a variety of organically pro- duced French Languedoc wines. For a sparkling wine, Rathbun suggests La Cantina Pizzolato’s prosecco, produced in Italy’s Vento region.
Organic and
Low-Sugar Mixers Keeping the artificial ingredients to a minimum in mixers is important, too. “I strongly suggest Rachel’s Ginger Beer,” says Rathbun. “It’s not sugar-free, but is organic and gluten-free. Also, Fever- Tree mixers (tonic water, bitter lemon,
swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
Rathbun found that small-batch distill- ers that use local and organic ingredi- ents assure customers that they’re get- ting the real thing, with no unwanted extras. Koval, in Chicago, for instance, offers a naturally gluten-free millet whiskey that’s distilled from organic grain, and then aged in oak barrels made in Minnesota, deemed free of even trace amounts of gluten. Other gluten-free alcoholic bever- ages can include wines, vodka, tequila, brandy, bourbon and scotch. By con- tacting the maker or company directly, gluten-free fans can find out more about their beverage of choice. Captain Morgan’s spiced rum, for example, which the U.S. Food and Drug Admin- istration and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau permit to be designated as gluten-free, is not labeled as such on the bottle.
Gluten-free beers are appropri- ately labeled and include Sapporo, a Japanese beer brewed from rice; Green’s, a British beer made from a blend of sorghum, buckwheat, mil- let and brown rice; and O’Brien’s, an Australian beer using a blend of sorghum, millet and rice. Gluten-free beer lovers can also check locally for micro-brewed options.
Crafting a Holiday Cocktail Signature cocktails have become a holiday specialty of Andrea Currie, who recently appeared on the Discovery Channel’s Craft Wars. “A cocktail is kind of like a dessert,” says the San Diego, California, creativity specialist. “You don’t have one every day, and when you do have one, you want it to be re- ally, really good.” Moreover, she adds, “When you make cocktails by hand, you get to control the ingredients.” Currie blogs and crafts at Hand
MakeMyDay.com, with her husband, Cliff. His becoming gluten-free three years ago prompted her to develop her
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