After finally getting around to reading the 2023 year-end edition of “Wine Enthusiast,” the opening letter from the publisher, Jacqueline Strum, resonated with me. (Yes, I know it is March, but this working mom has no reading-for-pleasure time.) The realization I did happen upon was that the bookends to my favorite way to celebrate happen to be “the two fastest growing beverage categories in the U.S.,” tequila and bubbles.
The notion that my two favorite beverages next to coffee are leading the charge in growth nationwide is exciting! Start with bubbles and end with tequila, or start with tequila and end with bubbles. For me, the order of celebration is not important. What is important is celebrating life as well as the folks in it that make the festivities so worthwhile.
Very deserving of bubbly toasts and endless tequila sipping are the folks surviving and thriving the wild ups and downs of an industry we call hospitality. Our industry is just that — a lot of ups and a lot downs. As compared to the busy holiday season, one might say that the experience during the subsequent cold months of winter rings true in the popular idiom, “feast or famine;” however, the origination of this phrase seems a bit more, dare I say, ”bubbly.”
According to several online dictionary websites, the earliest phrase was actually “feast or fast” and dates back to the late 1700s. Let’s face it. The idea of fasting sounds a lot more approachable than famine, but all of the accolades go to the managers in culinary and hospitality related leadership roles that plan for “the fast.”
I would like to recognize the creative and passionate yet responsible managers for maintaining businesses that employ wonderfully diverse people, forge plans that include occasional “fasts,” rev back up renewed creativity and are ready for another wonderful season of fun. May we all raise a pét-nat or a salted rim to those leaders that will use their strengths to delight us and keep us celebrating well at their places of operation. Now is the time to embrace the wise words of a gentlemen recognized for his lifetime achievements in leading and growing the world’s largest wine producer as its president and CEO, Joseph E. Gallo — “There are opportunities every day. The secret is to see them.”
Classic margarita spritzed
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz. Prosecco or Moscato (adjust for preferred level of tart versus sweet)
- 1.5 oz. Reposado or Blanco tequila
- 1 lime squeezed, approximately 1 fl. oz.
- 1 oz. honey
Directions
Mix honey and lime juice. Warm for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Add tequila, and stir. Pour over lowball glass filled with ice, and top with sparkling wine. Serve with lime garnish and salted rim.
About
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.