Archive for the 'food-and-drink' Category

How To Order A Round Of Delicious Galliano Sambuca Cocktails By Hand

From asking for the check to asking someone’s girlfriend for her number, Italians are experts in speaking with their hands. Learn how to speak Galliano when ordering your Galliano Sambuca cocktails at your local bar. Visit www.speakgalliano.com.au for full instructional videos to go along with the following recipes.

Next time you’re at your local bar choose from one of these delicious Galliano Sambuca cocktails created for a refreshing drink amongst friends or just a relaxing drink on your own.

A Nuovo thank you barman. ‘Watch the decisive flick of the index and pinky fingers.’

NUOVO

1 part Galliano Black Sambuca
2 teaspoons Bols Créme de Cassis
Fill with Lemonade
Build over ice in a highball glass, garnish with 1 star anise and 2 blueberries.

Hey barman! A Superbo, thank you. ‘Observe the confident horizontal of the pinky finger. Very nice.’

SUPERBO

2 parts Galliano White Sambuca
2 bar spoons Passionfruit Pulp
Dash of Bitters
Squeeze of Fresh Lime
Build over ice in a highball glass and top with ginger beer.

I’d like a Pronto, thank you very much. ‘See how he softly presses his fingers to his thumb. Very well spoken’.

PRONTO

1 part Galliano White Sambuca
2/3 part Cherry Liqueur
Fresh Lemon Wedge
Shake and strain into a shot glass with a side of cherry.

Excuse me, barman. An Excellente for me please. ‘He curls his fingers tightly to clearly pronounce Excellente.’

EXCELLENTE

2 parts Galliano White Sambuca
2 parts Sauvignon Blanc
2 parts Sauza Hornitos Tequila
1 part Peach Puree
2/3 part Vanilla Sugar Syrup
Dash of Peach Bitters
Shake and strain into a chilled luxury wine glass.

May I have a Magnifico for three? See the stiffness in his fingers here? Clearly this man is thirsty.

MAGNIFICO

2 dashes Galliano Black Sambuca
2 dashes Bitters
1 part Cointreau
1 part Orange Juice
1 part Shiraz
1 teaspoon Vanilla Sugar Syrup
Fix in a large wine glass, stir with ice and garnish with two orange twists.



Excuse me barman, can I have a round of Perfectos for my friends please? Notice how he confidently fans his fingers? That’s perfecto.

PERFECTO

1/2 part Galliano Black Sambuca
1/2 part Bols Strawberry Liqueur
Dash of Bitters
Shake WITHOUT ice and pour into a shot glass, garnish with half a fresh strawberry.

One Belissimo for me please, Sir and a round for my friends. The position of the wrist and angle of the pinky scream ‘Belissimo!’

BELLISSIMO

1 Cardamon Pod, crushed
1 part Galliano Black Sambuca
1 part Chardonnay
1 part Gin
1 part Pink Grapefruit Juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla Sugar Syrup
Shake and fine strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a chilli.

A Buono for two please bartender. ‘Notice the parting of the fingers before the claw is formed.’ ‘Watch how this Galliano speaker pushes his palm to activate the Buono claw.’

BUONO

2 parts Galliano White Sambuca
2 parts Pineapple Juice
3 bar spoons Passionfruit Pulp
1 Mango Cheek
Muddle mango in a Boston glass, add other ingredients, shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Galliano Sambuca encourages the responsible service of alcohol.




























































































Private Label Bottled Water - How Important is Label Design?

Private label bottled water has been proven as an effective marketing promotion and brand builder but care must be taken in the quality of the design in order to avoid ruining the branding message and reducing the quality of the brand.

An important element of any private label bottled water branding effort lies in the basic design of the label. In order to create an effective label and labeling message, a professional design effort is required. Although there are many powerful software products like Adobe Photoshop on the market, understanding the basic elements of design is still required to produce a professional looking label. There is no substitute for professional design and an amateurish label design can seriously degrade a brand.

Design skill is as much an art as a science and dedicated training is required in order to produce a balanced, appealing, informative label for the private label bottled water end product. Graphic design is a major in many universities and colleges and combines course work in color, graphic arts, perspective and other skills before a degree is awarded. A well trained designer however will produce designs and labels of superior quality.

One skill that is not taught in the classroom but must be acquired through practical experience is customer relations and communication with the customer. It takes skill and experience to translate the customer concept into a graphic design and message and the ability to work with the customer controls the success of the project no matter how talented the designer. If the customer is not happy, failure is the result.

The next step in the process is the translation of the design onto a printed label, again within the design parameters of the customer. At this point preliminary customer approval is necessary. After preliminary approval the design must be applied to the label through either a flexo or digital printing process and proper quality printing equipment is required. Generally a small proof run is produced to show the customer for final approval of the label. Clear communication with the customer is required in order to gain customer approval.

Only after final customer approval can the final production run be produced. When production is completed the private label can be applied to the blank bottled water to produce the final private label promotional product.

There are many private label water companies on the market today and many of these attempt to cut corners through using amateur design techniques and low cost labels and printing. The result is almost always disappointing to the customer, production of a cheap looking label message and many times damage to the brand.

When choosing a supplier to produced a private label that carries a high quality effective message, choose a supplier with a reputation of producing a quality product. Your brand message will show the results and your return on your advertising investment will be rewarding.

















Is the Plucking Time Important When Choosing White Licorice Tea?

White tea is the rarest tea in the world. Long praised in Asia, it is just beginning to gain popularity in the Western world. People everywhere are clamoring to get their hands on this rare treat. White tea is used in many blends, and none is more refreshing than White Licorice Tea. White Licorice tea is a delicious blend of fine white tea and star anise to provide the licorice flavor.

The best White Licorice tea should be made from the finest blend of loose white tea combined with high quality whole pieces of star anise. To ensure that you buy only the best quality white licorice tea, it’s important that you understand the important elements in selecting white tea. This includes understanding the most popular cultivars for white tea, the grades of white tea and how and when the tea is harvested. There is no international standard for grading tea, so beyond understanding this basic information, it’s difficult to tell which tea is best.

First, it’s important to choose the best cultivars of the tea and how white tea is classified. The most popular cultivars for white tea include Da Bai, Xiao Bai, Narcissus and Chaicha bushes. Within these cultivars the teas are classified into different grades, primarily based on whether the plucking consists of only the bud and top two leaves of the tea plant or whether more tea leaves are included. In addition, the stringency with which the tea pluckers ensure that the leaves and buds are not damaged during harvest affects the quality and grade of the tea. Harvesting white tea properly is very difficult and requires skill and experience. Using skilled and experienced tea pluckers ensures that only the tea buds that are ready are harvested and that the buds are kept intact to prevent the start of oxidation.

When choosing White licorice tea, you should choose tea that is labeled Silver Needles or White Peony to ensure that you get the very best white tea. Both of these white teas are produced in China and are considered the highest grades of white tea.

Another important feature in choosing a white licorice tea is to determine the type of flavoring used to infuse the white tea with licorice flavor. White licorice tea flavored with star anise will have a milder and sweeter taste than white licorice tea made using licorice root.

One of the most common ways of evaluating the quality of black and green teas is to know when the tea was plucked. First plucked black and green teas are those plucked in the spring, when the tea plants are plucked for the first time during the growing season. The first plucked, or first flush, black and green teas are considered to be better because the weather is cooler. Black and green teas produced from leaves plucked later in the season will not have the same quality because the tea leaves have been exposed to hot weather and lots of sun. So, it’s common for connoisseurs of black and green tea to look for tea that is labeled “first plucking” or “first flush”. However, this standard does not apply to white teas. White teas should have just one plucking each year, because the best tea is plucked during the spring. This is one of the reasons that white tea is so rare. Therefore, you can’t judge the quality of the white tea based on the plucking the way you can with green and black teas - all white tea is first flush tea. In fact, the very best white teas, Silver Needles and White Peony, are only plucked between March 15 and April 10.

Your best chance of choosing really good white licorice tea is to buy from a reputable tea purveyor and to buy a white licorice tea with a base of white tea that you already enjoy. For example, if your favorite plain white tea is Silver Needles, then you can’t go wrong buying White Licorice tea made from the Silver Needles variety of white tea. But, if you’re looking for a new taste treat, you might want to try something entirely new, like a Ceylon white licorice.

Find a good tea shop, whether local or online and see which white licorice teas they offer. If they’re known for only selling the best in loose white teas, you should be able to trust that their white licorice tea will be tasty and fresh.

A good tea vendor is a must when you’re buying tea, particularly white tea. White tea is an investment and you’ll want to ensure that you purchase only the best when you buy. In addition, you want to know that you have access to new flavors and tastes as they’re introduced to the market, but only when they’re available in really good quality teas.

White licorice tea is a great way to wind down at the end of a long day. White tea is low in caffeine and licorice has long been revered for its ability to aid digestion and soothe the stomach. In addition, the wonderful aroma of sweetness and licorice can soothe you after even the most stressful of days.



















Tea, Sugar and Slavery

Of all the evils that have affected mankind, slavery or human bondage ranks among the worst. Slavery, in all its various forms from ancient empires like Rome to the ante bellum American South to the slave labor of Hitler’s Third Reich and the Soviet Gulags has ruined millions of lives and degraded many cultures throughout history.

In addition to the direct impact on individual lives, Western Civilization suffered lost opportunity because millions of people were denied the opportunity to succeed.

Slavery is often associated with the cultivation and production of agricultural commodities like cotton, tobacco and sugar where human labor was required to produce and refine products to meet growing world demand.

The story of sugar and its relationship to tea is a case in point.

The British Empire expanded trade worldwide and one of the principal high value products that fueled this expansion was tea. The British developed markets and brought tea to the western world on a mass scale. Between 1700 and 1900 tea in many varieties was cultivated and introduced to every western coountry.

Of course the primary market for tea was the British homeland and through aggressive marketing supported by favorable tax legislation, tea became the main beverage of Britain for all classes of British society.

The British, who had developed a national sweet tooth, liked to add sweetness to their tea, particularly black tea. At first they added honey as a sweetener and most honey was produced by Catholic monasteries and abbeys as a way to produce revenue. But, as the Protestant Reformation took hold in Britain, the monasteries disappeared and the British had to find an alternative sweetener.

Eventually cane sugar became not only a substitute for honey but enjoyed immense popularity and demand for sugar grew rapidly. Annual per capita consumption of sugar in Britain rose by 350 percent, from four pounds in 1700 to eighteen pounds in 1800.

Tea and sugar became a combined commodity in Britain in the 1800s and tea drinking also affected associated biscuit and bread consumption as part of the tea experience. China could meet the demand for tea but demand soon exceeded supply for sugar.

Britain produced sugar through its colonial network in the Caribbean islands like Barbados and Jamaica but a local labor shortage constrained supply. Although cane sugar was high quality and remains an important source of sugar even to this day, sugar production was hard, grueling and demanding work. A tour of historic sugar cane plantations today quickly reveals the terrible conditions surrounding the cutting, and reduction of liquid sugar to raw sugar. More demands were put on the sugar supply by developing markets for molasses and rum in the American Colonies.

Sources of local labor were quickly depleted and the British turned to the slave trade. Soon British ships would leave the Caribbean with their holds full of sugar and return to the islands with their holds full of slaves. During the slave trade period 15-20 million African slaves were uprooted from their homeland and transported to the plantations. The evil practice was finally abolished in the period 1834-38 after the public outcry from anti-slavery groups succeeded. The damage was considerable and the effects of slavery are still with us.

It was often said that where tea went, sugar followed and the end was the evil of slavery. Evil can penetrate even the most innocent of products like tea.























Taxing Tea - A British Tradition

While British citizens likely saw the first importations of tea from the Orient in the 1500 to 1600s as a sensation that added a little spark to their traditional coffee houses, the government saw something else - money. As this beverage quickly became the favored choice of the lower classes, British nobility saw a way to line the coffers of government.

The Arrival Of Tea And The First Tea Taxes

The exact date of tea’s arrival on British shores is a bit murky. What is clear, however, is that by the late 1600s, tea was a very popular drink in this country. Coffee houses began serving this beverage in abundance alongside more traditional beverages. By 1700, it is believed that more than 500 coffee houses within Britain served tea and even saw sales of spirits decline in favor of tea’s lighter, sweeter, non-alcoholic taste.

Not wanting to lose the valuable source of revenue that taxes on liquor sales produced, the government went into action. By 1676, a tea tax and coffee house licensing act were put into place. As tea’s popularity continued to rise, so did the attempts of the British government to make money off this import. During the mid 18th century, the government raised duties on tea so much that they fell in around a whopping 120 percent!

While taxation and import duties did little to curb Britons’ craving for tea, they did give rise to an illegal black market. Tea traders from the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries began smuggling loads of tea into the country to help Brits enjoy their tea duty free. The cost of doing business on the black market did remain high. So high, in fact, that smugglers often cut their tea with other substances to make their precious cargo go farther and fetch more money.

The smuggling crisis came to an abrupt end in 1784 when the Commutation Act was introduced. This act effectively dropped the tea tax to a more manageable rate of about 12.5 percent. It wasn’t until 1875, however, that government regulations were put into place to stop the cutting of tea with other substances thanks to the Food and Drug Act.

While tea taxes were effectively brought under control in Britain, there were other locations that faced taxation from this government. With the rise of the American colonies came a whole new source of revenue.

Tea Taxes In America

As British settlers poured into the colonies hoping to make new lives for themselves, they brought many traditions with them. Tea drinking was just one of them. This tradition, however, would soon play a pivot role in the founding of a new nation.

The first tea taxes in America are believed to have come about in 1767 when Parliament set a three-pence a pound tax on imports of tea to the American colonies. At this time, however, the American tea tax was still a great deal lower than the fees Brits faced back in the Mother country. It would still be nearly two decades before the Commutation Act passed.

America’s tea taxes were less at the time due to concessions made to the East India Company by Parliament. What exactly happened behind closed doors that gave the colonists preferential pricing at the time remains a mystery to historians. Whatever the case, colonists did enjoy their tea at a lower price than their compatriots back at home had to pay.

Some believe the lower duties and taxes in America were designed to make it easier for the East India Company to compete effectively against other importers, such as the Dutch. Unfortunately for taxpayers, both the company and the British government would soon find themselves facing debts that were out of control.

Following the French and Indian War, which left Britain largely in control of North America, the British government’s debts soared. It is estimated that government debt climbed from around 75 million pounds to more than 130. To recover some of its expenses, Great Britain enacted a series of taxes on the American colonists.

Charles Townshend’s 1767 tax on tea, paper, paint and other supplies was just one of many taxes enacted following the war. By 1773, Parliament approved of the Tea Act, which was created to help the East India Company stay afloat. This act gave the company control over tea sales in the colonies. Thanks to a large surplus of tea in London warehouses, the company prepared to deliver thousands of pounds of tea for sale in the colonies at prices that would put many local merchants and especially smugglers out of business. The tea tax, however, remained in place - much to the chagrin of American settlers, who were fed up with British taxes. Seeing the tea tax as an unfair duty and angered at the preferential treatment given to the East India Company, many colonists began to rally for their rights. As the low-priced shipments of tea came into the colonies, many locations refused to allow the cargo to be offloaded. In Boston, the infamous Tea Party took place as a load of cheap tea sat in Boston Harbor.

While the Tea Act of 1773 would have given the American colonists much cheaper tea - even with the tea tax included - colonists felt agreeing to pay the price meant giving up rights to representation. This was not about to happen in the eyes of such patriots as Sam Adams. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

The British and tea have been synonymous for centuries. Taxes on this import, however, proved to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back and led to the founding of a whole new country.































5 Items to Check When Buying Private Label Bottled Water

As the popularity of private label bottled water grows as a cost effective way to promote corporate brands and advertise, it becomes more and more important to purchase from a reliable supplier.

Promoting a brand must be done with care and the right bottled water supplier will be an asset but the wrong choice can have disastrous brand consequences.

The question then becomes what to look for in choosing a quality supplier of private label bottled water.

  • Experience and Reputation of The Supplier

  • Inexperience or a reputation for low quality bottled water can damage a brand significantly. The development and distribution of a private label bottled water offering is an involved process that requires integrated design, production and distribution and care must be taken to produce a quality product. An inexperienced supplier or one who cuts corners to make a profit on a low price deal will do more harm than good.

    Deal with a supplier who has many years experience in the private label bottled water business and has a reputation for integrity and quality performance.

  • Quality of the Design

  • Quality of design is another critical element in the bottled custom label water business.

    In order to do the job right a graphic designer is required in order to produce a label that is accurate and represents a vivid complement to the client’s brand. Amateurish designs are obvious and make a negative statement about the brand.

    Many low quality private label bottled water suppliers often design the label themselves without the use of proper design principles and the final product clearly shows up as a low quality, amateurish product.

  • Quality of the Water

  • Production of a private label bottled water product requires quality across the board and the water must taste good - otherwise customers will not use or recommend the product.

    Low quality suppliers often buy their water on the spot market based on lowest price and water quality suffers. Often tap water or spring water with objectionable taste is used because it is cheap but this reflects poorly on the brand and image effort.

    If the price seems too good to be true it probably is and the client’s brand will suffer.

  • Quality of the Bottle Design

  • Private label bottled water is a consumer product and an attractive bottle with a high quality laminated label will catch the eye of customers and help create word of mouth advertising. When dealing with consumers, it is the details that count so choose a supplier who has a standardized, attractive bottle.

    Dealing with a supplier that buys bottles on the spot market to reduce costs will provide a product that uses low quality bottles with constantly changing bottle designs and will have a negative effect on the brand message of the private label bottled water.

  • Flexibility of Contracting

  • Some suppliers offer attractive prices for large quantity of palletized water but storage become a tremendous problem. Water is heavy and bulky and storage is at best cumbersome and expensive. Many low quality bottled water suppliers will take the order and then let you, the customer worry about logistics and storage.

    Some suppliers, however, offer the pricing of a bulk purchase with a contract that allows shipments according to the individuals needs of the customer. These types of contracts eliminate the need for customer storage and create significant value in terms of convenience and cost effectiveness.

    When shopping for a private label bottled water supplier, look for quality and convenience rather than just price allow. Your brand will benefit.




































    A Steaming Cup of Tea on a Perfect Fall Day

    Today was a perfect fall day. The weather was moderate and cool and the sun was shining all day. It was a good day to be alive and appreciate all the good things that happen in one’s life.

    Fall to me is the best season of the year, not too hot and not too cold with beautiful nature all around. As the nights become cooler and the trees start to change color, fall emerges as a way to remember the events of summer and as a time to prepare for the cold of winter.

    Fall is a great time for country driving and trips that explore the fall scenery are memorable events. The days are cool enough to create brilliant displays of color but usually warm enough in early fall to travel with car windows open or with the convertible top down. The rush of fresh air is exhilarating.

    Fall is also an ideal time for sporting events and other outdoor activity. Football games and rallies, hay rides, clam bakes and a myriad of other events bring families together and add festivities to the enjoyment of fall activities.

    Many times, at the end of the day families and friends meet in front of a cracking fire to relive the day. Many also choose to enjoy a full body steaming cup of hot tea.

    Tea is the perfect drink, either alone or around friends and family. In addition to is delicious taste, whole leaf tea creates a feeling of well being and relaxation that appeals to the tea drinker mind, body and spirit and there is a tea just right for every tea drinker and occasion.

    But at the end of a perfect fall (or any) day one should finish with a tea drink made from the highest quality tea. Bagged tea that is not robust or rich in flavor will frequently be a letdown. Quality tea is the perfect drink for any occasion and many tea drinkers start and finish the day with a steaming cup of their favorite beverage.

    Enjoy a hot cup of quality tea on a perfect fall day and it is probable that many other tea drinking days will turn out the same.