Several festive new holiday drinks, suitable for year-end reveling, have been created by Nolet’s, a gin company that was founded in 1691 in Schiedam, the Netherlands, and is still family-owned. The cocktails are notable for the simplicity of their ingredients — no need to concoct arcane herbal mixtures, and the like. The Peppermint Southside, a winterized version of the Southside cocktail, calls for three-fourths ounce (1.5 tablespoons) each of lime juice and simple syrup shaken with 1.25 ounces gin and ice, then strained into a martini glass rimmed with crushed candy canes and garnished with a peppermint leaf. Nolet’s Silver Gin has a floral bouquet and a veneer of lemon on the finish, so it’s best to make the drink with a gin that’s not too austere. Other easily-made drinks are gin and soda garnished with cranberries and fresh rosemary; and a pomegranate mule made for one, or multiplied in a batch with gin, lime juice, pomegranate juice and ginger beer.
Fresh Seafood From Crave Fishbar
In response to the pandemic, Crave Fishbar, the seafood restaurants in Midtown East and on the Upper West Side, started selling fresh seafood retail. The selection is varied and includes portion-size fillets of tilefish, black bass, arctic char and halibut, along with butterflied branzino, sea scallops, oysters, marinated skewered shrimp, crab cakes and live or cooked lobsters. A cooked two-pound lobster for $35.92 is a particularly good buy. Orders placed by 9 p.m. are readied for next-day pickup and delivery from both locations, on several platforms.
Crave Fishbar, 945 Second Avenue (50th Street); 428 Amsterdam Avenue (80th Street), cravefishbar.com.
Pick Up Award-Winning Cheese
At the World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin in March (after a win in 2020), and in the World Cheese Awards last month in Wales, Swiss Gruyères AOP from Gourmino, aged 12 to 14 months, took the prizes. Called Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP 12-14 month, they are not industrial Gruyères but handmade cheeses, and are made by the cheesemakers Michael Spycher, whose cheese won the World Championship, and Urs Leuenberger, the winner in Wales out of a field of 4,400 entries. AOP is the European designation for protected origin. Le Gruyère AOP, made by Michael Spycher, has a nutty aroma, is firm but supple and delivers complex, herbal flavor with a tangy finish.
Gourmino Le Gruyère AOP by Michael Spycher, $25 to $30 a pound at Brooklyn Larder, Harry’s Table, Zabar’s and, in New Jersey, Gary’s Wine, and others. Some of these outlets also sell it online.
Golden Macarons for the Table
This year, Ladurée is gilding the cookie. The company’s macarons coated in gold leaf add a lovely finishing touch to a New Year’s dinner. The gilding can be applied to any of the macarons for an extra $2.90 each, but there are a couple of new, seasonal flavors to consider: a green one called fir tree, with a piney-scented filling; and the brioche, with a rich, caramelized white chocolate and candied fruit filling. Macarons are $3 each; boxes start at $28 for eight. Gilding is available with 24 hours’ notice by calling 646-895-8981 for pickup at Ladurée shops.
Ladurée, 646-895-8981, laduree.us.
An Andrés Family Documentary
An exuberant tour of Spain’s culinary landscape is what the chef and humanitarian José Andrés offers in a new six-part series, streaming this week on Discovery+. With his three American-born daughters, Carlota, Inés and Lucía Andrés, in tow, he hops from Barcelona to Valencia to Madrid and even out to the Canary Islands. They greet chefs, cook, share in the local culture and sample foods and drinks, much of which the girls describe as “awesome.” Each of the six hourlong segments covers a different city or region. Viewers who have never traveled to Spain may be compelled to book a flight; it might even be an eye-opener for those familiar with the country and its cuisine.
“José Andrés and Family in Spain” produced by Nutopia and José Andrés Media for Discovery+.
A Wine Decanter With Ample Room
This handsome and affordable carafe from Wine Enthusiast’s Art Series offers some drama. As you pour wine through the aerating spout on the Cascade Wine Decanter, it streams beautifully down the sides of the vessel. The decanter is easily grasped and can hold a magnum.
Wine Enthusiast Art Series Cascade Wine Decanter with Aerating Pourer, $69, wineenthusiast.com.
