As OPEC does with oil, the Carthusian monastery that has made Chartreuse liqueurs in Eastern France since 1605 is limiting the flow of the spirit and causing shortages at the bar. (The monks do not plan to increase production to meet demand; better to concentrate on solitude and prayer.) Though the venerable liqueur has a unique recipe, there’s a promising alternative for that Last Word cocktail: Chaparral. It’s one of three amaros by Brucato Amaro, a San Francisco company specializing in that category of drink, all inspired by the California landscape. A base of California brandy is infused with yerba santa, mint, anise and cardamom, resulting in a greenish-amber liqueur scented with warm spices and cool mint, slightly sweet and decidedly herbal on the palate. It’s a little less green and syrupy, but can step into a cocktail without missing a beat.
Brucato Amaro Chaparral, brucatoamaro.com, $39.99 for 750 milliliters from Wooden Cork, woodencork.com.
The Ralph Lauren of Ice Cream Is Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren has channeled Mister Softee. His soft serve flavors, a new treat offered at Ralph’s coffee trucks and cafes, are only coffee and vanilla. No chocolate, toppings or mix-ins, though you can order a swirl. And only by the cup ($7). “We’re purists here,” said a spokeswoman. The coffee is intense, made with a La Colombe blend from Central and South America that is the designer’s signature Ralph’s Roast. The soft serve is sold at Ralph’s Coffee in Manhasset and Harriman, New York, Chicago, Tyson’s Corner, Va., and soon, in Aventura, Fla. In Manhattan it will be available starting Monday at a new Ralph’s Coffee truck on Fifth Avenue and 51st Street, in front of Rockefeller Center.
Australian Glassware Now at the MAD Shop
Tableware and other home accessories made by Fazeek, a company in Melbourne, Australia, are now available in the United States. The shop at the Museum of Arts and Design, MAD, at Columbus Circle, is carrying its line of rippled, handblown borosilicate glassware in tempting colors like amber and pale pink, which demonstrate the company’s sculptural designs. Some pieces suggest cross-sections of Ionic columns. In the hand, they feel less fragile than they look. Notable is the stemmed coupe for cocktails, sparkling wines, berries and frozen confections.
Fazeek Glass stemware, $112 for two, tumblers, $82 for two, Museum of Arts and Design, thestore.madmuseum.org.
Swedish Midsummer Celebrations
As any fan of Ingmar Bergman or Stephen Sondheim knows, midsummer is a big deal in Scandinavia, and especially in Sweden. At Aquavit in Midtown, they go all out with a special lunch on Saturday, and herring feasts in the barroom from July 10 through 22. But as a preamble to those events, on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. in Rockefeller Park at the waterfront in Battery Park City, the 25th annual Swedish Consulate midsummer festival will have music, dancing and food, including homemade herring from Aquavit sold in jars. There will be three varieties: matjes, mustard and glassblower with onions, $10 each for about five ounces (two to four servings).
A Shop for High-End Wine and Whiskey
Many liquor stores sell bottles like Pappy Van Winkle and first-growth Bordeaux, along with Smirnoff and Sutter Home. Now, on the Upper East Side, there’s Collezione New York, a new boutique stocked exclusively with upscale whiskey and wine. Stefano Pileggi, a native of Calabria, Italy, from a family involved in retail, came to New York in 2011 and eventually turned what he calls his “passion for nice products” and his love of rare whiskeys into this business. It’s an elegant setting for showcasing, at present, various iterations of Macallan Scotch, some Japanese rarities and high-end Burgundies, Bordeaux and California wines. He plans to diversify, adding sherries, Château d’Yquem, Cognac and other categories to the inventory. “I want to sell bottles you can’t find anywhere else,” he said. Prices start at about $80 and climb to six figures. His clients are mostly connoisseurs and collectors, who he advises.
Collezione New York, 786 Madison Avenue (67th Street), 917-388-2083, collezionenewyork.com.
A Primer on the Middle Eastern Pantry
The latest book by Lior Lev Sercarz, the chef and owner of the global spice brand, La Boîte, with a shop in Hell’s Kitchen, is an important addition to the culinary library. Middle Eastern food has been in the American culinary lexicon for some time. But for those who barely know shawarma, amba or muhammara and wish for more fluency, this book’s colorful pages will soon become smudged with pomegranate and sumac. Each of its 14 chapters covers a category of ingredients like spices, sesame, dried fruit and grains, with descriptions, culture, history, politics, suggested uses and recipes. A Druze red onion salad with pomegranate, stewed olives, spiced silan carrots, and Turkish rice pudding deserve a place on the table. And if you have never made lamb meatballs with feta, olives and the fragrant spice blend baharat, it’s time.
“A Middle Eastern Pantry: Essential Ingredients for Classic and Contemporary Recipes” by Lior Lev Sercarz (Clarkson Potter $35).
Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
