I wiped the dripping sweat off of my brow, panting under the blistering morning sun. Pausing to take a swig of cool, refreshing water, I gazed up to the top of the mountain and was suddenly troubled by how tiny the hikers approaching the summit appeared.
You can’t stop now, I thought wearily. Remember what you promised yourself?
Mere hours after our plane touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the questions started coming: “How was your trip to Israel?” “What was your favorite part?” “Did you feel safe?”
It’s taken a week to write up our first blog post about our recent trip to Israel. (That’s practically a decade century in the blogosphere.) There’s so much to unpack, both literally and metaphorically, from our nine days in the Holy Land.
We tried to perfect the 60-second elevator pitch, something along the lines of “It was great! We went to Jerusalem, floated in the Dead Sea, partied in Tel Aviv and made some fantastic new friends.” But what I really wanted to say to these people was, I could talk to you for over an hour about this, and still not get through everything we saw and experienced: how we were moved by the convergence of three religions in a city we’d only read about in books; how we challenged ourselves to hike the Snake Path at Masada and emerged triumphantly at the summit; how we gazed across the Syrian border and saw smoke in the distance; how we laughed and cried while discussing what it means to be part of a family that is blending religious traditions.
So here, over several blog entries, I’m going to try to give you a sense of why our trip to Israel with Honeymoon Israel was so profound and thought-provoking for us.
After months of blizzards, puddles of brown slush, and frigid rain in New York City, the weather gods have finally decided to relent and bless us with some actual warm weather. (Californians, I can hear your snickering across the country. Shhhhhh.) This, of course, means one thing: it’s time to get serious about planning your next wine tasting adventure.
While the Finger Lakes are where it’s at for truly high quality wine in the state of New York, Long Island wineries are an easy day trip from New York City, making it an ideal introduction to the state’s wineries for both locals and tourists alike. Here are five wineries to put on your itinerary for your next trip to Long Island wine country.
The mint julep holds a special place in my heart. Prior to attending the Kentucky Derby in May 2013, Mr. Five O’Clock and I were die-hard wine fans and wouldn’t give cocktails much of a second thought. However, once we tasted this delicious, boozy concoction on Derby Day, we realized that—gasp!—bourbon could be just as interesting as a glass of Bordeaux or Barolo.
The mint julep became the official drink of the Kentucky Derby in 1938, but it turns out that they’ve been around much longer than that. According to David Wondrich’s Imbibe!, a “julep” was simply medicine at first (as early as 900 AD or even before that). How it turned into an alcoholic beverage is still up for debate, but Wondrich tells us that the original spirit of choice for a julep was actually French cognac (not whiskey!).
Given the variety of julep recipes out there, we thought we’d conduct a mint julep taste test of our own. Which version of this drink would wind up reigning supreme?
In true detective fashion, I conducted a very sophisticated focus group during yesterday’s 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby (read: invited over Miss Scarlet and Bourbon Broad for drinks). While the Kentucky Derby may be the quickest two minutes in sports, our debate about mint juleps proved to be the longest twenty-two minutes in the history of our taste tests. Find out which julep we’d drink over and over again.
It was only a matter of time.
Between the two of us itching to travel together, plus the fact that most of our friends had visited Montreal and raved about it, it was only natural that Mr. Five O’Clock and I selected our Northern neighbor for a quick weekend getaway. We quickly fell in love with Québec’s metropolis, replete with food and drink that left our tastebuds dancing like jitterbugs and architecture that left our minds reeling.
If you only have 48 hours to spend in Canada’s second largest city, make it a priority to hit these picturesque places. Trust me: you’ll leave with drool worthy Instagram pics and a satisfied stomach!
Montreal, I’ve got to hand it to you: I had no idea that the caliber of your watering holes (not to mention your food) was so high. Here we are, sitting in New York City after a fantastic whirlwind getaway to Québec’s metropolis last weekend, and all Mr. Five O’Clock and I can think about is how soon we can return to your charming city to revisit our favorite spots and scout out new ones.
While there’s no doubt that our current residence will always have a new, hot “bar of the moment” to try, there’s something really exciting about a city that hasn’t been overrun with dozens of speakeasies and can hold its own in the world of excellent microbrews. If you find yourself up in the Great White North with a hankering for some booze, here are the top spots to grab a drink in Montreal right now.
You’ve probably heard of gin, rum, vodka, bourbon, and tequila. If you’re a little more advanced in the way of cocktails and other spirits, you probably know your way around mezcal, vermouth, and absinthe, too. But there’s a host of other libations with strange-sounding names, like cynar and campari. What the @#$! is this stuff, anyway?
Today, we’re going to demystify Mamajuana.
Giorgio set the glass of garnet-colored wine in front of me confidently, as if he already knew the ultimate decision I’d make.
“Thanks, but I’m not sure if I should try it,” I politely declined, still in disbelief at the fact that it was acceptable to legally drink wine under the age of 21. It was 2006, and the 20-year-old me, studying abroad in Rome, still clung to the rules and regulations she had grown up with in America.
My roommate and I had recently discovered a neighborhood Italian restaurant on one of the side streets near the Pantheon. Lured by the aromas of sizzling meat sauces and freshly-cooked tagliatelle, we were quickly seated in an outdoor table near the back. Upon learning that I had never had wine before, our server, Giorgio, insisted that I try some Montepulciano d’Abruzzo to “make my life complete.”
It all started with a simple question.
“What would you like to drink next?” Mathias, an excellent mixologist at Charlie was a Sinner in Philadelphia, asked Red Rose and me. We had just finished a magical wheatgrass concoction recommended to us by Derek, one of the spot’s regulars, and were hoping to stay on the gin train.
“Something with gin, maybe lemon,” we said decidedly. “Ah, an Aviation,” Mathias replied immediately, and whipped up two Aviation cocktails, placing them in front of us.
As I studied the drink before me, however, I was confused. “Are you sure this is an Aviation?” I asked demurely. “I mean, isn’t it supposed to be blue in color?”
“This is definitely an Aviation,” he nodded vigorously. “Gin, lemon, maraschino. That’s it.” (Note to past self: it’s never a good idea to question your bartender, who generally knows a hell of a lot more about this stuff than you do.)
Still, throughout the next week, our exchange got me thinking about this high-flying libation: How is the Aviation cocktail supposed to be made, and which version tastes the best? Determined to find out, I gathered my books and my buddies—Mr. Five O’Clock, Rachel, Miss Scarlet, and Bourbon Broad—to get to the bottom of this puzzle. What we found on our quest, dear reader, might surprise you.
Planning a trip to the Hawaiian islands can be daunting. With six inhabited islands to choose from (not counting the “Forbidden Island” of Niihau), how can you possibly narrow it down to just one?
While Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii get the most love in terms of number of visitors each year, I’m going to come out and say it: Kauai is the island you’ll want to return to again and again. After I visited the Garden Isle for my good friend Agent M‘s 30th birthday, I vowed to return to see the rest of its unparalleled beauty. Whether it’s lush, green mountains or towering waterfalls you’re after, here are five experiences that will make you fall in love with Kauai.
