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Women & Whiskey

May 6, 2015 in events by traveleatlove | 1 comment

Last week I attended a Women & Whiskey event at the beautiful Fairmont Copley Hotel in Boston. Held by Where to Eat Boston and led by Brandy Rand, a cocktail and wine marketing expert, the whiskey tasting was fun, informative, and delicious.

We kicked it off with a Basil Hayden bourbon drink, a tea julep that was a nod to the Kentucky Derby coming up that weekend. The drink was lightly sweet with a lovely tea flavor and a kick of bourbon, really delicious.

The Fairmont Copley put out a nice spread of grilled breads, cheese, and charcuterie, and I filled my plate a couple of times, enjoying each bite with sips of my cocktail. The perfect meal?

Brandy shared information on how whiskey is made, the history of whiskey in various places in the world, and information about whiskey through the decades. It was interesting to learn how vodka, flavorless and difficult to smell, nudged whiskey out as a top choice, but how whiskey (especially bourbon) is making a comeback.

We wafted various whiskeys and learned to properly taste, holding tastes in our mouth, making sure to cover all the tastebuds, and appreciating the finish of each whiskey.

I had tried some of the whiskeys before, including the Scotch whisky, Auchentoshan while we were in Scotland. However, this was my first time trying Japanese whiskey, a Yamazaki 12! I really loved it!

We also tasted three bourbons side-by-side, Maker’s Mark, Basil Hayden, and Knob Creek rye. I’ve become a rye fan in the past few years and enjoyed the vanilla and oak notes in the Knob Creek. It was my favorite of the American whiskeys.

The winner for the night for me, however, was the Tyrconnell Irish whiskey. I can’t help it; it was smooth with notes of honey and a little bit of smoke, evoking moments of sitting by a turf fire on past trips to Ireland. It smelled and tasted like a bit of home.

Brandy did a really awesome job keeping us interested and making whiskey fun and approachable, especially for women, who are often steered toward girly (vodka) and fruity drinks. Brandy wanted us to be able to identify a whiskey that we liked, and from the chatter in the crowd, it seemed that everyone did.

Are you a whiskey fan? If you have an opportunity to attend a Women & Whiskey event, I would definitely recommend it!

Tags: events, Fairmont Copley, whiskey, whiskey and women, whisky, whisky tasting

Taste of the South End Ticket Giveaway

February 25, 2015 in events, Food by traveleatlove | 7 comments

Taste of the South End is next week! This night full of chefs is the perfect excuse to get out of the house this March, which will hopefully come in like a lamb rather than a lion!

A little about Taste of the South End from one of Boston’s favorite chefs:

“The Taste of the South End is Boston’s premier food & wine event in our neighborhood and it brings together all of the South End chefs for the AIDS Action Committee. It is a fine way to both raise money for a wonderful organization that does vital work in our community and also have fun saying hello to friends, neighbors and colleagues. I would not miss this event for the world,” -Chef Gordon Hamersley.

I haven’t been to the Taste of the South End in a few years, but the last time I went I had an amazing time. I have heard it just gets better every year. This year’s Taste of the South End lineup includes SO many favorite restaurants like B & G Oysters, Cinquecento, Myers + Chang, and Sweet Cheeks. The night promises to be delicious and all for a great cause.

I have a pair of tickets to give away, and I am going to choose a winner at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. To enter, just take a peek at the Restaurants page and let me know in the comments what restaurant table you would want to visit first. For an extra entry, tweet “ I want to win @tastesouthend tickets from @traveleatlovemm.”

Good luck!

About AIDS Action Committee

AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is the state’s leading provider of prevention and wellness services for people vulnerable to HIV infection. It provides services to one in six people in Massachusetts living with an HIV diagnosis. Many of the people who seek services at AIDS Action have more pressing, immediate priorities than HIV—which can rank third or fourth on their list of concerns after homelessness, malnutrition, or domestic violence. That is why in addition to HIV counseling and testing, and needle exchange, AIDS Action provides services in mental health counseling; housing assistance; and legal support. Additionally, most of our clients have average annual incomes of less than $10,000 a year.

AIDS Action works to prevent new HIV infections, support those affected by HIV, and tackle the root causes of HIV/AIDS by educating the public and health professionals about HIV prevention and care; and advocating for fair and effective HIV/AIDS policy at the city, state, and federal levels. Founded in 1983, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts is New England’s first and largest AIDS service organization. In 2013, AIDS Action formed a strategic alliance with Fenway Health that will allow the two organizations to work more closely together and improve delivery of care and services to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Tags: Aids Action Committee, community, events, Food, taste of, Taste of the South End

Food and Wine and Fall Roundup

November 18, 2014 in Cocktails, events, Food, Living, Restaurants, wine by traveleatlove | 3 comments

Do you ever have one of those weeks months where everything seems to fly by at lightning speed, when you rarely have a night free, and where you’re constantly going over plans for days and weeks in advance just to make sure you’re not missing something?

That’s how life has been lately. House stuff, work photo and TV shoots and events, travel planning, family, and more house stuff have made me feel like I am being spun around in a game of pin the tail on the donkey. During that time though, there were so many fun and delicious moments that I thought a rainy, dreary week could use a roundup of happy; that’s what today’s post is all about.

Slow cooked meals on weeknights – For some reason the kitchen is like therapy to me, and coming home after a busy day is made better by working on a comforting meal. This roast was absolutely incredible. It involved me searing the meat on all sides, then seasoning with garlic powder, pepper, and thyme and deglazing the pan with Travessia Jester red wine and beef stock. After that, the roast went into an oven at 400 with lots of vegetables and an entire head of crushed garlic. The end result was heavenly, the meat even better served cold with horseradish the next day. If you live in Massachusetts and haven’t tried Travessia wine, a visit to their tasting room is a perfect cold weather activity!

Visiting family and hanging out in pj’s on a cold and dreary Saturday with my mom’s French toast is just the best. I can’t wait until Christmas!

A yard full of cats – a stray mama cat and her kittens adopted us. While we try to catch them to bring them to a rescue, they have a little home to live in, along with two meals a day. I am constantly stressed about their wellbeing and hoping a rescue will get back to me soon!

The Massachusetts Governors Conference on Travel and Tourism – My work is so intertwined with Massachusetts travel, plus I love this state, so being at the JFK Library for the day with other tourism professionals was interesting and inspiring. The food at the library is delicious, and it happened to be National Boston Cream Pie Day, so the Parker House contributed the real deal.

The JFK Library has such an energy about it. It is also a great Boston day trip.

Speaking of energy and inspiration, the EF Education building opening was another beacon of light on a rainy day. They pulled out all the stops to celebrate their brand new building, and the event included fall cocktails, a flash mob, and the Landfillharmonic, a group of children from a Paraguayan slum who play instruments made from trash recovered from a landfill. The kids played “Imagine”, and there was not a dry eye in that tent. Beautiful.

We savored the outdoors while the weather was still fine, with beers on Atwoods’ patio and a day out at the Head of the Charles.

And we played tourist in Harvard Square, checking out beautiful architecture in the First Parish Church. In all of life’s chaos, I sometimes crave the peace that faith brings, and it was nice being in such a beautiful, faith-filled space.

Head of the Charles cocktails at Grafton Street have been a tradition since we went on one of our first dates, and it was a nice enough day to sit by windows open on to the street. Along with sipping drinks, we made friends with a handsome pitbull named Hudson. It was love at first sight.

I have to admit that our dining has been indulgent, and our exercise nonexistent. Lunches on-the-go have included a burger topped with lobster and guacamole at the Legal Sea Foods at Logan Airport. My goal is to join a gym the day we return from Ireland and to try to once and for all get back in shape and lose some of the weight I have gained this past year. It’s definitely been getting me down, and it’s been hard to turn around while so busy. Still, choices like this don’t help!

Finally, we’ve been loving the natural beauty of the season, including the changing leaves in the views from our home.

Chilly days are still fine for beach trips, and Duxbury Beach sparkled one windy Sunday.

And my garden is still hanging on! While the vegetable garden has been turned under and mixed with compost for the season, my little “cottage garden” as I call it, still has flowers and greens sprouting. It adds a little cheer to those dark mornings and evenings when we come and go. I don’t love that we almost never see daylight this time of year!