Martini madness

There’s a photo in bdnhome@aol.com that might work with this.

The bear beat out the lobster for top honors in Cold River Vodka’s Martini Mix-off. Baxter’s Hunnetini, named after Baxter the Bear, who was made popular by kid’s singer Rick Charette, beat out more than 50 other recipes. Robin Demello of Brownfield mixed honey liquor with the Maine-made potato vodka and garnished it with crystallized ginger to win the final mix-off held on Sunday at the 93 Townsend in Boothbay Harbor. Cold River Vodka is made from Maine-grown potatoes and Maine spring water and distilled in Freeport.

Recipe for Baxter’s Hunnetini:

3 parts Cold River Vodka

3 parts Barenjager Honey Liqueur

Garnish of crystallized ginger (a type of candy you can purchase at a drug store)

Mix the vodka and the liqueur together and shake.

Garnish and serve.

For more information and recipes, visit www.coldrivervodka.com.

For the love of garlic

What’s roasty and toasty and better than butter (well, better for you, anyway)? Roasted garlic. Chances are you have a few bulbs to spare this time of year, so why not roast ’em up without turning on the oven? The nifty Roasted Garlic Express cooks garlic in a third of the time. It costs $29.99 and is available online at www.cookswares.com. For information, visit www.roastedgarlicexpress.com.

A sweet taste of fall

If you needed an excuse to indulge in maple syrup, Kathy Hopkins and Beth Calder of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension have the perfect project for you. The duo are helping Maine syrup producers expand their markets by testing several new food products that incorporate maple syrup as an ingredient. A consumer evaluation of these products will be held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27., in the University’s Consumer Testing Center, 158 Hitchner Hall in Orono. Visitor parking is available adjacent to Hitchner. The products to be evaluated are mustard, barbecue sauce, granola, and two dessert toppings. The test is open to anyone over the age of 18. However, due to the presence of some food ingredients, we ask that persons with food allergies or lactose and gluten intolerance not participate. Anyone who completes the evaluation will receive a one-hour phone card. For more information, please contact Beth Calder at 581-2791 or by e-mail at beth.calder@umit.maine.edu.

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