JFG Nation, it happens every year. 2:00pm of Day 1 of the Summer Fancy Food Show rolls around, and my brain holds up a sign that reads: “is it happy hour yet?” Trust me, the vendor companies know it too. Once the lunch hour was over, booze started to pop up at numerous booths, even NON booze vendor booths!  Case in point:

This is a nice mini Bloody Mary from the Summer Fancy Food Show 2016. The vendor who gave it to me? He was pimping the bit of organic Slim Jim sticking out of the vodka laced cup.

I had this Bittermilk from South Carolina shaken with some bourbon and ice. Nice citrus-y flavor with a hint of honey. Really delicious.

Cocktail Crate was another great mixer company and I tried these three flavors mixed with light beer. Let me tell ya, I loooooove beer cocktails. The Spicy Michelada mixed with a light beer? Danger danger Will Robinson. We’re about to turn up.

At the Summer Fancy Food Show, there are, in addition to individual vendor booths, rows and rows of countries pushing their nation’s general wares. Typically my friend Jen and I walk down a lot of Latin country rows and drink all the mezcal, tequila, cachaça, and rum we can. This year? Greece was free flowing. “COME! Try all of the dessert wines from Mount Olympus!” DONE, SON.

“COME! Try all the Ouzo in the country! One is a blanco, one is like an anejo, BOTH TASTE LIKE LICORICE AND WILL GET YOU DRUNK.” Sir yes sir. The Gold Series Ouzo Kefi was like liquid fire down my throat, down into my belly. Expensive liquid fire.

Cider is always too sweet. This craft cider from Shacksbury was not. I missed the reason why – as the vendor eloquently spoke about the apples, Jen and I guzzled mini cup after mini cup. Things devolved quickly after Greece.

Margaritas! How could I forget about those? My favorite margarita mix at the Summer Fancy Food Show 2016 was this key lime mix series from Stirrings. Jen preferred the simple mix, which was sweet, tart, and strong – the kind that can really cut through a strong tequila – while I liked the 5 calorie mix a LOT. It tasted just like basic lime juice with a splash of salt and sugar. More natural, IMO – but both were pure and pretty awesome.

Low cal mixers were definitely a trend last year and it continued this year. People want to get buzzed and stay fit. These low cal mixers from Crafted were really really nice – they make both cocktails mixers and shrubs (which are either a fruit liqueur, a vinegar based drink syrup / drinking vinegar), use 100% agave and can pair with ANY booze. I had this spicy watermelon paired with both vodka and tequila. It was tasty on both, but to be fair, I feel like you could’ve mixed this stuff with gasoline and it’d be yummy.

Finally, one of my favorite companies from the Summer Fancy Food Show 2016 – Alice and the Magician! Cocktail aromatics! Basically aromatic sprays that trick your nose into sensing/tasting flavors that aren’t in the drink! My mind was blown. First of all these were just amazing aromatics. I smelled their grapefruit spray and it was like I had just eaten the freshest grapefruit in the world.

Here’s an example of what Alice and the Magician does – they gave me a shooter of tonic water with a drop of lime. I sipped – pretty straightforward sweet flavor, carbonation, etc. Then the vendor sprayed the glass with their “London Dry,” and I sipped again – and the drink smelled, tasted, FELT like I was drinking the most perfect gin and tonic I’d ever had. The vendor explained what we all already know – smell dictates taste. Think of the implications! If you can make heathy low cal low sugar things taste amazing by tweaking SMELL? Our world would be turned upside down.

I ended both days of the Summer Fancy Food Show with a decent buzz – that’s what a good 30-40 mini cups of booze will do to you. I need to lie down just remembering those days. I’ll see you after the weekend, JFG Nation! Let me know what you’d like to try from the above products in the comments below.

Sincerely,

The JFG