A friend in the wine industry turned me on to a delicious late harvest Zinfandel called Liquid Love. From Paso Robles, California, this is the perfect wine for Valentine’s Day - deep rich blackberry color and big, plummy flavor. It pairs beautifully with serious dark chocolate desserts like a flourless chocolate cake. Liquid Love and chocolate - how does it get better than that?!

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Two clever bartenders, one from New Orleans, the other from DC, brainstormed, taking inspiration from the recent comments of New Orleans’ famous and infamous Mayor to create a cocktail called the “Ragin Nagin - A Delicious Chocolate Drink” Composed of chocolate liqueur, Creme de Menthe, vodka and a garnish of grated chocolate and a vanilla bean, the drink is not only delicious, it’s hilarious.

I love the intense flavor of tangerines. There is an incredible Mandarin Napoleon brandy that is so heady with mandarin flavor, it tastes like a kicked-up liquid tangerine. Recently a bar tending buddy tested out a new liqueur on me - Intrigue, a French-made blend of premium vodka, cognac and tangerines. His drink, a recipe offered by the Intrigue company, mixes schnapps, apple juice and tangerine Intrigue. The drink was…intriguing. I would like this better neat along with a nice square of dark chocolate. In fact, I’m going to add a bit of this to my dark chocolate mousse recipe.

If you’ve ever had a caipirinha, then you know the spirit cachaca and how rough it is. A favorite bartender insisted on making me the Brazilian national drink recently, insisting that I wouldn’t find the spirit so difficult to swallow. He was right, it was the smoothest caipirinha I’d ever had and delicious too. Sagatiba, is a new cachaca thats multi-diistilled to result in a super-smooth liquor, perfect for the purest caipirinha.

I recently read about how adding a couple of drops of good quality olive oil to a berry cocktail will enhance the flavor. Intrigued I tried it. Several drops of excellent extra-virgin olive oil from Lucca, Italy, added to my red raspberry martini was simply amazing. There was no oily slip, and the fruitiness of the oil did bring out the brightmess of the berries. Try it yourself, but make sure to use a top-notch, extra-virgin olive oil. I also experimented with a not-so-great oil and it wasn’t very nice.

Today is St. Martin’s Day. Did you know that St. Martin is the Patron Saint of drunkards? While I may not be a drunkard…yet… I’m certainly practicing. In fact, I’ll be practicing tonight by using the new, gas-powered blender that we recently purchased from www.totallygross.com. It’s margarita time and as an added New Orleans measure, we’re topping off the margs with a generous squeeze of Satsuma juice. Happy Happy.

During a recent night out, I suffered from a disturbing bout of “Cocktail Indecision Disorder.” An eager bartender swooped in on my indecision and offered me her “favorite new drink.” Poured into a “rocks” glass , the cocktail was some form of booze mixed with cola. I took a sip, gagged and told her it tasted like Nyquil (the green one) on the rocks. Now Nyquil is pretty darn good when I’m working a cold, but the flavor does not make for a good cocktail. When pressed for the ingredients, said bartender smiled proudly and said, “It’s vanilla vodka and diet coke.” Ewwwww.

A cool new drink line has hit the market. Cocktails by Jenn is a small company espousing the “Jenn-osophy of life,” which is “about sharing fun and entertaining with flair.” That said, Jenn’s cocktails are tasty, ready-made, brightly colored martinis in cute little bottles. Available in 4 classic flavors - Cosmopolitan, Tropical Blue Lagoon, Lemon Drop, and Appletini - there is also a variety pack and a limited edition key lime martini. You can buy on line, or check the web site to to see if there’s a vendor in your state. www.cocktailsbyjenn.com.

In cooperation with the Frida Kahlo family estate, Dorado, Pizzorni & Sons, LLC Importers has launched Frida Kahlo tequila. A small batch tequila, Frida Kahlo Tequila is 100% natural, handcrafted using a traditional process blending the best quality blue agaves and other ingredients.

Kahlo’s niece reportedly claims that tequila was the artist’s “favorite drink” and “accompanied her in the greatest moments of her life.” Frida Kahlo Tequila is a Super Premium Tequila comes in three types: a fruity blanco, a smooth reposado and a pale amber-colored a√±ejo.

Initially, Frida Kahlo Tequila will be sold only in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, as well as in Mexico, with plans to expand nationally in 2006. Expect ot pay from $50 to $90 per bottle.

I hear that J&B has a “reinvented” whiskey called J&B -6 degrees C, that is a light blend of malt and grain with a pale color and an apple-pear scent. Described as soft and elegant flavored, great on its own or mixed with fruit juices, J&B -6 is only currently available in the UK. I will let you know ASAP if this whiskey is will be available in the States. Read more about it at wwwmicrozine.com