Local Beacon Author Shops For You For Cocktail Cheer Kit Themed Gifts: Gifts Fit For "Cocktails Across America"

For a cocktail-inspired Gift Guide, local Beacon author Diane Lapis, who is president of the Beacon Historical Society and co-author with Anne Peck-Davis of Cocktails Across America: A Postcard View of Cocktail Culture in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s has traveled Main Street to see which shops might have just the right cocktail enhancement for your home or that as a gift. The cocktail recipe book contains over 50 classic recipes (as well as several modern twists), fascinating historical vignettes and over 200 pieces of vintage ephemera. Pick up at Binnacle Books today - right now!

By Diane Lapis

Let’s lift our spirits and send some holiday cheer to friends and family!  Shop local and send a creative cocktail-themed gift basket to your loved ones.  Since celebrations can happen anywhere… set up a virtual happy hour with your cocktail-loving kin and enjoy drinks together! 

Beacon is the perfect place to find fun and festive cocktail items. From glasses to garnishes, you can find the right combination of essentials and spirits that will meet every budget. Start at the west end of Main Street (by Route 9D) and pick up all the accoutrement that you need for your kit!

Contact the store for hours and curbside pickup where available.

Utensil, 143 Main Street
Find bar essentials at Utensil, a practical, and affordable kitchenware shop. Utensil has a wide selection of tools such as strainers, shakers, stirrers, citrus squeezers and peelers, ice cube molds, glassware, coasters, bar towels, Raft bitters and syrups, and mouthwatering Woodford Reserve Bourbon Cherries.  

Artisan Wine Shop, 180 Main Street
Stock up on a marvelous selection of rare whiskeys and mezcals, as well as gins, rums, amaros, vermouths, tequilas, and bitters at Artisan Wine Shop, a wine and spirits store.  Unique liqueurs and cocktail modifiers from near and far take the home bartender on myriad cocktail adventures. Jiggers, strainers, muddlers, flasks, and single malt and rocks glasses are available.

Homespun Foods – 232 Main Street
Homespun has a unique offering of amaro, sherry and mistelles in full bottles for some holiday cheer! When your feet need resting after the day of shopping, sip on a hot spiced cider with Palo Cortado sherry. Many of the selections are organic or biodynamic. Homespun’s back patio is open with a fire pit, but the indoors remains for take-out pickup and ordering only.

The Last Outpost - 314 Main Street
This mainly menswear, lifestyle, and outdoor store carries many options for the cocktail enthusiast. Grab yourself a shaker, a vintage cork screw, a flask, or a glassware set from the modern era. It’s all at the Outpost and it’s all ready for you to make the perfect drink.

Dennings Point Distillery – 10 North Chestnut Street
Dennings Point Distillery has something for every spirits enthusiast – from their aromatic, citrus-forward Great 9 Gin to their award-winning cask strength Beacon Bourbon, and Beacon Apple Brandy, distilled from 100% local apples.

Binnacle Books – 321 Main Street
Pick up a copy or two (one for yourself!) of Cocktails Across America:  A Postcard View of Cocktail Culture in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s written by Beacon resident Diane Lapis and coauthor Anne Peck-Davis.  Cocktails contains over 50 classic recipes (as well as several modern twists), fascinating historical vignettes and over 200 pieces of vintage ephemera.  The reader will be transported to an era of unbridled indulgence and distinct glamour.

The book is also available at Amazon http://bit.ly/CocktailsAcrossAmerica

Beacon Bath and Bubble - 458 Main Street 
Garnish your cocktails with CANDY!!! Beacon Bath & Bubble has an amazing selection of old fashioned and retro candy from to make your cocktails look and taste special. Add a sweet finish to your drink… pierce some gummy bears on a cocktail pick, drop a Blow-Pop in a martini, or place a peach gummy slice on the rim of a margarita. Colorful and fun for the holidays!

Raven Rose – 474 Main Street
Set the mood for your cocktail hour with colorful candles in seasonal scents alongside flowers or wreaths. Ask about the CBD Ginger Bitters.

Denise Gianna Designs - 480 Main Street
Denise Gianna Designs Interior Design and Shop makes staying cozy at home a luxury! In addition to their usual projects, they design bespoke home bars & lounge spaces for intimate cocktails & future gatherings.  Denise Gianna has everything you need for the home bar: bar carts, tables, seating, bar accessories, glassware & linens.  

Berte - 500 Main Street
Berte is a new shop in Beacon (in the former Loopy Mango space) and specializes in ambiance. Whether you're searching for ceramic coasters for your cocktail glass, a brass bottle opener to crack open that ginger beer, or some hand carved candlestick holders to set the mood, this shop has the perfect gifts for those who like to imbibe, but make it a bit extra.

After you wrap and send your cocktail cheer kit… sit back and relax with your own copy of Cocktails Across America… travel back in time with a cocktail in hand… cheers! 

Adams Fair Acre Farms' Chicken Cacciatore To Maybe Debut In HBO Mark Ruffalo Limited Series

The news first broke over at NOW 97.7 in their app’s news stream (and on lots of people’s Facebooks): the HBO limited series I Know This Much Is True, based on a novel by Wally Lamb and starring Mark Ruffalo, ordered up the chicken cacciatore from Adams Fair Acre Farms with plans to include it in a scene. Adams is a bucolic grocery store and nursery in the Hudson Valley with several locations, sourcing much of its stock from local farms and bakeries.

This isn’t the first time the HBO series has used a location in the Hudson Valley. Among others, I Know This Much Is True was at All Sport in Fishkill for a 12-hour film shoot.

I Know This Much Is True is a family saga that follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers (played by Mark Ruffalo) in a story of betrayal, sacrifice and forgiveness set against the backdrop of 20th-century America. Mark is also the executive producer, serving alongside the writer and director Derek Cianfrance. Mark also lives in the Hudson Valley (because who wouldn’t want to?!) Read more about the show here at HBO.

“Our chicken cacciatore will likely make its on-screen debut during a cooking scene set in the 1930s, according to a crew member,” said the Adams Facebook Page. The grocery store shared the news on its Facebook page, and even included the recipe! Find it at the FB page, or right here:

Chicken Cacciatore (Serves 2)
- 2 Chicken Thighs (Skin-On, Bone-In)
- 2 Chicken Drumsticks
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- ½ Yellow Onion, sliced
- 1 small Red Bell Pepper, sliced
- 8 Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 5 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- ½ cup White Wine
- 1 14-ounce can of Diced Tomatoes
- 2 sprigs Fresh Oregano, picked and chopped
- 2 tablespoons Capers, drained

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat oil in an oven-proof braising pan over medium heat.
3. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and lightly coat with flour.
4. Brown the chicken on all sides in the oil, then remove from the pan. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil.
5. Add the onions, peppers and mushrooms to the pan and sauté until the vegetables are soft.
6. Add the garlic and thyme and sauté for 1 minute longer.
7. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and simmer for 2 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes and bring the sauce to a simmer.
9. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up. Cover and place in the preheated oven.
10. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
11. Stir in oregano and capers. Serve over pasta or polenta.

Banana Bread Recipe with Pumpkin Pie Spice Balsamic Vinegar and Maple Syrup

While shopping for olive oil in the Scarborough Fare Olive Oil & Vinegar Tap Room on Main Street, this Pumpkin Pie Spice infused balsamic vinegar caught my eye. Pumpkin Pie Spice anything would be great, and the cashier told me of how she'd been baking with it, and to her surprise, repeatedly goes bottles rather quickly. I'd been wanting to make a banana bread, so bought a bottle of it, plus a bottle of the Tuscan Blend extra virgin olive oil, and marched straight home to modify my regular recipe for banana bread!

Get ready to make some of the best banana bread ever, and without white sugar.

With a banana bread, I start with the basic recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, but the 1968 edition. Any edition from the 60s would be fine because it was before the recipes were edited to include fat-free versions with margarine, aspartame or other artificial sweeteners. Our recipe does not have white sugar, but instead uses maple syrup. The consistency of the bread is unaffected, and in fact, with the additional liquid, is deliciously moist and sweet.

A LITTLE BEACON BLOG'S RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup soft butter

5 tablespoons 100% maple syrup

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice balsamic vinegar from Scarborough Fare

1 teaspoon olive oil (Tuscan Blend from Scarborough Fare is a good match)

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (or 1 teaspoon for salt lovers)

1 cup mashed ripe banana (or 1 yellow banana, and 1.5 brown mushy bananas)

plenty of butter for spreading on slices of cooked banana bread

Enjoy watching the thick Pumpkin Pie Spice balsamic vinegar pour into your teaspoon.

Directions:

• Cream together butter and maple syrup. 
• Add eggs and beat well.
• Sift together dry ingredients, then add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each addition.
• Pour into a well-greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done. 
• Remove banana bread from pan and cool on rack. 
• Slice one piece and eat immediately with butter to enjoy the warm butter on the fresh bread. 
• Wrap or place into plastic bag whatever you don't eat and store in refrigerator for a longer keep. Store at room temperature if you are finishing within the next three days. Only wrap when the bread is completely cool.

Take a picture right away of your masterpiece, as you will eat it faster than you think!