金蘭酒

吳新榮日記 (戰後) 1945/8/16...自今日起吾人要開新生命啦啦隊....撈魚抓蝦 而後煮鹽酥蝦飯 ....開攜來之金蘭酒而飲.....

金蘭
注音一式　ㄐ｜ㄣ　ㄌㄢˊ
漢語拼音　ｊ ｎ　ｌ ｎ	注音二式　ｊ ｎ　ｌ ｎ
語本易經˙繫辭上：「子曰：『君子之道，或出或處，或默或語。二人同心，其利斷金；同心之言，其臭如蘭。』」形容友情深厚，相交契合。南朝宋˙劉義慶˙世說新語˙賢媛：「山公與嵇、阮一面，契若金蘭。山妻韓氏覺公與二人異於常交，問公。公曰：『我當年可以為友者，唯此二生耳。』」 引申為結拜兄弟之詞。如：「義結金蘭」。 一種酒。宋˙范成大˙桂海虞衡志˙志酒：「使金至燕山，得其宮中酒，號金蘭者，乃大佳。燕西有金蘭山，汲其泉以釀。」

Courage & Co Ltd

英文勇氣為courage，更是重要。所以戴名博士在倫敦喝到牌子為Courage 的啤酒，不禁說笑話，參考《戴明修煉 II》。

其實該啤酒公司的創始人之姓為 Courage

Courage & Co Ltd was started by John Courage at the Anchor Brewhouse in Horsleydown, Bermondsey in 1787.

Courage

Industry	Alcoholic beverage
Founded	1787
Founder(s)	John Courage
Products	Beer
Owner(s)	Wells & Youngs

Courage Brewery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Is Bordeaux a good pairing for mooncake?

Overheard

Is Bordeaux a good pairing for mooncake? Collectors, particularly in Asia, have paid record-breaking sums for fine wines over the past couple of years. But market turmoil threatens to put a cork in soaring prices for all sorts of alternative investments.

The next clue on the future of wine prices could come with an Asian festival in early September, according to Gary Boom, founder of wine merchant and investment tracker Bordeaux Index. The celebration is marked by the consumption of round pastry mooncakes filled with lotus-seed paste and a salted duck egg, as well as the exchange of generous gifts, including, in recent years, expensive bottles of Bordeaux.

For the wine-investment industry, "the festival will, as usual, be the most illuminating indicator of [second-half 2011] activity," notes Mr. Boom. And if the prices don't pick up, investors can always wash down their duck eggs with a decent red.

Tohoku brewer eyes global market

BY MASAFUMI TATEMATSU STAFF WRITER

2011/07/31

Hideharu Ohta, president of Daishichi Sake Brewery Co., says his sake "grows from a bud into a large flower" when it is matured for more than a year. (Eiji Hori)Hideharu Ohta stands in rice paddies where his employees are trained to farm in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. Surface soil has been removed due to radioactive contamination. (Eiji Hori)

It seemed fitting for Hideharu Ohta to have a presence at a dinner party that the Dutch royal family hosted at Paleis Het Loo on Dec. 14.

Ohta, 51, is Japan's unofficial ambassador of sake, the 10th chief of the brewery his ancestors founded 260 years ago.

On the table at the Dutch royal family dinner were bottles of Minowamon, a "daiginjo-shu" (very special brew) from Ohta's Daishichi Sake Brewery Co., based in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture.

The palace stands in Apeldoorn, a little more than an hour's drive from Amsterdam. It is extremely rare for sake to be served at a dinner party of a foreign royal family.

Ohta has long undertaken a mission of spreading the message of sake abroad.

He has set his sights on global markets by appealing to taste buds with the "kimoto method," said to be the most orthodox sake brewing method.

Ohta lives by the words told to him by his mother-in-law, "Rakutenmei," which means "enjoying the mandate of heaven."

"I think the mandate of heaven for me is to pass the kimoto method, the treasure I took over, down to future generations and make its wonders better known in Japan and around the world," Ohta said.

In the kimoto method, naturally occurring lactic acids and bacteria are utiled to brew sake, without using additives.

But few brewers have used this method since World War II because the maturation process requires much more time and effort than other methods and controls are more difficult.

Ohta, who studied law at the University of Tokyo, once dreamed of becoming a political scientist but decided to take over the family business at his grandfather's request.

When he visited a French winery in 1992, Ohta was impressed because the midsize operation has a worldwide reputation.

"If wine sells this much around the world, sake is worth the same level of appraisal," Ohta thought.

Fifteen years ago, Ohta set up an organization with 12 breweries to promote exports.

While sake was already being exported, quality control was less than satisfactory in the distribution stage.

Even sake that turned yellow was being sold for prices several times higher than in Japan, so it was not necessarily enjoying a good reputation abroad.

Ohta's organization asked retailers and other businesses to maintain low-temperature distribution from breweries to storefronts.

It cut intermediate margins to hold prices down to levels 50 percent higher than those in Japan and provided information by holding seminars for sommeliers and restaurateurs.

Distribution of sake in good condition and at reasonable prices led to a sake boom in the United States.

It also became common for sake to be listed on menus at exclusive restaurants in the Netherlands and France.

In 1999, Daishichi, a midsize brewey with annual sales of 1 billion yen ($12.66 million), began taking part in Vinexpo, a major alcohol trade fair, ahead of larger competitors.

When Japan hosted the Group of Eight summit at Lake Toyako, Hokkaido, in 2008, Daishichi's sake was chosen for a toast at a dinner party for the wives of G-8 leaders.

The same year, Gault Millau, a French restaurant guide that rivals the Michelin Guide, asked Daishichi to become one of its official sponsors, the only one from Japan.

Excerpts from the interview with Ohta follow:

* * *

Question: Your brewery here in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, is only about 60 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which was crippled by the Great East Japan Earthquake. What have you done to prevent radioactive contamination?

Answer: Fortunately, buildings were not destroyed, or stored sake bottles were not broken. Upon learning of the accident at the nuclear power plant, our master brewer closed all the windows of the brewery and covered ventilation fans with vinyl sheets. With quick initial responses, the inside of the brewery was kept clean, and we have tried to maintain that condition. Vinyl sheets are hung like curtains at locations where people come and leave, and wet towels are on hand so that people who come from the outside can wipe away dust. But these are emergency measures. I am considering attaching high-performance filters to air intake ducts and installing air curtain devices along routes where materials are brought in.

Q: How has the nuclear plant accident affected your business?

A: I had been resigned to suffering damage from rumors. But many people encouraged us, saying, "Hang in there, Tohoku" and "Hang in there, Fukushima." The support we received has turned out to be far stronger than the negative impact. In April and May, we saw more sales than in average years. Officials in the distribution industry have also held a campaign to support us after confirming the safety (of our products). We appreciated that they came out in our support.

Q: You have been exporting sake aggressively since you became president in 1997.

A: Seventy percent of our exports goes to the United States. The remaining 30 percent goes to Asia--Hong Kong and Singapore--and European countries--Britain, the Netherlands and France. Exports have been gradually increasing, but they still account for less than 5 percent of our overall sales. We are focusing on establishing our brand, not increasing export volumes. We are exporting high-value added sake, such as "ginjo-shu" (special brew). If that becomes popular, we want to expand the lineup.

Q: Does the appreciation of sake differ from country to country?

A: In the United States, the sake market has expanded since around 2000. The words such as "junmai-shu" (pure rice sake) and "ginjo-shu" (special brew), are understood, and consumers drink expensive sake after understanding their value. We have seen more bloggers on sake and more operators of specialty sake stores. The market has been expanding quietly, rather than experiencing a boom.

In France, sake was wrongly associated with strong distilled spirits, such as those found in China and Vietnam. When we took part in Vinexpo for the first time in 1999, many people asked about alcohol content, believing that it must be extremely high. They looked puzzled when we told them it is 15 percent. Visitors stayed away from our booth in the morning. Today, no one asks what the alcohol content is anymore.

Q: What are the attractions of sake for people in other countries?

A: Refinement, harmony and fullness. These are the qualities inherent to sake. It is a sophisticated taste into which complex elements have blended. No particular taste, such as sourness and astringency, stands out. The Japanese word of "umami" (pleasant savory taste) has been established internationally. I think sake is an alcoholic beverage that contains "umami" most in the world.

The taste of wine depends greatly on grape harvests of that year, but the taste of sake is not necessarily determined by rice. We can produce sake reminiscent of freshly cooked rice or sake with a rich, fruity taste. In that sense, sake is an alcoholic beverage created with free will, not one governed by fate.

Q: Daishichi's sake has good body, not a light and dry taste. What are the secrets?

A: Our kimoto method can produce a flavor of complexity and harmony and a smooth texture, the characteristics that cannot be expected from simpler methods. Our sake contains elaborate ingredients, which can be brought into harmony only through maturation. Daishichi's motto is, "Leap to the farthest possible." We received the grand prize at the National New Sake Awards competition, but we decided to work for higher goals, instead of taking part in the competition. The competition is held in May, when sake has just been brewed, and I'm afraid that Daishichi's sake is not appreciated fairly at that time. When we sample just-brewed sake, we may conclude that we cannot drink it for two to three years, but that may eventually turn out to be a great brew. We are most happy when we produce such sake.

Q: Do you think your sake is appreciated globally because it is brewed with the kimoto method?

A: All ethnic groups around the world have brewed beverages, using fruits and grains found in their regions. Rice was one of the ingredients used in Japan. The kimoto method is close to where sake brewing started and to the way brewed beverages are universally around the world. I think the kimoto method shares the set of values for the world's brewed beverages, such as "a more complex and strong taste" or "growing into good sake through maturation."

Three hundred years ago, no other biotechnology as complicated and delicate as (the kimoto method) existed in the world. In a sense, I think the kimoto method is as valuable as "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji). When Murasaki Shikibu wrote the novel more than 1,000 years ago, no comparable literature existed in the world.

he UN's world drug report

The cost of coke

Jun 23rd 2011, 16:59 by The Economist online

• 
  
• 
  

The price of cocaine varies greatly between rich countries

EVERY year the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime publishes a report with lots of fascinating data on the production and consumption of illegal drugs around the world. This year's report highlights a few interesting trends: despite all the effort put into the war on drugs, the street price of cocaine in Europe has dropped relentlessly over the past two decades (even adjusting for inflation and impurity). This may explain why Europe is now almost as big a market for cocaine producers as America. The numbers we have picked out below show the variations in price between a selection of different countries, as well as consumption per person in those places.

FW: 我的咖啡奇緣 （謝金河）

我不是咖啡迷，不常在辦公室，經常是助理從7-11帶回一杯熱拿

鐵，平時品嚐咖啡也
是隨遇而安。遇到喝咖啡的場合，我都是加入一些牛奶，但不加糖，但這些喝咖啡的
習慣，最近卻被顛覆了。


大約一個多月前，一個周日中午，剛爬完七星山，吃過中飯，朋友提議去喝咖啡，於
是，他就帶領著我到菁山路，靠近仰德大道的一家看起來並不起眼的「吉佳咖啡」。
吉佳的陳老闆一眼就看出我是誰，就因為這個因緣際會，我上了一課很重要的咖啡
課。


在咖啡廳坐定，陳老闆就教我如何喝咖啡，他說咖啡不在價格高低，在咖啡豆是否新
鮮。他說喝到新鮮咖啡就跟喝果汁一般，一入口會有一些果酸，但入口後會產生回
甘，再由甘變甜，口感會愈來愈棒，因此，喝到新鮮的咖啡就跟喝果汁一般，什麼都
不必加，喝黑咖啡最好，這個觀念與昌吉街賣豬血湯附近一家一個小夥子開的「黑湯
咖啡」很相近。


陳老闆說，一般人喝咖啡會加糖，加奶精，那是因為咖啡豆已不新鮮，已經氧化了，
因此，會愈喝愈苦，只好用糖、奶精來蓋掉這個苦味。我問他說，為什麼他賣上等的
牙買加藍山大杯350元，小杯250元，一般咖啡連鎖店卻賣一杯卅元，差別在那裏，他
不假思索地就說這是已過了新鮮品味期的咖啡豆。


經過這個指點，我終於了解，喝咖啡貴在咖啡豆經過烘焙出來後是不是在兩周內喝
完，我在陳老闆店內買了半磅牙買加藍山，也買了半磅綜合咖啡，回家試了一下，確
有很大差別，當然兩者價格相差近10倍。這時我才知道我們在外頭喝的咖啡價差差別
那麼大，原來是咖啡豆的差別。


我的喝咖啡奇緣第一課就從此開始，另一個顛覆過去習慣的新觀念是，喝新鮮咖啡對
身體幫助很大，喝不新鮮的咖啡對身體傷害很大，最令我震驚的是，陳老闆告訴我
說，喝到新鮮咖啡，不但不會睡不著覺，反而更好睡。過去，我在晚飯後從不喝咖
啡，上周四、五，我在餐廳請朋友吃飯，飯後我請廳房用吉佳的咖啡豆沖煮出來的咖
啡跟朋友共享，為了證明陳老闆的觀點，我連續在十點鐘左右各喝了一大杯黑咖啡，
回到家仍然很好睡，證明了陳老闆此言不差。


從喝咖啡，我有了一個新體驗，那就是喝咖啡、喝茶、喝紅酒最後的道理都一樣。另
一個是吃最重材，像一般平價牛排館，可能賣一客100元，或150元的牛排，但是上等
牛排如神戶牛排，可能一客要3000元以上，價格拉很大。一般到自助餐店買一條魚，
也許50元，但是到上等日本料理煎一尾「紅喉」可能要1千多。同樣是魚，價格大不相
同，喝咖啡也是一樣，吃東西，食材最重要。


最近我看到一則外電報導說，每天一杯咖啡長壽機率高，這項研究是調查希臘愛琴海
以東的伊卡里西島，調查島上65到100歲的老年人，他們每天喝4到5杯咖啡，結果有3
分之1以上的人可以活到90歲，這個島上癌症患者比西方國家平均人數少20％，比西方
國家患心臟病的人少50％，而且從不存在老人癡呆的問題。結論是：希臘長壽島百歲
老人秘笈：每天一杯濃咖啡，看起來喝咖啡好處不少。


現在我慢慢學會品嚐咖啡，每天早上帶一壼新鮮咖啡，什麼都不加，除了咖啡香，還
有神清氣爽的感覺。

The Singapore Sling

The Singapore Sling is a cocktail that was developed sometime before 1915^[1] by Ngiam Tong Boon (嚴崇文), a bartender working at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel Singapore. The original recipe used gin, Cherry Heering, Bénédictine, and fresh pineapple juice, primarily from Sarawak pineapples which enhance the flavour and create a foamy top.

Most recipes substitute bottled pineapple juice for fresh juice; soda water has to be added for foam. The hotel's recipe was recreated based on the memories of former bartenders and written notes that they were able to discover regarding the original recipe. One of the scribbled recipes is still on display at the Raffles Hotel Museum.

Recipes published in articles about Raffles Hotel prior to the 1970s are significantly different from current recipes, and "Singapore Slings" drunk elsewhere in Singapore differ from the recipe used at Raffles Hotel.

The current Raffles Hotel recipe is a heavily modified version of the original, most likely changed sometime in the 1970s by Ngiam Tong Boon's nephew. Today, many of the "Singapore Slings" served at Raffles Hotel have been pre-mixed and are dispensed using an automatic dispenser that combines both alcohol and pineapple juice to pre-set volumes. They are then blended instead of shaken to create a nice foamy top as well as to save time because of the large number of orders. However, it is still possible to request a shaken version from bartenders.

By the 1980’s the Singapore Sling was often little more than gin, bottled sweet and sour, and grenadine. With the move towards fresh juices and the re-emergence of quality products like Cherry Heering the cocktail has again become a semblance of its former self.^[2]

Notes

1. ^ Campbell, Colin (12 December 1982). "Singapore Journal; Back to Somerset Maugham and Life's Seamy Side". The New York Times (Singapore).
2. ^ Burkhart, Jeff (10 April 2011). "Sometimes a bartender needs to sling whatever works". mercurynews.com. San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2011-04-14.

Further reading

• "The Genealogy and Mythology of the Singapore Sling", Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh, in Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail, 2007, ISBN 978-0976093701

External links

• SingaporeSling recipe at DrinkBoy
• Jason Wilson (February 2011). "For a better Singapore Sling, the answer is clear (not red)". Washington Post.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/singapore-sling#ixzz1OnvOxqgh