In the West, alcoholic beverages are never far away from the scene at festive times, but do we aways know how to get the most from these costly luxuries? Too many people these days just think its a question of ‘getting as much down as possible in as little time as possible’. This is the wrong approach.

After all, most people realize that a good meal does not consist of eating as many chips as possible in fifteen minutes, so why should that principle not apply to consuming a drink too? You will get far more pleasure from a bottle of wine, if you spend an extra dollar on it and drink it slowly with a friend and some appropriate food than if you swill down a cheap bottle of plonk on your own. It makes evident sense, but not everyone sees it.

So, with that idea in mind, I have put together a few tips on how to get more enjoyment from your alcoholic drinks, if you are old enough and of that turn of mind.

Gin and Vodka – if these white spirits are your favourite tipple, always keep the bottle in the fridge, not the drinks cabinet. Keep the mixers in the fridge too. That way the ice will survive longer and you will not be tempted to have to swig it down before the ice melts. If you are having friends around, go one step farther and put the bottle in the freezer. It will not go solid. You can even cut the top off a plastic cola bottle, put the bottle of gin or vodka in that, fill it with water and then freeze it. Take off the plastic bottle and you have an attractive “collar of ice” around your bottle.

The Last Tot – five minutes or so after finishing a bottle of spirits, tip it out one more time and the bottle that you thought was drained will deliver one more tot of contents. It is not a lot, but it is a pleasant free surprise. The same works for many alcohol based items including underarm roll-on and perfume.

White Wine – white wines taste best when they have been gently chilled over a prolonged period, but if you get taken by surprise visitors, put the bottle of wine in a container of ice and cold water. Try not to have to put it in the deep freeze, it is too harsh, but if you must, then ten minutes is all that it requires.

Port – it is always better to decant port and older, heavier red wines, because of the sediment that may be in the bottom of the bottle, which tastes horrible and because it assists the aeration of the wine. However, it is not always easy to see when the lees are coming. The manuals say to use a candle, but they were written a hundred years ago. The concentrated beam from a flashlight is far better. Try using a Durabeam because its swivel head allows it to be directed more accurately.

Decanters – sometimes the stopper becomes stuck fast. Tap it with another glass item and it should come free. If not, run the neck of the decanter under hot water for a few seconds and it will come out.

Labels – if you store your wine in a damp place where the labels are likely to rot or fall off, spray them with hair lacquer first.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching the programmable crock pot. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots

There are few festivities enjoyed around the world on the identical fantastic scale that the Chinese New Year is celebrated. This is an occasion that affects people all around the globe. The celebrations are rather exotic and a lot of fun for everyone involved. One thing that many outsiders may not realize is that most of the aspects of the Chinese New Year celebrations have a very precise purpose and connotation. Even the food.

Whether you are Chinese are not, I ‘m sure that you could use a degree of good fortune to make things run a little more smoothly in your life.

When it comes to cooking for a Chinese New Year celebration there are a few things you have to keep in mind. The dishes that are prepared each have their very own significance and a definite reason for being cooked.

Dumplings are supposed to bring riches in the New Year to those who eat them on this special day. Of course, riches is something that most people want to have and there are many ways of doing so. Other foods that symbolize the attainment of riches on the Chinese New Year are bamboo shoots, black moss seaweed, egg rolls, and oranges. This is just the beginning of the tutorial in the symbolic nature of food for the Chinese New Year.

Longevity or long life is something else that the Chinese famously long for. Eternal youth some may term it. The secret, they say, to a long life is the consumption of the right food as part of the New Year celebrations. Those foodstuffs include: noodles, Chinese garlic, chives, and peanuts.

Prosperity is attributed to foods such as lettuce, whole fish, and pomelo. In addition to success whole fish and pomelo are believed to bring abundance and togetherness (as in marriage or romance) during the coming year.

Chicken is the main course if happiness is the goal. In addition, chicken is associated with marriage, particularly when served with foods, which are considered to be dragon foods, such as lobster.

Those wanting children in the not too distant future ought to add eggs, seeds (such as watermelon seeds) and pomelo – especially the last two, if you want a couple of children.

Finally, if good luck is what you most need, try to add a tangerine or some seaweed to your plate on this special day. If your run of luck has been really atrocious of late, you may want to double up on your helping of both.

The Internet contains masses of delicious recipes to help you commemorate the Chinese New Year as traditionally as you can. Recipes for foods such as Jiaozi (Chinese noodles) and egg rolls are to be found online and they will go some way towards creating the proper atmosphere. Add a few lettuce wraps and longevity noodles and you will have a good basis for a Chinese New Year meal.

The only other thing you require then to make your Chinese New Year celebrations go with a bang (quite literally) is fireworks. The Chinese New Year would not be the same without them, so choose your food well, either buy it or cook it (or both) and then let off your fireworks safely for a great winters evening’s entertainment.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with the programmable crock pot. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots