Grill Throw Down is on! - McCormick Grill Mates® Party

Through Crowdtap I was able to obtain a sample of the great products that McCormick has to offer to hobby cooks and grill experts.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the contents of the McCormick Grill Mates party package from Crowdtap!

Crowdtap and McCormich combined for a really nice selection of products:

• Party Booklet
• Grill Mates® Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade
• Grill Mates® Slow and Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub
• Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend
• Grill Mates® Molasses Bacon Seasoning Blend
• Grill Mates® Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce

I plan to use the Brandy and Herb Marinade on chicken, the description on the McCormick's website here sound really tempting. " It has a distinctive blend of herbs and warm spices such as cinnamon and ginger with a hint of brandy flavor."
To get a full overview of the flavors available under the McCormick's Grill Mates category, go to their website here. Living in North Carolina I will likely also try out their North Carolina-inspired marinade described in detail here. Other likely favorites in my household include Mojito Lime Marinade and my next grilled salmon may be combined with McCormick's Baja Citrus Marinade. There are so many products to choose from, it is hard to decide what to try. I hope there are enough sunny weekends this summer to try out all the delicious products from McCormick's Grill Mate series.

It's Grilling Time - Thanks to Lawry's! Possible throw down in the future!

Through Bzzagent, I am able to have a real grill throw-down. I just received today my bzz-package for the Lawry's marinade and grill supply campaign.
Below are the contents of the wonderful package that I received:

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Lawry's bzzkit with two marinades and a rub

 In the package I got:

• a wonderful, bright red apron - just what the grillmaster needs
• a lot of coupons and I mean a lot of coupons for $ off Lawry products
• Santa Fe Chili marinade
• Herb & White Wine marinade
• "the original" Lawry's seasoned salt

Lawry's has come out with a lot of new flavors for marinades and I really like the variety of flavors that allow people like me to now also find variety in fish and chicken offerings. I know that a couple of the coupons will be set aside to buy two additional marinades, the Sesame Ginger Marinade with Mandarin Orange Juice and Hawaiian Marinade with Tropical Fruit Juice. You can find a complete listing of the Lawry's products here and then drill down on the individual items and find more information, such as nutritional information and more detailed product description.
I am very excited about trying the grill seasonings from Lawry's. While in the past, I have preferred traditional grill dishes with steak and beef in general, in more recent years I have discovered that chicken or fish makes for a great grill meat as well. So I do appreciate the effort that Lawry's went through to develop these new marinades, but check out their website since they also have a lot of new seasoning salts and spice blends - truly something for everyone. 

Jump on this now - Sonos Wireless HiFi - Father's Day Promo

This is an awesome deal that Target is running geared towards dads or anyone else who enjoys listening to music in their house, while having the feeling of attending a live concert.



Sonos and Target are running a one week promotion at Target stores nationwide:

• Now through June 16th, anyone can receive a $30 Target gift card when they purchase a Play:3 Sonos wireless HiFi system and a $40 Target gift card when they purchase a Play:5 Sonos wireless HiFi system. 

So what is Sonos?
Sonos connects directly to the internet, allowing dad to blast any internet-based song throughout the house, meaning practically every song ever written is now available in top notch HiFi sound.
Through Sonos, dad will have access to more than 100,000 free radio stations or shows from all over the world and best of all for all gadget lovers, Sonos can be controlled through smartphones or tables, including Android, iPhones, iPads or the available Sonos controllers. For more detail visit the Sonos site here.

How is that for a tech-driven music experience for dad and the whole family?

Play it in the kitchen, the kid's room or outside. Here is a cool video to see Sonos in action.




Here are the two available Sonos players featured in Target stores:
Play:3

Compact, all-in-one Sonos player with 3 integrated speakers and 3 digital amps for big HiFi sound. Available in Black or White ($299)

Play:5

Original, bigger room, all-in-one Sonos player with 5 integrated speakers and 5 digital amps for a powerhouse of HiFi sound. Available in Black or White ($399)

Disclaimer: I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and I'm eligible for a prize drawing.  All opinions stated in the post are my own and have not been influenced by One2One, Target or Sonos. 

block party - or how to entertain kids of (almost) all ages

My neighborhood had a block party this past weekend and I used this opportunity to see how to entertain kids. The organization was similar to the good old potluck suppers I know from the Midwest. Everyone signs up for dishes or utensils and then the program is pretty much up for grabs. We had some really talented people in our neighborhood, so live music was playing for the whole time that everyone tried to stay cool on a hot June afternoon in North Carolina. For the kids, the entertaining was easy, water balloon toss, face-painting with their favorite characters or just a nice bright sun and then lots of running around activity like frisbee or hula hoop.The event started off at 4PM with everyone bringing lawn chairs and their shared item. Many salads to feed the hungry in the heat, but also lots of sweets, such as cookies and muffins. Then plenty of ice cold lemonade and water. We even had two food trucks, with some of the neighbors contributing chicken wings and hot dogs as well.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - we are having a BLO(c)K PARTY!

Everyone started getting aquainted. It is amazing that people in the same neighborhood for almost 30 and never even talked to each other. The kids had less issues, they grabbed toys and started running around. The face painting had not started yet and so frisbee and hula hoop were popular, but also soccer.
The music was soon set up and some good old favorites, but also self-composed songs entertained the adults, who soon started sampling the dishes. With the heat being around and temperature still in the 80s, salads were an early favorite. There was wild rice salad, shrimp salad, spinach salad as well as greek salad and then cheese and crackers. In between the adults sitting down and chatting, kids were busy running around and drawing their favorite characters on to the street, their name or just simple hopscotch.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - hopscotch will always be a favorite

As the temperature dropped to a comfortable 70F, the main dishes were sampled. Some people opted for thje food truck offerings, others went for another round of salads or had chicken wings or hot dogs. The music switched nicely some classic guitar play, to solo acts and the finale of a real band from the neighborhood playing.
Meanwhile attention had moved on to dessert with plenty of cookies, muffins, even a cheesecake had survived the early heat. Wine bottles were brought from neighboring houses and beer or stronger liquor made the rounds among the adults, some of the little kids were taken home for bed time, while some of the older kids were quietly sitting and listening to the adults gossiping and talking or just listening to the music.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the damage after the party

copyright Durhamonthecheap - a lion, a zebra or simply human?

copyright Durhamonthecheap - a worm moving through the neighborhood

SOBE Mango Mandarin Coconut Lifewater - tropics in a bottle

Through bzzagent.com I was able to get a free sample of the new SOBE flavors that incorporate coconut water for extra hydrating effects. Coconut water is now all the rage, if you look at blogs about proper hydration, and so I was excited that SOBE now incorporates coconut water into their drinks. I was fortunate that bzzagent sent me a bottle of coconut water with mango mandarin flavor right in my package. I love anything with mango flavor, so I was excited to sample this flavor.
I put the bottle in the refrigerator to sample the beverage cold and then also added some ice to my glass. After one good gulp, I immediately was hooked. The combination of mango with hints of coconut was just right to quench your thirst. Just fruity enough to taste good, but not too sweet and not overpowering. You could still taste the coconut water, despite the mango and mandarin flavors. I do have to admit that the mandarin flavor got lost in the mix somewhat. So if you are looking for a mandarin-flavored drink, this may not be the right one for you. If, on the other hand, you really like mango flavor like me, this is definitely something to consider.

from the SOBE website at sobe.com

Coconut water from SOBE comes in tow additional flavors - Pomegranate Nectarine and Pacific Coconut. I used on the coupons from the bzzagent.com kit to purchase another Mango Mandarin Coconut bottle and then also caved in and got the Pacific Coconut flavor. More blog posts about these to come!
The nutrition information for the Mango Mandarin Coconut water is available here. Overall, at 35 calories a serving, this is a nice addition to the SOBE line of beverages.

Travels to Germany: Catholic community having an outing

Even though I am no longer in Germany, there is still some news to report. Today, Catholic communities in Germany had a holiday (Corpus Christi) and the Catholic community in town decided to make a big event of it by combining the holiday with a community feast. This means lots of food and fun for everyone.
I got plenty of pictures that show how much food is being offered. While they do have plenty of meat, including the Spiessbraten I blogged about earlier, the highlight are always the donated items, specifically the salads and homemade cakes. The cakes and salads are in most cases restaurant grade, high quality products because the members of the local Catholic church take pride in showcasing the culinary abilities. So no matter how much you like a grilled sausage or a Spiessbraten, you always save space for dessert. All prices are very reasonable and the money collected is used for Catholic initiatives, with some money set aside for the Catholic kindergarten or the church maintenance.
As I said, lots of pictures to follow:

copyright Durhamonthecheap - yes women can grill too! Here is the grill with the sausages for the hungry guests!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Spiessbraten getting grilled - note the size of the grill and the real wood fire underneath!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - bazaar offerings, made by Catholic communities in developing countries

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Salad bar! a whole plate of just salad can be had for 2,50 Euro (around $3.15) - a bargain

copyright Durhamonthecheap - dessert bar, look at all these wonderful cakes, makes me hungry for some dessert!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - and because the cakes look so good, here is another picture of the dessert table!

This is an annual event and a major fundraiser for the community. All food preparation is handled by volunteers, with everyone chipping in, including the clean up! I would wager that the dessert selection on this one day is better than what you see in the local bakeries and cafes. Also note, the pictures of the dessert and salad tables were taken when the feast was well underway, so the selection had been decimated by hungry guests already!

Private Selection Angus Beef - ground beef from Kroger

Through bzzagent.com I was able to sample several products from the Private Selection line of products sold at Kroger grocery stores throughout the country.
One coupon allowed me to get some ground Angus Beef for free. While I had hoped to sample the burgers made with Angus Beef at a holiday, I decided today that I could not wait since the weather just called for grilled food at dinner. I am having some remodeling done, so the porch cannot be used and I had to grill inside (the porch will be ready by July 4th for the real big party). I used my old Foreman Grill and made up my mix of beef and spices.



I added the beef, one egg, chopped chives and a beefy onion soup mix in a bowl and mixed everything thoroughly. I like the mixture of fresh and dried ingredients and chives provide a nice flavor in combination with an onion soup mix.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - ground Angus Beef with spices waiting to be formed into patties

I then formed small patties since I wanted to use toasted bread rather than burger buns and I also like to add plenty of lettuce and tomatoes to the sandwich.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - patties on the George Foreman Grill - you can see the grease collecting

As I was grilling the burgers on the grill, I was glad that I had used the George Foreman grill because plenty of grease kept collecting. I do not like a lot of fat in my food and usually eat very little red meat, especially ground beef, instead opting for leaner cuts as well as chicken breast or fish. Anyway, I grilled the patties thoroughly to ensure that most of the grease ran out of the meat.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - burgers are almost done, plenty of fresh veggies to go with patties

Once thoroughly grilled, the patties were stacked on toasted bread with lettuce and tomato. Since I had added spices to the meat, I did not add any ketchup or mustard. I actually liked the finished product. The spices added a nice touch to the burger and the meat was flavorful to easily overshadow the lettuce and tomatoes. I really liked the burger and the meat tasted like real beef and the overall burger flavor was very good and is definitely something I will add to my recipe book. I cannot state that the burger tasted like Angus beef because I am not really sure that the flavor is different,  but the flavor was certainly more pronounced than in fast-food chain burgers and you could really taste the beef.

Kroger Private Selection Northern Spy Streusel Apple Pie

Through bzzagent.com I was able to sample new offerings from the Private Selection line sold by Kroger supermarkets. My first coupon that was put to use was for a free 6 inch pie, specifically the Private Selection Northern Spy Streusel Apple Pie. The pie is small and will probably feed 4 people, but the outside of the pie looked very different from the usual apple pies sold at Kroger. It had a nice streusel topping and the crust looked buttery and crispy, so I had high hopes for the quality of this product.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Northern Spy Streusel Apple Pie with whipped topping

I cut the pie into four pieces and managed to get a couple of pieces out of the metal pie form without causing too much damage. making sure that you slice all the way is important since the crust is very flaky and without a sharp knife, the slices could turn into one big mess.
I did not heat the pie, but simply added some whipped topping since - well, let's face it, I just love whipped cream and a nice cup of coffee to go with a pie. My first bite revealed a fruit packed pie that really tasted homemade and was full of apple flavor. There was not a lot of cinnamon or other spices that I could taste. The flavor was pretty much apple, butter and crust. I did not grow up on apple pie with cinnamon and so I did not miss the spices in the pie. I actually prefer to have good quality apples in a pie, so that the pie can showcase the apple flavor. This pie deserves to be called apple pie. The pie is very moist; once you have finished your slice, you will find small drops of apple juice on the plate - it is that moist.
While I am usually somewhat hesitant to buy grocery store pie because they tend to taste like factory-made, this pie was a pleasant surprise. I will certainly consider grabbing one of these if I need a pie quickly and do not have time to bake.

Bookreview: Mondays with My Old Pastor

I received the paperback version of "Mondays with My Old Pastor: Sometimes All We Need Is a Reminder from Someone Who Has Walked Before Us" by Jose Luis Navajo for review. "Mondays with my old pastor" is a comforting book for any reader that struggles at times with their faith. In a series of short anecdotes, the authors shares the pearls of wisdom dispensed by the old pastor and wife. The stories are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes puzzling, but as a whole, the book will provide comfort to the reader who realizes that he is not alone in the difficult journey that faith at times can be.

I like the set up of the story, an experienced pastor helping to guide the younger man on his journey of faith. To me, wisdom something to be cherished by others when shared by the older generation. The premise of the story, meeting with your pastor for guidance is also focusing the reader on the original role of a pastor as a member of the community that is available with an open ear to the problems of others and guides them in their struggles to find a solution to everyday problems. That does not mean that a solution is simply handed out by the pastor, but that the pastor truly acts as a guide that enables the other person to find a solution on their own.

This is a great book for any reader who sometimes question the validity of their faith or struggles with their faith in any way. But this book is also for any reader that appreciates the wisdom that age represents. 

the book is available at amazon.com here

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book through booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this review are my own and have not been influenced by either booksneeze or the author.

 

Travels to Germany - worth every penny of your plane ticket just for the breakfast

So traveling to Germany is not cheap, but one thing I can recommend is for anyone that can afford to travel to Europe to stop in Germany for the breakfast alone. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal in Germany because you get a very good selection of breads and rolls. These you combine with jam or cheeses or meat products.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - selection of rolls and coldcuts for breakfast

The image above shows a variety of salamis, some additional coldcuts as well as liverwurst. Also visible are rolls and some thin, crusty bread. This is a typical breakfast in Germany. Most Germans will have rolls or bread and make a sandwich by adding butter and topping it off with either jam or cheese or some meat cuts.

copyright Durhakmonthcheap - my typical breakfast in Germany, roll with meat coldcut, yoghurt with fruit, black coffee

I thoroughly enjoyed breakfast in Germany. In part because it was a very peaceful start to the day. You sit down, have some coffee, read your newspaper, chat and start the day off quietly. I got addicted to the dessert-type food called Ehrmann Fruechtetraum or Vanilletraum. This is similar to yoghurt, but more of a cheese. Quark basically is very fresh cheese, much more liquid than cream cheese, but similar in flavor. The company Ehrmann makes many different kinds of this dessert, some with additional vanilla flavor or semolina as a base and then combines it with fruit flavors or flavors such as hazelnut or chocolate. I used to eat two of these things a day, one for breakfast and another one in the evening. They were fairly cheap, you can get them for about 25 cents a piece, considering that this is a fairly healthy snack and tastes soooo good, I was definitely making the most of my stay in Germany by indulging on these treats.
So here you have it, the German breakfast. It may not be bacon, eggs and hash browns, but I actually prefer this type of breakfast to what we eat in the USA. I clearly wish for two things to develop in the USA, Ehrmann should just decide to export their products to the USA and butcher shops in the USA need to pick up their coldcuts production and improve the varieties available. In Germany you can buy a dozen varieties of salami and bologna with 10+ kinds of ingredients (meat, eggs, pistachios etc) - this should all be possible in the USA as well. I believe that the German breakfast is much healthier than the bacon and egg routine in the USA. I also like the fact that most Germans do not start work until 8AM or later, leaving people to enjoy their breakfast and getting the day off in a peaceful way.

Pizza in Germany - interesting flavor combos

I know - eating in pizza in Germany is not the most interesting thing to do, but one day neither of us felt like cooking and so we opted for pizza. A note upfront, most so called pizzerias in Germany will not just serve pizza, but also serve noodle dishes as well as a variety of meat dishes, such as schnitzel with various sauces and a number of chicken dishes. Looking over the meat and noodle dishes, little sparked my interest because all sauces listed tended to be very heavy and with lots of cream. Knowing that the dishes need to be prepared quickly since a lot of business is done through take-out, I was definitely not willing to order a noodle or meat dish that as a "final touch" had a blob of sauce added to the top. So we opted for pizza and were surprised by the variety of flavors available. While the ingredient list is pretty much the same, the combinations are much more specific. As an example, here is a website that shows the online menu with a detailed listing of the pizza varieties available.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Pizza Diavolo

We opted for Pizza Diavolo, which was advertised as a very spicy pizza and that turned out to be true. The second pizza was one with fresh tomatoes and a type of meat, similar to prosciutto. I really like prosciutto, so I was  particularly looking forward to this pizza since I wanted to see how they incorporate the prosciutto into a pizza.
One big plus for the specific pizza restaurant was the fact that each pizza was delivered with a small salad. In case you have not been to Germany, a small salad in Germany is not just lettuce, but usually a mix of various salads. As you can in the picture, the small salad consisted of lettuce, carrots, red cabbage, cucumbers, and radish salad.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Pizza Parma

The pizza tasted okay. For my taste the pizza was a little bit greasy and that may be because the amount of toppings compared to the dough is fairly high. We had already purposely stated away from anything that looked fattening and did not even consider selecting the German equivalent of a meat-lovers pizza. Still, the pizza ended up being more greasy than we are used to, but then again looking at the very thin dough and the amount of toppings, including cheese, I would think that any pizza ends up being more greasy than a simple pizza in the USA. In the USA, the dough tends to be thicker and a lot less toppings are added. So if you like thin dough with lots of toppings, Germany may be your place to eat pizza. I have to say that I was surprised when I saw the pizza and noticed how many toppings were present. 
The images above indicate the size of the pizza and the good amount of toppings. The prize for the pizza was very reasonable and like in the USA, a lot of restaurants have carry out specials. So if you are the adventurous type, you may enjoy a pizza in Germany with very different toppings than are available in the USA. Even if you just like a regular pepperoni pie, you can certainly get that in Germany, as long as you are willing to eat a pizza with a relatively thin crust and lots, lots of toppings.

Ode to the Currywurst (curried sausage) - something only the Germans could come up with

One of the little known facts about German cuisine is that the Germans came up with the concept of Currywurst or curry-sausage. Despite the name, the sausage used in the dish does not actually contain curry. The curry is simply added to the ketchup, which is used to cover generously the grilled sausage made out of pork.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Currywurst and french fries sold for 2.40 Euro

Disclaimer - I am an ardent fan of Currywurst and every time I visit Germany, I have to eat Currywurst at least once. Now I will also admit that in most places you have a choice to get your Currywurst red or white. As you can see from the picture above, I have chosen the "red" version - a sausage made from a mix of pork and beef, to give it a more intense flavor than a simple pork sausage. I personally will never even consider chosing the "white" version. The "white" version is created by using a pork sausage that is similar to the Bratwurst available in the USA. To me adding a bunch of curry-spiced ketchup to a brat just does not taste right. In the area of the Hunrueck that I visited, the "red" version is clearly more popular.
I was able to perform a nonscientific study by observing the Currywurst sales at a local supermarket (Globus Handelshof) that had a special on Currysausage with french fries for 2.40 Euro. The picture above shows what you get, a nicely filling meal for lunch or, as in my case, dinner. While I was sitting in the cafeteria enjoying my own gourmet creation, I saw a rapid succession of other customers carrying plates with Currywurst to their tables, without any exception, all had chosen the" red" version.
If you feel like making your own Currywurst, here is my advice for creating a reasonably priced "red" version in the USA:
- buy a good quality all beef frank. Try to find a lean version of a beef frank.
- grill the sausage / hot dog on a grill. Since a hot dog is smaller than the pork sausage sold in Germany, you should consider using two beef franks a person
- take a good tomato ketchup, put it in a small pot and simmer.
- add very generous amounts of yellow curry to the ketchup and let simmer to ensure that the flavors combine. The ketchup should definitely taste very spicy!
- cut the grilled beef franks into bite size pieces and cover in good amounts of ketchup
- serve with french fries or a artisan roll
- ENJOY!


Now some of you may wonder why go to this length when describing what can only be described as a very simple dish, not particularly healthy and a rather odd dish to be invented in Germany.
Currywurst has something about it that makes people ardent fans of this dish. There is a Currywurst museum in Berlin, Volkswagen has its own butchery that produces over 3.5 Million servings of Currywurst, of which 1.6 million are served to Volkswagen employees a year. If you want to find out more about the Currywurst, you can go to Wikipedia here or look a newspaper article from Reuters about the museum here.

Culinary specialty of the Hunsrueck region - Spiessbraten (just in time for grilling season)

On my recent trip to Germany, I had to sample of course the regional specialties. Even though I grew up on them, it is nice to go back and be treated to the food rather than prepare it on your own.
In time for grilling season, I want to introduce the Spiessbraten. This dish is fairly simple to prepare since it is basically a piece of meat, marinated in raw onions, pepper and salt,then grilled on a traditional wood fire. You can use either beef or pork, but most people use pork since it is more affordable. You can use pork tenderloin, T-bone or ribeye steak as well as beef sirloin. The onion is usually a traditional yellow onion, sliced thinly. The meat is spiced with salt and pepper to taste, then added to a good amount of onions and marinated for a minimum of 5 hours, preferably overnight.
The traditional wood fire is prepared and the meat is put on a roast and grilled over the fire. Traditionally the Spiessbraten is served with radish salad or a dill pickle and a roll or a slice of hearty bread. Some pictures from my hometown, but also various ways to prepare the Spiessbraten are shown on this link.
My own Spiessbraten dish is shown below.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - traditional Spiessbraten dish

A brief note about the origin of Spiessbraten. The dish is supposed to have originated when local agate cutters returned from Brazil. During the late 19th century, agate deposits ran out around Idar-Oberstein and people sought new material in other countries, among them Brazil. While there, they picked up the traditional BBQ style over the open fire and when returning to the Hunsrueck introduced this way to prepare meat. Not sure whether this is the true origin of Spiessbraten, but I can tell you that this is still my preferred way to grill meat and to this day, I can only eat grilled meat from charcoal or gas grills with lots of sauce. The traditional wood fire introduces a specific flavor into the meat and meat grilled any other way smells and tastes like a chemical concoction to me.

Raspberry spritzer - the perfect summer refreshment!

 I stopped by Harris-Teeter this morning with a rather short shopping list (two fridge packs of Coke, lance cracker and strawberries - all on sale this week). Since it did not take me long to complete my shopping list, I decided to go through the aisles for coffee and snacks to look for additional specials, such as unadvertised clearance items. In the coffee aisle, I came across Torani syrup. Harris Teeter in South Durham is having the sugar free red raspberry syrup on clearance for $3.-. I grabbed two bottles immediately because my grandma used to make raspberry lemonade and so raspberry spritzer is one of my favorite drinks.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - sometimes the best things are as simple as mixing two things - Raspberry Spritzer

After working in my garden for a couple of hours, I figured I deserved a treat this afternoon and so the raspberry spritzer that I remembered from my childhood was revived. I grabbed a clear cup (leftover from a Burger King special on their new smoothies), added plenty of ice and then a good shot of sugar free raspberry Torani suryp, before filling up the cup with Pellegrino mineral water (that had also been on sale at Harris Teeter earlier this year).
After the first few sips, I remembered why I loved my grandmother's raspberry spritzer, the taste of sweet raspberries mixed in with sparkling water is both refreshing and a treat.
If you get a chance, try mixing in mineral water with your Torani syrup for a nice refreshing treat. For me, raspberry will remain the favorite syrup for a spritzer. But I am sure, other people will have different preferences!