YUM
trend alert!
hotels that
brew their own
booze!
The bartenders at these hotels are so wholehearted about hooch, they’re mixing their own blends. Pull up a stool!
Japanese-Style
Sakes in Las Vegas
Wanting to give guests a
transporting experience, the
Shibuya restaurant at the MGM
Grand Hotel & Casino teamed
up with the famous Northern
Japanese distiller Oomuraya Shuzo
to produce three exclusive sakes.
The nuanced blends run the gamut
from fruity to light to dry, and come
in fancy bottles ($59 and up) and
single-serving cans ($17). (3799
Las Vegas Blvd. S., mgmgrand
.com, 877-880-0880)
nibble on this
The characteristic holes
of swiss cheese have
a quirky origin:
Gas expands in
the cheese while it
ripens, causing air
bubbles to form.
GOOD THINGS
COME IN
ECO-PACKAGES
Now you can spot them
at the supermarket!
IN THE DAIRY AND
SNACK AISLES
It looks like plastic and keeps
food just as fresh, but a greener
version known as corn-based
PLA is made from kernels. Unlike
oil-based plastic, the corn-derived
kind is biodegradable—which
means it will eventually break
down into harmless natural
compounds and take some
pressure off our landfills.
SPOT IT! Snyder’s of Hanover’s
organic pretzel thins bags,
Stonyfield multipack yogurt cups
English-Style Ales in Vermont
Vermont’s Norwich Inn has been brewing beers in the English
style since 1797. But until recently, they were only equipped to
make three 5-gallon jugs at a time. After adding on a four-barrel
brewhouse, they now turn out 125-gallon batches of English ale
and 15 other brews. In tradition’s name, some hops still come from
the motherland; the rest are grown on-site. All are pumped into the
house pub from beer cellars. (325 Main St., norwichinn.com,
802-649-1143; $5.50 for an imperial pint, $5.50 for a 22-ounce bottle)
Kentucky-Style
Bourbon in California
After their first bourbon-themed dinner
got rave reviews, the chef de cuisine
and head bartender at the Grange
Restaurant in Sacramento’s Citizen
Hotel headed to the Bluegrass State to
sample the best barrel-aged bourbons
and blend their own. After rounds
of tastings with Kentucky master
distiller Chris Morris, they devised the
hotel’s exclusive Grange Special Blend
Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Spicy,
caramelly and citrusy, it now stocks the
bar’s top shelf. (926J St., citizenhotel
.com, 916-447-2700; $11 for a house
Manhattan, $65 by the bottle)
—KAREN CATCHPOLE
IN THE BOTTLED-
DRINK AISLE
Companies are replacing plastic
packaging with a sugar-derived
version made from molasses and
sugar cane. One version from
the Coca-Cola Company, known
as PlantBottle, is 30 percent
plant-based and fully recyclable,
so it cuts the company’s use
of petroleum (a nonrenewable
ingredient) and reduces its
greenhouse gas emissions.
SPOT IT! Dasani bottles,
single-serve Odwalla bottles
IN THE COFFEE AND
CEREAL AISLES
Not only does repurposed
paperboard save trees, but it’s also
less expensive to produce than the
fresh stuff. Today, companies are
using the material in unexpected
ways, like as replacements for
steel coffee canisters.
SPOT IT! Maxwell House coffee
canisters, Kellogg’s cereal boxes
—ELIZABETH BARKER
