About Barware

There’s nothing better than a glass pitcher of iced tea in the summer months, and it’s so simple to make that there’s no reason not to keep a pitcher in the refrigerator at all times. You can make iced tea with all varieties of tea, though some seem to taste better cold. For example, raspberry, lemon, and peach teas are summer favorites amongst iced teas. While it’s possible to use green, black, and mint tea for iced tea, these varieties tend not to capture the same flavor when iced. You’ll need to adjust the amount of teabags used depending on the size of the picture. For two liters, 5-6 tea bags are appropriate, for one liter, 2-3 tea bags will work well. You might also want to add sugar, but be sure to stir the sugar in and continue to taste the tea; there’s nothing worse than a tea that is ruined because it is too sweet.

Keep adding crushed ice to the tea for the best taste, and remember not to add too much ice otherwise it will dilute the flavor of the tea.

The image on the top and the numbers below are for a formal dinner place setting.

1. Napkin  
2. Fish Fork
3. Dinner or Main Course Fork
4. Salad Fork
5. Soup Bowl & Plate
6. Dinner Plate
7. Dinner Knife
8. Fish Knife
9. Soup Spoon
10. Bread & Butter Plate
11. Butter Knife
12. Dessert Spoon and Cake - Dessert Fork
13. Sterling Water Goblet
14. Red Wine Glass
15. White Wine Glass

Mulled wine, variations of which are popular around the world, is wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. Historically, wine often went bad. By adding spices and honey, it could be made drinkable again. Nowadays, it is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. Typically served in a glass barware mug.

It is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus, cardamom, ginger, bitter orange, and suger.

To prepare mulled wine, spices and/or spice extract are mixed into the wine, which is then heated to (140°-158° Fahrenheit). The temperature should not be allowed to rise above (173.12° Fahrenheit) in order to avoid evaporation of the alcohol. When preparing home-made mulled wine using spices, the hot mixture is allowed to infuse for at least an hour, often longer, and then reheated before serving.

This is just a sampling of simple drinking toasts from around the world. Some are impossible to find in language dictionaries as they are colloquial phrases, slang or in dialect. I apologize in advance for spelling mistakes: I’m no linguist. Meanings have been included when I could find them. Fill in the blanks if you can. Some are just a general ‘cheers’. If you were making a bet on possible translation, you wouldn’t lose money by suggesting that every one of these toasts is wishing the recipient continued health and general well being. My spell check is about to go wild! So raise your highball glass to one of these listed below.

za vashe zdorovye (Russian)
slainte duine a ol (Irish) to your health
genatzt (Armenian)
a sua saude (Portuguese) good health
a votre sante (French) to your health
banzai (long life) (Japanese)or
kanpai (dry glass!) (Japanese)
bud mo (Ukranian)
cin cin (chin chin) (cheers) (Italian) or
alla salute (in good health) (Italian)
proost (Dutch) cheers
vivat (Polish) revival, survival
tervist (Estonian) general greeting
skal (Danish) cheers
here’s looking at you (kid, optional) (American/Bogart)
kia ora (Maori) all purpose greeting
egeszsegedre (Hungarian) to your health
Iechyd da (Welsh) good health
I sveikas (Lithuanian) your health
kippis (Finnish) cheers
le’chaim (Jewish) to life
na zdravi (Czech) to your health
noroc (Romanian)
prosit (German) here’s to you (and your health of course)
wen lie (Chinese)
salud (Spanish)
bahkt tu kel (Romany/Gypsy) good luck and health be on you
Here it is folks – oogy wawa (Zulu)
(wawa means ‘fell’, oogy wasn’t listed, any ideas?)

We should all feel well cheered and healthy after all that!

- Raise Your Beer Mug To The World Or How To Say Cheers! In Zulu -
The Moguls did it. So did the Vikings. “A mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer.” After coining that phrase, you don’t think this anonymous Egyptian from 2200 BC kept it to himself. I can see him raise his drinking vessel to his Nile-side neighbors while repeating the words.

Every country in the world has some sort of traditional drinking toast, often dozens. Usually one or two words, common toasts are not in the same league with toasts to the bride (which can drone on for hours), or to the retiree who’s been with us for 30 years but would rather get to his food while it’s hot. All of these really should be briefer, especially if a meal is being served. The everyday, no black tie, corner pub toasts exist in every culture and the vast majority simply mean ‘I wish you good health’. Not surprisingly it is the English who have strayed from the norm. ‘Cheers’, ‘Down the Hatch’, ‘Bottoms up’ and many more. I always assumed the latter referred to the bottom of the glass, however the Hawaiians have taken this literally. ‘Okole Maluna’ means ‘buttocks up’. I am including a list of multi-national toasts to impress your friends and use as a sign of respect when in the company of people from different cultures.

Here’s a bit of etiquette to go with your cosmopolitan language skills. It is customary to toast the first round, and let the host go first. There is some controversy over the clinking of glasses. It is said that the tradition started as a sly way to test the authenticity of the host’s crystal. Whether the Vikings clinked pewter goblets or not, it is considered more civilized to ‘touch glasses’ rather than bash together in a resounding crash. And while you’re about it, serve on the left and remove from the right!

When I was little, my entire conception of alcohol was garnered from what I observed on TV and in the movies. I became accustomed to seeing distinguished gentleman pouring each other a drink from decorative whiskey decanters and watching them sip their potent potables on the rocks. This seemed enjoyable to them, so I assumed that alcohol must have a sweet and appealing flavor.

Due to my disillusioned concept of alcohol, I naively thought that I could take my first drink on the rocks and that it would taste great. Needless to say, I was humiliated when I ordered a whiskey on the rocks for my first drink and was forced to spit out my first sip. Since then learning the truth about the acrid taste of most alcohol, I proceed with more caution.

How to lose weight if you like to drink beer.

At roughly 150 calories per serving, steady beer drinking is a quick way to add inches to your waist. Even so-called light beers are full of calories with no benefits. Men tend to gain weight in the belly, and a waist size larger than 40 inches increases the risks of developing heart disease, stroke or diabetes. If you want to continue drinking beer, you will need to exert a little more effort to get your waist back into shape. Use a small beer mug when drinking.

Eat Healthy -

Step 1:  Eat only half of your regular portion. After a few days, you will no longer notice the reduction.

Step 2:  Choose whole grains and fruits. Eat whole wheat bread, brown rice instead of white, and fresh fruits rather than juice or canned fruit. Increasing fiber will help you feel full and will promote a healthier colon.

Step 3:  Don’t skimp on sleep. Not only will you feel more refreshed, but a good night’s sleep will also help control the hormones that stimulate appetite.

Step 4:  Drink water. A well-hydrated body won’t retain water, and drinking a glass of water before a meal will help you feel full.

Step 5:  Ease up on the salt. Too much salt, including salt found in processed foods and snacks, will cause your body to retain water.

Exercise More -

Step 1:  Exercise. Physical activity is the key to losing weight. Aim for 2 1/2 hours a week of moderate activity, or 1 1/4 hours a week of vigorous aerobic activity. If you don’t cut back on your beer consumption, you may need to consider longer workouts.

Step 2:  Incorporate strength training into your exercise regimen to help tone muscles as you lose weight.

Step 3:  Do sit-ups to strengthen your abdominal muscles, but don’t rely on them exclusively to slim your waist. The best way to lose your belly is to reduce your overall body fat.

How to lose belly fat from drinking beer.

Are you beer lover that is now stuck with unwanted belly fat? Drinking beer can cause you to get belly fat or a beer gut. This can be frustrating. After all, drinking beer is fun and you shouldn’t have to be stuck with belly fat from enjoying it. Let’s talk about some ways to lose belly fat from drinking beer.

Step 1:  Switch to light beers to get rid of belly fat from drinking. There are fewer calories and carbs in the beer. This means that you won’t get belly fat or a beer gut as quickly. You can still enjoy your beer and get closer to a flatter stomach with the light beers.

Step 2:  Drink less beer overall when you want a flatter stomach. Switch to a drink that doesn’t have so much in it to be able to lose belly fat and feel better about yourself. Try a small beer mug.

Step 3:  Drink wine instead of all beer or shots of liquor. This will give you fewer calories to help you lose belly fat from drinking beer.

Step 4:  Lay off the nuts, chips and other fattening foods that you might eat when you’re drinking beer. You can lose belly fat by getting rid of these empty calories. Before you know it, you’ll have a flatter stomach without completely giving up beer to lose belly fat or that beer gut.

I’ve been lucky enough to live on Lake Huron for most of my adult life. There are many benefits to having a lakeside residence, but one stands out above all others. Several times each summer, I throw epic parties on the beach. My friends and I lug the grill down onto the sand and we set up a bunch of tables. And the temporary bar is the crowning glory.

Since I’m happily married, I like to let my single friends handle the bar. As I’ve often pointed out, women are often impressed with a man who knows what he’s doing. With that in mind, you should never serve beer in a wine glass, or put an elaborate girly drink in a tumbler. This might seem like a small detail, but you’d be surprised how much a discerning drinker cares about minor touches. If I’m staking my party-throwing reputation on a particular soiree, I like to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.

Now that August has arrived, it’s time to come to terms with the fact that summer is indeed a fleeting phenomenon. It won’t be long before we put away our summer wheat beers and sangria in exchange for headier amber ales and spiced cider. As the seasons change, so do our drinks of choice. In liquor stores across the country, you’ll begin to notice the arrival of an entirely new crop of seasonal beverages.

In just a few months’ time, beer drinkers will be itching to attend Oktoberfest celebrations. The original festival is held each in late September in Munich, Germany, but smaller, equally boisterous parties take place all across America as well. In order to get the most out of your Oktoberfest experience, you’ll want to drink like the Germans do. That means quaffing beer from a pewter tankard or a gargantuan beer stein.