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The Check Out: Weekly News Bites For Restaurants June 17th

Every Friday Uncorkd finds the most interesting restaurant and beverage industry news that had us talking. Here are must-read articles from June 11th – June 17th.

Wine News

The World of Fine Wine just released it’s 2016 winners for best wine lists in the world. Some of these lists are insane exercises in excess. The winner? A 585-page wine list tome from a restaurant in Macau, China. 585 pages? That’s a lot of wine and a lot of indecision. And a lot of staff members fumbling over there wine notes to remember what that red blend on page 481 pairs best with.

International Sushi Day is this Saturday, June 18th. But what should you pair with your hamachi nigiri (or, really, your Philadelphia roll)? We break down the best wines to sip while you satiate your sushi cravings. Sushi makes for a challenging food to pair wine with, as the flavors and ingredients can be so varied. We’ve accepted the challenge.

Restaurant News

The annual World’s 50 Best Restaurant Award winners were released this week. This list doesn’t carry quite the same prestige as the Michelin-star awards, it’s certainly an honor to be recognized. The restaurants on this list are truly innovative and world-class. The winner this year is Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. The plating is beautiful, and the food sounds like playful and respectful reimagining of classic Italian dishes.

Congress looks to repeal a provision in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act that capped the fees credit card companies can charge merchants. This repeal, proposed by a Texas republican not seeking reelection, could hit restaurant operators particularly hard. The repeal is essential an attempt to favor credit card companies over local businesses and consumers. Great strategy.

Cocktail and Spirit News

Last week, Uncorkd wrote about the cocktail slushy craze that is putting a deep chill on your summer. If you like your booze served ice cold, then check out this video from Vinepair that walks you through making a watermelon tequila slushy.

Are you a tiki cocktail enthusiast? Is your ideal bar not a speakeasy but a cabana bar raised above white sand beaches? Or maybe your bar just put together a tiki-focused cocktail menu for this summer. Tiki recipes, like the idols they’re often served in, are the stuff of myth and legend. Recipes for tiki mixes were proprietary secrets. But now that many of those secrets are out, how should bars utilizen traditional tiki pre-mixes over individual ingredients?

Kyle Thacker