NYC, San Francisco and other US cities capping LGBTQ+ Pride month with a mix of party and protest
NEW YORK (AP) — The monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride reaches its rainbow-laden crescendo as New York and other major cities around the world host major parades and marches on Sunday.
The festivities in Manhattan, home to the nation's oldest and largest Pride celebration, kick off with a march down Fifth Avenue featuring more than 700 participating groups and expected huge crowds.
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Winnipeg Free Press
36 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Don't pour that pickle juice down the drain. It's a cocktail darling
NEW YORK (AP) — If you have a cocktail scene in your neck of the woods (and it's safe to say that I do in NYC), you might have noticed the words 'pickle juice' appearing more often on drink menus. Pickles and pickle brine have been an ingredient that mixologists — and chefs — have played with for a long time, but they're finally getting a star turn in beverage menus around the world. Pickle juice is salty, tangy acidic, and sometimes a little spicy. It adds zing to all kinds of cocktails. 'Pickles are a great gateway into savory cocktails,' says Camille Goldstein, managing partner of Muddling Memories, a Brooklyn-based hospitality company that promotes beverages as an experience. 'The sweet-salty brine of a pickle really creates an interesting depth of flavor for your margarita, martini or even a highball.' A drink called the Pickleback has been popular for years. Said to have originated at a Brooklyn bar called Bushwick Country Club, it consists of a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle brine. Word spread. Now, pickle juice has been making its way into all kinds of cocktails, from margaritas to martinis to micheladas. The pickle juice martini, in particular, has taken off; it's kind of a twist on a dirty martini (usually made with olive juice). It's all part of a pickle and fermentation renaissance in many food categories. The many variations of the pickle martini Watering holes known for their pickle martinis include Rizzo's Bar & Inn in Chicago; Belle's Bagels, Delicatessen and Bar in Los Angeles; Maison Pickle and The Penrose in New York; Reata in Forth Worth, Texas; The Loutrel in Charleston, South Carolina; and Old Pony Martini Pub in Grosse Point, Michigan, among other places. At The Penrose, they serve up about 100 pickle martinis a day, made with McClure's Pickles spicy brine and ALB vodka, says bartender Heaven Cluesman. Once shaken, he says, the brine creates a foamy layer on top of the drink. A garnish of a couple of pickle slices on a skewer makes it clear what's in the glass. Casa Thirteen on the Lower East Side of Manhattan (where Jewish immigrants sold pickles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) makes a spicy pickle martini with pickle juice spiked with hot peppers, vodka and vermouth (recipe below). The bartender, Reinaldo Maria, says the restaurant makes its own pickles, and cocktails are a good way to use the spicy brine — a nice little restaurant-kitchen ecosystem. And beyond martinis Pickle juice is a great foil to fatty foods, so a pickle juice cocktail is a nice accompaniment to burgers, steaks, chops, duck and other rich meals. But note: It contains a lot of sodium, so if you are reducing salt in your diet, keep that in mind. Other pickle-juice drinks of note: The 'Mr. Pickles' shooter at The Barbershop Cuts and Cocktails in Las Vegas is a shot of whisky served with a hollowed-out pickle filled with pickle brine. You'll find a Pickle Negroni with gin, aquavit, vermouth, bitter bianco, cucumber and dill brine at Little Bear in Atlanta. And at the Hollywood Lounge at Disneyland in California, there's a Pickle Michelada, made with beer, pickle juice, tomato mix and chile lime seasoning, garnished with a pickle spear. 'The beauty of pickle brine is that it plays nicely and favorably with all the other aspects of flavors in a cocktail, aka bitter, sweet, salt, sour and spicy,' says Goldstein. Fast-food restaurants put pickles in drinks Pickle juice is appearing in more non-alcoholic drinks as well. Popeyes Chicken introduced Pickle Lemonade this spring as part of a limited-time-only pickle menu. And V8 Grillo's Pickles has partnered with Sonic on a limited-time, pickle-centric menu including the 'Picklerita Slush,' a sweet-tart beverage made with pickle juice, lime and fizzy pickle 'flavor bubbles' (topped with a Grillo's Pickle Chip). Making one at home If pickles aren't your thing, then it's unlikely a pickle juice cocktail will be either. But if you like pickles, don't knock it 'til you've sipped it. To try a pickle cocktail at home, pick up a pack of Spritz Society's Pickle Spritzers, made with wine, carbonated water and Claussen's pickle juice. Or look for canned Dill Pickle Bloody Mary mix (non-alcoholic) from V8 Grillo's Pickles. Enjoy it as a mocktail, or use it as a mixer and add a shot of your favorite spirit. Here's one recipe: Casa Thirteen's Spicy Pickle Martini The bar enhances their pickle juice with hot peppers, but you can use the strained brine from any store-bought spicy pickles. You could also add a splash of brine from pickled hot peppers to bump up the heat in your cocktail. Ingredients: .75 ounce spicy pickle juice 1 1/2 ounces vodka (the bar uses Grey Goose, but any vodka will do) .5 ounces dry vermouth Pickled basque pepper or pickled jalapeno to garnish (optional) Directions: Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the pickle juice, vodka and vermouth and shake until the outside of the shaker is ice cold. Strain and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with the pickled pepper, if desired. Serve cold. ___ Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, 'Dinner Solved!' and 'The Mom 100 Cookbook.' She blogs at She can be reached at Katie@ ___ For more AP food stories, go to
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
In Senegal, luxury sheep shine at a beauty contest and fetch a high price
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The regal creatures are led into the open arena, stamping their groomed hooves as if to acknowledge the cheers, music and fireworks from the crowd of spectators. Their majestic figures embody pride and status, their towering size, prominent muzzle, curved horns and polished skin on full display as night falls. Welcome to one of Senegal's most anticipated beauty pageants – not for humans but for the locally bred Ladoum, the equivalent of a Ferrari among the woolly creatures.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In Senegal, luxury sheep shine at a beauty contest and fetch a high price
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The regal creatures are led into the open arena, stamping their groomed hooves as if to acknowledge the cheers, music and fireworks from the crowd of spectators. Their majestic figures embody pride and status, their towering size, prominent muzzle, curved horns and polished skin on full display as night falls. Welcome to one of Senegal's most anticipated beauty pageants – not for humans but for the locally bred Ladoum, the equivalent of a Ferrari among the woolly creatures. The annual contest featured more than a dozen Ladoum, competing in three different categories as adult male, adult female and young/promising. As each sheep is led into the open arena, a panel of judges note down their points based on distinct features like beauty, size, height, horns and body texture for each round. Winners, announced at the end, are rewarded with food and cash prizes. This year's Best Male Adult sheep is Prive, 1 year and 7months old, whose breeder estimated him to be worth more than $100,000 in the market. 'It feels good to be here, I cherish him so much,' Isaiah Cisse, Prive's breeder said with a wide grin as he massaged the sheep for a successful outing. Unlike the more common sheep eaten and used as sacrifices during Muslim celebrations, the crossbreed Ladoum are mainly seen as a living, breathing symbol of social prestige and luxury bred for years before they are sold. Widely known as one of the world's most expensive sheep, the older ones usually fetch a price of $70,000, compared to $250 for a regular sheep, and attract buyers from around the world to this West African nation of 18 million people, where livestock is a key source of livelihood. Mostly weighing up to 400 pounds (181 kilograms) and up to 4 feet (1.21 meters) in height, the Ladoum are known for their physical grandeur with curling and symmetrical horns and lustrous sheen. As the contest unfolded in Senegal's capital, Dakar, each sheep is announced before it is led by the breeder onto an elevated stage where it is inspected by the judges, to the elation of the crowd. Each receives joyful chants from a band troupe, featuring the local Senegalese instrumental Assiko music with the sheep's praise names ringing out aloud. 'You can't see a sheep like this in Africa or even in the world,' said Elhadji Ndiaye, a member of the judging panel. 'Ladoum is special.' Many agree with him. Musa Faye, a 22-year-old breeder, said his 18-month-old sheep was named Diomaye, after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to show the sheep's significance for him and his family. 'I spend a lot of time with him and play with him,' Faye said of his sheep. 'I am preparing him for the next competition because I know he will win (the trophy),' he added. The contest, which has been running for some years, took place alongside an exhibition that featured even young breeders like Ibrahim Diagne. At 12, he is anticipating bringing his Ladoum for the contest someday. 'My parents like this and have always done it, so I like it too,' Diagne said of his passion for the family's sheep rearing business. Such passion is common in Senegal where sheep rearing is an age-old tradition deeply woven into family life and culture. Even animal traditions are passed down through the generations. Maniane Ndaw's prized sheep Alou won this year's Best Junior Male, following in the footsteps of the sheep's father who won several titles. 'For me, it's a great, great pleasure,' Ndaw said. 'It shows that the lineage is a good one.'
