The Lush Chef

I'm always on the lookout for new products to include in my baking and shaking endeavors, so when the pretty packaging of Fever Tree caught my eye at BevMo, I just had to try.  I picked up the Bitter Lemon tonic and poured it in with some Grey Goose vodka and a lemon twist on a Monday night.  Yeah, it's going to be hard to go back to regular tonic water now...The flavor had just the right amount of bitter, a slight hint of sweetness and citrus that will kick up your G&Ts and V&Ts several notches.  The best part is, they're all natural.


Fever Tree hails from the UK and was founded in early 2005 by one of the guys who ran Plymouth Gin.  Their philosophy is that if 3/4 of your drink is tonic or soda water, then it better be darn good. I couldn't agree more.  The name stems from the colloquial for the Cinchona Tree, where quinine, a primary ingredient in tonic water, is found in the extract of the bark.  The bark is also a common ingredient found in most bitters, so it's known for its healing properties.  It's a perfect way to make the medicine go down, right?  The particular bark they use descends from a high-yielding quinine varietal first cultivated by a British explorer named Charles Ledger, and which is still grown along the Rwanda-Congo border.  I'm looking forward to trying their other tonics and sodas — such as their award-winning Mediterranean Tonic Water and Ginger Beer.

Readers are now aware of the Lush Chef's obsession with High West Distillery in Park City, Utah.  When I visited the place last year, I had one of their signature cocktails—the High West Lemonade.  It can be served hot like a toddy or cold, but I'm a fan of the iced version, made with one of my favorite ryes.  They sell the High West Spiced Syrup that goes in this cocktail at the Distillery, or I'm sure you could call them and beg them to send you a bottle.   The simple syrup is made with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla and gives this summer-inspired cocktail a bit of a winter kick in the butt.  I made some slight modifications to their recipe (located on the bottle) because we don't have any Utah liquor laws to worry about in the Lush Chef's abode.

High West Lemonade - serves 1
Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz High West Spiced Syrup
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz water
• 2 oz High West Rendezvous Rye
• 1 mint sprig

- Combine the syrup, lemon juice, water and rye whiskey in a mixing glass with ice and stir to your heart's content.
- Pour into a glass and garnish with the mint sprig.

When I was at the Sundance Film Festival last year, my co-workers and I wanted to find someplace close for bar bites and an early evening drink before attacking the crazy screening and party scene...and the cold.  Two doors down from our condo, we found High West Distillery, and it has since become one of my "happy places." High West has been making small-batch whiskey in Park City, Utah in 2007, the first since 1870 in Utah, and is the world's only ski-in gastro-distillery.  That's right.  You can ski-in for your Hot Toddy or spiked Apple Cider, and it's all located in a state known for their stringent liquor laws.


I ended up buying a small bottle of their signature Rendezvous Rye that year, a very smooth blend of a 16-year and 6-year rye whiskey.  I made that bottle last and only broke it out for special occasions and whiskey afficionados.  When I would see a bottle of High West whiskey at a Los Angeles bar, I'd always ask for it.  This usually resulted in a surprised look and sharing a free shot with the bartender.  It was like their little secret and they were always shocked if someone else knew about High West other than them.

When I went back for the Festival this year, of course I had to stop by multiple times during the week to warm up and relax.  High West has a great rustic and Western theme, with great hospitality and an atmosphere that lends itself to lounging for a long time.  To the right is the larger saloon, formerly a livery, with high ceilings that make you feel as if you stepped into an Old Western.  In the middle sits the distillery, which I'll eventually get around to touring on a future visit.

The smaller bar is housed to the left in a two-story, yellow Victorian home, with plenty of cozy couches and big leather chairs to settle into. The food is reasonably priced and darn good—it'll satisfy any city girl or cowboy.  I highly recommend the High West Popped Corn with bacon, bourbon, cashews and caramel and their Spiced Marcona Almonds with peat smoked salt, brown sugar and paprika if you're looking some light munchies with your cocktails.  Their small plates of Utah Ballard Farms Pulled Pork is slow-roasted for 18 hours and comes with fried golden tomatoes and a barbeque drizzle.  The Whiskey Cider Braised Short Rib with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and fried shallot rings is also another winner and is sure to fill you up before you venture back out into the cold.

There's a small shop in the front where you can purchase any of their whiskeys.  If you're not sure where to start, then try their High West whiskey flight for $17.  I found myself with a couple of hours to kill and knew that I was going to be buying a couple of bottles before I went home, so I did the flight.  I started off with their Western Oat Silver Whiskey (yes, it' clear!), which is an un-aged whiskey with primarily oat bran and a little bit of barley.  If you're a tequila fan, you'll love this stuff.  It's very similar to a blanco tequila and is a good starting point if you're not a big whiskey drinker.  I then moved on to their Double Rye, which became my new favorite.  It's a combination of a 2-year and 16-year rye, with spicy notes of cinnamon and anise.  I can't wait to make an Old-Fashioned out of this with my Bitter Revenge Buzzkill Bitters.  Next up, was their 21 Year Old Rocky Mountain Rye, which is aged in used oak barrels (unusual for American ryes) and has a sweet, caramel flavor, similar to a bourbon.  Lastly, was the Bourye (boo-rye), which is their famous combination of bourbon and rye whiskey.



















I ended up buying a large bottle of Double Rye and Rendezvous Rye for myself, a smaller Double as a gift for a friend.  I think I'll be set for a Lush Chef whiskey tasting party pretty soon...

Every lush out there should own a flask, and I didn't have one until recently.  I had hit up the Unique LA holiday shopping extravaganza back in early December with a couple of girl friends and found these colorful and whimsical hip flasks from Whimsy & Ink, based out of Anaheim.  My friend and I were going to be heading to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival, and there's just something about cold mountain weather that warrants carrying a flask around.  Plus, those crazy Utah liquor laws means weaker drinks and we can't have that now, can we?  It's my last day at the Festival, and it has certainly proven its use at packed parties with long bar lines.  Not only was it a great conversation starter, but I was able to spend more of my time mixing and mingling.  Now that's how a Lush Chef rolls...

I opted for a cerulean mustache design:















While my friend chose this vintage Moby Dick version:

There's no better way to end the year and recover from an epic French Laundry dinner than to wander through wineries in Napa and Sonoma.  We awoke late the next morning, almost fully recovered from our food coma, and were greeted to a gorgeous, crisp and sunshine-filled day.  There was no way we were going to start wine tasting until we had some coffee and carbs in our belly.  We hit up Basque Cafe & Boulangerie in the adorable town center of Sonoma and filled up on European style espresso and an assortment of fresh brioche, danish and rolls.  Sit out on the patio with the locals and take in the pleasant view of the park across the street.
We then headed out to Deerfield Ranch Winery in Sonoma.  Not only are they known for their delicious wines, but you can do the tastings in their wine cave!

Be sure to wear a coat or sweater if you happen to visit the cave in the winter months.  That wine needs to be kept cool and you don't want to freeze while you taste your wine.


















You'll walk past tons of barrels through a long hallway and emerge into a central room with a vaulted ceiling and plenty of leather chairs and coffee and dining tables to gather around.





We did a flight of 5 wines, one of which was the Cellar Rat Chardonnay, an ode to the workers in the cellar.
















Next, we were off to Provenance Vineyards in St. Helena.  We took a long twisting route through canyons, past small farm houses and finally emerged on the other side of a hill to the open grape vineyards.  The tasting room is housed in a large red building that's reminiscent of a barn.  One of the wines on our tasting menu happened to be a Sauvignon Blanc that's going to be the wedding wine for 2 of the people I was with (and it was delicious!).




Our last wine tasting for the day was at Duckhorn Vineyards, which was also in St. Helena.  It was the late afternoon and the light just looked stunning along the fields.
The tasting room is housed in this beautiful Craftsman-style home.  Can I please live here?
Folks were sitting outside on the wrap-around patio in the crisp air, sipping their wine.
There's also plenty of space to do tastings inside their main room, which boasts a soaring ceiling and windows on every side.

Be sure to check out the wall of duck cartoons by the bathrooms.

My friend's dad happened to be a VIP wine club member at Duckhorn, so we were ushered to a private tasting room in another building out back.  They had tons of delicious cheese, crackers and dried fruit for us to munch on while they poured us a special selection of their top wines.  Again, I must live here.


Afterwards, we realized the cheese had kickstarted a bit of an appetite and since we were going to be doing snacks and champagne for New Year's Eve, we needed a quick meal.  Heading out of St. Helena, there's a renowned burger and hotdog spot called Gott's Roadside that I'd been wanting to try.  During the lunch hour, the lines are crazy long, but we hit this place at just the right time.



















I got a Let's Be Frank hot dog with grilled onions, pickles and ketchup.  I'm totally coming back for a burger...
Our last stop was the local Dean & Deluca for some goose liver pate, more cheese and crackers and other snacks.  We had already sprung for the duck foie gras last night, so none today.

Too bad I spent all my money last night or else I would have bought some white truffle...or not.  $4800 a pound, mom.  Now that's luxurious.
We almost thought about buying some Sir Francis Bacon chocolate, but decided against it because we had so much chocolate and sweets still back at the hotel.
And while these chocolate truffles are pretty, I doubt they were as delicious as the ones we had at French Laundry!  I'm so spoiled now...

I normally don't get personal on this blog, but my journey in making cocktail bitters ended up being a rather personal one...and now that I look back upon it, somewhat positive and funny, in that it pushed me to really take this project on.

I had purchased Brad Thomas Parson's beautiful book on Bitters a couple of months ago and was so excited to start making my own batch.  Some people make jam and pickles, but I decided I was going to take a different route on the DIY highway.  I started leafing through all of the resources listed in Brad's book in obtaining obscure ingredients such as gentian root, cassia chips, schizandra berries and devil's club root.  In olden times, would I have been considered a witch?  I realized that if I was going to throw myself whole-heartedly into this endeavor, I was going to have to find a local purveyor.  The spices weren't a problem, as I'm a frequent customer of Silver Lake's Spice Station.  But these darn roots and barks...was I going to have to go foraging through the forest or have them consistently shipped from Tenzing Momo in Seattle?  I knew there just had to be a place in Los Angeles where I could source this stuff, so I tweeted the author and he was kind enough to put me in touch with Louis from LA-based bitter company Miracle Mile.  Louis pointed me towards Herbs of Mexico, an herbal shop in East LA, that had everything I would need, including some inexpensive amber dropper bottles.

Bitters take about a month to make—there are 2 weeks where you have all of your roots, barks, fruit peels, herbs and spices fermenting in 100 proof bourbon or vodka, then some straining and separating, another week of fermenting, and then 3 days where a sugar syrup settles into your mixture.  I knew I had to start early if I wanted to give a bottle of orange bitters to American Trilogy—they were a crucial ingredient in his favorite cocktail, and what better Christmas gift than a basket of everything he needed to make that libation?  I was just stepping out of yoga and getting my coffee before embarking on my Saturday morning Eastside adventure when I got the call...things were ending with American Trilogy (but not my love affair with the actual cocktail).  It felt like a scene out of a bad romantic comedy—the rain, my hair a mess from yoga, copious tears streaming down my face.  It was a rather unceremonious way of being dumped and it came totally out of left field.  I look back and I still don't see any real signs that would have indicated what was coming.  Was I in a cocktail haze and food coma for 3 months? 


After an epic cry over the phone with my parents, I was determined I wasn't going to let this get in the way of my bitter making.  I hopped in the car with a box of tissues and proceeded to drive around LA for about 6 or 7 hours making the various stops in East LA, Silver Lake, Century City and Santa Monica.  Where's Ryan Gosling when you need him?  I grabbed various supplies (cheese cloths, mason jars, high-proof bourbon, funnels) in between texting friends at every stop and crying over the phone.  I walked into Herbs of Mexico teary-eyed and red-faced (quite the unusual sight amongst the locals of this area), where a kind saleslady helped me gather all the ingredients I would need.  Strangely enough, they didn't have two essential ingredients for making orange bitters.  Frick.  Well, I didn't want to make orange first anyway!  I already had a bottle of Fees sitting happily on my shelf.  What I really wanted to make was coffee pecan, and now that I was doing this for me, I took it as a sign...

I'm a strong believer in everything happening for a reason.  When things aren't so hot in the Lush Chef world, I throw myself into projects and activities to keep me busy and take my mind off of things.  It's partly why baking and cooking is so therapeutic for me.  You're turning that negative energy into something positive—a tasty treat or dish for yourself or someone you care about.  When I had first purchased Brad's book, the only thing on my mind was to make a couple batches of bitters and say that I at least tried it.  But this horrible experience with American Trilogy made me think of it as more of a catalyst for something bigger.  Perhaps this was meant to happen so that I'd be inspired and pushed to try something new?  Perhaps I could eventually create my own cocktail bitters line?  It may still end up being just a home project, but maybe these little bottles of love/anger could end up in bars or boutique stores across the country.  I'll just follow this road and see where it takes me...


So here's the debut of Bitter Revenge with the first flavor—Buzzkill.  That's right.  I'm literally bottling up my anger and frustration, letting it ferment, and creating something slightly bitter, but delicious out of it.
Here are the crazy ingredients that it contains:

• toasted pecans
• whole coffee beans, lightly crushed
• cocoa nibs
• minced dried orange peel
• black peppercorns
• cassia chips
• wild cherry bark
• high-proof bourbon (I used Wild Turkey)
• sorghum molasses

Here's the mason jar that I took my aggression out on every day. It's the end of the fermentation process so all the solid pieces have been strained out.


And voilà!  Aren't these bottles of Bitter Revenge pretty?

In the recipe description, Brad says that The Patterson House (my fave bar in Nashville), uses their coffee-pecan bitters to make a Bacon Old-Fashioned with bacon-infused bourbon and maple syrup.  A future Lush Chef post, perhaps?  I'll also welcome any cocktail recipe suggestions in the comments below, so put those thinking caps on.  I'm also already plotting my next flavor.  And if Bitter Revenge becomes a success?  I'll raise an American Trilogy (the cocktail, not him) to all the fabulous friends, family, colleagues and readers who have shown their support.  To sweet revenge...

It's not often that I make my way over to Silver Lake, but when I do, I make a point to stop over at Bar Keeper along Sunset Junction (3910 W. Sunset Blvd).  The shop itself may be small, but I'm always impressed by how well-curated the libations are that Joe the Bar Keeper has in stock.  If I'm buying my usual liquors, I just hit up a Bev-Mo, but if I'm looking to find something new or hard-to-find, then I know I can't go wrong at Bar Keeper.  Everyone that works there is extremely friendly and knowledgeable.  You're not going to get a blank stare like you do at Bev-Mo when you walk in and ask for Cynar, and those Bev-Mo employees pronounce it wrong anyway...


They have an especially well-curated cart of bitters in the middle of the room with the usual Angostura, Peychauds, Fees and Regans lines, along with the rarer Bitter Truth or the local Miracle Mile brands (check out that lovely pic from Tasting Table).  Other mixers such as orgeat, falernum (hmm, a libation education on those in the future?), pickle brine and rosewater can also be found here and get the Lush Chef all excited about experimenting.  I recently stocked up on some pretty amber glass bottles for the bitters I'm making.  More on that next week.  They also have a nice selection of practical and fun barware and glassware that ranges from classic to whimsical.  I couldn't help purchasing a set of sturdy coupe glasses for $6 a piece.  The Lush Chef is "so over" pouring 3 oz cocktails into a giant martini glass reminiscent of those "Sex and the City" days.


When the holidays roll around, Joe starts contacting local mixologists to put together cocktail gift boxes, which include all the tools and ingredients needed to make a particular drink.  Choices include Matthew Biancaniello's (Library Bar) Kentucky Bubble Bath, Eric Alperin's (The Varnish) Colonial Ties, David Kupchinsky's (The Tar Pit) Oaxacan Angel, as well as some more classic cocktails like a Manhattan or a Sazerac.  Look out for that chemistry-inspired sign along Sunset and you're sure to go all mad cocktail scientist when walking out the door with your purchases. 

An Old Fashioned isn't an Old Fashioned unless you add one key ingredient— bitters, and namely Angostura.  That distinctive bottle with the oversize label and the yellow cap happens to be one of the oldest remaining bitters around. Peychaud's, a key ingredient for the famous Sazerac, and Fee Brothers have also been making bitters since the early days.

I'm fascinated by America's cocktail history, so when I heard that a new book was coming out in November that traced the just the history of bitters...well...I geeked out and placed my advance order.  Brad Thomas Parsons' Bitters - A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All neatly (is that a cocktail joke? nah) traces the history of this potent libation, its death after Prohibition and its resurgence with the vintage cocktail movement.  It's humorous, informative and a quick read.  Go buy it NOW.  In addition, Brad lists reputable both large and small-batch companies that are making bitters today (Bitter Truth, Miracle Mile Bitters, Bittermens) and where to find them, as well as various stores/websites to purchase the ingredients to start making your own.  There are about a dozen basic recipes to follow that are tested and true, and which lay the foundation for future experimentation.  A whole list of both classic and modern cocktails which showcase the beauty of bitters are also included.  And best of all, there are recipes for cooking and baking with bitters— my little Lush Chef heart just skipped a beat.

So what are bitters, exactly?  It's basically high-proof alcohol (think 100 or 101 proof vodka or bourbon) that is infused with herbs, spices, roots and barks.  The roots and barks are what impart a somewhat bitter flavor, but when balanced with various spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom), dried fruit peels (oranges, lemons, apples, pears) and herbs, the result is wonderfully aromatic and tasty.  Just a few dashes or drops can transform a drink or add that certain something that's missing from a cocktail.  It can take a drink from ordinary to extraordinary. 

Bitters were extremely popular in pre-Prohibition days because of their medicinal properties to soothe upset stomachs, fevers, headaches and palpitations.  While the claims that bitters were a "cure-all" are truly outrageous, they do perform some of their medicinal duties.  They're perfect as a digestif— just put a few dashes in some soda water after a big dinner or take a tsp of it if you're really desperate.  Because bitters were billed as medicine, they managed to escape Prohibition regulations for a little bit, but the Feds wised up when America's fine citizens kept getting drunk off of their high-proof "medicine."

With the resurgence of anything vintage cocktail-related, came the return of bitters.  Mixologists were scouring old cocktail recipe books and kept running across obscure bitter flavors that were no longer available on the market.  Some enterprising bartenders and libation enthusiasts either tracked down old bitters recipes or would purchase ancient bottles of bitters that had a few drops left so they could reverse-engineer the recipe.  And thus, the bitters boom began.  I'm incredibly fortunate to live in a city that has a strong cocktail culture that geeks out over its history and also places value on the artisanal food/cocktail movement, so I've been able to sample unusual flavors that go beyond the typical orange and Angostura-like notes, such as celery, rhubarb, chocolate & chili and more.

I find it fascinating that so much flavor can be packed into just one little drop of alcohol.  I've already started making my first batch (coffee-pecan) and I can't wait to share my bitters-making adventure with all of my readers.  And I already have a ton of little dropper bottles ready for filling so I can share with my Lush Chef Taste Testers and mixologist friends.  So the journey begins...

Last week, the Lush Chef told you about her visit to Silver Lake Wine, but if you're a Westsider like me, sometimes you just want to be closer to home for a wine tasting.  Enter Wine Expo in Santa Monica!  I must have passed by this place a gazillion times on Santa Monica Blvd and I never thought to stop in.  I thought it was just a little wine shop like the ones in my neighborhood and boy, was I wrong.  A friend, let's give him the code name "American Trilogy," (cocktail recipe coming soon) introduced me to this spot because it's just down the street from him.  They recently built out a beautiful tasting room along the side of the shop.  The front part has a little art gallery-like space, but hidden in the back is a huge room with a nice, long bar, plenty of cocktail tables and seating, and even a small private room.

We went on a Saturday when they were doing their 20/20 special (they're doing 1 more Saturday in September).  Yes, that's 20 wines for $20.  American Trilogy and I knew we couldn't each drink 20 wines (there was only 1 guy in the tasting room that hit 20), so we split it and each did the same 10 wines so we could go through a flight together.  They change up the choices every week and break the tasting up into bubblies, pinks, whites and reds.  We only made it to wine 7 or 8 because the pours were quite generous.  Sangria and beer is also on tap, and they have a nice selection of salumi, cheese, olives, nuts and crostini plates.  Every night, there is a different gourmet food truck parked in the lot out front (check the website or their Twitter feed for updates on the trucks) and they'll even bring it to you right in the tasting room!

The 20/20 deal is normally on Tuesdays, but were extended to Saturdays throughout the month of September.  They also do Happy Hour from 5-7 on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, where wines by the glass are half off and bottles are discounted by 10% in the shop.  Monday nights offer special flights and discounts and Tuesdays offer beer flights and ale-friendly snacks.  They'll occasionally have live music playing and other nights planned that focus on different kinds of wines or regions.  Needless to say, it's a killer deal, fun crowd and the shop has an excellent selection of wines in a range of prices.

Since late February, The Lush Chef has been giving you food and cocktail recipes, libation education, little musings and spotlights on artisanal products, but I haven't told you about where I like to shop in Los Angeles.  So let's begin!

This past weekend, my old boss and I hit up Silver Lake Wine, a hip boutique that offers wines from around the world, some microbrews, select liquors and sake and a few yummy treats from local chefs/bakers.  I had my first experience with the shop when I went to the Barnsdall Art Park Friday Wine Tastings this past summer.  It's a great event out on the lawn in front of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, with KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox spinning tunes, a flight with four wines and the sun setting over the city.  The guys from Silver Lake Wine were young, hip, knowledgeable and just want you to find something you like.

















My friend highly recommends the Sunday tasting events at 3pm because it's not as crowded and you get delicious food pairings with each glass of wine.  Sunday tastings are $20 for 5 wines and food and reservations are recommended—it's an insanely good deal, considering the pours are generous and the food is plentiful.  They also do Monday nights with 3 wines, cheese, olives and bread for $12 and Thursdays nights with 3 wines for $12 (the Let's Be Frank hot dog truck is parked outside if you need some nosh).

The focus of the evening was on California wines paired with food from Heirloom LA.  George Cossette, one of the owners was on hand and told these lovely, long stories about each winemaker.  The guy really knows his stuff and understands how to get folks excited about wine.  Here's what we had:

- Dominique Piron Rosé Beaujolais 2010 from France (the only non-California wine in this flight) - $13.25

- Tatomer Riesling "Sisquoc" Santa Maria Valley 2010 - $21 - paired with a Farmer's Market Salad with goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, beets and shisito peppers

- Andrew Murray "RGB" Camp 4 Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley 2010 - $24.25 - paired with a salmon croquette with a spicy remoulade

- Storybook Mountain Vineyards Zinfandel Estate Mayacamas Napa 2008 - $39 - paired with osso buco in an heirloom tomato sauce with mini ravioli

- Sean Thackrey "Pleiades" Old Vines XX California - $26.25 - paired with ham thinly sliced over a red cabbage slaw and herb spaetzle

All wines featured in the tasting ended up being 10% off and my friend and I each bought bottles of the Riesling (we liked it because it wasn't very sweet) and the Old Vines (such a smooth red that I couldn't resist).  It's not often that I get out to Silver Lake, but it's worth the trek for great wines and beautifully planned tastings.  I'll definitely be venturing East again soon.

Even when the Lush Chef is in the remote copper country region of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, she still finds a way to seek out good libations.






















I love the vibe of their tasting room on the main strip in Houghton—exposed brick walls, wood cabin-like furniture, a fireplace, beautiful views of the river, an outdoor deck, and the local color hanging around the bar at 3pm nursing their $2.50 pints.  Yes, I said $2.50.  Everything is insanely cheap in this area.  A 5 beer tasting at the "KBC" goes for $4 and you get to pick from about 10 or so brews (they rotate them based on the season).

The Lush Chef's dad and brother split a tasting with me and we sampled the following:
Solstice Hefe - Usual citrusy pale ale, but with a more sour flavor than most Hefeweizens. 
Pick Axe Blonde Ale - Their lightest ale and my favorite.  They distribute this year-round and it's one of their top ales.
Red Jacket Amber Ale - Medium bodied and another favorite of mine.  Also a top seller. 
"Yippie KI."P.A. - I'm not an IPA fan, but I had to try it.  Bitter and hoppy.
Rockland Lager - Bitter and delicious, but I couldn't drink a lot of this.



As of now, you can only find their beers in Michigan and Wisconsin, but if you ever happen to be in this area, I highly recommend making a stop.  Or if you're looking for a local brew when you're in the Midwest, take a 6-pack of this home!