Author: John Fladd

• 2 frozen strawberries
• 2 ounces jalapeño-infused tequila
• 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
• 3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
• dash cardamom bitters
• 1.5 ounces spicy ginger beer — not ginger ALE, which is a perfectly fine beverage, but we’re looking for something a little more authoritative than that for this particular drink.

Muddle the frozen strawberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. One of the interesting aspects of using frozen fruit in cocktails is how the strawberries just break apart and grind down to Strawberry Goop. Fresh berries would be a little more stubborn and insist on maintaining their integrity. The frozen ones understand what’s going on and just get with the program.

Add two ounces of spicy tequila, and dry-shake the mixture. This means to shake it without ice. Many ingredients, including most fruit, have flavor compounds that are not water-soluble. In this case, what that means is that some of the most strawberry-y flavors will stay chemically bonded to the strawberry solids and won’t infuse into a water-based solution. Most of those same esters are alcohol-soluble, however, so by dry-shaking our Goop with tequila, and no melting ice, we can do the cocktail version of talking them out of their dorm room and joining the party.

Once you’ve dry-shaken the strawberry-tequila-jalapeño slurry, you can go ahead and add five or six ice cubes, the two types of juice and the bitters. Reshake the mixture for 10 to 20 seconds, or until you hear the ice start to break up. Ask your device to play the theme from Hawaii 5-0; this will give you the right rhythm.

Strain the strawberry-tequila-pineapple-and-friends mixture over fresh ice in a rocks glass, and top with ginger beer. Stir gently to combine.

I don’t know if anyone has told you recently, but you are super cool. The general public really has no idea the extent of your sense of style and general vibe. You know who does appreciate it though? This drink. The spicy tequila and lime juice are mellowed out by the pineapple juice, which, in turn, is made even zingier by the cardamom and ginger. Little red pieces of strawberry will float around in the glass, looking like a complimentary lava lamp.

“You’re so coooooool,” each will say, as it swirls by.

They aren’t wrong. This is an excellent drink for making new friends.

Featured photo. Photo by John Fladd.

First a race, then concerts and brewfest

Londonderry’s Old Home Days will be capped off by a 5K road race for beer enthusiasts, called the Rockland Trust Bank Boot Scootin’ Boogie 5K and Brewfest. The event is organized by Millennium Running. Barry Lewandowski is Millennium’s director of marketing.

“It starts with a 5K race,” he said, “that runs through one of Londonderry’s local neighborhoods, then comes back to the sports complex, where we have a bonfire, a concert and a brew fest.”

The event has been designed around relaxing, he said. Because of the length of the race, or rather its shortness, it is not a qualifier for other, more competitive races later in the season.

“This is just for fun. It’s a 5K. Some people are competitive and want to run really fast, but some just want to get out there with their families and stay active. You can run or walk,” Lewandowski said.

And unlike other, more serious races, which usually take place early in the day, Lewandowski said, this will be an evening event.

“It kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with the actual 5K,” he said. “The brewfest starts at 6:45, the bonfire we have at about 8, and the whole thing finishes off around 9:30 p.m.”

And again, unlike morning races, Lewandowski said, there will be beer.

“The brewfest is continuing to grow,” he said, “but right now we have more than 20 breweries and spirit brands that will be there. Some will actually have representatives from the brewery or from the brand and then others will just send products that the Londonderry Lions Club will be will be pouring, There will be opportunities for people to take a taste test, if you are part of the 5K or the brewfest, you’ll receive a little tasting glass that allows you to go around and and sample some of the different brands that are there.”

One of the breweries on hand will be the Rockingham Brewing Co. Ali Leleszi is its owner.

“For us,” she said, “because [this event is] right in our backyard, we get a lot of exposure. They have a ton of people who run that race, and maybe not all of them have heard of our brewery. So for us, just getting our beer out there to potential new customers is great for us, especially since we’re right next door in Derry.”

Leleszi said Rockingham Brewing will bring mostly summer beers to the brewfest.

“We’re sending County IPA, which is a New England-style IPA [India pale ale]; it’s a super-fresh batch. We’re sending Zeppelin, which is a raspberry lemonade sour ale. It’s super refreshing, with 4% [alcohol by volume], so it’s like perfect after a race. And then we’re sending two German lagers — Pig Knuckle Kölsch, which is like a light, easy-drinking, crisp kölsch, [and] Cool Hand Lager. That’s a Vienna lager, which is a bit more malty and toasty, but still light in body. We’re getting into that style for the fall.”

The event will also feature food trucks and food vendors, according to Millennium’s website, which recommends bringing cash. Vendors and food trucks include Hollis-based T-Roy’s BBQ, the Stark Brewing Company from Manchester, specialty coffee-vender Just The Sip, and a mobile ramen truck called GoGo 88.

Samantha Rae, who describes her music as “Roots driven, groove forward, emotionally honest, pop aware Americana music with classic country, rock with early R&B & soul influences,” will perform, according to her website, samantharae.com.

According to Millennium Running’s Lewandowski, this is the 15th year for the race.

“Probably about 1,500 people are going to be there,” he said. “Some people will be running, some just come for the concert and the brewfest, and others are there to cheer on the runners and want to be part of that. It’s a great community event.”

The Rockland Trust Bank Boot Scootin’ Boogie 5K and Brewfest
When: Saturday, Aug. 15, at 6:30 p.m. (Londonderry’s Old Home Days run from Tuesday, Aug. 11, through Saturday, Aug. 15).
Where: Londonderry
More: Register online at millenniumrunning.com, where you can also find tickets for just the concert and brewfest, without the 5K.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

We Are One Festival brings together African, Caribbean and Latino communities

Sarah Georges is one of many Manchester residents who has been eagerly looking forward to Saturday’s We Are One festival. She is the coordinator of this year’s festival and said that it shows a side of Manchester many New Hampshire residents don’t see most of the year.

“The We Are One is the oldest festival here in Manchester,” Georges said. “It is literally a time when the African, Caribbean and Latino — all of Manchester’s communities get to come together and enjoy a different culture, just enjoy different people who are on the stage showing their talents, whether it is someone who is born and raised right here in Manchester and have immigrant parents, or they are from far away themselves. And then, we have food and different organizations that come out every year to share their services, let the people know what they have here to help out, whether it is for housing, whether it’s for after-school programs, whether it’s for the parents themselves.”

One of the biggest draws for the We Are One festival is the food, Georges said.

“That’s my favorite part; I’m not going to lie,” she said, ”I always show up for the food.”

“I am Haitian and African, but I was born and raised right here in Manchester,” Georges said. She said Manchester has a wealth of small family restaurants that fly under the radar sometimes.

“What I love about Manchester,” Georges said, “is the fact that there are so many different types of food here. And when you see a white person come into an African restaurant and order something like fufu [a West African dish made from cassava], or collard greens, or they’re ordering pondu [a stew from the Congo], or if they’re ordering empanadas and rice con pollo, it is so great for them, it’s so great to watch them eat, because it’s like watching a child for the first time trying food. … It’s like that experience that comes to them like an old friend.”

The event also promises art, music, dancing and live performances, according to the event’s Facebook page. According to Sarah Georges, some of the performers at We Are One will include Colombian dance troupe Barranquilla Flavor, dance group Mill Advised,singer Xyomi, and performer Kay Richie.

We Are One Festival
This is a free, family-friendly outdoor event celebrating Manchester’s multicultural, African, Caribbean and Latino communities with live music, dance, art, food vendors and cultural performances.
Where: Veterans Park in downtown Manchester
When: Saturday, Aug. 15, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More: Food vendors will include Don Quijote Restaurant (362 Union St., Manchester, 622-2246, donquijoteunion.com) and Soel Sistas Soul Food (30 Temple St., Suite 202, Nashua, 943-1469, soelsistas.com)

Featured photo: A previous year’s event. Courtesy photo.

• New tacos in Concord: Boston-based Mexican chain Anna’s Taqueria (annas.com) has opened its first location in New Hampshire, at 50 Fort Eddy Road in Concord. According to a July 30 press release, its food and atmosphere are “inspired by San Francisco’s Mission District … bringing the homestyle flavor of Mexican street food to the people while celebrating community.” Anna’s is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• A new coffee option in Manchester: Lahālas Coffee (57 Bay St., Manchester, lahalascoffee.com) is described on its website as “a New England–based mobile coffee cart serving lattes that love you back. Every syrup is homemade with real ingredients.”

• Stuffing ravioli: Tuscan Market (Tuscan Village, 9 Via Toscana, Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) will hold a ravioli-making workshop Saturday, Aug. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. Enjoy an evening of crafting your own fresh egg pasta dough, guided by an instructor through proper techniques for shaping your dough into a variety of pasta styles. Guests will also enjoy a tasting of Tuscan brand ravioli, paired with a live sauce demonstration. Tickets are $65 through the tuscanbrands website.

• Tequila, food, and tequila: Stashbox (866 Elm St., Manchester, 606-8109, stashboxnh.com) will host a G4 tequila pairing dinner on Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. This will be a one-of-a-kind five-course dinner with premium G4 Tequilas and exclusive food creations. G4 Ambassador Anthony Faletra will be on hand for an evening of knowledge, noshing and of course tequila. Tickets are $125 through the Stashbox website.

• Beer, books, and bingo: Sunstone Brewing Co. (298 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 216-1808, sunstonebrewing.com) will host an evening of Bookish Bingo on Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Prizes will include special edition books, bookish merch, gift baskets, and more. Tickets are $25 through the Sunstone website.

• Better blending: Wine on Main (9 N. Main St., Concord, 897-5828, wineonmainnh.com) will host a blending seminar with acclaimed Argentinian wine producer Catena Zapata Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. Through tasting five wines, guests will learn how different altitudes, soils and microclimates affect a wine’s characteristics. Then they will be able to create their own Malbec blend and compare it to Catena Alta Malbec. Tickets are $70 through the Wine on Main website. Space is limited.

• “A good cigar is a smoke” —Rudyard Kipling: The Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001) will host its Annual Cigar Dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 19, and Thursday, Aug. 20, from 6 to 9 p.m. Enjoy a summer evening filled with exceptional cigars, expertly paired wines and spirits, live music and a thoughtfully curated three-course dinner, according to bedfordvillageinn.com/experiences. Tickets are $198 through the Inn’s website.

• Also at the BVI: Tickets are on sale now for the Able Ebenezer Beer Dinner at the Bedford Village Inn on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. Beers from the Merrimack-based brewery will be paired with a four-course meal. See bedfordvillageinn.com/experiences for tickets and to see the menu.

• Save the date: Mahrajan, the annual celebration of Middle Eastern food at Our Lady of the Cedars Church, 140 Mitchell St. in Manchester, will return next weekend — Friday, Aug. 21 (5 to 10 p.m.); Saturday, Aug. 22 (noon to 10 p.m.) and Sunday, Aug. 23 (noon to 5 p.m.), according to bestfestnh.com, the celebration’s website. “Join us for all your favorites including lamb kabobs, kibbee, falafel, stuffed grapeleaves, tabbouleh, shawarma and traditional Lebanese pastries,” the website said. The event will also feature DJ Kibar playing Arabic music, kids’ games, a full bar, Hokah rentals and more, the website said.