Hasta La Ideas

British Airways imbibes

Good news for British Airways flyers looking to unwind in the sky: wine is complimentary in every class of all flights.

Andrew Sparrow of Bibendum Wine runs the department after cutting his teeth for 30 years on the British Airways team. “While working cabin crew on long-haul flights,” he says,” people would always make comments about the wine.” During numerous layovers around the world, Sparrow often found himself visiting wine regions from Napa Valley, California to Stellenbosch, South Africa. After years of field experience across the globe, he went on to get a diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.

When it comes to choosing wines for British Airways’ First Class cabin, Sparrow considers several factors from trends in the marketplace to the effects of high altitude on taste. “In a pressurized airline cabin you don’t taste as effectively as you do at ground level,” he says. “There are a number of conditions that affect the way you taste. The most important one is the way that you dehydrate. I think anyone on a long haul flight will notice that at the beginning of the flight they are tasting a lot more efficiently that they are towards the end.” Thus wines are carefully chosen to work with body chemistry in changing environments. That said, Sparrow keeps three styles on every British Airways wine list—the prestige Champagne, a claret or red Bordeaux and a white Burgundy. “The Champagne at the moment is Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle,” he says. When it comes to the carefully selected Claret, Sparrow has taken an unconventional tack by advance-purchasing. “We buy the wines four to six years ahead of their being used,” he says, “so the wine can mature in the bottle and be drinking beautifully by the time we serve it.”

Sparrow’s selections are naturally destination-driven. “If you were on a North American flight,” he points out, “the wine you would have right now is the Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc, and the red is a Freestone Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.” Working with the intuition gained from such close study of the drinking public, Sparrow also lets us in on somewhat of a secret when it comes to rounding out the list—what Sparrow and his team call the ABC, or “anything but Chardonnay or Cabernet.” The intuitive precaution, says Sparrow, presents the “opportunity to look for wines that are slightly unusual.” Popular varietals range from Sancerre and Sauvignon Blanc to Fume and Riesling. Complimentary wine is also served in the Economy class. In the Economy cabin complimentary Sauvignon Blanc is served in quart bottles. On British Airways, wine plays an important role in the Height Cuisine program and Sparrow notes that they spend significantly more than other airlines with this general-cabin amenity.

Working on a wine list that’s as dynamic as the travelers it serves has made Sparrow an expert when it comes to international imbibing habits and inspired him to seek out some of the world’s most satisfying, exciting and trend-setting wines. Put simply, says Sparrow, “It’s a fabulous job.”

Imbibe in the power of Icelandic birch with these two smooth spirits

Created by the co-owners of Reykjavik’s renowned Dill restaurant, Björk liqueur and Birkir snaps boast a uniquely smooth, earthy flavor thanks to the Icelandic duo’s clever use of indigenous flora. During spring, sommelier Ólafur Örn Ólafsson and chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason gather felled birch limbs from the half-century-old forest at the foot of the Haukafell Mountain, and infuse the branches’ natural aroma into the spirits at their Foss Distillery. Known for its rejuvenating qualities, birch—even in its potable form—is also believed to benefit skin and hair, and stimulate your libido.

The honey coloring, sweet taste and subtle nose provide a novel alternative for casual sipping and mixed drinks. Traditionally enjoyed as a shot during meals, the refreshing Birkir snaps is defined by robust floral flavor reminiscent of pine trees. On the other hand, the slightly lighter Björk liqueur
trades in a bit of its birch flavor for more sugar. This rich liqueur is best served in cocktail form to compliment the rich sweetness. Ólafsson explains on their website, “I wanted to capture the sensation of the bright Icelandic summer night at the moment when the rainshower clears and the morning dew sets on the birch clad hill.”

The tall, slender bottles fit into the arboreal theme with a rustic, leaf-adorned label and a birch branch floating in the caramel-colored liquor within. Due to strict alcohol distribution regulations in Iceland all Foss Distillery spirits are only available domestically through local bars or at the Keflavik Airport Duty Free.

Images by Karen Day and Graham Hiemstra

Biomimicry spawns edible packaging for food and cocktails

In an innovative approach to consuming with minimal waste, Harvard Professor David Edwards and his team have developed WikiCells, self-contained, edible packaging for liquids, mousses and emulsions. The membrane that houses the various WikiCells flavors is made from vegetal elements, with a taste deliberately paired to match its contents. What started as an experiment to reduce the waste from packaging on food delivered to impoverished areas in Africa has expanded to focus on the significant impact of food packaging on pollution caused by mass consumption. With such far-reaching ideas in mind, the company launches today with the announcement of the newly introduced WikiCocktail and Wiki IceCream.

The gelatinous skin of the WikiCell, while for the most part created from natural particles, does have some hard science in the form of biochemical polymer chitosan and alginate, or algae extract. The hard shell of the WikiCells, which protects the form and prevents breakage, is made either from bagasse, a fibrous residue from sugar cane, or from isomalt, a sweetener. WikiCells can be washed like a piece of fruit, eliminating the need for extraneous packaging. Edwards began his work with yogurts and mousses, and has now produced his first alcoholic product in the form of the WikiCocktail, which suspends cointreau in a skin made from orange zest.

While the notion of incorporating this technology into mass food production remains pretty far in the future, the WikiCells team have realized their aim of bringing this technology to life and, if their work continues to grow, the implications for its impact on waste reduction could be quite significant. Some will find it ironic that advanced molecular gastronomy is required to fulfill this kind of biomimicry, but skeptics should note that the WikiCell system has no limits in terms of contents, potentially hosting anything from nutrition packs for developing countries to high-end desserts (for the latter market, Wiki IceCream is a creamy delight protected by a hard chocolate shell). The notion that foods should be self-contained may seem like an obvious one, and the company points to the grape as a perfect example of what WikiCells is attempting to be.

WikiCells are also available in WikiCheese, WikiYogurt and WikiFruit as part of the ever-evolving project from Paris-based Le Laboratoire, which under Edwards’ direction has produced other innovative designs such as CellBag, Le Whif and Aeroshot.

Wiki Cocktails and other WikiCells creations will be available at the Lab Store Paris this Fall, and from there will make their stateside debut in Boston in 2013.

The ultimate foodie guide for this Olympic season

In the lead-up to the Olympic games in London this summer, a superlatively comprehensive guide to the best of the city’s food has just landed. Eat London 2 revamps the original 2007 edition with a new and updated array, taking the reader through the most toothsome digs in 15 London neighborhoods. The mouthwatering arrangement is the product of restaurateurs Peter Prescott and Terence Conran, who present the book as their personal guide to restaurants of the British capital.

While the recent economic climate may have lead to mass penny-pinching, the recession has not dimmed the vibrancy of the UK’s cafe, food and restaurant revolution. With foodie havens opening their doors daily, the streets of London have never been more plentiful. Cheap eats and Michelin stars fill the city, and with all the options around, a guide like this is indispensable to residents and tourists alike. The fold-out maps guide you through London’s labyrinthine streets, giving direction without the stigma of a traditional guidebook.

Whether you’re into food carts, gastropubs or fine French cuisine, the collection’s range has something for everyone in each neighborhood. To augment the directory, quotations from notable chefs and recipes for signature dishes are plated up alongside restaurant descriptions. Those who can’t make it to London will be sated by preparing a homemade dish of cuttlefish with broad beans and mint from Moro or Dover sole with Beurre Maître d’Hôtel from Lutyens.

Insider details for city eats are also given by notable local chefs. According to Chris Galvin of Galvin La Chapelle, “London is the greatest melting pot of ethnic cuisine in the world today and finally, we are blessed with lots of ‘young guns’ cooking and serving daring dishes and concepts.”

Eat London 2 is available from Octopus Books and on Amazon.

Pep up your pup’s health with a daily dose of powdered vitamins

Though new to the market as a clever way of thinking about canine supplements, K-10+ seems like a product that should already exist. The line of dog-friendly vitamins is the brainchild of NYC-based photographer Ryan Singer, who developed the range after realizing how difficult it is to get a dog to eat a pill. The single-serving powder formulas are “basically like Emergen-C for dogs”, he tells us.

Depending on the dog’s weight, you simply drop the contents of one packet into its water bowl or mix it into its food for a quick and seamless immunity boost. Currently K-10+ makes calcium, glucosamine, omega 3 and multi-vitamin formulas, and each are concocted with human-grade ingredients and designed to be odorless and tasteless.

Each box—designed by Paul Darragh of Manhattan Born—contains 28 packets for a month’s worth of daily nutrition doses for your pup. Pick them up online for $35 a box.