National Prosecco Day on August 13th represents a time to raise a toast to the remaining days of the season. As we bask in the warmth of the resounding rays of summer, the day encourages people across the US to embrace life’s everyday celebrations.
A sparkling wine, Prosecco is made from a variety of grapes. One of the oldest is the Glera. However, Prosecco can also be made from Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. Primarily grown and bottled in the Veneto region of Italy, Prosecco’s draw is its elegant mousse. In wine-speak, the mousse is the lovely, persistent bubbles. These bubbles give Prosecco the sparkle that makes it so appealing for celebrations.
Along with that touch of sweetness (usually dry) and light-bodied, refreshing aromas, Prosecco exudes an easygoing sense of fun. Flavors of white spring flowers, citrus fruits, and green apples paired with a wallet-friendly price tag place Prosecco in the right place for any celebration.
As the most sold sparkler in the U.S. – having surpassed the 4-million case mark (according to Impact Databank), it only fits that this long revered aperitivo of choice for Italians should earn its own ‘National Day’ of recognition. Some say no other beverage defines the Italian philosophy of la dolce vita, or the good life, quite like Prosecco.
I love an apple or pear. Peaches and raspberry are good too. It goes exceedingly well with both salmon filets or Creamy Shrimp Scampi. This light bubbly wine also goes very well with desserts like Super Easy Peach Cobbler.
Prosecco’s bubbles come in many forms. Spumante is the bubbliest of the proseccos followed by frizzante. Finally, the calmest is the tranquillo. As summer’s fun lulls into autumn’s social afterglow, National Prosecco Day reminds us of the fruits of our labors with its notes of apple and pear.
Riondo Prosecco founded National Prosecco Day to celebrate the sparkling summer months. Riondo Prosecco earned #1 Prosecco in Italy in 2010 by Il Mio Vino magazine and Gold Medal Minner Vinitaly in 2011. Terlato Wines acquired the Riondo Prosecco brand on January 1, 2016.
Enjoy Prosecco with friends over crab cakes and scallops on the beach or with goat cheese, prosciutto, and fresh garden tomatoes at your summer table. This sparkling wine pairs well from aperitif to dessert and even brunch cocktails the next day.
It’s as simple as picking up a couple of bottles of Prosecco, inviting some friends over and savoring summer’s end. Share the sentiment on social media with #NationalProseccoDay.
Woven into the fabric of this state’s historic landscape, we find revolutionaries, innovators, and philosophers. On August 10th, National Connecticut Day recognizes the contributions of the fifth state to join the United States of America.
Like other colonies of the region, the Dutch first explored and founded trading posts in Connecticut. In 1633, Puritans from Massachusetts established the first permanent settlement. From the outset, the industry established a means to prosperity in the colony. Production of brass buttons and munitions placed the colony in a position to later supply the Revolutionary Army. The colonial governor of Connecticut, Jonathan Trumbull, was the only governor who supported independence.
All three Connecticut delegates to the first Continental Congress continued their representation of the colony at the Second Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.
In fact, Roger Sherman is the only person to have signed the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Eliphalet Dyer served the state of Connecticut as chief justice after the revolution.
Silas Deane served as a spy during the war and was for a time branded a traitor along with another Connecticut native, Benedict Arnold. He died penniless, but decades later in 1840, his granddaughter would petition Congress to review his records. His name would be cleared.
Connecticut’s small but full landscape holds countless revolutionary stories and adventures along New England’s National Scenic Trail. Through every season and every era, there’s something for every generation to enjoy!
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalConnecticutDay
Explore all the adventures Connecticut has to offer and share your favorites by using #NationalConnecticutDay on social media.
National Pennsylvania Day on July 20th recognizes the second state to join the Union. Once the home of the temporary capital of the United States in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is also known as the Keystone State. While the source of the nickname has been forgotten, the meaning is not lost. Bridge builders know leaving the vital keystone out of their structure would be folly, leading to collapse.
Pennsylvania played many roles that could be considered keystones. To begin with, its vote for independence split between eight delegates. Because of this, the split played a vital role in deciding to move toward independence and cementing the union of the newly formed country.
Throughout military operations, Pennsylvania provided forces to support the cause. In fact, Valley Forge tells the story of leadership and sacrifice of a young, developing army and citizenry.
As we know, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed in Philadelphia during its tenure as the temporary capital. It was geographically centered among the 13 original colonies.
We can eat our way through history, too! To understand Pennsylvania’s flavor profile. We start in Lancaster County, which is the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch country. German and Swiss immigrants brought with them a wide range of hearty recipes that they incorporated into the fresh ingredients available in Pennsylvania countryside. From pork and sauerkraut, to pot pies and scrapple, these dishes filled the tables with the bounty of the land.
Much of more of the sweeter side of Pennsylvania, Dutch flavor finds its way into restaurants than the savory flavored foods. For example, the whoopie pie, shoofly, and funnel cake are tourist and fair favorites found everywhere. Unfortunately, the home-cooked seasoning of chicken corn chowder or stuffed cabbage rolls are often not found in a restaurant.
Cheesesteak
For the best and original Philly Cheesesteak, there is only one place to go. Philadelphia, of course! Made with thinly sliced beef rib eye, sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms, melted cheese, on a long, crusty Italian roll. A hot dog vendor, Pat Olivieri, created the cheesesteak in the 1930s. One cab driver caught a whiff and soon after Olivieri opened a restaurant. It’s still there with competition across the street, a 24-hour a day rivalry for tourists and cheesesteak lovers to choose along with several others in the area.
Sweets
Head on over to Hershey to pick up all variety of chocolate and adventure. Don’t stop there! Pennsylvania’s sweet tooth has deep roots. From Twizzlers to Peeps, confectioners love Pennsylvania. Candy isn’t the only sweet treat on the menu, though. In 1904, the banana split was invented in Latrobe, PA.
And more…
If your preference is more on the salty side, Pennsylvania has that covered, too. They’ve mastered soft and hard pretzels. They also have a terrific competition between four regional potato chip brands.
Full of regional festivals and local cuisine, Pennsylvania is also home to Kennett Square, otherwise known as the Mushroom Capital of the United States. Every year, in celebration, they shut down the town square for a mushroom festival. It’s no wonder Pennsylvanian mushrooms make it into dishes around the world, even into your very own house.
Each year on July 19th, people across the United States fill their glasses with a rum-based cocktail and toast to National Daiquiri Day. So, raise your glass and join all of the others in this celebration!
Daiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice (typically lime), and sugar.
Tasting of sunshine and beaches, it might be hard to believe how the Daiquiri came to be. Back in 1898, men blasted away in the mines of a small community off the coast of Cuba during the Spanish-American War. One American engineer, Jennings Cox, supervised a mining operation located in a village named Daiquiri. Every day after work, Cox and his employees would gather at the Venus bar. Then one day, Cox mixed up Bacardi, lime, and sugar in a tall glass of ice. He named the new beverage after the Daiquiri mines, and the drink soon became a staple in Havana. Eventually, someone added shaved ice, and sometimes lemons or both lemons and limes were used.
In 1909, Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, a U.S. Navy medical officer, tried Cox’s drink and subsequently introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. The popularity of the Daiquiri then increased over the next few decades.
The Daiquiri was one of the favorite drinks of writer Ernest Hemingway and President John F. Kennedy.
While the Daiquiri is sometimes served frozen, combining it in a blender eliminates the need for manual pulverization. Commercial machines produce a daiquiri with a texture similar to a smoothie, and they come in a variety of flavors, too. Using a frozen limeade to create a daiquiri will provide the required texture, sweetness, and sourness all at the same time.
Gather your friends and mix up a few daiquiris. Make them blended or on the rocks. Frozen Peach, Strawberry,Pina Colada, or even a Mermaid, you’re sure to find a flavor you’ll love. Margarita, Mojito, and lots more. Enjoy them as a mocktail or find a recipe for a daiquiri flavored dessert. (Remember always to drink responsibly and never to drink and drive). Post on social media using #NationalDaiquiriDay.
National Grand Marnier Day on July 14th recognizes a liquor that brings citrus notes to cocktails and desserts. Since the 1880s, we’ve been enjoying the fruits of Grand Marnier’s exquisite flavor.
Alexander Marnier-Lapostolle invented the orange liquor in the 1880s. His grand experiment pairing fruit liquors with cognac took 10 years to find success. When it did, Lapostolle gave birth to one very expensive liquor. The cognac concoction blended one of the most costly fruits of the time with a very strong spirit, too. The result was truly grand. Not only does it add a splash of citrus when mixed into drinks and desserts, but Grand Marnier can be enjoyed neat.
Grand Marnier is used in a long list of desserts including liquor cream buns, Yule log, cranberry sauce, Crepes Suzette, and Grand Marnier souffle creme bruleé. Grand Marnier is also used in the sauce of the roasted duck dish, Canard a l’Orange.
Some examples of the mixed drinks including Grand Marnier are Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Sidecar, Dirty Harry, Grand Mimosa, B-52, the Grand Marnier Smash, Grand Smash, Smash Marnier, Bloody Smash, Maced Marnier, Ace Marnier Smash, Frosty Smash, Smace, Grand Hound, Blood Pug, Clarke, Nogley and the Grand Marnier Fireball. Find some recipes here.
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