Food & Wine May 2024

2022 MASI FRESCO DI MASI ROSSO ($19) Masi is known for powerfully rich Amarones, so it’s a surprise to see them enter the chillable red game, but this crisp, low-alcohol (11.5%) Italian red is just the thing for late-spring drinking. Made from organically farmed Corvina and Merlot and in a lightweight bottle, it’s both good for the planet and a delight to drink. 2021 DAVIS BYNUM ROSÉ OF PINOT NOIR ($30) At the World of Pinot Noir event this March in California, I must have tasted several hundred Pinots. There was plenty of small-production excellence on hand, but I was struck by this graceful rosé from longtime Russian River Valley producer Davis Bynum. It’s refreshing in a classic way, but much more complex than most. ISLE OF HARRIS GIN ($60)…

Taking Flight LONG BEFORE he founded Maybe Sammy, the cocktail bar in Sydney featured on our cover, Stefano Catino tended bar in Vernazza, Italy, a picturesque village in the Cinque Terre. Every summer, when the tourists began to arrive, a woman would return to rent the same second-floor apartment overlooking the town’s main square. During aperitivo hour, she would set a bubble machine on her windowsill, then walk downstairs to order a drink from Catino’s bar and watch as children gleefully chased bubbles around the piazza. Today, that same spirit of whimsy and wonder pervades Maybe Sammy, where no less than six bubble machines are deployed by the bartenders on any given night to elevate the mood. The team wears natty pink suits and takes its spiritual inspiration from…

IN JAPAN, colorful, hand-dyed cloths called tenugui enrich our daily lives. The word comes from te, which means “hand” in Japanese, and nugui, which means “to wipe,” but since their creation, they have become much more than just towels. Tenugui first appeared more than 1,000 years ago; they were originally made of silk or hemp and considered a luxury item. Once fabric manufacturing modernized, tenugui became more affordable and accessible, and by the late 19th century, they had become go-to, all-purpose cloths, used as light towels for public bathhouses, cloths for cleaning and drying dishes, and even as aprons. These days, most tenugui are made of cotton and are about 1 foot wide by 3 feet long. The short edge is unhemmed, allowing the cloth to dry quickly—the wabi-sabi imperfection…

WHEN YOU THINK of typical Caribbean cuisine, jerk chicken, conch fritters, and grilled lobster probably come to mind. But it may surprise you that hearty and humble sandwiches are also regional staples across the islands, and they have been sustaining communities for centuries while offering a portable and inexpensive way to (literally) break bread with loved ones. From the Bahamas to Trinidad, these five sandwiches are a taste of the islands worth traveling for. 1. The Fish Cutter Barbados For Bajans, a sandwich is called a cutter, and the fish cutter is the best-loved classic. The formula is simple: Take a pan-fried marlin fillet, nestle it on a pillowy salt-bread bun, and then dress it with a thick slice of New Zealand cheddar cheese (which is wildly popular in Barbados),…

SALVATION COMES IN MANY FORMS, but on this particularly warm and balmy night in Catania, a port city on the coast of Sicily, it is in the form of the welcoming glow of light emanating from Chiosco Giammona. I’d just finished a four-hour marathon meal, and one of the only things that can solve that magnitude of fullness happens to be a specialty of theirs—seltz limone e sale, or seltzer with lemon and salt. Chiosco culture is a staple of life in Catania; the small roofed stalls dot the landscape of the city. They serve as informal hangout spots and remain busy day and night. Most chioscos serve a selection of affordable drinks, but the seltz limone e sale remains the star beverage. Chiosco Giammona, a hexagonal stand on Via…

BING BANG WA Hong Kong “This was the drinking game of my youth,” says writer Kiki Aranita, who grew up in Hong Kong. Have at least three people sit or stand in a circle. One player points at another player and exclaims, “Bing!” That player can then point to someone in the circle and say either “Bing!” (repeating the first move) or “Bang!”—in this case, the person who gets pointed at would raise their hands and whoever is to the right and left of them must shout, “Wa!” The person who raised their hands (and did not say “Wa!”) is the next to point and can say “Bing!” or “Bang!” The game continues until someone makes a mistake and must take a drink. BEWARE: Once a group gets the…