Food &Wine

cheers! north county ryan et’s briefly discuss boxed wine before this jumping into this month’s roundup.

Boxed wine was on sale at the local market this week. I thought it might be an excellent alternative to the bottles, which I rarely finish before they go bad.

Somehow the wine disappeared faster. The convenience of wine on draft may not be conducive to my need for instant gratifications.

Do any local wineries make good boxed wine?

What’s your favorite boxed wine? Please, let me know @cheersnorthcounty on Instagram. The data is in. Dry January is growing…at least in terms of non-alcoholic drink sales. Check out this chart put together by shankennewsdaily.*

NA beer sales have nearly tripled, NA wine has skyrocketed, and NA spirits growth is otherworldly. People want the experience, and I’m guessing the social-

SAN DIEGO-BASED Belching Beaver Brewery was recently named the official craft beer of The Mint 400, a prestigious American off-road race held in March in the Las Vegas foothills. Belching Beaver, with North County brewery locations in Oceanside and Vista, will serve its Mexican-style lager, Mint 400 Buenos Tiempos Cerveza, at “The Great American Off-Road Race.” Photos courtesy of The Mint 400 izing, but not how alcohol makes them feel.

This is pure speculation, but I’d imagine a good chunk of on-site NA sales are due to people wanting to avoid drinking and driving.

So if I’m out in the world, have a drink, but am not ready to head home, I'll order a NA beer from Athletic Brewing Company or Two Roots Brewing Co. I still get to cheers my buddy's can, but without the risk on the ride home.

...I love plants. I often enjoy my afternoon cocktail surrounded by the succulents and sage on my patio, but I struggle to grow flowers. So I have to go out into the world to get my fix of spring’s splash of floral colors.

In honor of The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch, the hotel bar at Hilton’s Cassara Kitchen & Bar is offering a limited-time cocktail inspired by colorful ranunculus blooms.

The Flower Power Sour cocktail is made with Cali Fino Blanco Tequila, grapefruit, aquafaba, lemon, agave nectar, and bitter-hibiscus syrup.

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch will be open to the public from now

“The through May 14 (Mother’s Day). The Cassara Kitchen & Bar is just around the corner and opens for a post-Flower Field romp Sunday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 11 pm.

...Plan Nine Alehouse will be ending its kitchen service this week. Per an announcement on Instagram, “Public Service An-