Tidbites | Week of Nov. 19, 2015

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LOCAL COFFEE LIQUEUR WINS TOP HONORS

Richardo’s Decaf Coffee Liqueur (which is delicious) was awarded the Double Gold Medal at the Still on the Hill Breckenridge Craft Spirits Festival on the weekend of Oct. 23-25. Richardo’s is a craft spirit made in Lyons with decaffeinated coffee, vanilla and neutral grain spirits.

“We’re very honored our Decaf Coffee Liqueur is receiving such a great response around Colorado,” said Rick England, founder of Richardo’s and partner at Spirit Hound Distillers, in a press release. “Our liqueur is made with the utmost care by folks who know how to distill spirits. We’re really happy people are enjoying Richardo’s by itself, in a variety of cocktails and even using it as their ‘secret ingredient’ in candies and baked goods.”

Richardo’s is made through a process of blending neutral grain spirits with Richardo’s signature blend and then aging the liqueur for 30 days. England has been making batches since 1986, but teamed with Spirit Hound in 2012 to sell it commercially. Since, Richardo’s has been raking in awards.

WINTER DRINKING PASSPORT

The folks who made The Passport Program a hit these past few summers are releasing the second annual Winter Warmer, a book of 2-for-1 drink specials at top restaurants and bars in Boulder (and Fort Collins and Denver).

“We find that a lot of people don’t explore as many bars and restaurants in the winter,” said Casey Berry, co-founder of The Passport Program, in a press release. “It is kind of hard to do a bike crawl in the middle of winter, so we challenged ourselves to find the coziest bars in town and give our followers a fun and easy way to imbibe during the colder months.”

The booklet is available for purchase online starting on Dec. 8 for $20, and it’s valid for use between Jan. 1 and March 1. There are limited supplies so go to thepassportprogram.com/winterwarmer now if you want one.

Picking up a turkey for Thanksgiving is a rite of passage for many meat-eating families. But modern turkeys can get perverted by hormones and poor raising techniques, and they might be shipped from for away lands.

That’s why it’s nice we’ve got Natural Grocers in Boulder County. This holiday season they’re offering free range, organic and heritage turkeys. None of their birds are raised with animal by-products, chemicals, drugs or antibiotics, so you’re getting the best of the best.

WINTER MARKET IS COMING

The Boulder County Farmers’ Markets will host their ninth annual Winter Market Dec. 5-6 at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont.

The festival will feature food from 70 local food growers and producers, and that culinary bounty will be complemented by works from 60 Colorado artists. As you peruse the art, you can pick up and enjoy the flavors of local root vegetables, winter squash, specialty cuts of lamb, beef and pork, fresh eggs, preserved fruits and vegetables, wine, coffee and baked goods.

You’ll be able to grab some meals there too, and as you browse local artisan jewelry, candles, photography, cards and knit wares, you can listen to live music.