Cricket Ice Cream, Hot Dog Seltzer, and a Lot of Beer
Plus, get ready for a global chickpea shortage
Ahhh, summer. That time of year when we enjoy warm weather favorites like beer, ice cream, and hot dogs. But, while this is the season for classics, nobody said we couldn’t be creative.
Instead of the usual humdrum strawberry ice cream and hot dogs on the grill, why not try some of these interesting takes on old favorites?
Hot Dog Hard Seltzer
Nothing beats a hot dog and a cold drink, so why not combine the two to make a refreshing hard seltzer? Dallas-based Martin House Brewing is making a hot dog-flavored hard seltzer called Bun Length, according to the Dallas Morning News. The seltzer is brewed with the water used to boil 52 pounds of weiners.
When a Six-Pack Isn’t Enough
If your tastes run to the more traditional method of quenching your thirst, Pabst Blue Ribbon is a classic porch pounder that the late Anthony Bourdain favored. You can either make several trips to the grocery store during the summer or get your hands on the PBR 1,776 pack. This massive pack of beer contains 1,776 cans — enough for all your summer pool parties. Sadly, the 1,776 pack is a promotional item and not sold in stores, but PBR is actually distributing a 99-can pack — which should last you until Labor Day.
Not Vanilla? Maybe you’re Cricket, Seaweed, or Dill (Ice Cream, That Is)
Van Leeuwen is known for making exciting ice cream flavors like Kraft Mac and Cheese and mustard with pretzel, but for really interesting flavors, you’re going to have to travel to Lithuania. Lithuania Travel recently shared ten different frozen reasons why you should travel there this summer with chefs using local ingredients ranging from fresh herbs to seafood to flavor ice cream. Visitors to Lithuania can try seaweed ice cream with lobster caramel crunch, hazelnut oil, and black sturgeon roe at the Vila Komoda hotel; dill ice cream at Džiaugsmas restaurant, and cricket ice cream with either vanilla or black sesame at Central Grill & Lounge (to name just a few).
A Global Chickpea Shortage Is Threatening Your Favorite Snack
Your favorite snack is the latest casualty of the global supply shortage. Forbes reports that there could be a 20 percent decrease in chickpea supplies this year, due to a one-two punch of bad weather for U.S. farmers and the Ukraine war affecting both Russian and Ukrainian crops. If you love hummus for lunch, maybe stock up on dried or canned chickpeas and perfect your homemade hummus game (here’s a simple hummus recipe from Martha Stewart for starters).