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Black America Web
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Spirit.Ed: Celebrate National Martini Day 2025 With One Of These Martinis
Today (June 19) is National Martini Day, and we're putting a focus on the classic cocktail along with some riffs. Whether using gin or vodka, a Martini can go in a lot of directions, and we've got some unique twists in our roundup below. If I sound like a broken record in this next sentence, forgive me, because I love a Martini made with gin. Gin, which wasn't my favorite in my early days of imbibing, is probably my favorite spirit and far more versatile than expected. As I've learned over time, the origin of National Martini Day is hard to pinpoint, as is the actual history of the Martini. Some historians point to the Martinez cocktail as the precursor to the Martini, which was introduced to the masses in the 1800s. There are also claims that the drink rose to prominence in 1910 at New York's Knickbocker Hotel. What we can determine from older bartending manuals is that the drink usually involved gin, Italian fortified wine, and bitters. My first Martini was made with Hendrick's Gin, a curious choice for some due to the brand's infusion of cucumber and rose, along with familiar gin botanicals of chamomile, elderflower, juniper, lemon peel, orange peel, caraway, coriander, cubeb berries, angelica root, yarrow root and orris root. Thanks to the expert bartenders of now-closed Washington, D.C. bar, Wisdom, I became adept at understanding different gins and expanding my choices. In this year's National Martini Day roundup, we have some familiar brands I've featured before, like Still G.I.N. and Reyka Vodka, along with brands new to me, Prairie Organic Spirits and Four Pillars. I didn't get a lot of pitches for this day, so this will be a quick read. If there are some brands or recipes we need to know about, email D.L. Chandler at dchandler@ to get those on our radar for future roundups. Have a happy National Martini Day. — Photo: Ali Waxman / Getty Celebrate National Martini Day 2025 With One Of These Martinis was originally published on Source:Still G.I.N. RECIPE: 1.5 oz dry vermouth 1 dash orange bitters METHOD: Place your serving glass in the freezer to chill (ideally 10+ minutes before making drink). Add gin, vermouth, and bitters to a mixing glass. Fill mixing glass with moderate size/up to 1'x1' cube ice cubes. Stir gently for 30-45 seconds (until very well chilled). Remove serving glass from freezer. Strain into the chilled glass using a julep strainer. GLASSWARE: Nick & Nora glass or classic martini glass (4-6 oz size ideal) GARNISH OPTIONS: Lemon twist Source:Prairie Organic Spirits (Featured in the 2025 Cocktailmanac, a free-to-use tool for learning about mixing drinks.) 1 ½ oz Prairie Organic Vodka ½ oz Kamora Dulce de Leche Liqueur1 ½ oz chilled espresso ½ oz pistachio syrup Paint the inside of a martini or rocks glass with pistachio syrup. Shake remaining ingredients with ice until well chilled. Fine strain into the prepared glass over fresh ice. Source:Four Pillars Ingredients 1 1/2 Oz Four Pillars' Rare Dry Gin1/2 Oz Orange Liqueur2/3 Oz Lemon Juice1 Barspoon Orange MarmaladeEgg White (optional) Orange Method: Combine all ingredients in a tin with ice and shake. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with an orange twist. Source:Reyka Vodka Created by Reyka Vodka Ambassador, Jeffrey Naples Ingredients: 2 parts Reyka Vodka2 parts olive brine 2 dashes fish sauce Method: Build in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled. Serve in martini glass with seaweed garnish. Source:The Old G Ingredients: 2 oz The Old G Gin1 oz passion fruit purée0.5 oz vanilla syrup0.5 oz fresh lime juice1 oz passion fruit liqueur Passion fruit half for garnish Method: In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine The Old G Gin, passion fruit purée, vanilla syrup, fresh lime juice, and passion fruit liqueur. Shake well until chilled and silky smooth. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a halved passion fruit for a bold, exotic finish. Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WV Governor Patrick Morrisey seeks waiver request to remove soda from SNAP
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) – The opening of a soda bottle is a sound many Americans are familiar with. The bottles are also recognizable and drinking one is a common occurrence. Removing these from the SNAP program is also Governor Patrick Morrisey's latest move in Charleston. Governor Morrisey announced last week, Tuesday May 20th, that he submitted a SNAP waiver request. The request is to remove soda and add healthy food under the program. Cottontail Farms opens in Jumping Branch This waiver could impact the nearly two hundred and eighty thousand West Virginians under SNAP. 'More SNAP money is spent on sugary drinks than any other food commodity in the program. Given that sugary beverages have little or no nutritional value, they are not improving the diet of individuals in the SNAP program.' Mark Schoeberl, Executive Vice President of Advocacy, American Heart Association This waiver is part of Governor Morrisey's 'Four Pillars of a Healthy West Virginia.' Mark Schoeberl is the executive vice president for advocacy of the American Heart Association. He said the fight for reducing the consumption of sugary beverages has been going on for the past few decades. 'The excess consumption of sugar in our diet is contributing to weight gain, to the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.' Mark Schoeberl, Executive Vice President of Advocacy, American Heart Association This waiver comes after changes in several other states. Construction underway on Raleigh County Amazon distribution center This includes Nebraska, who last week banned SNAP recipients from getting soda and energy drinks. 'We believe other states will follow. We would ultimately encourage the Department of Agriculture and Secretary Rollins to consider making it a policy nationwide.' Mark Schoeberl, Executive Vice President of Advocacy, American Heart Association Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
West Virginia asks for waiver to remove soda from SNAP
CHARLESTON, (WBOY) — West Virginia has officially submitted a request for a waiver to remove soft drinks from its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offerings. SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, currently only restricts the purchase of alcohol, tobacco and hot foods. Gov. Patrick Morrisey has said that he is moving for reforms in SNAP as part of his 'Four Pillars of a Healthy West Virginia,' but he officially announced on Tuesday that he has formally submitted the waiver request to remove soft drinks. This comes just hours after the first such waiver was granted in to the State of Nebraska. Governors in Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas and Colorado are considering requesting similar waivers, according to The Hill. Correctional officers union pays for billboards calling out West Virginia politicians Morrisey said in a press release that he also plans to make other SNAP changes in the future, including updating the program's working requirement and making healthy food more affordable. In a press conference with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. back in March, Morrisey said that he wants to 'to expand work, training and educational requirements for SNAP benefits' and provide what he called 'healthy bundles' of more affordable healthy foods. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
San Francisco leaders inspired by European city to end fentanyl crisis
SAN FRANCISCO - A city in Switzerland is the latest inspiration for San Francisco leaders working towards tackling the drug crisis. The backstory In the 1980s and 1990s, Zurich was a hotspot for the HIV/AIDS crisis and rampant public drug use. The city created the Four Pillars approach, a strategy aimed at tackling the issues, and was largely successful. San Francisco leaders think the Four Pillars strategy could pave the way for a safer future for the city. Overdose deaths in San Francisco climbed between January and March 2025, increasing by 50%. A report by the Coroner's Office found nearly 200 drug-related deaths, with fentanyl being the most-used drug. In a report initiated by former Supervisor Dean Preston, the four pillars are identified as prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and law enforcement. "All of these pillars are integral to their strategy of reducing public drug use, reducing overdose rates, getting people connected to the help that they need," said Supervisor Jackie Fielder. She said there are already steps being made towards the goal, but there are areas to improve. San Francisco police officers are part of the outreach teams on the streets. Narcan is used to save drug users from overdosing, and there are some shelter beds, but it's not enough. "There is not enough capacity with our limited resources either in our public safety system, criminal justice system, or treatment system, so we need to figure out what to do with those people in the meantime," she said. Fielder said the hearing brought to light the fact that drug users are often arrested, cited, and released instead of being brought to shelters or treatment. Along with stricter enforcement, an addiction expert at the University of California San Francisco, Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, said the city should provide supervised consumption spaces, a method tried and abandoned in the past. "There are 200 around the world. No one has ever died in one, and people can consume drugs there safely under medical supervision," he said. "Overdoses go down, hospitalization utilization goes down, arrests go down, public nuisance goes down, and health goes up." The approach also calls for sobering centers and access to safe supplies and syringes. However, there is one pillar Fielder said San Francisco is missing: prevention, which includes identifying risk factors and education. "What can we do about childhood trauma? What can we do about adverse childhood experiences?" Ciccarone asked. Homelessness advocate and business owner Christin Evans, who is also part of the Homeless Oversight Commission, said to address the drug crisis, the city needs to provide more affordable housing and mental health services. "When they go into a shelter placement, a lot of times what happens is they are exited to the street because of behavioral issue," she said. What's next Dr. Ciccarone said it could take a few years to coordinate existing programs and implement the approach. "It took the Zurich folks months, perhaps even a couple years, to come together across the different philosophies so that public safety really worked with the doctors and public health," he said. Fielder said this is just the start of an ongoing conversation to coordinate city efforts. Earlier this week, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that more than $27 million will go towards mental health and addiction treatment. KTVU reached out to his office for a comment about the Four Pillars strategy, but did not immediately hear back.
Business Mayor
12-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Injective price jumps as bulls extend gains amid Bitcoin spike
Injective price is extending gains above the $10 mark. Bitcoin's rally above $105k and real-world assets tokenization catalysts could drive the INJ price higher. INJ technical outlook is largely bullish. Injective (INJ) is among the top-performing altcoins on Monday as bullish sentiment sweeps through the cryptocurrency market. The token is trading above $13.60, lifted by renewed investor confidence following Bitcoin's surge past $105,000. With macroeconomic optimism and progress on regulatory fronts driving broader market momentum, analysts suggest Bitcoin could challenge new all-time highs in the near term. This backdrop is fuelling capital rotation into altcoins, with projects like Injective benefiting from increased speculative interest. A layer-1 blockchain focused on decentralised finance and real-world asset tokenization, Injective has continued to attract attention as narratives around scalability and use-case-driven growth gain ground. Injective price extends gains above $10 Injective (INJ) price is up 7% in the past 24 hours, gaining as top alts such as Ethereum, BNB, and Solana break to key levels. The price of INJ has surged after recently breaking past the $10 mark. Currently, it changes hands for around $13.62. However, it hovered at highs of $14.29 on May 12, 2025, to hit its highest level since late February. Amid the price gains, Injective's market cap rose to $1.37 billion, although the 24-hour trading volume remained modest at $172 million. Having surged 46% in seven days and 67% in the last 30 days, the overall market interest might see bulls take control. Bitcoin rally and RWA tokenization drive INJ price While Bitcoin's rally is fueling further optimism across the market, catalysts for INJ price also include strong institutional demand across its RWA ecosystem. Tokenization is a key tailwind for Injective, with a recent Four Pillars report highlighting how this sector is shaping up INJ for traction. Recent bull cycles have had DeFi, play-to-earn games, memecoins, and AI tokens explode. Now, analysts say while these areas see growth, the RWA market's growth has blockchains like Injective in the spotlight. Injective's network, optimized for the tokenization of traditional assets like stocks, stablecoins, and commodities, stands as a likely beneficiary. Investors eyeing an on-chain opportunity are increasingly seeing it as the go-to platform. RWA adoption may further boost INJ's price momentum. Injective price technical outlook From a technical perspective, INJ's daily chart paints a bullish picture. INJ chart by TradingView The daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) currently hovers in overbought territory. However, it's not overly extended to suggest more room for bulls. If it sees a pullback, INJ will likely bounce off support around $11.05 and $10.22. This scenario may align with the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), which shows a bullish crossover. The histogram indicates an upward momentum. If this happens, bulls will target $16 and then $20.
