October 2026 45

Local farmers, fishers and Barbadian ingredients are at the heart of this year’s Food & Rum Festival, with organisers sourcing produce from across the island.

Lead chef Henderson Butcher said the festival team is working with farmers and fishers throughout Barbados to build local ingredients into the menu. The event was launched on Saturday at Stade’s Rum Visitors Centre, where guests got an early taste of the programme.

The festival will also welcome guest chefs from Trinidad and Africa, who will join Barbadian chefs in combining international techniques with local flavours.

Returning chef Tremaine Reece said he enjoys working with local produce, sometimes adding an international influence. At the launch, he presented updated versions of familiar dishes, including a ham cutter with carambola chutney and scotch bonnet emulsion. His mahi-mahi and chips came with matchstick-cut potatoes, traditional tartar sauce and a citrus salsa made with local grapefruit, oranges, cilantro and onions.

Freezing beverages can seem like a quick way to cool them, but vodka is better kept out of the freezer. While the article’s accompanying video explains the reason, the available text doesn’t provide the details. It does warn that freezing can cause problems with some drinks: soda cans, for example, may burst and make a mess.

Vodka prices don’t necessarily predict quality. Blind tastings have found that expensive bottles don’t always taste better, and several highly rated options cost less than $30.

At the 2025 USA Spirits Ratings, ALB Vodka scored 98 out of 100 and costs about $20 for a 750-milliliter bottle. Smirnoff No. 21 and Wildrye Premium Vodka each scored 92; they cost around $10 and $29 per liter, respectively. In Tastings’ 2026 rankings, Elit and Tigerfire took the top spots at roughly $39 and $40, while Absolut placed third with 94 points and costs about $18.

Other rankings point to similar value. Reyka, which costs around $23 per 750-milliliter bottle, topped Tasting Table’s list of the best vodka brands. Cîroc came in fourth at about $32. Some bottles cost much more: Crystal Head is nearly $60, and St. Johnsbury Vermont Vodka—made from local maple syrup—costs about $100.

What to look for in a bottle

The ingredients and production details can help you judge whether a vodka’s price makes sense. Vodka can be made from a range of fermentable ingredients, not just potatoes. Grain-based vodkas are common, while potato vodkas—traditionally associated with Eastern Europe—may have a more earthy flavor.

Labels may also say how many times the vodka was distilled and how it was filtered. Multiple distillations or extensive filtering can be signs of care, though neither guarantees that you’ll prefer the taste. More detail about the process gives you a better basis for evaluating the price.

Ultimately, paying more doesn’t ensure a better bottle. Consider the ingredients, production information, and your own taste—and be skeptical of a premium price the label doesn’t explain.

Prices are approximate and may vary by region.

An open bottle of whiskey you don’t enjoy sipping doesn’t have to go down the drain. You can still put it to good use in the kitchen, in cocktails, or by sharing it with someone who might appreciate it.

Cook with it

Whiskey can add flavor to glazes, sauces, cakes, and even ice cream. Cooking changes its taste, so a whiskey you don’t like on its own may work well as an ingredient. Try it in a bourbon-glazed ham or a whiskey cola cake.

Mix it into cocktails

Other ingredients can balance whiskey’s flavor and make it more enjoyable. Options range from classics like an Old-Fashioned or Mint Julep to richer drinks such as an espresso martini.

Make an infinity bottle

Pour the remaining whiskey into a shared bottle along with leftovers from other bottles. The blend may produce a new combination you like. This works best when you have smaller amounts rather than a large quantity to use up.

Share it with friends

Bring the bottle to a gathering or bourbon night and let others try it. Someone else may enjoy a whiskey that wasn’t to your taste.

There’s no need to force yourself to finish a bottle you don’t like. Cooking with it, mixing it into drinks, or passing it along are all better alternatives to pouring it away.

Ritter’s House Made Foods is marking its 10th anniversary with tastings and special dinners at its downtown Salem location. The restaurant opened in September 2016 in the former Gayle’s Italian Market space.

Anniversary events run from 6 to 8 p.m. through Oct. 10. Tastings are free for guests 21 and older, available on a first-come, first-served basis, and do not require a purchase. The restaurant remains open for regular dining and its usual menu.

The celebrations have included whiskey and wine tastings, cheese pairings, and fried fish tacos. On Oct. 8, Mi Casa Tequila will offer specialty tequilas alongside fish tacos. Durant Vineyards will host a wine tasting with an optional cheese pairing on Oct. 9.

The anniversary concludes Oct. 10 with a four-course dinner in the Reserve Room. Dinner with a guided Woodford Reserve whiskey flight costs $120, including a $20 gratuity. A four-course dinner without the flight is available for $80.

The menu begins with Italian sausage and sage-and-parmesan-stuffed mushrooms, followed by roasted beet and blue cheese salad. Guests can choose Angus prime rib roast or roasted salmon for the main course. Dessert is an apple and English Cheddar crostata.

Tickets are nonrefundable but may be transferred to another guest with advance notice. A branded whiskey snifter is also available for $12. For details, visit Ritter’s website.

Rumble Group (RUM) shares rose nearly 4% in Wednesday premarket trading after gaining 3% the previous day. The move followed Lake Street’s initiation of coverage with a Buy rating and a $25 price target, which implies 226% upside from Tuesday’s close.

Lake Street argues that investors may not yet have accounted for the company’s shift from a video platform toward AI infrastructure and cloud services. The analyst pointed to contracted demand, expanding power capacity and Rumble’s entry into the neocloud market as factors that could reshape how the company is valued.

Rumble entered the AI infrastructure business in June through its roughly $767 million, all-stock acquisition of German cloud company Northern Data. It now operates the Rumble media platform alongside Quake AI, its infrastructure unit.

The acquisition also gave Rumble access to 250 megawatts of power, which Lake Street views as an important resource for building out data centers as demand for AI computing grows. The company has also signed a six-year Anthropic agreement valued at $13.7 billion. The deal provides long-term revenue visibility and supports the view that Rumble is developing into a contracted AI infrastructure provider.

Despite the analyst’s optimistic outlook, retail sentiment on Stocktwits was described as bearish. Some users highlighted the scale of the Anthropic agreement and speculated about potential future cloud contracts, while others questioned why the shares remained near $7 despite higher analyst price targets.

RUM shares were up 21% year to date.

Whiskey has found itself at the center of trade tensions between the United States and Canada, drawing unexpected scrutiny amid ongoing trade disputes. While the total goods traded across the border exceeds $870 billion annually, whiskey represents less than a third of one percent of that volume. Nevertheless, it has become emblematic of escalating trade conflicts, particularly since the Trump administration’s tariffs spurred retaliatory actions from Canada.

In early 2025, eight Canadian provinces instituted bans on American whiskey, prompting the U.S. to respond with a hefty 50% tariff on Canadian whiskey. Recently, the Trump administration escalated the situation further by issuing a complete ban on Canadian whiskey imports, effective soon. However, the ban carries a significant loophole: Canadian whiskey imported in bulk and bottled in the U.S. is exempt, ensuring brands like Crown Royal remain untouched for consumers.

This peculiar focus on whiskey raises questions about its role in trade negotiations. While steel and aluminum may be critical for the economy, whiskey serves a symbolic function. Price changes in whiskey are more perceptible to consumers compared to broader economic metrics, making it an effective tool for political messaging.

Americans are clearly attuned to the implications of these tariffs. Bar owners report that their customers are very invested in discussions surrounding the availability and pricing of Canadian spirits. This stakes a claim on national identity, as whiskey production is bound to geographical restrictions—only bourbon can carry the name if made in the U.S., while Canadian whiskey must be produced in Canada.

As the trade dispute unfolds, it affects not only American consumers but also the Canadian liquor industry. The American bans have reportedly slashed U.S. exports to Canada by nearly 70%, translating into significant financial losses for distilleries on both sides. Canadian importers and distributors have also faced challenges, with anticipated increases in domestic sales failing to materialize.

Experts have noted that major distilling companies might circumvent the ban by moving bottling operations closer to the U.S. market, enabling them to continue selling without disruption. This presents a complex picture of trade where political proclamations can often mask underlying economic realities.

As the situation progresses, both governments continue to navigate a landscape where tariffs on whiskey not only influence commerce but also serve broader political narratives aimed at a domestic audience.