I recall feeling a hint of discomfort when first encountering the promotional material for Ten to One Rum back in 2019. I thought the bottles looked sleek, appealing, but possibly a bit too polished. Seeing the product being advertised as just a “dark rum,” a term that has no specific or useful meaning in the U.S., triggered my skepticism. This often leads to misleading labelling. Knowing that the brand was created by a man who had once been Starbucks’ youngest VP did not reassure me of its quality or respect for tradition. I was immediately guarded.

But after tasting the products, I had to admit that my preconceptions were largely misplaced. Despite the marketing aiming to capture a larger slice of the potential customer base, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Ten to One’s formulations or its Trinidadian-born owner, Marc Farrell. They are serious about the rum blends they’re bottling, resulting in some of the best mid-range blends readily available in the U.S. market. Specifically, Ten to One White Rum swiftly hit my favourites list for use in daiquiris, where it performs exceptionally well. It’s difficult to find a better rum for a classic daiquiri.

Since 2019, Ten to One has been somewhat timid in terms of expanding the range, occasionally releasing limited runs in addition to its core White Rum and Dark Rum. That era has now ended with the release of an extra-aged blend, Five Origin Select. This is a permanent addition to the lineup, though it will be limited going forward. As expected, the price is higher – $65, compared with $45 for the Dark Rum and $33 for the White Rum.

This blend, as the name suggests, comes from five Caribbean rum countries–Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. At the heart of the blend is an “11-15 year old Guyanese (demerara) rum distilled on the esteemed Port Mourant Double Wooden Pot Still,” which is evidently a product of Diamond Distillery, Guyana’s sole distiller. Ten to One doesn’t provide further details or age ranges for the rums from the other countries, but it’s probably safe to assume this is a mix of differently aged distillates with an overall age notably greater than that of the Ten to One Dark Rum, which is also a blend from four of the same countries, minus Guyana. The intention here seems to be to craft a rum blend for neat drinking, suggesting increased complexity. It’s presented at a slightly boosted 46% ABV (92 proof), a good strength for a flavour-centric sipper.

It’s time to taste this new Ten to One Five Origin Select blend.

The aroma of this rum is subtly complex yet robust. I can sense the notes of nutty cocoa nibs and sweet pear, paired with warm stone fruit like plum jelly, molasses cakes and a hint of fresh, grassy sugar cane. There are also undertones of dried fruit with a hint of caramelized sugar and a touch of vanilla bean, reminiscent of a creme brulee.

Upon tasting, I detected gingerbread at the forefront, combined with rich dark brown sugar and a hefty amount of allspice. The dried fruit makes its appearance once more, but this time bearing raisin and prune, balanced by the bright orange citrus and dulce de leche, with a side note of baked apple. This rum leaves a peppery lingering spiciness and aromatic oak on the finish. I can’t say that I am a connoisseur of Guyanese rum, but in comparison, it seems a tad lighter in distinctive Guyanese character than what I would have expected, though its unique spicy woodiness is most likely courtesy of the demerara spirit. As a whole, this rum is more balanced than it is leaning towards a specific region, and that’s something I really admire.

In the end, this is an impressive small blend from Ten to One, conveying its pan-Caribbean concept extremely well. It’s perfect for neat serving or for making classic cocktails, depending on your preference.

Distillery: Ten to One

Region: Caribbean

Style: Blended rum

ABV: 46% (92 proof)

Availability: 750 ml bottles, $65 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.

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Enjoying pasta dishes such as spicy rigatoni vodka can be a luxurious experience due to their rich and creamy taste. However, these dishes can often be pricey at Italian dining establishments. Luckily, you can recreate this delicious dish in your comfort zone with materials readily available in your pantry. The process begins by making a sauce with canned tomatoes, vodka, red pepper flakes, and other ingredients until it’s reached the right thickness. Afterward, cooked rigatoni pasta is mixed into the sauce and garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Congratulations, you now have a spicy, hearty, and delightful restaurant-style pasta dish without the premium price tag. This dish is an excellent reward for yourself if you have the time to unwind and cook a homely dinner. Continue reading to discover how to bring this saucy pasta dish to life!

This delicacy is based on rigatoni pasta dyed in a spicy tomato cream sauce. The reason behind using rigatoni is its ridges and holes which are great for capturing the sauce compared to other pasta forms. An Italian-American restaurant in New York named Carbone is attributed to have made the dish famous, with price tag of $34 on their menu. No need to worry, you can reproduce the dish comfortably at home and have some savings to boot! An additional bonus is that you can easily warm any leftovers guided by our tips on how to reheat pasta.

Vodka serves a crucial role in the dish as an emulsifier—ensuring all ingredients in the sauce maintain uniformity. It’s added during the process of cooking the sauce to allow the alcohol to evaporate, creating a gentle piquant taste. If vodka isn’t immediately available, you could use white wine or chicken broth as alternates to achieve a nearly similar taste and structure.

To achieve a sauce that sticks to the rigatoni, incorporating pasta’s leftover cooking water into the dish is recommended. Jessica Randhawa, owner and principal chef at The Forked Spoon explains, “The transformative ingredient is concluding the pasta in sauce with a tinge of the starchy pasta water.” According to her, this enhances the sauce’s adherence to the rigatoni and modifies the sauce consistency to the appropriate level. It’s advisable to set aside around one cup of the cooking liquid before draining your pasta. While merging the sauce and rigatoni, gradually pour enough liquid until you attain your preferred consistency.

Related: Why Do Chefs Call Pasta Water ‘Liquid Gold’?

Below, Maria Liberati, Gourmand World Award-winning author and podcast host of “The Maria Liberati Show”, shares her go-to Spicy Rigatoni Vodka recipe. In her recipe, an important step is allowing the onions to sauté for at least 45 minutes. This provides the sauce with hints of sweetness that balance the acidic tomatoes. You can also adjust the amount of chili pepper flakes for a milder or spicier rigatoni vodka dish.

Ingredients:

28 oz. crushed San Marzano tomatoes

¼ cup unsalted butter, separated

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup water

1½ Tbs. salt + extra

3 Tbs. olive oil

3 Tbs. red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili paste

3 Tbs. vodka

1 cup heavy cream

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1 lb. box of rigatoni pasta

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese + extra

Fresh chopped basil and/or parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Yield: 8 servings

In a saucepan on low heat, melt one tablespoon of butter. Introduce onions, a pinch of salt and water into the mixture. Make sure the saucepan is covered. Stir occasionally for approximately 45-60 minutes, until the onions are soft and clear.

Prepare a different skillet. In it, combine crushed tomatoes, 1 and a half tablespoons of salt, olive oil, chili flakes or paste, vodka, the remaining three tablespoons of butter and cream. Allow the mixture to reach boiling point, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

On the side, cook the pasta based on the instructions given on its packaging. Ensure it is al dente, which means it retains a slight bite. Before you drain the rigatoni, save a cup of the pasta water.

Add cooked onions to creamy tomato sauce base; stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Add cooked pasta to sauce with ½ cup Parmesan cheese and a generous splash of rigatoni liquid. Using tongs, toss mixture until pasta is fully coated in sauce. Add more pasta water or cheese if needed.

Serve immediately with additional cheese and chopped herbs. Enjoy!

Make this dish pasta night-perfect by serving it with a couple of different sides! Salad tossed in a zesty vinaigrette is refreshing and pairs well with the rich and peppery sauce. A carby side like this air fryer garlic bread is another tasty addition since it’s filling, buttery and pungent. Buon appetito!

Continue reading for more delicious pasta recipes and inspiration!

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Oprah’s Personal Chef Makes Pasta Sauce From Oatmeal — Would You Eat It?

Nicole Young, founder of Frisky Whiskey.

A wave of innovation and diversity is reshaping the traditionally-impenetrable world of whiskey, and we couldn’t be happier.

Over the last decade in particular, black-owned whisky businesses have become some of the most exciting ones-to-watch; many small-scale, some large-scale, and all with brilliant stories and spirits.

Want to explore and support the best of the best? The five black-owned whiskey brands we’ve highlighted in the list of must-trys, below, are a supremely-worthy starting point.

Founder: Fawn Weaver

Uncle Nearest, brought to life by Fawn Weaver, is a fond tribute to Nathan “Nearest” Green. Green, once a bondman of African-American origin, imparted the fine skills of whiskey-making to a young Jack Daniel. Weaver not only sets a record as the first African-American woman to lead a high-profile spirits brand, but also as the creator of the most awarded bourbon and American whiskies each year since 2019. In short, you’re missing out if you haven’t tried them all.

Founder: Drew Fox

Drew Fox started his in-home brewery in 2010 without predicting that it would evolve into the premier award-winning artisan distillery in Northwest Indiana. Besides, it specializes in vodka, rum, gin, rye and bourbon. The latter two are the real celebrities, in my opinion, showcasing a strong, grain-derived sweetness in the bourbon and cherry overtones in the rye. A vacation in the brand’s Fermatorium apartments provide a perfect reason to revel in whiskey appreciation tours.

Founder: Riviera Imports

Drawing inspiration from the smooth and soulful musical stylings of Miles Davis (and his best-selling jazz record of all time), Kind of Blue is a whisky worth a spot on your bar cart. A deep amber, the blended Islay/Speyside/Highland Scotch boasts an exceptional blend of rich fruits, smoky-sweet spice, and a touch of soft Madagascan vanilla. A medley in its own right.

Founder: Rakim Mayers (a.k.a A$AP Rocky)

Rapper A$AP Rocky’s Canadian blend is one of the more unusual whiskies on the list, employing both American white oak (ex-bourbon) and Japanese Mizunara Oak to develop a deliciously spicy-sweet flavor profile. Richer than the average blend, the whiskey is twice-distilled and aged for a minimum of four years, making for an ultra-quaffable sipper.

Founder: Nicole Young

Nicole Young’s Frisky Whiskey is not your average sipper. Unlike the norm, Frisky’s novel formula leverages pure caramel and natural vanilla to highlight and amplify its liquid, making them a great choice for those who prefer their whiskies a little sweeter (sans artificial enhancers). Being victorious in obtaining the Chairman’s Trophy at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, securing 95 out of 100 points for flavor, it’s also the competition’s highest rated flavored whiskey to date.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Authorities allege that a 57-year-old man was drunk and caught with heroin and alcohol in his car after fleeing the scene of a crash that injured two NYPD officers in Grant City last week.

One officer suffered pain in his legs when he was pinned against the outside of a patrol car and a second officer sustained a minor concussion while seated inside the same police vehicle when it was struck on the night of Feb. 7 on South Railroad and Hamden avenues, according to the criminal complaint.

Minutes after the crash and about two miles away, Tino Zaldivar of the 1600 block of Richmond Road in Dongan Hills, was apprehended while driving a white, 2024 Jeep Compass at North Railroad and Mosel avenues in Grasmere, police said.

Zaldivar allegedly had on his person two plastic zipper bags containing heroin in the form of a tan powder. While searching the Jeep, officers allege they found two bottles of rum on the front passenger floor of the vehicle; one of the bottles was open and half full while the other was empty.

“The defendant operated said white Jeep while intoxicated by alcohol, in that informant observed the defendant exhibit indications of intoxicat[ion] including but not limited to, a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on the defendant’s breath and bloodshot eyes,” the complaint alleges.

The crash occurred at about 9:50 p.m. on that Wednesday when the marked patrol car was parked with one of the officers behind the wheel. A second officer had stepped out of the police car when the Jeep sideswiped the NYPD vehicle, the complaint alleges.

The left and front sides of the Jeep struck that officer’s legs and twisted, dented and tore both passenger doors on the patrol car, according to the complaint.

Zaldivar allegedly drove away in the Jeep, which was dinged with dents, scratches and black marks on the left and front sides. The defendant did not exchange any information about his identification or insurance and failed to retrieve the front license plate that fell off the Jeep, the complaint alleges.

When police located the suspect, the Jeep’s back license plate matched the front plate found at the scene, according to the complaint.

Police said that both officers were taken to an area hospital after the crash.

Zaldivar has been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless endangerment of property, driving while intoxicated, driving while ability impaired by the consumption of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is due back in Criminal Court on April 3.

Online court records do not list any information about the defendant’s bail status or his defense attorney.

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The royal’s life of long baths and four-course lunches is a dream compared with Wallace’s 5am wake-up and hours alone playing strategy games

Name: Princess Margaret.

Age: Born 94 years ago, she died in 2002 at the age of 71.

Appearance: Lifestyle kween 4eva.

Is this the same Princess Margaret who tried gluing matchboxes to tumblers, to make it easier for her to smoke and drink at the same time? Yes! What an absolute diva.

I guess one person’s scrounger is another person’s diva. You’re just jealous. Margaret’s daily routine has just resurfaced and, if the response across social media is anything to go by, she lived the life we all secretly wanted.

Is that so? Listen, this is a woman who woke up at 9am, chain-smoked for two hours while she read the papers, then jumped into a bath run by a servant, where she stayed for an hour. At noon she would dress and go downstairs for a vodka.

This sounds like the schedule of someone who is depressed. No way! Lifestyle kween 4eva! Do you know what she did after that?

Carry on drinking to allay her chronic lack of purpose? No! She had a four-course lunch with the Queen Mother.

And? Oh fine, she drank half a bottle of wine while she ate it. What’s your point?

My point is that this is a terrible routine! Why are people fawning over it? Gregg Wallace.

Pardon? They are saying that Margaret’s life of decadent leisure is in stark contrast with the vigorously compartmentalised daily schedule that Gregg Wallace recently published, complete with 5am wake-up, 8pm bedtime and two hours alone playing Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia.

At least he’s got a bit of drive. Margaret’s schedule sounds like a record of someone slowly trying to pickle herself to death. Isn’t that the dream? To be free of the tyranny of work, responsibilities, entire mornings and sobriety.

Maybe for a bit, but keeping it up habitually would ruin you. Maybe there’s just a fundamental problem with publishing your daily schedule. Maybe transparency means that you’re just offering yourself up to scrutiny and judgment on a level you don’t deserve.

Look at all the stick Mark Wahlberg got in 2018 when he revealed that he woke up at 2:30am every day so he could work out for four and a half hours before the sun came up.

So you’re saying the format is bad, not the people? Yes, exactly. Although …

Yes? There is one daily schedule we can all still aspire to. Step forward Tom Hollander.

What does his day look like? According to something he wrote in 2020, it’s a slightly melancholic trudge that mainly involves staring at his phone, masturbating and observing his physical decline in a mirror.

Finally, relatability at last. Yes, take that Your Royal Highness.

Do say: “It isn’t aspirational to drink neat vodka at noon.”

Don’t say: “But, hey, if it’s good enough for her …”

Nicole Young, founder of Frisky Whiskey.

A wave of innovation and diversity is reshaping the traditionally impenetrable world of whiskey, and we couldn’t be happier.

Over the last decade in particular, black-owned whisky businesses have become some of the most exciting ones-to-watch; many small-scale, some large-scale, and all with brilliant stories and spirits.

Want to explore and support the best of the best? The five black-owned whiskey brands we’ve highlighted in the list of must-trys, below, are a supremely worthy starting point.

Founder: Fawn Weaver

Uncle Nearest was brought to life by Fawn Weaver, in remembrance of Nathan “Nearest” Green, an once enslaved African-American who taught the skill of whiskey-making to a young individual named Jack Daniel. This made Weaver become the first African-American woman to lead a prominent spirits label, plus, she developed the most-awarded bourbon and American whiskies consistently since 2019. In a nutshell, they all warrant a try.

Founder: Drew Fox

In 2010, Drew Fox initiated his home brewery, never foreseeing that it would turn into the premier award-winning artisanal distillery in Northwest Indiana. Not to mention, a distillery trading in vodka, rum, gin, rye, and bourbon. Especially the two last ones steal the show, from my perspective, with a distinctive, grain-sweet bourbon and a cherry-leaning rye. Residing for a holiday in the brand’s Fermatorium apartments can make for a perfect excuse to revel in some whiskey relaxation.

Founder: Riviera Imports

Inspired by the soothing and soulful sounds of Miles Davis and his all-time bestselling jazz record, Kind of Blue is a whisky that deserves to be on your bar cart. Its deep amber color, originating from a blend of Islay/Speyside/Highland Scotch, offers a unique mix of flavors. There is an abundant richness of fruits, a smoky-sweet spice, with a delicate hint of Madagascan vanilla. A harmony in its unique sense.

Founder: Rakim Mayers (a.k.a A$AP Rocky)

A$AP Rocky’s Canadian whisky blend features as one of the most distinct whiskies on our list. It uses both American white oak (ex-bourbon) and Japanese Mizunara Oak to create an enticingly spicy-sweet flavor. It surpasses the richness of ordinary blends, being twice-distilled and aged for at least four years, offering an incredibly smooth and enjoyable drink.

Founder: Nicole Young

Nicole Young’s Frisky Whiskey is not your average sipper. Breaking away from convention, Frisky’s breakthrough formula uses pure caramel and natural vanilla to accentuate and enhance its liquid, making them a great choice for those who love their whiskies on the sweeter side (without artificial enhancers). Winning the Chairman’s Trophy at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, earning 95 out of 100 points for taste, it’s also the competition’s highest rated flavored whiskey ever.