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Philly Sips and Eats: DIY cocktails and recipes, restaurant openings, and more

DIY Drinks: Art in the Age Debuts Summer Cocktail Kits

(Quaker City Mercantile)

Attention Cocktail lovers! There’s only one thing that’s for certain this summer: The at-home bartender is about to seriously up their game. Art in the Age, the workshop and testing ground for the spirit savants at Quaker City Mercantile, has created a line of make-at-home craft cocktail kits that contain every element imbibers need to craft a lovely libation, from liquor to bitters to shakers! Current kits include the AITA Sweet Tea Old Fashioned and Thai Basil Mule, but stay tuned – more seasonal kits will be released throughout the summer via @artintheage.

  • The Sweet Tea Old Fashioned Cocktail Kit: 

    Comes complete with Kinsey Bourbon Whiskey ($44.99), Bittercube Orange Bitters ($28.50),  Jack Rudy Sweet Tea Syrup ($20.00), as well as a Diamond Pattern Mixing Glass ($25), Peak Sphere Ice Mold ($17), Japanese Jigger ($18), 4-Prong Hawthorne Strainer ($8), Professional Weighted Bar Spoon ($12), and an original Art in the Age Rocks Glass ($9)

  • The Thai Basil Mule Cocktail Kit:

    Comprised of Tamworth Distilling White Mountain Ginger Vodka ($50), Thai Basil Som Cane Cordial ($24), Fee Brothers Lime Bitters ($10), as well as a 16 oz Cocktail Shaker ($16.00), Glass Jigger ($10), Single Bent Metal Straw ($3.50), and a 4-Prong Hawthorne Strainer ($8)

DIY Challah Kit from Prescription Chicken

Move over sourdough bread, Prescription Chicken’s DIY Challah Kit is here. Perfect for those tired of the same sourdough recipe over and over, those trying their hand at baking for the first time during quarantine, or those unable to find yeast with the national shortage, this DIY Kit from The Bourse Food Hall’s soup purveyor, Prescription Chicken, includes everything an at-home baker needs to make a Challah.

At only $12, the kit includes flour, eggs, yeast, oil, sugar and sprinkles — because sometimes you need to throw some sprinkles in your bread, especially during a pandemic. Plus, the cost of the kit includes a $5 donation to Prescription Chicken’s #SoupSupport fund, helping to bring soup to front line workers. Prescription Chicken has already raised enough for over 1,000 meals and they’re hoping to keep the momentum going.

The DIY Challah Kit is available for delivery or pickup at The Bourse Food Hall. They can be purchased online here.

12th Street Catering’s Celebration Boxes

(12th Street Catering)

12th Street Catering‘s Celebration Boxes are the perfect way to commemorate graduates, celebrate a wedding or anniversary, or bring friends and family together with a customizable meal package.

The meals are ideal for in-person events, as the individual Celebration Box presentation is specifically designed with safe social distancing practices in mind, as well as virtual events, where guests can enjoy the same meal with various entrée options together, but apart.

Each Celebration Box comes with flavored sugar drops that transform champagne, beer, or spirits into a delicious cocktail. Celebration Boxes are available in a variety of themes:

  • The Dinner Box consists of two appetizers, roasted togarashi salmon and a skillet-seared flat iron steak entrée, two sides, and a variety of desserts.
  • The Cocktail Box features an array of six appetizers, including savory galettes, yuzu glazed chicken skewers, and spinach parmesan fritters.
  • The Sweets Box includes a variety of cake jars, home-baked pop tarts, French macaroons, a campfire s’mores kit, and customizable homemade cookies.
  • The Brunch Box includes breakfast hot pockets, overnight oats, French toast casserole, trail mix, and fresh fruit.

Attached is a press release with additional information and images. Full menus for each of the Celebration Boxes are available, here. I’d be happy to connect you with Michele Leff, president of 12th Street Catering, who can speak to the importance of celebrating special occasions while group gatherings and special events have been postponed or canceled.

Restaurants Opening in the Region 

(Iron Hill Brewery)

With the lessening of COVI-19 restriction, several restaurants in the region will be opening their doors for outdoor seating. Here are some great hotspots to stop by in the coming days. 

• Chop House: ChopHouse Grille in Exton will be reopening for both curbside pickup and outdoor dining on June 9.

• Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant locations in the yellow counties will be opening with limited capacity and will adhere to required table distancing (in the Philadelphia area, that means North Wales, Media, Phoenixville, West Chester and Huntingdon Valley). Locations without existing outdoor spaces are applying to expand in order to seat in the parking lots. The limited menu will continue as is. Takeout and delivery options, which include craft kits and to-go cocktails, are also still available.

• P.J Whelihan’s: All P.J. Whelihan’s PA locations in the Greater Philadelphia area are opening for outdoor dining on Friday, June 5. The only exception is P.J. Whelihan’s Malvern, which will be reopening for both curbside pickup and outdoor dining on June 8. All locations will continue curbside pickup, which can be ordered ahead online at this link.

• The Pour House: The Pour House in Exton will also be reopening for outdoor dining Friday, June 5 and curbside pickup today, June 4.


You can follow Candis McLean on Twitter (@CandisRMcLean) and e-mail her at [email protected].

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