Howdy readers!

The recent heat wave has had me totally beat in the late afternoons! I’ve been giving in to catnaps with an oscillating fan nearby. When I awake, there’s nothing like a little punch from a cool square of chocolate, which has lately been taking up residence in my fridge. While at work, I cool off with iced drink after iced drink; most recently, I’ve been quite taken by our Café de Olla – iced! This drink features an all-natural, artisan syrup of molasses and brown sugar, spiced with cinnamon and cloves, from Jo Snow Syrups – a very young company based in Chicago with which we are very excited to be working.

Father’s Day is just around the corner (this coming Sunday, June 19th) and having grown up with a chocoholic father, there’s absolutely no convincing me that Dads want nothing to do with sweets. My dad always ends his dinner with a little treat, and while that usually means a couple of Oreos, I like to spoil him when possible! Read on for my Father’s Day picks – and a few other highlights from the Next Door’s Chocolate Corner.

**FATHER’S DAY PICKS**

Whiskey! Bourbon! Brandy!
In chocolate confections, that is! Hook your pops up with the perfect nightcap accompaniment. Grocer’s Daughter’s Whiskey Figs from Empire, Michigan feature plump dried black figs, cut in half and “glued” back together with a whiskey and dark chocolate ganache. Chocolat Moderne Baby Truffles are one of my favorite finds from last summer’s Fancy Food Show; Joan pairs milk chocolate with bourbon from the Hudson Valley’s Tuthilltown Spirits (New York’s first whiskey distillery since Prohibition!). Rabitos Fig Bonbons hail from Spain where producers seek out tender little figs and fill them up with a boozy brandy ganache before dipping them in chocolate.

Fran’s Chocolates Coconut Gold Bar
One of my earliest chocolate-related memories includes my Dad. One Halloween, we realized a mutual appreciation for Peter Paul Almond Joys, so naturally he taught me their jingle from the 1970s (“sometimes you feel like a nut…”). Whether or not he appreciated his very talkative young daughter repeatedly singing this jingle thereafter, I’m not sure. Point is, I’ve got something even better than our old favorite. Fran’s Coconut Gold Bars! Soft shredded coconut, held together with a bit of white chocolate and spiked with a tiny touch of rum, topped with almonds, all enrobed in dark chocolate. Mercy.

Vosges Bacon Bars
I don’t think this requires too much explanation. Bacon + chocolate. Don’t overthink it. Dad won’t. Available in either dark or milk chocolate versions, these bars feature smoked salt and savory Applewood bacon crumbles. Go the extra mile and treat Dad to breakfast in bed with a bacon bar sandwich! Sandwich a bar between two fluffy pieces of challah and grill in your favorite sauté pan till the chocolate’s gooey and the challah golden.

Kakawa Cocoa Beans
In my mind, these are right up there with Dos Cafeteras Café au Lait Candies when it comes to finding the perfect desk drawer treat for mid-day pick-me-up emergencies! Help Dad trudge through that last hour or so at the office with these roasted cocoa beans triple-dipped in milk, dark, and white chocolates. Admittedly addictive, I might advise purchasing a second bag; Dad would no doubt approve of your proactive thinking.

RJ’s Licorice from New Zealand
My Grandpa’s nickname in high school was Dark Horse (!!!) and I think he’d approve of me applying such a word to this soft licorice. This chewy confection features a clean and true licorice root-flavor and, much to my surprise, it is day in and day out, one of our best sellers. My Grandpa always noted an affinity for licorice, and while I don’t think he consumed too much in his old age, if he were still around I’d be surprising him with a bag of this black gold in a heartbeat.

**CHOCOLATE CORNER NEWS**

I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend up in Empire, Michigan – a much needed getaway and my introduction to Northern Michigan. I polished up on my mini-golf game, took in the scenery, and froze my toes in the lake. The cherry on top was the opportunity to visit with Mimi of Grocer’s Daughter! She’s got quite the chocolate outpost on Leelanau Highway, featuring her own confections as well as the medley of local products she champions in her sweets. While I find all of her bonbons to be a real treat, I was absolutely floored by a newer one she let me try. It’s made with Guinness (which last I heard makes you stronger). Forget mildly boozy truffles that fall flat. With this treat, we’re talking rich chocolate, near-bubbling with the taste of a freshly tapped stout. Dad might need a Father’s Day IOU for this one. Keep your eyes peeled for their debut in the first week of July.

In the truffle case this week is your Sweet Gem Confections “Made in Michigan” pick – Balsamic Vinegar & Milk Chocolate. Thanks for those of you who made it to the demo to taste and vote!

The month of May welcomed a number of European imports, some of which were very long awaited! Say hello to Guido Gobino’s Gianduja Spread and Sicilian Pistachio Pate.

Don’t be fooled by the gianduja’s new packaging; the squat jar with the orange label features the same delicious product jam-packed with Piedmont hazelnuts and silky, rich chocolate. (Did I mention the jar is 20% bigger?)

Pistachio Pate! So glad to have this gem back on the shelves. Getting it here from Italy was the easy part; finding it amongst our own warehouses – now that was tough! A huge thank you to Mara, product detective extraordinaire! Freshly ground pistachios make up 70% of this product; the other 30% is olive oil and sea salt. Toss with fresh pasta, spread on your toast in place of peanut butter, ribbon through some vanilla gelato. You can’t go wrong with this product… toss it … spread it … ribbon it …

Also returning, after a long, long delay (almost two years!) is Enric Rovira’s Spanish Drinking Chocolate. We serve the ‘amargo’ (bitter) version in the Next Door. Prepared traditionally, this drinking chocolate must be spooned into the cup after heating because it’s so thick! On our shelves, we’re selling boxes of the ‘amargo’ as well as the ‘tradicional’ version (a little bit sweeter). Don’t take my word for how wonderful this product is; instead, allow me to share the following call-back log experience. I phoned a guest who had put in a product request for this drinking chocolate in November of 2009.

Matt: “Hello?”
Me: “Hi! Is this Matt?”
Matt: “Yes.”
Me: “Great! Matt, this is Margot from Zingerman’s Deli.”
Matt: “YOU’VE GOT THE CHOCOLATE!”

Yes. Yes, we do.

Yours in Chocolate,