The 17th annual Kosher Food and Wine Expo had an incredible lineup.
With Passover coming up in a couple months, I understood the importance of prepping whatever foods or drinks to bring to Seder. It’s tough as the Kosher for Passover Laws for alcohol can be intricate, as you need to avoid fermented grains, wheats, barleys, and certain aging processes in different barrels. While not everything I tried is Kosher for Passover, I’d still highly recommend keeping these drinks in mind for Shabbat. I will make sure to distinguish what is and isn’t Kosher for Passover.
Starting with Kosher for Passover wines, Tabor released a Limited Edition Cabernet Sauvignon. It was my favorite wine of the night; full bodied and deeply flavorful with bursts of blackberries and a hint of vanilla. If you’re looking for a less expensive but more flexible kosher wine, then I highly recommend the Carmel Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, which paired easily with many of the meats and salmon dishes I tried. If you like white wine, the Psagot Sinai White was incredibly refreshing, with its rich melon and pear flavor seeping through every sip.
If you want to liven up your Passover Seder, most tequilas will qualify as Kosher for the holiday. So if you’re looking for tequila, the Padre Super Premium Tequila Anejo was delicious. In addition to the cool design of the bottle, the tequila hit quickly while still providing a calming aftertaste of light vanilla.
Bourbon and Whiskey is generally not Kosher for Passover, considering it usually contains fermented or leavened grains. Still, on the lookout for Shabbat, the standout bourbon for me was the Boondocks. I tried the 6 year aged straight bourbon whiskey, the rye, and the 18 year cask strength. The 6 year aged straight bourbon was my favorite, as the wooden aroma enhanced the strong taste. The cask strength was a recent release, and was incredibly delicious. I’d recommend the rye more for people less experienced with bourbon, as it’s easily the smoothest. I also tried to Togouchi Japanese Blended Whiskey, aged 9 years. It was delicious, incredibly smooth with a fruity scent that made drinking it incredibly soothing. It’s spicy vanilla and green tea scents would make it an excellent pairing with a dessert.
In the realm of food, there wasn’t really much Kosher for Passover/ A tremendous standout was the Marble & Grain Beef Nigiri with Wasabi Cream. The beef was juicy without being overpowered by the wasabi cream. Additionally, the Tomahawk Ribeye Steaks with Horseradish Cream & Black Truffle Potatoes was outstanding. Pizza Biza also had a Brisket pizza that was delicious. Sushi Tokyo had a tremendous spread, but the standout for me was their Hamachi Avocado Wasabi, with yellow tail, avocado, cucumber, ginger, scallion, and soysabi.