A Refreshing Summer Treat - Licorice Iced Tea

Are you looking for something different for a summer thirst-quencher? Try making iced tea out of Licorice Spice teabags, which are available in bulk here. The sweet, spicy flavors of licorice and spice give this iced tea an unexpected taste.  Make it plain for a caffeine-free treat or mix it with black tea, giving a zip to ordinary iced tea.

Simply brew a pot of tea, add sugar or honey (if desired) and pour over ice. You may also make sun tea by steeping tea bags in a jar of water set out in the sun, then refrigerate or pour over ice.

An easy way to make iced tea is simply to put the tea bags into a pitcher of cold water and leave in the refrigerator for several hours. This produces a slightly weaker tea, so you may need to use more tea bags.

Enjoy!

Memories of Grandpa and Licorice - Thoughts for Father's Day

Father's Day is coming, and what better time to reflect on memories, both of your father and your grandfather.  Often something as simple as the old fashioned taste of licorice can bring back a memory.  We asked people to share their licorice memories for a book we're compiling.  It was no surprise that lots of those memories had to do with grandparents.  Here are a couple "grandpa" memories:

    

     Oh my gosh! It seems like it was another world, so quiet and easy. In the late 1960’s on a steamy summer afternoon in LaMotte Iowa, around the Fourth of July, I was swaying slowly on the squeaky porch swing with my only grandpa while most of my five siblings and seven cousins were frolicking at the park around the bend or tapping on Grandma’s piano in the parlor. It wasn’t too often any of us got to sit all alone with Grandpa when we drove from Chicagoland to visit. I don’t remember him ever saying much, but he would pull a quarter out of my ear every time I crawled up and sat on his lap. How did it get in there? I wondered.

     Best of all, though, he always—and I mean always—had candy in his pocket. I’d crawl up and he’d ever so slowly reach into his left breast pocket as I’d watch and wait longingly for small pieces of coated chocolate or chalky pink discs. One day, however, he pulled out something I’d never seen. I noticed him looking away toward his spittoon. At first I wondered if it was his chewing tobacco. It was dark and leathery. I could smell it before I tasted it. Licorice! Mmmm! Thanks Grandpa. To this day every time I taste licorice I remember my grandpa. I remember how I sat there with him, how we shared time together. I remember how much this gentle old man loved me and how I loved him. I remember licorice.

-- Cathy Shuck

                                                             

     By the time I was born, Papa was already quite ill. Growing up, I felt frightened by his wheezing, the shiny hospital bed, and the oxygen tanks that were taller than I was. While the adults talked, I’d play with the meerschaum pipes that Papa once relish and that he had lined up on his dresser like intricately carved bones. I loved their sweet, smoky scent.   One day Papa called me over conspiratorially and whispered in his thick accent, “You like ze pipes?”

       From under his pillow he pulled out a black licorice pipe. It tasted stronger than the licorice I was used to, saltier and more adult. Papa winked. The pipes became a special treat bridging generations. Soon afterwards, Papa moved West, where despite the dry air his asthma finally killed him. Forty years later, black licorice still takes me back to Papa’s house in Brookline, Massachusetts, where we shared a secret and a smile.

-- P.R. Wine

You can still buy those old fashioned licorice pipes here.

Click here to see the wide variety of gourmet licorice available from Licorice International.

How to Help a Soldier Overseas - Send Licorice

You can touch a soldier overseas by sending a package of licorice.  That's right!  Sometimes something as simple as a sweet treat can bring encouragement.

Click here for more info on Licorice International'sTreats for the Troops Program.

A chaplain sent this picture and the following thank you note:

We received your licorice the other day and it is fantastic. We plan to share it with our Soldiers as they come and go carrying out missions.

It's such nice generosity from wonderful people like you that at times just overwhelms us. I know the Soldiers and Marines that come to see us love it. I bet I have 30 people visit my chapel a day just for candy.

I probably have 50 plus come for coffee. God sure is good. He brings them by or me to them and I get a have a chance to bring a personal touch of Christ into their lives. We have chapel services every Sunday, prayer devotionals on Wednesdays, Karaoke Nights on Fridays (we have service members from each branch of service here sometimes even Danish and British Soldiers). Then we have a Chaplain movie night with soda and popcorn.

I guestimate that we serve or personally touch between 200-350 a week.

We look forward to continue to minister to our excellent service members who serve our great country and protect the freedoms we enjoy.

God bless you Kim Kolb and others who have given so much to us already.

I am very grateful!

Have a great weekend and God bless you!

Buzzard Billy’s Cajun Creole Restaurant: New Orleans Cuisine in Lincoln, Nebraska

A Review by a Licorice Lover:

You can experience a bit of New Orleans in the Heartland. Buzzard Billy’s Cajun-Creole Restaurant is located in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket, right across the street from Licorice International on 8th Street between P and Q. Decorated in a combination of nostalgia and Cajun items (yes, there are several alligators), the atmosphere is fun for the whole family, and is also a great place to meet friends for a drink.

I recently had lunch at Buzzard Billy’s, after a tour of Memorial Stadium, and before a visit to Licorice International. (Of course, I can’t go to the Haymarket without visiting Licorice International.) I split the Mean Green Buzzard Wings and Swamp Platter (fried crawfish tails, fried alligator, crab cakes, hush puppies and coleslaw) with two young friends, supplementing my meal with a cup of Grilled Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo. It was more than enough to fill us up. (Plus, we snitched a bit from the appetizers our other friends shared: Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms and Miller High Life Spinach Artichoke Dip.) Our friends,--who aren’t as into Cajun food as the rest of us--enjoyed Po’Boys (New Orleans style hoagies).

A few months ago, my husband and I met some friends for drinks at Buzzard Billy’s on a Thursday evening. (Since I don’t drink alcohol, I chose raspberry iced tea.) It was trivia night, so we competed with other tables to guess trivia from the 60’s and 70’s. We didn’t win anything, but we enjoyed reminiscing about the “good old days.”

For more information on Buzzard Billy’s see their website.

Get FREE Shipping on your Licorice Order Through May 31

Now through May 31, you will receive free shipping on any order over $50 at Licorice International, the largest specialty retailer of imported licorice in the United States.

Great for Father's Day gifts, graduation gifts or a unique wedding gift.

Click here to shop for licorice

New Lincoln Arena Will Be Good for Licorice International and Other Haymarket Businesses

The Lincoln voters have spoken. In a wider-than-expected margin, Lincolnites approved the construction of a 16,000-seat arena in the Haymarket commercial district.

What does this mean for the city, and specifically for the Haymarket area? Because arena events will bring in hundreds of visitors from out of town, that means an increase in business for area shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Elizabeth Erlandson and Ardith Stuertz, owners of Licorice International, a gourmet candy store in the Haymarket area, were quoted in an article about the arena in the May 12, 2010, issue of The Omaha World Herald.

“It will bring some wonderful things to the city for events and entertainment,” said Stuertz. “After it's been built, we'll see an increase in volume of people that come into the area that will only be good for our business.”

Click here to read the entire article.

Australian Style Licorice Made in the USA

Licorice Lovers always rave about Australian licorice. The soft texture and just-right taste are to die for. Kookaburra Twists from Australia are top sellers at Licorice International, both on-line and in the retail store.

Now you can get Australian licorice made in the USA. New Australian Style Liquorice (the way the Aussies spell it) is manufactured by Kenny's Candy Company and tastes surprisingly like Kookaburra. It comes in Gourmet Black (made with real licorice root for authentic licorice flavor) and Gourmet Red, which tastes great.

For a limited time, get 50 cents off each package of Australian Style Licorice. Click here to purchase.

Dutch Licorice - The Candy Holland Calls Drop

Holland has the largest per capita licorice consumption in the world. The Dutch call licorice "drop," and they enjoy many licorice varieties, including their specialty, salty licorice.

However, licorice was not invented in the Netherlands. Licorice is actually a naturally occurring root native to southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia, and has been valued for its medicinal qualities since ancient times. When theDutch traders brought back licorice from their travels, the treat quickly became popular. From Holland, the traders shared it with the rest of Europe.

Some unique varieties of Dutch licorice offered by Licorice International include:

Salmiak Rocks: If you're not sure about salty licorice, try these first. The creamy outside layer complements the salty center for a great taste combination.

Licorice Chalk: This old-fashioned treat will remind you of your school days, but the taste will amaze you. A light minty coating covers a soft, sweet center.

Mounties Licorice Caramels: A perfect blend of licorice and caramels, two favorite tastes for candy lovers. Also, in the shape of a tube, the licorice center is covered by sweet caramel.

Click here to see all of the Dutch Licorice available.