Very exciting news! DRY has brought a new team member on board to help with flavor and creative development. Everyone, please welcome DRY Soda’s new Creative Director: Richard Blais!

Bravo’s “Top Chef All-Stars” winner and author joins natural soda team in product and flavor development capacity

(MARCH 5, 2013) SEATTLE – DRY Soda Co. is pleased to announce that chef Richard Blais, Bravo’s “Top Chef All-Stars” winner, restaurateur and author, has been named creative director. In this role he will work with the company on flavor, recipe and cocktail innovation as well as serving as a culinary ambassador for the natural soda brand.

“This is the first time we’ve worked with a chef in this capacity, we are extremely excited to have Richard’s irresistible creativity and culinary vision involved in everything from sales to development,” said DRY Soda CEO Sharelle Klaus.  “He is a relatable trendsetter and will be a great addition to our team.”

Blais has played an influential role in the hospitality industry for the last 15 years.  A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he spent time between semesters studying at the French Laundry under renowned chef Thomas Keller. Upon graduating from the CIA in 1998, Blais ventured to New York for the opportunity to work with Chef Daniel Boulud at Daniel, followed by a brief stage at El Bulli with culinary wizard Ferran Adria. In 2000, Blais relocated to Atlanta to oversee a local seafood concept.  His creative approach led to the establishment of Trail Blais, a forward-thinking culinary company that has consulted on, designed and operated some of Atlanta’s most popular eateries including Flip Burger Boutique’s multiple locations, The Spence and HD-1.  In 2011, he won “Top Chef All-Stars,” and in February 2013 released his debut cookbook, Try this at Home: Recipes from My Head to your Plate, which features a simplified approach to adventurous home cooking.

“I’ve been a huge fan of DRY for a long time and look forward to working with Sharelle and DRY,” said Blais.  “As a chef and a father, I appreciate DRY’s innovative uses of flavors while maintaining all-natural and less sweet ingredients.”

Follow Richard Blais (@RichardBlais) and DRY Soda (@DRYSoda) for more updates.

Peaches are believed to have originated in China where locals assigned them mystical attributes, claiming that the fruit brought luck and abundance to whoever consumed them. Many centuries and a few Spanish-exploration-trips-to-the-New-World later, Colorado has become well known – world renowned, in fact – for having arguably the best peaches on Earth.

It seems a self-fulfilling prophecy, then, that anybody biting into a fresh Colorado peach is extremely lucky to be enjoying such anabundance of juicy, rich flavor. Furthermore, Coloradoans are lucky to live in a state with such anabundance of amazing qualities, so it’s no wonder we’d choose peaches to represent The Centennial State.

Colorado peaches are truly one of nature’s candies, so adding them to any dish brings otherworldly deliciousness. Try the three Colorado peach recipes below from some of the state’s greatest food minds and see what new mile-high flavor heights your tastebuds can experience.

Local Colorado Peach Recipes

Western Slope Peach Clafouti | via Cooking on the Ranch (HIGHLANDS RANCH)

Peach and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil, Goat Cheese and Honey Lemon Vinaigrette | via Eat and Relish ({relish} – BOULDER)

Bourbon Peach Sorbet | via A Bolder Table (@ABolderTable – BOULDER)

For more local food connections such as this, follow DRY Soda on Twitter and Facebook

It’s a little known (and completely untrue) fact that in 1968, when California’s official state nickname was being decided, the committee was in a dead lock between calling it The Golden State – due to the state’s Gold Rush history – or The Semi-Squishy-Creamy-Delicious-Green State – honoring the importance of avocados to the state. To finally settle this dispute, an avocado was halved and pulled apart, and the side with the pit favored The Golden State. After the committee enjoyed that decisive avocado in a bowl of communal, goodwill guacamole, the rest was history. With this, it’s very clear that the avocado is the perfect candidate to represent the great state of California.

California produces 90% of the United States’ avocado harvest, so next time you enjoy a bowl of creamy, chunky guacamole, point your praises toward the west coast. However, don’t pin the avocado as a one-trick pony; it can be enjoyed many ways besides guacamole alone. Try the three recipes below by some of California’s biggest foodies and let yourself fall in love with the avocado all over again.

Local California Avocado Recipes

Edamame and Toasted Coconut in Avocado | via Joy the Baker (@JoytheBaker - LOS ANGELES)

Chili-rubbed Salmon with Cilantro Avocado Salsa | via Matt Bites (@MattArmendariz - LOS ANGELES)

A Twist on Guacamole | via 101 Cookbooks (@101Cookbooks - SAN FRANCISCO)

For more local food connections such as this, follow DRY Soda on Twitter and Facebook

When thinking of the perfect food to represent Oregon, we had to put down our jar of Nutella and really put some mind power behind it. After a little critical thought, the answer couldn’t be more clear or delicious: hazelnuts.

The state of Oregon produces 99% of the United States’ hazelnut yield and about half of this bounty is exported to the rest of the world. So in a word, Oregon hazelnuts are everywhere, but what does one do with them? Try these three delectable recipes, all from Oregonian chefs and foodies that know the state’s little brown gem best.

Local Oregon Hazelnut Recipes

Radicchio Salad with Parsley-Hazelnut Pesto | via Edible Portland – prepared by Jason French/Ben Meyer of Ned Ludd (@EdiblePortland - PORTLAND)

Hazelnut Praline Powder | via Food Shed (@FoodShed – PORTLAND)

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Scones | via Angry Chicken (PORTLAND)

For more local food connections such as this, follow DRY Soda on Twitter and Facebook

There have been rumblings, but now the word is finally out: DRY Soda is officially partnering with Urban Outfitters! We’re excited to have custom DRY Soda coolers featured in 16 UO stores throughout the US.

Want DRY Soda at your local Urban Outfitters? Let Urban Outfitters (Twitter / Facebook) and DRY Soda (Twitter / Facebook)  know and we’ll see if we can make it happen!

DRY SODA + URBAN OUTFITTERS STORE LOCATIONS

Portland, OR (2320 NW Westover Rd, 97210)

New York, NY (628 Broadway, 10012)

New York, NY (526 6th Ave, 10011)

New York, NY (2081 Broadway, 10023)

New York, NY (999 3rd Ave, 10022)

Cambridge, MA (11 John F. Kennedy St, 02138)

Studio City, CA (12110 Ventura Blvd, 91604)

San Francisco, CA (80 Powell St, 94102)

King of Prussia, PA (640 W DeKalb Pike, 19406)

Evanston, IL (921 Church St, 60201)

Boulder, CO (934 Pearl St, 80302)

New Haven, CT (43 Broadway, 06511)

Montclair, NJ (20 S Park St, 07042)

Dallas, TX (5331 E Mockingbird Ln, 75206)

Houston, TX (2501 University Blvd, 77005)

Washington, DC (3111 M St NW, 20007)

To head into the weekend on a tasty note, local Portland mixologist and cocktail fanatic Cocktail Diva created a special Juniper Berry DRY cocktail with one of our favorite spirit partners, Aviation Gin. Mix this up tonight, then check out Cocktail Diva and Aviation Gin and tell them what you think of this delicious bit of cocktail goodness.

Very Berry Girl

Ingredients

1 oz. Aviation Gin
1 oz. St. Germain
2 oz. Juniper Berry DRY Soda
Splash of pomegranate juice
Serve: collins glass
Garnish: lemon twist

Instructions

- Chill and fill collins glass 2/3 full with cubed ice
- Combine all ingredients in the glass
- Stir gently and garnish with lemon twist
- Say “yum,” kick back, and enjoy

Get this and dozens of other custom DRY cocktail recipes on our DRY Soda smart phone app for Android and iPhone. Happy sipping!

Sitting atop our list of 10 Things We Love About Colorado, number one needs the least explanation of all. We at DRY HQ in Seattle pine for the sun, and when we’re in Colorado it always seems to deliver on its promise of 300 days of sunshine.

While some will refute the state’s official claim of “300 days of sunshine,” it’s less about scientific qualification and more about what the bits of sunshine each day enable one to do. Illuminating landscapes, promoting active lifestyles, helping grow fresh local food: it’s amazing what that big ball of light and vitamin D can do.

So thank you, sun, for making all other things on our list possible. We hope you’ll take an extended summer vacation up to Seattle soon.

Photo credit: Zach Dischner

Time for a little word association: when we say “Colorado,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Exactly.

Whether rope-tow-beginner or seasoned thrillseeker, draping Colorado’s incredible landscapes with fresh powder makes the outdoors that much more perfect on the slopes. There’s a reason why Colorado is is one of the snow sports capitols of the world. The state even boasts the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame.

The 22 resorts in Colorado, along with plenty of backcountry, offer a diverse range of snow experiences. It’s just up to you to get out and explore them!

We thought we’d get through this list without mentioning anything outdoorsy again, but we simply couldn’t resist; the allure of climbing one of the state’s many fourteeners was just too good (and just too Colorado) for us to pass up.

A fourteener (14er) is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 ft above sea level, and Colorado is lucky enough to be home to the majority of all fourteeners in North America. Some of the more popular climbs, such as Pike’s Peak above, have inspired experienced climbers with the goal of climbing all of the state’s fourteeners. This pastime of climbing fourteeners is one more embodiment of the active Colorado spirit. That being said, we’re still catching our Washingtonian breath just thinking about it.

As much as we’ve fallen in love with Colorado as a hub for our outdoorsy side, our foodie side and our local business side, MCA Denver helps nourish our design and culture side in ways we thought only Seattle could.

MCA Denver is a unique spot as it does not house any permanent collection, instead rotating its five exhibition spaces with travelling installations of new/mixed media, photography and modern art. Throw in the fact that the building is LEED-Gold certified, and we may have just found the perfect place to beat the heat in a Colorado summer.