Best Worst Sausage
The Fizzy Glizzy
This spring, Johnsonville rolled out a one-off product that answered a burning question: What if your sausage tasted like soda? The Johnsonville Dr Pepper Inspired Sausage – aka the “Fizzy Glizzy” (ugh, sorry) – was, needless to say, polarizing. They didn’t skimp on the sweet, amorphous flavoring, which, if you’re imaginative, kind of worked with the smokiness of the link. I’m holding out hope for a Jolly Good Sour Pow’r collab next year. – Chris Drosner
Best Kringle on Steroids
Uncle Mike’s
As one MilMag staffer said, it’s “the kringle you didn’t know you needed.” Thicker and jacked with filling – putting traditional Racine-made kringles to shame in the size department – the De Pere-based rival is decadent. If you’re willing to open your heart – and mouth, wide – to a kringle that resembles its Danish forefather only in its pretzel shape, you are truly an evolved Wisconsinite. – Ann Christenson
Nominate Somebody Now!
Get Your Wisconsin On
Does the most Wisconsin place on Earth sit on the north shore of the Milwaukee River? I’m talking, of course, about Lakefront Brewery – which is, first, a brewery. Check. It has a Milwaukee-renowned fish fry – walleye or cod, encased in an impossibly crunchy, light beer batter. Cheese curds? Consistently rated among the best in the city, raw materials courtesy of Hill Valley Dairy. And if you wanna get weird, try an order of the Curd of the Month, a zany pairing of fried cheese with unusual breading and dipping sauces, sweet or savory (or both – this month’s is chicken and waffles). And every Friday, the soundtrack to the fish fry is live polka, with plenty of room for dancing. I rest my case. 1872 N. Commerce St.
Best Old Fashioned Splurge
Fancy Cocktail Cherries
Save the $2.99 jar of maraschinos for the kiddie cocktails. There is no better way to go from mixed drink to cocktail than by premiumizing your cherries. Luxardo is the gold standard, but Wisconsin’s own Muddle Me brand of Amarena-style cherries is about 10 bucks less ($15, 10-ounce jar) – a delicious little luxury. – CD
Best Place to Find an ‘I Closed Wolski’s’ Sticker
Mount Kilimanjaro
In the wake of the death of Mike Bondar, the Wolski’s Tavern proprietor who created the iconic stickers, we learned that there is (or at least was) one of them on a supply box on Mount Kilimanjaro. That is all. Rest in peace, Mike. – CD
Best Nostalgic Holiday Warm-Up
Von Trier’s Tom and Jerry
There were plenty of reasons to be pleased when local cocktail lounge guru John Dye rehabbed the East Side’s German classic Von Trier last year. But the rum-and-brandy take on a Tom and Jerry is especially nice, tasting like what you imagined the adults were sipping at your childhood Christmas parties. 2235 N. Farwell Ave. – Archer Parquette
