Gung Hay Fat Choy! "Year of the Tiger" Runs Feb. 14 - March 1, 2010 CHICAGO, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The most important Chinese holiday, Chinese New Year, begins on Sunday, February 14, 2010, with celebrations running for 15 days in honor of the Year of the Tiger. The holiday marks a great time to celebrate Chinese food and culture, and Tsingtao beer, the No. 1 Chinese beer in the U.S., is providing tips to ring in the New Year with authentic Chinese food, beer and traditional customs. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100210/NY52965 ) Tips for celebrating Chinese New Year include: -- Identify Your Chinese Zodiac: This year marks the Year of the Tiger, one of twelve Chinese calendar years. Tigers are characterized as aggressive, courageous, candid and sensitive, and are said to pair best with Horses and Dogs. Famous people born in the Year of the Tiger include: Bill Murray, Demi Moore, Hugh Hefner, Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, Penelope Cruz, Tom Cruise and Victoria Beckham. -- Prepare Authentic Cuisine: Authentic Chinese food is essential to any Chinese New Year celebration. Celebrity chef Martin Yan of the popular PBS television show Yan Can Cook, and Jaden Hair, author of The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, have created great recipes for Year of the Tiger celebrations, with a Tsingtao twist. Inspired by the flavors of Tsingtao, they have each created recipes that pair with the beer, such as Steamed Clams in Garlic Beer Sauce and Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry. All recipes are available at http://www.tsingtaobeer.com/. -- Drink Chinese Beer: The Tsingtao Brewery in Qingdao, China, was founded in 1903 and is one of the oldest in China. Tsingtao Lager and Tsingtao Pure Draft are produced with spring water from Laoshan, a mountain area famous throughout China for the purity of its water. Tsingtao Lager has a crisp, slightly malty flavor and nutty sweet taste and Tsingtao Pure Draft is a smooth, light-tasting beer. -- Decorate for Prosperity: Decorate in red and gold, the Chinese colors of prosperity that signify good luck and wealth; adorn your home with red balloons and gold streamers from a party store and red lanterns easily found in Asian stores. According to ancient tradition, every corner of your home should be swept and cleaned in preparation for your New Year's celebration. -- Spread Goodwill: Buy small red envelopes and fill with coins, in even dollar amounts, to give to friends and family as goodwill gestures. Guarantee good fortune in the New Year by assembling a centerpiece made from fresh flowers, oranges and tangerines, all symbols of good luck and wealth. For more information on Chinese New Year or samples of Tsingtao beer, please contact Kelly Harfoot at 312-829-8326 x250 or . Chefs Martin Yan and Jaden Hair are also available for interview, with additional recipes available on request. Tsingtao Lager is the number one Chinese beer exported from China and is brewed and bottled by the Tsingtao Brewery in China. Monarch Import Company (Crown Imports) is the exclusive importer of Tsingtao Beer in the United States. Crown Imports is a 50-50 joint venture between the Grupo Modelo, S.A. de C.V. (MX: GMODELOC), Mexico's leading company in the brewing, distribution and sale of beer, and Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZNYSE:ASX:NYSE:CBR), a leading international beverage alcohol producer, importer and marketer. For more information, visit http://www.crownimportsllc.com/. For more information on Tsingtao, please visit http://www.tsingtaobeer.com/. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100210/NY52965 http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Crown Imports CONTACT: Kelly Harfoot, , or Lauren Fimbres, both of TeamWorks Media, +1-312-829-8326

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