Omnivore - Food news roundup: Craig Claiborne bio, Bethenny’s cocktail sales, bacon sundaes, and more

A roundup of food news.

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Skinnygirl Cocktails (created by the illustrious Bethenny Frankel) took the lead in fastest growing alcohol sales per volume for 2011. Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and Malibu Prepared Cocktails were close runners-up. Really, guys?

If the recent Bacon Fest left you wanting more, you may be in luck. Burger King has revealed a slew of new menu items that are going through a test run in Nashville—including a bacon sundae.
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Keep an eye out for the new biography on celebrated Southern food critic Craig Claiborne. ===“The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance,” by Thomas McNamee, will be in stores next month.=== But according to Frank Bruni, we shouldn’t expect a light-hearted success story—the biography examines the alcoholism and depression that plagued Claiborne throughout his career.

===The New York Times reports that food stamps have significantly reduced the poverty rate during the recession.=== A new study by the Agriculture Department analyzed data from 2009 and found that the program (which is one of the largest current antipoverty efforts) was responsible for an 8% decline in the poverty rate that year.

Should those ubiquitous golden arches be banned from hospital cafeterias? ===McDonald’s and other fast food chains can currently be found in over 27 healthcare centers throughout the U.S.===, but we can expect that number to wane in the coming years.