Rated D/F
Reviews of spirits, wine, and beer (and various errata like mixers and garnishes) comprise more than 80% of the content at Drinkhacker. This category is a catch-all for everything rated D+, D, D-, or F, our lowest rating. These products should be categorically avoided by everyone (and preferably discontinued altogether). On a five-star scale, these products would score 1.5 stars (for D+ ratings) or 1 star (for D, D-, and F ratings). On the traditional 100-point scale popular with many wine and spirits graders, these products would merit scores 68 or below.
Let’s say you want to make a quick-and-dirty margarita. You might take a bottle of margarita mix out of the fridge, dump some into a glass with ice, pour in tequila, stir, and drink. Wow, that sounds like a lot of work, you might say. What if I could instead make that drink with a…
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Ready for something kooky? Like, really kooky? Anyday Rose is not rose wine, but rather a blend: It’s actually 85% cider, 15% rose wine, with the resulting combo flavored with Cascade and Citra hops. So it’s a cider/wine combo, doctored up to taste a little like beer. What? The brainchild of former NFL player Pat McAfee…
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The fine nation of Canada hath given us many a wonderful thing: Rush, Hockey Night In Canada, Brave New Waves radio, and the sport of basketball. However, Canada can also lay claim to providing the world such monstrosities as Hawaiian-style pizza, the Bloody Caesar, and Celine Dion. All in all, a mixed bag but still…
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Ironstone Vineyards can be found in the Gold Country town of Murphys, California, part of the Lodi appellation. Today we look at four whites and one red from this affordable producer, part of the 2018 release cycle. 2016 Ironstone Chardonnay Lodi – Very bacony, with notes of oxidized apples, lemon, and old wood. Texturally a…
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Two new spring-and-summer releases from California’s Rodney Strong Vineyards. 2017 Rodney Strong Vineyards Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc – Billed as a “Northern Sonoma” wine, I get a bit of a funk on the nose of this wine, a surprisingly meaty note leading to a body that sees bright apple studded heavily with pork fat. The…
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Irvine-based Evans Brewing Co. bills itself as “Orange County’s oldest craft brewer,” and by all accounts the company has seen impressive growth since its 1994 opening, especially in recent years. Recently the company sent us three of its brews (out of many) to check out, representing some of its most popular offerings. Let’s take a look…
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Hardly the first name in high-end wine, Barefoot has made a major name for itself in the world of wines served exclusively at baby showers. But seriously, the number of wines this mass producer is churning out is incredible, and today we look at no fewer than six of them, none priced above $9.99, including…
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The big new trend in home cocktailing? Powdered cocktail mixers that give you a true “just add booze” method to cocktail crafting. Taking a cue from the Crystal Light model, Minute Mixology comes in a box of single-serve packets designed to dispensed directly into a glass, with the addition of the appropriate liquor, ice, and…
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Is canned wine a thing? Yes. Is canned wine necessarily a good thing (as it has been for beer)? Not really. The latest entry into this burgeoning field is Backpack Wine, which comes in picnic-friendly one-and-a-half serving cans, four to a box. What’s in the can? Who knows!? This trio of low alcohol, nonvintage wines…
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I like to think I have an open mind when it comes to the booze world, and in general I love the idea (and execution) of bourbon that is finished in other types of casks. So then, what’s not to like about this oddball collaboration between the Bardstown Bourbon Company and the brandy-makers at Copper &…
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