Review: Mama Walker’s “Breakfast” Liqueurs
Breakfast at the real Mama Walker’s house (presuming there is one), must have been quite an affair. Donuts, blueberry pancakes, bacon… all that’s missing is the scrambled eggs and OJ. Presumably a scrambled egg liqueur is forthcoming from this brand, which exists exclusively to sell these “breakfast” themed liqueurs. At 70 proof, I’m not sure…
Review: 2010 Charter Oak Zinfandel Sonoma Valley Monte Rosso Vineyard
This winery specializes in Zinfandel, including some single vineyard bottlings like this one from the Monte Rosso Vineyard in Sonoma. The wine is a dense and heady (15.0% abv) Zin, loaded with fresh plums, blackberries, and menthol on the nose. The palate is similar, with a touch of liquified milk chocolate, some cedar notes, and…
Review: 2011 HandCraft Cabernet Sauvignon California
Cheryl Indelicato is the curernt queen of the long-running Indelicato empire, best known for its Delicato wine brand — one which was recently retired and relaunched as Domino. Among a dozen or so wines the family produces is this new bottling, HandCraft, another value project with Indelicato’s personal stamp all over it. A range of…
Recipes for National Punch Day
September 20th marks National Punch Day. Soon calendars will be filled with so many different alcohol-based, marketing-invented holidays that everyone will be celebrating a different drink every day. That alone could be a utopian ideal for some drinkers. But for now? We have punch. Here are a few recipes from mixologist/author David Wondrich to celebrate…
Review: Hornitos Lime Shot Tequila
I was surprised to see Hornitos — one of the most respected names in mainstream tequila — releasing a flavored product like this, clearly aimed at the party-crowd shot market. At the same time, I was intrigued. If anyone was going to do a good job with a “lime shot” tequila, it ought to be…
Review: Crop Organic Meyer Lemon Vodka
Crop is a big name in the organic vodka space, and the latest release — Meyer Lemon — from the Princeton, Minnesota-based company is a standout. The nose is clean, with that unmistakable mix of orange and lemon notes that can only be the elusive Meyer lemon. Intense and fruity, it masks any sense of…
Review: Don Amado Mezcal Rustico
Don Amado makes a line of regular, 80-proof mezcals (blanco, reposado, and anejo — none of which we tasted but which are pictured nonetheless), but this is Rustico, a higher-proof mezcal bottled at a big 94 proof. (The same distillery also makes Mina Real, which we recently reviewed.) These are Oaxaca mezcals, double-distilled in ceramic…
Review: Mina Real Mezcal Silver
Oaxaca-based Mina Real is 100% agave mezcal that is made with a hybrid modern and historical technique. Per the company: it is “made from agave that has been steam-roasted in low pressure brick kilns in order to highlight the plants’ bright highland flavor and floral bouquet without the layers of smoke traditionally found with wood-roasted…
