Two for the Road: Mobile Drinking Gear from NiteIze and Hydro Flask
Camping, road-tripping, picnicking… there’s always an excuse to take your favorite tipple on the road. Here are a couple of gadgets designed to make that easier. Nite Ize makes a series of safety-oriented products, including this bunch of unique bottle openers. The S-Biner series is a carabiner and bottle opener in one. Designs vary, from…
Review: Hangar 24 Oktoberfest, Polycot, and Essence
The seasonals from Hangar 24 just do not stop coming. Here’s three more for summer and fall. Hangar 24 Oktoberfest Fall Lager – Can Oktoberfest be upon us already? This classic Oktoberfest-style brew is malty with plenty of chewy caramel to go around. Very light baking spice notes — think gingerbread — interact with the…
Review: Pau Maui Hawaiian Vodka
It’s hard not to fall in love with something made in Hawaii. Macadamia nuts. Hula girls. All the good stuff comes from these cool little islands. So does vodka. Pau isn’t the first vodka I’ve had that’s made in Hawaii, but it is the first I’ve encountered that’s made from Hawaiian pineapples. Blended with Hawaiian…
Review: Aga Vie Esprit D’Agave
What is it about the French and tequila? First Given blends tequila with lime juice and grape juice in Cognac, France, and now there’s Aga Vie, a commingling of blanco tequila and Cognac that have been (re-)distilled together into one oddball spirit. (This distillation removes whatever color is left behind, namely from the Cognac.) Describing…
Review: Wines of Domaines Paul Mas, 2011 Vintage
Domaines Paul Mas hails from France’s Languedoc region, the largest winemaking region in the world, where a nearly infinite variety of wines can be found. Languedoc wines are also often very inexpensive, as the price tags on the three wines tasted below will confirm. 2011 Paul Mas Estate Pinot Noir Saint Hilaire Vineyard – The…
Review: Canadian Mist Flavors – Peach, Cinnamon, Maple
Canadian Mist is well known for its very affordable, basic blended whisky, so it makes sense that it would leap into the flavored whisky business along with so many others. CM arrives with a whole new line of ultra-cheap flavored spirits (“Canadian Mist” is actually hard to find on the label), each of which blends…
Review: 2010 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Calistoga
Another solid and wholly drinkable Cab from Montelena, one of California’s grande dames of Napa Cabernet. This newly released 2010 bottling is surprisingly ready to go, full of juicy black currants, tea leaf, a touch of chocolate, and plenty of fruit. All the ripe berries are classic characteristics of Montelena, but as with the 2009,…
Review: Deadhead Rum
No getting around this crazy bottle: It’s in the form of a shrunken head, complete with (real) twine sealing shut the eyes and mouth. (Don’t worry, in actuality it’s just a plastic shell around a glass bottle.) Inside the skull you’ll find six-year-old rum sourced from Mexico (near Veracruz). This is a very, very sweet…
