Book Review: Shake, Stir, Pour
How enticing do all those artisan cocktails you see these days look, with their organic cinnamon-rhubarb puree and house-made schnozzberry syrup? I frequently enjoy these libations, then regret that I’ll never be able to make them the same way at home. Well, with Katie M. Loeb’s Shake, Stir, Pour: Fresh Homegrown Cocktails, now you can.…
Review: Master of Malt Worship Street Whistling Shop Cream Gin
Master of Malt has no shortage of bizarre concoctions, but this one is a new one for me: Gin distilled using cream as a botanical. The result is called, simply, cream gin. Cream gin, we are told by MoM, “was popular in the Gin Palaces of the Victorian Era, however back then the gin would…
Recipe: W Austin’s Brothers Quarrel, a Harbaugh Super Bowl Cocktail Recipe
This week our inbox has been inundated with a variety of delightful recipes for this weekend’s upcoming Super Bowl, and we here at Drinkhacker HQ feel grateful to be in a position to present a few of which we’ve tested and approve. This one comes to us courtesy of W Hotel in Austin. We pre-gamed with it last…
Book Review: Alt Whiskeys
Alt Whiskeys is a book that will be absolutely fascinating to many, but will be practical and actionable for only about 200 people. Why? Because for the vast majority of you, cooking the recipes in the book will be illegal. Very illegal, as author Darek Bell (of Corsair Distillery) notes. Five years in jail and…
Review: Aviation Gin (2013)
“New Western Dry Gin” from House Spirits in Portland, Oregon, Aviation has been a popular spirit across the U.S. since its launch in 2006. We’re finally getting around to reviewing it seven years later, just in time for a brand new bottle design (pictured at right), which is being rolled out later this year. (The…
Recipe: Wild Turkey Super Bowl XLVII Cocktails
This Sunday marks the arrival of that time-honored worldwide tradition of sitting down and watching something called the Super Bowl in between commercials. For residents and supporters of San Francisco, it’s a time to redeem themselves after decades of disappointment following the glory years of Montana and Rice (and add to the city’s streak of…
Review: Seraphine Chai Tea Vodka
Chai tea is one of the “it” flavorings of the ’10s, and Yahara Bay, which produces the V Bourbon we reviewed a few days ago, takes a different tack than the various chai liqueurs on the market. Instead, the company flavors vodka with chai to create a unique (and more powerful) spirit. The color of…
Review: 2009 Michael David Sloth and Gluttony Zinfandels
We last covered Michael David’s top-end, big-dollar, sin-monikered Zins in late 2011. This time around (Lust is absent, sorry), the ratings are reversed. Thoughts follow. 2009 Michael David Sloth Zinfandel – Made from 30 year old vines located in Mendocino. Blended with a small amount of Petite Sirah. A really drinkable wine, the jamminess is…