Review: Vida Tequila Blanco
Vida is a relatively new brand on the tequila scene, 100% blue agave and available in the usual expressions. We tasted the Blanco expression, which is a pure agave/unaged rendition. This silver tequila is classic in structure. Some time in the glass is helpful at airing things out and letting some of the heavier agave…
Review: Captain Morgan Tattoo Rum
For a good time, do a Google Image Search for “Captain Morgan Tattoo.” You’ll find plenty of pictures not of this spiced rum but of unique and ill-considered body art on all kinds of anatomical bits. I’ve actually had a mini of Tattoo for years. It’s that mysterious. What’s it all about? Tattoo is a…
Three Tequila + Sage Cocktails
Quick, name a green herb popular in cocktails. If you said mint, sorry, you’re wrong. We’re talking about sage! Our friends at Tequila Partida put together these oddball libations all revolving around that staple of turkey stuffing. Partida Sagerac, by Jacques Bezuidenhout, Tequila Partida Bartender Ambassador 1.5 oz Partida Reposado 1.5 oz Partida Anejo 5…
Review: Bombay Sapphire East Gin
Take your Bombay Sapphire and give it an “Eastern” spin and, boom, you’ve got Bombay Sapphire East. From the ingredients list, you might think BSE is a far different beast than its progenitor. Take a look: lemongrass, black peppercorns, lemon peel, liquorice root, almonds, angelica root, coriander, cassia bark, cubeb berries, grains of paradise, juniper…
Review: John B. Stetson Bourbon
Don’t let the New Jersey office location of Vision Wine & Spirits, the owner of this new whiskey, give you a scare. It’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon, through and through. Crafted using both rye and wheat in the mashbill (in addition to corn and barley, of course), the whiskey is double distilled in traditional copper pot…
Review: Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Bourbon
On April 2, 2006, a storm ripped through Kentucky, tearing apart two of Buffalo Trace’s warehouses. One was empty. One, Warehouse C, was full of 24,000 barrels of then-young, far-from-release E.H. Taylor Bourbon. The walls and roof were ripped open, but the whiskey survived. But this did expose the barrels inside to the elements (see…
Travel Report: The Rheingau, Germany
Germany may be best known for its beer, but this is Old World wine country just like everywhere else in Europe. True, you won’t find classic reds here, but you will find some of the most vibrant white wines in the world on the western side of the country. This is the home of Riesling…
Review: Brooklyn Winter Ale
Foregoing the path of spiced holiday ales, Brooklyn Brewery instead approaches the blustery weather as a way to promote its Scottish-styled offering, Winter Ale. This seems to fit perfectly with prototypical Scottish forecast of rain and dreary cold, so who am I to complain? A burnished copper liquid with ruby highlights greets you in the…
