Review: Pur Spirits Pear Williams, Raspberry Vodka, and Bierbrand
Pür Spirits is based in a small village in Germany, so it makes sense that its artisinal liqueurs and other products, made from recipes handed down over the generations, are only just now making it to the U.S. At the present, the company offers six products for sale. We reviewed three. Notes follow. Pur Spirits…
Notes from Grappathon 2011
Grappa, something of a national spirit in Italy, doesn’t have to come from the famous country. Anyone can make the stuff — and, arguably, it’s far easier for a grape-grower in, say, Virginia, to produce good grappa than good wine. Recently I gathered with friends to sample and compare a host of grappas from all…
Jagermeister Cocktails for Metalheads
Next week, the “Big Four” of Metal (Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth) play Yankee Stadium. Our buddies at Jagermeister (with help from mixologists Fred Dexheimer and Todd Richman) whipped up these cocktails in their honor, all featuring that devilish herbal liqueur. They were too amusing not to post here. I’d post pictures but I am…
Review: Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Bourbon Round Two
I won’t try to explain it again: If you missed the explanation of Buffalo Trace’s Single Oak Project the first time, you can catch up on this ambitious program spanning 192 single barrel Bourbons here. In round one, Buffalo Trace offered a dozen unique single barrel recipes for customers to consider. Now it’s back with…
Recipe: Knob Creek Sour Ginger
In honor of Bourbon Heritage Month (you’re soaking in it, by the way), our pals at Knob Creek sent us this enticing recipe, courtesy of chef Mike Isabella. Sounds like a fun one! Knob Creek Sour Ginger 2 parts Fresh Squeezed Ruby Grapefruit Juice 1¼ parts Knob Creek Bourbon ¾ part Domaine de Canton Ginger…
Review: 1512 Barbershop Rye
The story behind 1512 is almost more interesting than this, its first product. Salvatore Cimino is a real barber in San Francisco, and his forebears include a series of whiskey bootleggers. So Cimino put the two together, in a way: With a legally produced whiskey named after his discreet Nob Hill barbershop. Cimino spends his…
Review: Don Q “Pasion” Passion Fruit Rum
Don Q’s latest flavor is the always crowd-pleasing Passion Fruit, an exotic treat that nonetheless has become familiar to U.S. palates. Don Q’s Pasión is bright on the nose with tropical notes, but it’s hard to peg it specifically to passion fruit. On the palate, it’s even trickier, as the rum component comes across a…
Book Review: Matt Kramer on Wine
I like Matt Kramer and find his writing on wine to be conversational, readable, and generally lots of fun. What I don’t like is books that are anthologies of earlier, already published writing. This is ultra-common for columnists in all walks of life — Roger Ebert surely makes a fortune repackaging movie reviews every year…
