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…
Review: 123 Tequila, Complete Lineup
123 — pronounced, of course, “Uno Dos Tres,” is a new, 100% organic tequila from David Ravandi, a 15-year veteran of the tequila business. I won’t expound on his past successes, but Ravandi knows his stuff, and he does it again with this high-quality series, which I had the fortune to try recently. Using 100%…
Recipe: Canadian Punch
Being served at my birthday party. From The Punch Bowl, via Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide: How to Mix Drinks (1862). UPDATE: This punch may have flown in 1862, but today it’s too weak and flavorless (the pineapples did nothing). I ultimately doctored it up by cutting the water back to about 1 1/2 quarts, and…
Review: Armorik Breton Single Malt French Whisky (2011)
Cognac may be the national spirit of France, but doggone it, the Gauls make whisky, too. Single malt whisky, and a pretty good one at that, courtesy of Armorik, a distillery located in Brittany, on the far northwestern tip of the country, wedged between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay…
Tasting Report: Biodynamic Wines of Benziger, 2011 Releases
Benziger is a brand often associated with the supermarket, but like many mega-brands, it also has a wide array of more upscale bottlings. Recently I had the chance to taste through six of its biodynamic selections with owner Mike Benziger and some other wine blogger types. None of these wines are actually sold in stores,…
Review: Samogon Russian Grappa
Yeah, you read that right: Grappa from Russia. Samogon is actually the Russian term for moonshine, so using it as a brand name is a little confusing. Samogon, from Phenix Brands, is also not really moonshine (in Russia, it’s typically a sugar-based spirit), but rather a grappa, made from grape stems and seeds left over…
Recipe: Herradura Smoked Peach Iced Tea
Our pals at Herradura Tequila sent in this delicious-sounding recipe in honor of the end of summer. Get to your local farmer’s market: Peaches are tasting great right now. Herradura Smoked Peach Iced Tea 1 ½ oz Herradura Reposado ½ oz Lemon Juice 1 ½ oz Peach Juice 1 ½ oz Earl Grey tea ¼…
