Review: Gran Sierpe Pisco Quebranta Grapes
Distilled in Chile and Peru — where the definition of what is “real” pisco remains a national preoccupation on both sides — pisco is grape brandy that, unlike French brandies, is unaged (or aged very little), and generally used in cocktails. Gran Sierpe is Peruvian pisco, and the company makes three varieties, using three different…
Review: Brady’s Irish Cream Liqueur
Brady’s isn’t the biggest name in Irish Cream liqueurs… but it sure sounds a lot like it. Turns out it tastes a lot like it, too. At $12 a bottle (sometimes as little as $10), Brady’s is an extremely credible and, possibly of more importance, inexpensive knockoff of Bailey’s, the most noteworthy of standby dessert…
Review: 2006 Fog Mountain Merlot (Bottled in Plastic)
Take a look at the bottle below. Looks normal enough, though the observant may recognize it’s about a half inch taller than your average wine bottle. But pick up this bottle of Fog Mountain Merlot (crafted by the folks at Boisset Family Estates) and you’ll realize something surprising: It’s made out of PET type plastic,…
Review: Ricard Pastis
Today is Bastille Day, and in honor of the French Revolution, the folks at Pernod-Ricard sent us a bottle of Ricard Pastis (and a pétanque set) to help us celebrate. Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur — not the same as absinthe (but it’s the closest category we have here) since it has no wormwood, but…
What Liquor Will Cure My Cold?
Based on what gets the most hits on Google in conjunction with the words “cure cold”: rum. Related posts: Review: Liquor Lab Whiskey Experience Kit Review – Nine Irish Whiskeys from the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Review: Sausalito Liquor Co. Marin Coastal Gin and Unsinkable Whiskeys Review: Enroot Cold Brew Teas
Review: Southern Comfort Sweet Tea and Hurricane Cocktails
Let’s be frank. Southern Comfort has a difficult reputation. Everyone I know has a story involving the peach-flavored liqueur, and it usually ends up with a blackout or someone’s head being shaved against their will. Hey, it’s party booze. Nothin’ wrong with that. SoCo is expanding its little empire with the craze du jour —…
Recipe: Sweet Basil Cocktail
This recipe comes to us from Virginia mixologist Todd Thrasher, as published in Food & Wine Cocktails ’09. Fun little cocktail… as long as you like basil! The photo in the book is a whole lot greener, I have to say. Sweet Basil 10 basil leaves, plus one for garnish 3 oz. Lillet Blanc 1/2…
Who Wants Cheap (Yet Fancy) Wine?
The bottom is falling out of the top of the wine market, and it’s probably about time. Per the Wall Street Journal: Total U.S. wine sales rose about 5% in terms of volume in the first quarter from a year earlier, but wines priced at $25 a bottle and up fell about 12%, estimates Jon…
