Review: 2007 Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir
This Willamette Valley pinot noir offers classic Burgundy character: Big black cherry core, earthy underscoring, and hints of herbs like lavender and violet. The body is moderate, with a bracing tartness that pairs well with food. Though very young, Van Duzer’s Estate Pinot makes for reasonably easy drinking today, though I suspect a couple of…
Review: Barenjager Honey Liqueur
The interest in American Honey liqueur on this site has been a bit shocking to me, but it’s hardly the first honey-flavored liqueur to hit the market. One of the oldest, Bärenjäger, is experiencing a bit of a renaissance now — so what better time than now to explore the charms of this liqueur? You…
Review: The Macallan 1824 Collection – Select Oak, Whiskey Maker’s Edition, and Estate Reserve
The Macallan is now releasing a new line of four single malt whiskys with the 1824 Collection label, an homage to the year in which Macallan began operation. None of these malts date back to 180-some years ago, mind you, but they do pay respects to that era. I tried the three bottlings which will…
Review: Buen Amigo Tequila Blanco
Is Buen Amigo a good friend, as its name would imply? Let’s find out, shall we? An unusual citrus nose is immediately evident on this blanco tequila, which is apparently a mixto tequila despite one of its reposado big brother versions being a 100% agave version. Pungent and charcoal-like, Buen Amigo’s hard-edged nose gives way…
Review: THC The Hangover Cure
THC The Hangover Cure — yes, the name is completely coincidental — comes in powder form, contained in a long tube. You mix it with water — 12 to 16 oz. — and guzzle it down after “a night of debauchery” and before bed. What’s inside? A whole bunch of stuff: Supersized doses of vitamin…
Tasting Appleton Reserve and Extra 12 Years Old Rum with Master Blender Joy Spence (2009)
I had the immense pleasure to host Joy Spence, master blender at Appleton Rum and a 28-year veteran of the company, at Drinkhacker HQ today, where we tasted two of the company’s upscale bottlings. These estate rums, both from Appleton’s Jamaica sugar cane plantations, are impressive and perfect for sipping or — as Spence notes…
Classic Recipe: The Pink Squirrel Martini
A good friend sent me a link to this recipe on the Mad Men “1960s cocktails” page today (where you can make your own Mad Men avatar like the one to the right here) and almost dared me to make one. It’s odd, because almost all the other recipes on the page you still see…
Review: Cocaine Energy Drink
You don’t name your beverage “Cocaine” because it’s subtle. Banned in numerous jurisdictions (despite the warning on the label that the product does not in fact include cocaine nor is it intended to be used a substitute for any street drug (“and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot”)), Cocaine is intended to raise eyebrows…
