Review: 2006 Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet Coteaux du Languedoc
That’s a big mouth of a name for a $10 wine, ain’t it? Hugues Beaulieu brings us this picpoul from the Languedoc region of France, an area best known for its reds but with also, it turns out, the potential to turn out a surprisingly tasty white. I’d never had picpoul de pinet before (seriously,…
Review: Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer
The canonical recipe for the Dark & Stormy cocktail calls for Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and Barritts Ginger Beer. The folks at Gosling’s are no fools though — they figure they can horn in on the other half of the D&S equation by making the ginger beer as well. To wit, they’ve spent the last…
Review: Cadenhead’s Old Raj Gin 110 Proof and 92 Proof
Check the top shelf of any respectable bar and Old Raj Dry Gin is probably represented there. And rightly so: This is top-shelf gin in both its incarnations and merits serious praise from any gin aficionado. Old Raj comes from the UK’s Cadenhead’s, a company best known for its independent Scotch whisky bottlings (it’s Scotland’s…
Review: Four Roses 2009 Single Barrel Limited Edition Bourbon
The bourbon wizards at Four Roses are at it again, with yet another solid expression. Four Roses updates its portfolio with this limited edition single-barrel release, vintage dated 2009 and limited to just 1,800 bottles — at most. Made using the OESQ recipe and aged 11 years, it was selected from 10 recipes lingering around…
Review: Malibu Island Melon Rum
The original Malibu coconut-flavored rum isn’t just a staple of every bar, it’s also one of the most venerable flavored spirits on the market, dating back to 1980. Lately, Malibu’s been branching out into other flavors, since 2004 launching Mango, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, and Banana expressions. Malibu Island Melon marks the company’s first step into…
Review: Mijes Mezcal Joven
No other way to put it: Mijes’ (also known as Mixes on some bottles, see below) mezcal bottles are unmistakeably eye-catching, shaped vaguely like a drunken snail or perhaps a brain that’s been run over by a truck. Inside, Mijes’ premium joven (a blend of new and old spirit, filtered back to clear) mezcal/mescal (100%…
Review: Xanté Liqueur
If you’d have told me someone was going to try to blend cognac with the essence of pears and bottle it as a liqueur, I’d have told you that was nuts. But Xanté isn’t nuts, it’s real. And it is indeed a lot like pears, defying all logic and expectations about what a deep brown…
Review: Finlandia Tangerine Fusion
Not sure if Finlandia’s Tangerine Fusion is the solution to the energy crisis, but it’s a catchy name nonetheless. Many orange (and related fruits) flavored vodkas give off a vague citrus character that lies somewhere between orange and lemon, which is never altogether satisfying. Finlandia eschews both major ends of the citrus spectrum in favor…
