Man Drinks 17 Energy Drinks, Survives
I’m glad I wasn’t the one who had to suffer through 17 servings of this stuff, but this intrepid reporter sucked down all manner of energy drinks to determine what tasted best, what had the best buzz, and which was most “drinkable” (which I guess is slightly different than “taste”). The results: Moxie Citrus Flavor…
Review: 2004 Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages Blanc Chateau des Jacques
That’s right: White Beaujolais. It exists, though you may go your entire life without seeing a bottle of it in the flesh. Beaujolais Blanc is Chardonnay, vaguely in the style of White Burgundy, with no aging in oak at all. This is miles away from California Chardonnay, and though Louis Jadot’s 2004 Beaujolais-Villages Blanc Chateau…
Review: 2008 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau
On Thursday, November 20, the new 2008 vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau goes on sale, and every wine lover should make a point to try at least one bottle before ’08 is history. I got an early peek at Georges Duboeuf’s Nouveau and found it one of the most charming Nouveaus in recent memory. The Gamay’s…
Review: Ron Zacapa 23 (2008)
What a gorgeous, lush rum this is. From the land of Guatemala comes Ron Zacapa’s old rum, aged at 8,000 feet above sea level (where the temperature averages 62 degrees) and blended from rums in the solera style. The rums in the blend range from a youthful 6 years to a hoary 23 years old…
Review: Russell’s Reserve Bourbon (2008)
Bourbon, by law, has to be at least 51 percent distilled from corn. In the case of Russell’s Reserve Bourbon, it seems like the other 49 percent is rye. This is a striking doppelganger to Russell’s appealing Reserve Rye, and the similarities are uncanny. And yet I found myself wishing this was a more straightforward…
Review: Stevens Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale
It’s 78 degrees outside, and that can only me one thing: Winter is coming! Stevens Point is one of the first brewers to release its holiday brew, and this Winter Ale is a pleasing diversion from a summer of wheat bear and other lighter stuff. The initial taste is crisp and lightly sweet — not…
Classic Recipe: The Widow’s Kiss
This weekend Eric Felten wrote about the Widow’s Kiss in the Wall Street Journal, a classic cocktail that dates back to the 1890s at least. Tried one today — using his recipe, which is cribbed from Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails — and found it as I remembered, still too sweet and overwhelming…
Review: 2006 Viu Manent Single Vineyard Malbec San Carlos Estate
Malbec is a huge grape in South America, and this bottling from Chile’s Viu Manent is 93% Malbec with 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a good example of Malbec’s character, with a mouth full of dusty earth that falls back to notes of grape juice (a surprise — wine never really ever tastes like grape juice),…
