World’s Largest Irish Coffee To Be Mixed on November 10

The world’s largest Irish coffee is set to be a mere 15 gallons in size when San Francisco’s Buena Vista Cafe goes for a Guinness World Record on November 10, 2008. That’s big, to be sure, but that sounds like a record that’ll be pretty easy to break. Heck, with a big enough mug I…

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Review: Square One Cucumber Vodka

Ever since declaring the Celery Cup my favorite cocktail at this year’s Slow Food Nation event, I’ve been itching to recreate it. But the lonely sample-size bottle of Square One Cucumber Vodka the company sent couldn’t motivate me to break open the shaker. The recipe’s convolutions also seemed overwhelming. So much easier just to break…

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Review: Ruskova Select Vodka

Here’s the sell: Authentic Russian vodka, distilled six times, ten bucks a bottle. Though I can’t find it near me for less than $11, Ruskova is an amazing deal. The company is trying to sell the spirit as a premium product at a bare-bones price, and it’s true. This is a very clean vodka that’s…

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Microsoft Surface Table to Ensure Glasses Never Empty

You’ll start seeing these $5,000 computer-equipped tables at upscale bars (and, especially, Vegas) in the near future. Called Microsoft Surface tables, they’re nifty novelties with so-far questionable utility: Most applications I’ve seen for it focus on time-wasting games for bored people and trying to get you to buy music for the Zune MP3 player that…

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Drinking and Dieting

Men’s Health outlines some excellent choices for cutting down on calories and fat while dining out and in — and they also include drinking options, including beer and cocktails. “Healthiest” beer: Beck’s Premier Light (64 calories, 4 grams of carbs) — and Guinness Draught isn’t bad at 126 calories, 10 grams of carbs… Worst for…

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Review: Crown Royal Reserve

Crown Royal is no Johnny Come Lately in the whisky world — though I’ve had a vague grudge against the brand since my family was mistakenly and bizarrely charged for 11 glasses of said whisky at Tony’s in Houston, Texas. But who doesn’t love that little purple bag? Crown Royal Reserve is, obviously, the reserve…

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Review: Canadian Club Classic 12

In case you haven’t been reading your glossy magazines, the venerable Canadian Club is working on a comeback, with retro ads touting the whiskey as what “your dad drank” in a broad appeal to both your machismo and your father complex. Sure enough, though, if you check Dad’s liquor cabinet, he’s probably got a half-consumed…

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Tasting Report: Alsace Wine + American Cheese Event, October 2008

Yesterday I consumed in two hours more Alsatian wines than I’d had in my entire life up to that point. You’re probably a lot like me: Aside from the occasional bottle of Hugel or Trimbach, you rarely, if ever, encounter wine from the region. Situated in the mountains between France and Germany, Alsace is known…

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