Biodynamics or Dianetics?
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry weighs in on the biggest fad in winemaking going today: Biodynamic farming. One assumes by the name that biodynamics must be a good thing… but what does it really mean? The CSI folks dig deeper, outlining something that even includes astrological analysis that is “set against a complex background cosmogony…
Review: 10 Cane Rum
Read any bar menu and you’re likely to find at least one cocktail containing 10 Cane Rum. Why’s it so popular? Let’s explore. For starters, unlike most rums, which are made of molasses, the 80-proof 10 Cane is made from pure, pressed sugar juice. Though it’s technically a white rum, it’s also aged in oak…
Review: Xellent Vodka
Did you know: It was illegal to distill vodka in Switzerland until 1999? A vestige of World War II, when it was felt inappropriate to turn grain, in short supply, into booze instead of bread. (Though, if I had my druthers, I know what I’d give up.) Xellent was the first — and so far…
Review: Ayala’s Herbal Water
When you’re drinking your federally-mandated 27 gallons of water a day, you might as well enjoy it going down. Flavored water is nothing new, but Ayala’s takes a different approach, flavoring its bottled waters with natural herbs instead of chemical sludge (check the nutrition facts on a bottle of Propel if you don’t believe me).…
Recipe: La Cola Nostra
Bartender Don Lee won $1,500 for this cocktail as part of a contest sponsored by Averna, a bittersweet amaro that is tricky to make cocktails out of. It intrigues me. La Cola Nostra 1 oz Averna 2 oz Ron Zacapa Centenario 23yr .75 oz Lime Juice .5 oz Simple Syrup .25 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice…
Dr. Dre’s Sparkling Vodka Invites Smackdown
It’s like east coast vs. west coast all over again. From O2 Sparkling Vodka‘s press release: O2 Sparkling Vodka, patented in 2003 after over 2 years of research and development, has been a top seller in Europe since 2002 and launched in the USA in January 2008 with great success. Dr. Dre has recently announced…
Review: Tabasco Spicy Tequila
Today is Mexican Independence Day. (Independence from Spain in 1810, Einstein.) That means you should be drinking tequila right now. Or at least a Pacifico. Alas, I’ve but one bottle of tequila in the Drinkhacker review queue, and it’s not exactly something you’re going to want to suck down til dawn. Sorry. Anyway, you read…
Review: Pernod Absinthe (2008)
If you’re looking for major names in absinthe, they don’t get much bigger than Pernod. The company started making absinthe in 1792 (which earns it the title of the “original” absinthe producer) and was the biggest brand of absinthe up until the 1915 ban. After that, the company moved to Spain and continued to make…
