Q: What Do You Do With 900 Tons of Broken Booze Bottles?

A: Landscape. Broken glass, 900 tons of broken bottles, is the key ingredient for the project alongside the interstate. “On the surface it may seem like a kooky idea,” said Caltrans spokesman Mark Dinger. “We’re putting it in an elevated area where pedestrians are not allowed.” The new landscaping is carrying on the new color…

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Beer is Back, Baby!

This is from a press release from Anheuser-Busch, so take its findings with a grain of salt. But the upshot seems to be true: People, particularly 30-to-49-year-olds, are drinking more beer. The annual Consumption Habits poll, released Friday through Gallup’s Web site, shows that in combined data from Gallup’s 2004 and 2005 Consumption surveys, drinkers…

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Review: Knob Creek Bourbon 9 Years Old (2008)

The unofficial well Bourbon at Drinkhacker HQ? Knob Creek. It’s 100 proof, so it can get a little hot when drinking straight, but add a touch of water and KC mellows out nicely. “The Creek” has everything you want in a Bourbon without being too complicated. Mild vanilla and toasty oak notes, backed up with…

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Now We’re Mixing With… Mustard?

Proof that you can turn just about any ingredient into a cocktail: The folks at Grey Poupon (yes, that Grey Poupon) have come up with a quintet of mustard-based cocktails. While Monday morning may be a little too early for a concoction of honey mustard, pomegranate juice, and gin, maybe when I get really adventurous…

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Review: 4 Delamain Cognacs – Pale & Dry, Vesper, Tres Venerable, and Extra

The four Cognacs reviewed below represent $1,150 worth of booze (in 750ml bottle formats)… and compared to the latest entry in Delamain’s collection, that’s pretty much nothing. Delamain’s latest — Le Voyage — costs $7,000 a bottle, which includes a Baccarat decanter and leather “traveling box.” I haven’t tried Le Voyage (that’s on tap, I’m…

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Bar Review: Alembic, San Francisco

If Bourbon & Branch is SF’s “east side” kingpin, Alembic represents the west side. Nestled in the heart of the Haight-Ashbury, it’s another Mecca for drinking junkies looking for innovative cocktails using unusual, and in some cases, home-made, ingredients. The Alembic Bar is a dainty small place, mostly just counter service with only a few…

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Trip Report: Napa and Sonoma Valley, July 2008

Some families go on vacation to Disneyland. My family goes to the wine country. (Hey, don’t feel bad for the kids. There is a TON of stuff to do up there, from swimming to amusement parks to visiting the Jelly Belly factory… all of which we did this time up.) Spending five days tasting wine,…

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Review: Belvedere Vodka

Any vodka named after a lovable TV butler can’t be bad. Alas, Belvedere, a Polish vodka distilled from rye and one of the older guards of the super-premium vodka space, isn’t entirely the hit that its namesake (OK, not really) was. There’s strong vanilla on the nose of the 80-proof spirit, but the taste is…

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