Review: Bacardi Silver Pomegranate Mojito
Pomegranate is the It fruit of the last couple of years, and but do we need to inundate ourselves with the stuff? Bacardi says its Silver Mojito is the #1 selling flavored alcohol beverage (technically it’s a “flavored beer,” hence the category here). The Bacardi Silver Pomegranate Mojito is that, plus pomegranate. Well, sort of.…
Review: Beck’s Oktoberfest
By the time you read this, it will be October, and for beer drinkers, that means a month-long excuse to consume mass quantities of brew. Hey, good for them. Beck’s Oktoberfest is a quite pleasant brew (and I’ve no idea if the formulation has changed for 2007), a dark amber beer with an overwhelming aroma…
New Mixer: Purple
Like most people, I love the idea of “drinking healthy.” I’ve always called the Cape Cod (vodka and cranberry) the “healthy way to drink.” Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers? You bet. But there may be no healthier mixer on the world right now (unless you’re having a wheatgrass and rum, maybe), than the new juice called…
Tasting Report: Bonhams Pre-Auction Event, September 2007
Thirty-six wines in two hours… though we were out in 90 minutes. The trick with big wine events like this is to pace yourself and be able to maintain enough clarity to properly evaluate what you’re drinking, and at a pre-auction event, you have another challenge: There’s only one bottle of each wine available for…
Review: 2005 Willowbrook Pinot Noir Kastania Vineyard
Willowbrook is a relatively new producer of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines, and if this bottling is any judge, it’s certainly one to watch. Right out of the gate this Pinot comes on strong. If you’re looking for a lighter, Beaujolais-style Pinot, you’ve come to the wrong place. This Kastania Vineyard (in the southern part…
Review: 2003 Owl Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Brigden Vineyard
Owl Ridge was so kind to send a bottle of their 2003 Cabernet, following a redesign of their label to give it a little more sophistication and upscale appeal. The label looks good, I think, and the wine isn’t bad either. This Sonoma cab is characteristic of the region, though I am not specifically familiar…
Review: Abita Amber
I’m on a beer kick right now. I have no choice: The stairs going down to my wine cellar are being sealed. “Wet paint” for the rest of the week. With some pad thai tonight I broke out an Abita Amber, which I bought a sixer of a couple of weeks back. It went well…
Original Recipe: Chocolate Rain
By now you know the saga of Tay Zonday’s “Chocolate Rain.” Well, the best way to listen to “Chocolate Rain” is to have at least two of these under your belt beforehand. This recipe didn’t take much experimentation and it came out great. Plus, it’s appropriate for either an aperitif or a dessert drink. The…
