Review: Barrelsmith Negroni, Manhattan, and Boulevardier
We have entered a new and exciting phase of ready-to-drink cocktails. Beyond making cocktails easy, convenient, and more transportable, producers are increasingly dedicating themselves to making quality products. Enter Barrelsmith, with the three cocktails we are trying today. Each is made with high quality ingredients and then aged in oak for an undisclosed amount of…
Review: Minke Irish Gin
Minke Irish Gin is made at the Clonakilty Distillery in county Cork, Ireland, and we’ve tried their whiskey before. This gin is made with botanicals that grow wild near the distillery, including one called rock samphire, but the full list of botanicals has not been made available. Most notably, the gin’s base spirit is whey…
Review: Ardbeg Ardcore
Ardbeg Day 2022 is upon us, and as always the chaps in Islay have a special release in store for Ardbeg Committee members. Ardcore is a celebration of all things punk, made with roasted black malt that is “incinerated to hair-raising levels.” It’s the first usage of black malt by the distillery, which Friend of…
Review: Enroot Cold Brew Teas
These cold brew iced teas are lightly sparkling, caffeine free, and lightly sweetened — to the point that a 12 oz bottle offers only 25 calories. Funded in part by Brad Pitt, the line is available in at least five different flavors, including a variety pack. Enroot Cold Brew Tea Strawberry Lavender Rosemary Tulsi –…
Review: Skyy Vodka (2022)
Skyy Vodka made a huge splash when it arrived on the scene in 1992, a high-end vodka made in San Francisco (and in an iconic blue bottle) at a time when it was thought that the only good vodkas came from Europe or beyond. Now owned by Campari, Skyy recently underwent a reformulation, likely in…
Recipe: Smoky Cola Highball
Rule #1 when getting into whisky: don’t ever let anyone tell you how you should drink the stuff. It’s no cardinal sin to add ice or water, or heaven forbid, a simple soda mixer. And if someone should make a stink at a bar the next time you order a Bourbon and Ginger or an…
Review: Gracias a Dios Mezcal Espadin
Over the last few years, a number of new mezcals have come to the USA in response to exploding interest in the smoky agave distillate. Gracias a Dios, Spanish for “Thank God,” is a joven (unaged) mezcal made by Oscar Hernández. It is made with 100% espadín agave grown in Matatlán, Oaxaca. It deserves note…
Review: Coperies Single Malt Whisky Francais
Coperies is a new brand from Cognac-maker Merlet, which says it leverages centuries of knowhow at creating brandy to create this pot-distilled single malt whisky. Made with French barley in the Charentes region and aged in French oak barrels, this whisky is as French as you can get. There’s no aging information, but let’s not…
