A Look Inside Spirited Away, New York City’s First Booze-Free Bottle Shop
In August 2020, corporate marketer and consultant Douglas Watters was sitting on his bed when a name popped into his head: Spirited Away. With no prior beverage experience — but a burgeoning passion for zero-proof drinks — Watters couldn’t shake the notion he’d found the ideal name for an alcohol-free spirits shop. With his wife’s…
Review: NV Domaine Bousquet Brut Rose
This nonvintage sparkler hails from Domaine Bousquet’s estate vineyards in Tupungato, Alto Gualtallary, Argentina — and is grown at 4000 feet of altitude. A blend of 75% pinot noir and 25% chardonnay, the wine is loaded with lemon and orange notes up top, moving from there into a gently floral character as it develops in…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Squeezy Rider
Here’s a rarity: A one-off review of a new release from Deschutes, Squeezy Rider, a west coast style IPA that joins the Squeeze-centric lineup of IPAs from the Bend, Oregon-based brewery. Built to be an approachable expression of IPA, it’s made with Cascade, Mosaic, and Galaxy hops — but focuses on Strata, which was developed by…
Review: The Balvenie Stories – The Edge of Burnhead Wood 19 Years Old
In 2019, The Balvenie dropped three inaugural entries into The Balvenie Stories series, a line of whiskies that “tell the story” of various key figures at the distillery. Recently, a fourth Story has arrived, a 19 year old called The Edge of Burnhead Wood, though it doesn’t exactly have a human element behind it. To…
Review: Hopworks Urban Brewery Stoner Fruit Apricot Sour
Stephen recently rounded up three IPAs from Portland’s Hopworks, but it turns out the operation also has its hand in other styles, including this sour brewed with apricots. The beer executes on its name pretty much dead on: The attack is bold with apricot and sour, vinegary notes, though the latter are filtered through a…
Review: Lawson’s Finest Liquids Little Sip IPA
Little Sip is, well, the “little” version of Vermont-based Lawson’s Finest Liquids Sip of Sunshine, a lower abv and crystal-clear beer that evokes freshness and fairly traditional IPA leanings, with a focus on mild grapefruit, orange peel, and hints of forest floor. Decidedly west coast in style — or at least, fairly far from the…
Review: Plantation Rums – Isle of Fiji, Fiji 2005, and Jamaica 1996 x NY Distilling Rye Cask
Plantation’s rum lineup continues to explode in size, with at least 10 expressions available on the market. Today we look at the latest rum to join its permanent lineup — Isle of Fiji — plus two limited editions offerings. Plantation Rum Isle of Fiji – This new addition to Plantation’s full-time lineup is a blend of…
Review: Simple Goodness Sisters Drink Syrups
Simple Goodness is the name of a Washington farm and the sisters in question use its produce to make a number of drink syrups, cocktail mixers with an artisan bent. We recently received two of the sisterhood’s lineup to taste, and our thoughts follow. A 200ml bottle should be good for about 13 drinks. (The…
