Review: Ben & Jerry’s Whiskey Biz Ice Cream
What happens when you get Vermont neighbors Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and WhistlePig Whiskey in the same room together? It’s not that hard of a question, really: You get whiskey-flavored ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s latest flavor is a wild one indeed, so hang on: Brown butter bourbon ice cream with blonde brownies and…
Book Review: Schumann’s Whisk(e)y Lexicon
Even the staunchest of whiskey enthusiasts would be hard pressed to deny that the landscape of spirits has changed over the last two decades. The bourbon boom, followed by the insatiable demand for Japanese imports along with the increase in notoriety for high-end single malt Scotch and the recent craft renaissance have all diversified the…
Bar Review: Travel Bar, Brooklyn, New York
In the hospitality world, there’s often tension between being the best and being accessible. (It’s not so different in the spirits world.) A bar can be superlative in one category — renowned for their cocktails, or perhaps a nearly-unparalleled whiskey selection — or it can be beloved by neighborhood locals, offering great pours without the…
Review: Elevated Craft Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail shakers aren’t exactly the most interesting products in the world… or so I had thought. Proving me wrong is the Elevated Craft Cocktail Shaker, which raised a whopping $2.5 million on IndieGogo from people sick of the problems associated with the typical Cobbler-style shaker. What are the big complaints? I can agree with the…
Review: The Wine Party Co. Wine Club
There are a lot of wine clubs to choose among these days, and the key to finding a good one is finding the right one. The right one is the wine club suited to the person that will be drinking the wine. Do they already know a lot about wine and are ready to try…
Review: Ferrand S.D.A. Cognac (2021)
Maison Ferrand’s S.D.A. — Selection des Anges, the angels’ selection — is not a new expression, but the brand has recently retooled it, creating new packaging and upping the proof slightly from 80 to 83.6. We never reviewed the expression in its pre-Covid incarnation, but we’re digging in to a 2021 bottling all the same. It’s…
Review: 2015 Tenuta di Arceno Valadorna Toscana IGT
This Tuscan blend of 65% merlot, 19% cabernet sauvignon, 11% cabernet franc, and 5% petit verdot is a brooding bruiser, punctuated with notes of licorice, dark chocolate, and orange peel on its expressive but quite dry nose. The still fairly tannic wine needs some time to open up, its graphite notes slowly giving way to…
Review: Tequila Partida Cristalino Anejo
Partida keeps cranking out new luxe, high-end tequilas, but today we’re getting a look at a new entry into its standard lineup, a long-awaited cristalino expression. This expression takes an 18-months-aged anejo tequila then, as all cristalinos do, filters out the color, leaving it perfectly clear. There’s big agave on the nose here — more…
