Review: Pratt Standard Cocktail Syrups
Pratt Standard Cocktail Co. — not Pratt & Standard, which is what it kind of looks like it should be — makes a variety of syrups at its Washington, DC-based operation. These all-natural syrups are high-end offerings, some available year-round, some seasonally. We tasted six varieties (including the two fall seasonals), all of which claim to last…
Review: Little Book Blended Whiskey Chapter 4: “Lessons Honored” (2020)
We’re four years into Freddie Noe’s Little Book experiment, which should need no major introduction at this point. For 2020’s “Lessons Honored,” Noe has come up with one of the strangest concoctions in the whiskey’s history. It’s a blend of three spirits: a 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Brown Rice Bourbon, an 8-year-old Kentucky Straight “high rye”…
Review: Wines of Gracianna, 2020 Releases
Gracianna Winery is operated by the Amador family, but not in Amador County. You’ll find this craft operation on the Miracle Mile of Westside Road in Healdsburg, California, part of the Russian River Valley (where all of its grapes are grown or sourced). Today we look at 4 recent releases from this small operation which…
Review: Scottish Kings Gin
Scottish Kings Highland Dry Gin is a new product from a father-daughter team looking to make inroads into the increasingly crowded world of gin. Envisioned by American Randy Miller, a gin enthusiast and lover of Scotland, Miller and co. spent three years working on the formula to create what he envisioned as the world’s best…
Review: Bacardi Coquito Coconut Cream Liqueur
What’s coquito? In a nutshell, it’s Puerto Rico’s answer to eggnog, and Bacardi offers this limited edition bottling of the stuff as a ready-to-drink holiday tipple. (Believe it or not, the holidays are nigh.) “Following the traditional recipe closely, Bacardi Coquito combines the signature Bacardi Superior white rum with toasted spices, coconut cream, vanilla, and…
Review: Troegs Lucky Holler Hazy IPA
Tröegs Independent Brewing recently dropped its latest IPA seasonal, a hazy called Lucky Holler. Lucky Holler is inspired by the brewery’s annual pilgrimage to the Pacific Northwest for hop selection. Brewers walk row after row of hops, inspecting the bines, crushing the flowers in their hands and rubbing them until their oils fill the air.…
Review: Bushmills Single Malt Cognac Cask 28 Years Old
Ready for something fun and unexpected? Bushmills Irish Whiskey has just launched Bushmills 28 Year Old Single Malt Cognac Cask Whiskey, the debut release in Bushmills’ new annual series, “The Rare Casks.” Matured in bourbon and Oloroso sherry barrels for 11 years, the single malt is then finished in Cognac casks for 17 years. All…
Review: Stone IPA, Tangerine Express, and Wizards & Gargoyles
Three beers from the California icons at Stone Brewing, something old, something new, and something in between. Stone IPA – Tasted as part of the “Guest Art Series” (seen above), which sees Stone cans emblazoned with the work of beer-friendly artists. This is about as classic and essential as west coast IPA gets, a deft…
