Review: Bitter Girl Bitters – Batch One, Bitter Rose, and Pear Jordan
I encountered Sonoma’s Bitter Girl Bitters at a recent event at Hanson of Sonoma, where they were paired with the company’s vodkas and whiskey in a variety of cocktails. I brought some home to try. Thoughts on a trio of products follow. (Pro tip: Shake well before using.) Bitter Girl Batch One Bitters – A…
Review: 2017 Mille1 Garda Rosso DOC
Mille1 — a thousand and one in Italian, a reference to the length in miles of the country from north to south — is a project of the Bertola family’s Pratello Winery in Lombardy. Dating back only to 2017, the uncomplicated red is a blend of 40% rebo (a cross between teroldego and merlot developed…
Review: Elijah Craig Rye
American rye whiskey is becoming a hot commodity these days, but the latest brand to jump into the market comes as a bit of a surprise: Elijah Craig, a Heaven Hill property known almost exclusively for its bourbons. Of course, Heaven Hill has no shortage of expertise in the rye world, so the line extension…
Review: Yuengling Flight
Yuengling Flight isn’t the first light beer from the iconic Pennsylvania-based brewery (that one came out in 1986), but it is the most in tune with the zeitgeist. Technically called FLIGHT by Yuengling, the beer hits just 95 calories and 2.6g of carbs, making for indeed a very light and low-carb experience. Low-carb brews are…
Review: Schlafly Northeast IPA
While this is a new beer from Schlafly, it’s clearly a solid example of the hazy style — though no one would accuse St. Louis of being anywhere near the northeast. This rounded, easy sipper of a brew offers loads of apricot, apple, and malted cereal notes, with just a touch of tropical character —…
Review: Montanya Rum Valentia 4 Years Old
We first encountered Montanya Distillers — an unlikely operation where Renee Newton is one of just a handful of female rum distillers, not to mention working in Colorado — way back in 2011. Recently the company released its third limited edition bottling, a “single barrel, double maturation release that celebrates the progress of women in…
Review: 2017 La Crema Pinot Noir Monterey
La Crema is always reliable for a straightforward but unsurprising bottle of pinot noir, and this Monterey-sourced bottling offers few twists for the drinker. Notes of cola on the nose are counterbalanced by a fairly meaty, often doughy body, where notes of black pepper interplay with a core of raspberry, cherry, and some rhubarb. Easygoing…
The Best Dry Vermouth Roundup – 16 Bottles Tasted, 1 Winner
In keeping with some of our recent roundups — you now know what the best banana liqueur in the world is — I figured I’d take on another big staple in the cocktail world: dry vermouth. The catch? There are way more vermouths on the market than there are banana liqueurs, and before I knew…
