Review: Firestone Walker Helldorado Blonde Barley Wine Ale (2017)
Barrel aging has become wildly popular in the craft-brewing world, but it remains, for the most part, a process almost exclusively applied to darker beers like porters and stouts. No strangers to pushing the envelope with their brews, California-based Firestone Walker Brewing Company bucks that trend with its Helldorado Blonde Barley Wine Ale, which is…
How to Make the Perfect Sazerac Cocktail
So you’ve mastered mixing the manhattan, the old fashioned is old news, and you can recite the difference between a gin martini and a vodka martini in your sleep. And yet, that classic cocktail itch is still there. Well read on, because today we’re going to explore another simple, early cocktail, one that isn’t as…
Review: Lawson’s Finest Liquids Sip of Sunshine IPA
Vermont is pretty serious beer country, and brewers in the state have managed, in a few short years, to make New England style IPA a unique and respected variety across the USA. Whereas West Coast IPA is usually clear and shows piney dankness and a strong, bitter finish, New England IPA appears hazy and presents…
NaNoWriMo Special: Great Authors’ Great Cocktails
It’s that time again. November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, where authors of all ages and experience levels challenge themselves to write a 50,000-word novel in a mere 30 days. Whether you’re already hard at work on your next opus, or you’re getting things ready for an attempt next year, get those creative…
Review: 2016 Pieropan Soave Classico DOC
A fresh and easily approachable wine, Pieropan’s 2016 Soave offers notes of lemon, grapefruit, and fresh-cut grass, with hints of pineapple emerging on the nose as it warms up. That said, this is a picnic wine that drinks best cold, which helps to mute a perhaps overly aromatic finish. B+ / $20 [BUY IT NOW…
Understanding Whiskey Marketing Terms
The other day I was asked what a ‘Double Malt’ was, and how it differed from a single malt. The problem was, I couldn’t answer the question because ‘Double Malt’ isn’t a legally defined term. It’s what I would call a marketing term. It suggests everything yet means nothing. These terms can range from confusing…
Review: 2013 Bravdo Coupage Samson
Bravdo is a label from Israel’s Karmei Yosef Winery, composed of 40% Cabernet Franc, 33% Shiraz, and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon. While Kosher for Passover, we have under good authority that it can be consumed any time — even on Halloween! The wine is heavily fruit-forward, lush with raspberry and strawberry notes, but with an edge of…
Cocktail Recipes for Halloween 2017
Whether you celebrate Halloween, All Saint’s Day, or Day of the Dead, you need a solid cocktail to go along with it. Here’s a selection of our favorites from the year, along with a recipe for Caramel Pumpkin Monkey Bread. It’s quick and yummy for any celebration you have planned. First we start off with…
