Review: The Rums of Maggie’s Farm
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Maggie’s Farm is focused on one spirit only: rum (plus a couple of liqueurs, one of which is a falernum). The name of the distillery hails from a Bob Dylan song, and while he didn’t mention rum production in it, a quick listen might get you into the mood to sip some of…
Review: Ardbeg Kelpie
A kelpie is a mythical sea creature that Scots say can be found in the lochs and bays around the island. It’s also the name of Ardbeg’s latest annual, limited-edition Committee Release, which arrives in general distribution in the coming weeks. As always, there’s a twist in store for Islay fans: Kelpie is the first…
Book Review: How to Drink French Fluently — A Drinker’s Guide to Joie De Vivre
How to Drink French Fluently, a book sponsored by St. Germain (aka St-Germain), is gorgeous. The photos interspersed throughout are lush and beautiful, making this a perfect coffee table book. This book is a drinker’s guide, but it has so much more to offer than just cocktail recipes. Of course there are plenty of those from acclaimed bartenders,…
Review: Luxardo Bitter Bianco
Imagine a glass of Campari. Now strip away all the color. That’s the essence of Luxardo’s Bitter Bianco, a product that dates back to the 1930s but which has been off the market for years. Now it’s back, imported by Anchor Distilling, and ready to bring some clarity back to the world of amari. Some more…
Review: Basil Hayden’s Rye
Basil Hayden’s Bourbon is a standby of most bars — its metal-ringed paper label (excuse me: parchment bib) an eye-catcher (and the whiskey inside not bad in its own right). Now the brand is making a natural line extension: Rye. Brand owner Beam assures us this is different from the other ryes that have been flooding…
Review: New Belgium La Folie 2017 and Juicy Watermelon
Something old, something new from New Belgium. One is a reprise of its annual sour release, the other a fruit-flavored ale. Let’s try both! New Belgium La Folie Sour Ale 2017 – New Belgium’s annual release of La Folie — a sour brown ales matured in oversized French oak wine barrels for up to three…
Austin Edition of Lucid Cocktail Classique Showcases Stellar Absinthe Cocktails
April is the perfect time to visit Austin, Texas, and the weather was outstanding for an afternoon of sampling some of the best absinthe cocktails regional bartenders had to offer. A couple of months ago, we — Drinkhacker and Hood River Distillers, the importer of Lucid Absinthe — encouraged bartenders to come up with new cocktails…
Tasting Report: Whiskies of the World Expo San Francisco 2017
This year’s Whiskies of the World was shaping up beautifully, but a tragic tumble down the stairs (PSA: Don’t text and navigate staircases!) cut my evening very short. I had time to taste only a handful of spirits before leaving for treatment — shout-out to the crack ER team at Kaiser San Rafael! — but…
