Review: Strongbow Hard Apple Ciders
Heineken-owned Strongbow is a staple of the apple cider scene, particularly in England, where the brand originated some 54 years ago. Most production of the beverage still takes place in England, but the samples we’re reviewing today were actually produced in Belgium. (The company also makes cider in Australia.) Strongbow comes in numerous varieties; today…
Review: Smirnoff Red, White & Berry Vodka
This limited edition seasonal was technically released for the summer and the Fourth of July, but it fell through the cracks and finally resurfaced here at Drinkhacker HQ. (Don’t worry, there’s plenty still available, even though it’s November.) This flavored vodka packs three different elements into a single bottle: cherry, citrus, and blue raspberry. That…
Review Hirsch Small Batch Reserve Straight Bourbon
Officially it’s called: Hirsch Small Batch Reserve Selected Straight Bourbon Whiskey Selected Expressly for Connoisseurs of Small Batch Fine Spirits. There are other honorifics on the bottle, but too much for me to type. That’s a lot of verbiage for an MGP-sourced whiskey, though it is bottled at at least seven years old, per the…
Review: Truly Spiked & Sparkling Water
Well folks, we’re at peak, er… peak something. How do I know? Because in this world of alcohol-spiked oddities including Mexican frescas, whipped cream, and sports drinks, now we have the ultimate in ready-to-drink concoctions: spiked water. Truly is — much to my surprise — not a malt beverage, but rather gets its alcohol from a cane…
Review: Kahlua Chili Chocolate Liqueur
Another year is upon us, which means Kahlua is here to try its hand at another holiday release (though this one will be part of the permanent collection going forward). Up for 2016: chili chocolate, which sounds like a fair enough experiment. This one works better than most of Kahlua’s recent concoctions, finally dialing the sweetness…
Review: Easy Tea Co. Hard Iced Tea
The alcoholization of everything continues with the world of iced tea, courtesy of MillerCoors-owned Easy Tea Co. and its new Hard Iced Tea (Crisp Citrus Flavor) product. That’s a bold name for whatever is in this monster-sized can. Whatever it is, it isn’t tea, which doesn’t appear anywhere in the list of ingredients (water, corn…
Book Review: The New Cocktail Hour
With The New Cocktail Hour, Andre and Tenaya Darlington take a freshness-first approach to the cocktail trade, with the goal of “blurring the line between the bar and the kitchen.” That means: Expect lots of classic cocktails and a smattering of originals that make as much use of fresh fruit, herbs, and homemade syrups as possible.…
Review: Troegs Nimble Giant (2016)
Nimble Giant is a once-a-year seasonal from Hershey, Pennsylvania’s Troegs, and it presents itself as decidedly gigantic from the start. Nimble? That’s perhaps up to the consumer. This is a double IPA crafted with Mosaic, Azacca, and Simcoe hops, brash and punchy from the start with a surfeit of fruit — grapefruit, orange, and some lemon…
