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…
Review: Wines of JaM Cellars, 2016 Releases
This new brand of supermarket-friendly wines comes from John Anthony and Michele Truchard — and together they are JaM Cellars. If that isn’t catchy enough, the names of the wines — Toast, Butter, and Jam — and black-plus-one-primary-color labeling are likely to stick with you. JaM may wear its obviousness on its sleeve — or, on its…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Hopzeit Autumn IPA, Hop Trip (2016), Chasin’ Freshies IPA (2016), and Sagefight Imperial IPA
A trio of fall releases from Deschutes, starting now! Deschutes Brewery Hopzeit Autumn IPA – Deschutes’ newest seasonal is fit for fall, an IPA inspired by German Märzenbier, made with loads of German hops instead of the usual fare found in American IPAs. Results are appropriately Teutonic. Rich and malty, with overtones of coffee and cocoa, it…
Recipes: Halloween Cocktails, 2016
Halloween is upon us, and with it a weekend’s worth of costumed and themed parties. As always, we’d like to present for your consideration a pretty substantial list of cocktail recipes and ideas that will enhance any get-together you may be planning. The Blood in Hand (Blood and Sand) 1 part Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey…
Review: Wines of Portugal, 2014 Quinto Elemento and Fiuza
Portugal is more than just Port and vinho verde. Here’s a look at two bottlings from off the beaten path, both hailing from the Tejo region, near the Spanish border to the far east of the country. 2014 Quinto Elemento Arinto Reserva Vinho Branco Tejo – Made from the arinto grape, this racy white offers…
Review: Christian Brothers Sacred Bond Brandy Bottle-in-Bond 4 Years Old
The bonded spirits almost always finds a home with whiskey (particularly bourbon and sometimes rye). But there’s no rule that other liquor products can’t go through the bonding process, which involves storing the product in barrel in a special, government-regulated warehouse for at least four years, and bottling the finished product at 100 proof. The…