Review: Urban Accents Wine & Cider Mulling Spices
Buying a bunch of individual spices to make mulled wine might cost you a small fortune — and prepackaged mixes of powdered mystery spice are hardly an appropriately upscale alternative. Urban Accents, which sells various sauces and spices, offers a solution in this sizeable jar of whole mulling spices, which include cinnamon, orange, lemon, star anise,…
Review: Seven Stills of San Francisco Stocking Stuffer Whiskey
Seven Stills of San Francisco has recently embarked on a series of collaborative productions, whiskey made from beer produced by other notable breweries. For Stocking Stuffer, 7 Stills takes San Luis Obispo-based Libertine’s Wild Sour Stout, distills it, then ages the distillate in New American Oak and finishes the whiskey in Libertine’s own sour beer barrels.…
Review: Adler Fels 2015 Chardonnay and 2014 Pinot Noir
Adler Fels is an old California wine brand that, 35 years after its original launch, has rebranded and relaunched with a “renewed commitment to innovative and world-class winemaking and premium sourcing.” From its home in the Mayacamas Mountains, the winery has dropped two releases for the new year, a chardonnay and a pinot noir, both…
How to Make a Flawless Manhattan Cocktail
Prohibition-era cocktails are absolutely booming in popularity right now, so it should come as no surprise that curious drinkers are looking for easy-to-craft period-style cocktails to try and learn. The manhattan has a lot going for it to the novice mixologist: it’s delicious, it looks lovely, and it’s very easy to make. If you’ve ever…
Book Review: Colonial Spirits
Look, our forefathers were not the most temperate bunch, and writer Steve Grasse endeavors to lay bare their improprieties in this rollicking exploration into the origins — literally — of American drinking culture. This is a book about drinking like none other I’ve seen, unless you’re the type of guy that likes to tipple on, say,…
Review: Gin MG
Spain is in love with gin, and it makes sense that Spanish-produced gin would rise in prominence as part of the “drink local” movement that’s sweeping the globe. Gin MG (sometimes written as GinMG or GINMG), is produced by Destilerias MG in Barcelona, Spain. While it is flavored with Spanish juniper, little else is revealed…
Bar Review: The Chandelier Lounge at The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas
Las Vegas has no shortage of high-end drinking establishments, but stepping inside of a three-story-tall chandelier to get your drink on? Well, that’s still something even in an age of overblown glitz. If you want to know where you can find such a tempered glass and use it for your business, then check out these…
Tempranillo Roundup (2016 Releases) – Vara, Bodegas Paso Robles, Castoro, Berryessa Gap, Matchbook, Becker Vineyards
Tempranillo is the star of Spain’s Rioja region, but it is also grown internationally, including right here in the U.S. Today we look at six tempranillo wines from five different regions to see how terroir can affect the wine — though you’ll note that many are blended with other grapes, with graciano particularly popular. (Graciano…
