Review: Skyy Infusions Coastal Cranberry Vodka
Cranberry flavor is one of the simplest mixers to add to anything — cranberry juice doesn’t even have to be refrigerated when you buy it — so why both adding it to a vodka as a flavoring agent? The increasingly vast Skyy Infusions lineup now includes this flavor — not just regular cranberry, Coastal Cranberry…
Review: Coldcock American Herbal Flavored Whiskey
Coldcock is the first product from Rick and Sarah Zeiler, marketing veterans of Sidney Frank, the company that made Jagermeister a hit. For their first trick, the Zeilers have gone with a tried-and-true formula: The twentysomething shooter, a category they know a little something about. Alas, many have tried and only one has succeeded at dethroning…
Review: Booth’s Recipe No. 1 Finest Dry Gin Cask Mellowed
Booth’s is a British gin brand that dates back to the 1740s — so venerable it is considered the oldest brand in continuous production. The company calls it “The King of Gins.” While Booth’s standard edition bottling is laregely seen as a budget brand, the company has revived this barrel-mellowed version as a push upmarket,…
Review: BG Reynolds Tiki Cocktail Mixers
Tiki drinks are some of the most iconic cocktails anywhere, but they’re so complicated to make that few people bother at home. The typical Mai Tai has five or six ingredients. The Zombie: More than 10. I never make these drinks myself, and it’s my job. So, how about a shortcut, courtesy of syrup-maker BG…
Review: Bully Boy Distillers The Old Fashioned
This is the second bottled cocktail we’ve seen from Boston-based Bully Boy, after its Hub Punch release from last year. (See also Bully Boy’s straight spirits, reviewed in 2012.) The company promises this is a mix of Bully Boy American Straight Whiskey (akin to a young bourbon), Angostura Bitters, and sugar. For the fruit component of…
Review: White Wines of Murphy-Goode, 2014 Vintage
Murphy-Goode hits with a collection of three white wines, spanning the gamut of major California styles. All 2014 vintages, let’s dig in to these affordable bottlings. 2014 Murphy-Goode Pinot Grigio California – Lightly tropical and lightly aromatic — emphasis on “light.” This is a simple wine for simple time — summer sipping, barbecues, bar mitzvahs, you…
Review: Hochstadter’s Vatted Straight Rye Whiskey
Cooper’s Spirits’ Hochstadter’s brand has been gaining notoriety for its Slow & Low “rock and rye” product, but the company makes more whiskey than just this. Witness Hochstadter’s Vatted Straight Rye (also known as Hochstadter’s Vatted Rye and Hochstadter’s Straight Rye), a beautiful blend of five straight ryes sourced from various stills in the U.S. and…
Review: Cynar 70 Liqueur
Cynar’s a highly-regarded classic of the amaro world. So why produce a new version of this vibrantly bitter, artichoke-infused concoction? Because they can. Cynar 70 is designed to put the liqueur into a category alongside Jagermeister and Fernet, both bitter aperitifs but bottled at a much higher proof than Cynar or Campari, which have the same…
