Review: 2010 Mesa Cantina Buio Buio Isola dei Nurachi IGT
2010 Mesa Cantina Buio Buio Isola dei Nurachi is produced in Sulcis, on the southwestern tip of Sardinia. Produced from 100% carignano (the Italian name for carignane), it’s part of a vanguard of wines from Sulcis that are just now making their way to the U.S. Buio Buio is restrained and almost floral on the nose,…
Review: Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka
I love that Austin-based Deep Eddy makes flavored vodkas that look like flavored vodkas, all bright colors, with nothing to hide. The latest expression, Deep Eddy Lemon, looks like a glass of fresh lemonade, translucent and golden and flecked with just a tiny bit of pulp. The nose plays it cool. Light, slightly sour-smelling lemon plus…
Review: Mahon Gin (2015)
On the Spanish island of Menorca, they make gin. Have been, since 1708. Also known under the brand name of Xoriguer (say it five times fast), Mahon Gin — aka Gin de Mahon — is one of the only gins in the world (alongside Plymouth Gin; update — Plymouth is no longer geographically protected, whoops!) to have…
Review: Balcones “1” Texas Single Malt Whisky Classic Edition (2015)
Distiller Chip Tate may now be gone from Balcones, but they’re still turning out whiskey (er, “whisky,” here) at the Waco-based operation. Balcones 1 — one of the distillery’s best-known spirits and a product that’s widely considered the best American-made single malt — is still being produced, and we got our hands on a post-Tate…
Recipes: 2015 Spring Cocktails
The nation is thawing itself out from another weird and wild winter. Flowers are starting to bloom out, the sun is staying up a bit longer, the Kentucky Derby is right around the corner, and we’re worried about whether or not California is going to have enough water to make it through the summer. With…
Review: Square One Bergamot Vodka
The bergamot is a type of sour orange, grown mainly in Italy, that often shows up in tea preparations (particularly Earl Grey) — and which is now arriving on the marquee of this new flavored vodka from Square One. Bergamot is really just the beginning, though. Based on the company’s outline of the infusion bill, there’s…
Review: DeLeon Tequila Reposado
Hey, remember P. Diddy’s blanco tequila, DeLeon? Well, now we’ve got the next step — DeLeon Reposado. This expression spends eight months in ex-bourbon and former French oak wine casks before bottling. It’s a bit darker than most reposados due to the somewhat longer aging cycle, and the nose offers a light smoky character that you…
Review: Hine Domaines Hine Bonneuil 2005 Cognac
Here’s a new, limited-edition Cognac from Hine (it rhymes with “wine,” by the way). I’ll allow Hine to explain how it came to be: Bonneuil 2005 will be the first expression in a new collection of single grand cru, single harvest cognacs, originating exclusively from Hine’s own 297 acre estate, Domaines Hine. Only 18 casks…
