Review: Bear Republic Apex Special IPA (2015)
Ah, another fine seasonal release from our NorCal neighbors at Bear Republic. Apex, an Imperial IPA, isn’t made every year, but 2015 marks two years in a row that it has. Each year the beer’s profile changes, reflecting seasonal varieties of hops available and new strains that are developed. Apex is a beer that is…
Review: Merlet Cognac Selection Saint-Sauvant Assemblage No. 1
Cognac’s Merlet is back with another new brandy, Selection St. Sauvant, a limited-edition blend that is made… well, we’ll let Merlet do the talking: “Assemblage N°1” (Blend N°1) was bottled in 2013. This delicate cognac is a marriage of “eaux-de-vie” from the Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne aged over 10 years as well as from…
Review: Magipatch Hangover Recovery Patch
Zaca and Bytox have new competition in the burgeoning hangover preventive market: Magipatch. Magipatch says it’s a “hangover recovery patch,” but that’s a bit misleading — like Zaca and Bytox, you have to apply the patch before you start drinking for it to work. The day after is simply too late. Leave it on until the following day…
Review: Molinari Sambuca Extra and Caffe Liquore
Ah, sambuca, the creepy Italian cousin of Greece’s ouzo — pure licorice in a clear-as-day spirit… and something we’ve managed to avoid for over seven years here at Drinkhacker. Until now! Molinari, based in Rome, is best known for two products — “Extra,” its sambuca, and Ceffe, an anise/coffee liqueur. There’s also a limoncello, bottled under…
Review: 2013 Meiomi Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
We try to look for the good in everything we review here, but sometimes we just can’t get into a product no matter how hard we try. In the case of Meiomi Wines — the brainchild of one of the sons of the founder of Caymus — well, this is one of those times. 2013 Meiomi…
Review: 9 Rocks Vodka
Black Rock Distillery in Spray, Oregon (population: 160) is the home of 9 Rocks Vodka (aka Nine Rocks Vodka), which is a triple-distilled (from what is unknown), charcoal- and micro-filtered neutral spirit. Mild on the nose, the vodka offers a gentle medicinality with an undercurrent of marzipan and marshmallow. The body is somewhat sweeter than the…
Recipe: National Margarita Day Cocktails 2015
It may seem somewhat peculiar to have a drink-iday for Margaritas in the depths of winter, but on the upside: maybe it’s a teaser to help everyone get through a rather brutal season and make our way to a warmer spring and summer. Either way, here are a few recipes we have received and tested…
Review: Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Tequila 2014 Edition
I’ve said before that Cuervo’s top-shelf bottling, Reserva de la Familia, doesn’t vary much from year to year. This year, at least the packaging is changing. Reserva de la Famila is now officially an Extra Anejo, not just an Anejo. The label has been significantly reorganized, keeping the same overall design motif but placing Reserva…
