Review: BridgePort Brewing Trilogy 3
The final round of BridgePort Brewing Company’s 30th anniversary line of beers is finally here: Trilogy 3 Brewers’ Class. This is a truly interesting beer, made in collaboration with the Fermentation Science Program at Oregon State University. (Did you know? My book on film criticism is a textbook at OSU!) Given little direction, the students…
Review: 2013 Galerie Naissance and Equitem Sauvignon Blancs
Inspired by her upbringing in Spain (and particularly its cuisine), winemaker Laura Diaz Munoz brings the racy stylings of the Spanish table to the Northern California wine scene. Two new Sauvignon Blancs have just arrived from this Oakville-based operation. Thoughts follow. 2013 Galerie Naissance Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley – No “re” in this “naissance,” I…
Review: Bittermilk Mixer No. 4
It was only a few months ago when the first three of Bittermilk‘s ready-to-go, artisan mixers hit our desk. Now a fourth is already ready: New Orleans Style Old Fashioned Rouge. This is a short mixer (one part mixer to four parts rye; I used Rittenhouse 100), with wormwood and gentian root the primary flavoring…
Review: Big Bottom Barlow Trail Blended Whiskey
It’s been a year and a half since we checked in with Hillsboro, Oregon-based Big Bottom Whiskey. For those unfamiliar, Big Bottom sources various whiskeys and typically finishes them in a variety of wine casks. While Big Bottom has previously specialized in bourbon, this latest release is a blended whiskey — and it isn’t barrel finished, either. Ted…
Review: 2013 Bodvar of Sweden No. 5 Rose Cotes de Provence
Rest easy: Sweden isn’t producing wine (or at least, it isn’t exporting any to our soils). This is a French Cotes de Provence created by a new, boutique wine company from our friends to the northeast: Bodvár of Sweden – House of Rosés. The brainchild of Bodvar Hafström, the Bodvar brand includes sales of cigars, brandy, and…
Review: Stone Coffee Milk Stout
It’s breakfast for happy hour with Stone’s latest, a limited edition beer that was previous bottled as a pilot project called Gallagher’s After Dinner Stout. Stone tinkered and reformulated Brian Gallagher’s brew to bring it to the masses, and here it is, a stout brewed with milk sugar lactose and coffee beans from San Diego’s…
Review: Platinum 7X Vodka
As the name implies, this low-cost vodka is seven times distilled, from American corn. There’s lots of sweetness up front on the nose alongside some raw alcohol notes, and little else of note. On the palate, sugar masks any impurities — or anything else of note — and the spirit finishes with little impact. Over…
Recipe: Day of the Dead Cocktails, 2014
Recently we received an email with some recipes for drinks celebrating the upcoming Day of the Dead (see also this year’s Halloween cocktail compilation). Normally we just pick and choose from the recipes we receive and offer them up as a compendium, but mixologist Justin Noel did a such great job on each of these…
