Book Review: A First Course in Wine
Novices will swoon over this handsome, lovingly photographed, generally quite beautiful guide to the basics of the wine world. As the name suggests, this is a first course in wine, and the book dutifully walks through some of the first questions a new wine consumer might have. What different grapes look like, where they’re grown, how…
Review: Prairie Organic Gin and Cucumber Vodka
Prairie Organic Vodka, a clean, corn-based spirit from Minnesota, has been with us for the better part of a decade. At last the company is out with two line extensions, a gin and a cucumber-flavored version of the original spirit, both organic releases. Thoughts on both follow forthwith. Prairie Organic Cucumber Flavored Vodka – Take…
Book Review: Cocktails: The Bartender’s Bible
Holy vermouth, Batman! This is one big ass book of cocktails! Simon Difford, with his 11th edition of this monstrous tome from diffordsguide, packs over 3000 cocktail recipes into some 500 pages of material. Hardbound, with a glossy cover, it feels like a textbook, and it practically is. Now there are many cocktail books that can…
Review: 2012 Sequoia Grove Chardonnay Napa Valley
A new release from Rutherford-based Sequoia Grove, right in the heart of Napa. A modest wine, this Chardonnay is a dialed-back version of California’s classic style. Butter, wood, and vanilla are all present, but muted by some fresh apple and lemon notes that linger on the finish. Worthwhile, if not exactly earth-shattering, particularly with summer…
Book Review: The Signature Series
Tired of cocktails that include rhubarb-bacon bitters or crystallized foie gras garnishes? Well have I got a book for you. The Signature Series isn’t really a book so much as a life experience. At least that’s the goal of New Jersey-based author Erik G. Ossimina (aka “EGO”), who has collected 100 of his own homegrown…
Review: BridgePort Brewing Trilogy 1 and Hop Czar Citra IPA
Portland, Oregon-based BridgePort Brewing is celebrating 30 years in business, and it’s honoring the event by putting out three beers, all named “Trilogy something” over the course of the year ahead. Fans will vote on their favorite and the winner will be brought back in 2015. The first of this trio is out now: Trilogy 1,…
Review: Kinky Blue Liqueur
Barely a year ago, Kinky, a hot pink Alize knockoff, first crossed our desk. Now, the club-friendly concoction is out with a second version, Kinky Blue. Which is not pink, but blue. Again, this is technically not a liqueur but a flavored vodka, 5x distilled and flavored with blue things — “tropical and wild berry…
Review: Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila and Plata Tequila (2014)
The world’s love affair with whiskey has now come… to tequila. Say hello to Hornitos Black Barrel, a unique spin on an Anejo from the Sauza-owned distillery. The production process is on the complex side, so let’s let Hornitos tell the tale for us: Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila is redefining the premium tequila experience. Hornitos…
