Review: Ayala’s Herbal Water
When you’re drinking your federally-mandated 27 gallons of water a day, you might as well enjoy it going down. Flavored water is nothing new, but Ayala’s takes a different approach, flavoring its bottled waters with natural herbs instead of chemical sludge (check the nutrition facts on a bottle of Propel if you don’t believe me).…
Recipe: La Cola Nostra
Bartender Don Lee won $1,500 for this cocktail as part of a contest sponsored by Averna, a bittersweet amaro that is tricky to make cocktails out of. It intrigues me. La Cola Nostra 1 oz Averna 2 oz Ron Zacapa Centenario 23yr .75 oz Lime Juice .5 oz Simple Syrup .25 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice…
Dr. Dre’s Sparkling Vodka Invites Smackdown
It’s like east coast vs. west coast all over again. From O2 Sparkling Vodka‘s press release: O2 Sparkling Vodka, patented in 2003 after over 2 years of research and development, has been a top seller in Europe since 2002 and launched in the USA in January 2008 with great success. Dr. Dre has recently announced…
Review: Tabasco Spicy Tequila
Today is Mexican Independence Day. (Independence from Spain in 1810, Einstein.) That means you should be drinking tequila right now. Or at least a Pacifico. Alas, I’ve but one bottle of tequila in the Drinkhacker review queue, and it’s not exactly something you’re going to want to suck down til dawn. Sorry. Anyway, you read…
Review: Pernod Absinthe (2008)
If you’re looking for major names in absinthe, they don’t get much bigger than Pernod. The company started making absinthe in 1792 (which earns it the title of the “original” absinthe producer) and was the biggest brand of absinthe up until the 1915 ban. After that, the company moved to Spain and continued to make…
Review: Agavero Liqueur
Somewhere between Drambuie and Almendrado lies Agavero, the curious tequila liqueur in the distinctive bottle. Agavero is a blend of 100% agave tequilas (both reposado and anejo) to which Damiana flower essence is added. (If that sounds familiar it’s because Damiana is also the namesake of the eponymous herbal Damiana liqueur, something I use liberally…
Book Review: Hip Tastes – The Fresh Guide to Wine
Courtney Cochran is one of these hipster gals trying to change the wine world and refocus it on a younger crowd, away from the Robert Parkers of the industry. Great, I’m all for it. Now she’s got a book out, Hip Tastes – The Fresh Guide to Wine, which is sort of an introductory text…
Will the Real Mouton Please Stand Up?
Wine counterfeiting is a large and growing problem in the elite world of rare wine auctions, with phony bottles being sold at prices in the thousands of dollars. But do those who buy — and even drink — fake wine know the difference? Food & Wine snuck a fake bottle of 1982 Ch. Mouton Rothschild…
