Syrah Outselling Chardonnay?
Wine.com put out a curious press release, saying that at its website Syrah is now outselling Chardonnay, for the first time ever. Syrah sales grew 47% during the first half of the year, earning it the #2 varietal spot behind Cabernet Sauvignon (so Syrah is now outselling just about everything, really). Nationally, though, those numbers…
Review: Orzel Vodka
Like Russian Standard Imperia before it, Orzel is an old vodka brand which is invading America, with a huge marketing push targeted at the glossy magazines. I can’t turn a page without seeing another ad for Orzel, and I finally nabbed a bottle to give it a try. Orzel tastes old. It’s old school vodka…
Review: Maestro Dobel Diamond Tequila (2008)
Even Donald Trump could learn something from the braggadocio on display at Maestro Dobel, which claims (among other superlatives), to be “the first-ever diamond tequila” … “unlike any other aged tequila” … the “result of a proprietary blending and filtration technique.” … “the liquid embodiment of my passion for tequila” … the result of “six…
Review: Dos Lunas Anejo Tequila
Dos Lunas? That’s two moons for you, gringo. And since we only have one moon here on Earth, one can only presume Dos Lunas is actually from Mars. (OK, the actual story involves an ancient culture that once believed we had two moons here, but I like my story better.) Dos Lunas Anejo has a…
Review: Tommy Bahama Rum – White Sand and Golden Sun
When the Wall Street Journal’s Eric Felten named Tommy Bahama white rum his favorite of some 10 rums in a blind tasting, I figured I had to try it. The company was kind enough to send both of its rums, light and dark, to be put to the test. Both are bottled in Barbados (not,…
Original Recipe: El Cosmito
Something fun for the ladies using rum as the base spirit instead of vodka… El Cosmito 1 1/2 oz. white rum 1/2 oz. Cointreau (or other orange liqueur) 1/2 oz. peach brandy 1/2 oz. Damiana 1/4 oz. agave nectar cranberry juice Put first four items in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into…
Review: Zodiac Vodka
As gimmicks go, astrology is pretty far up there. Or should I say “out there.” And thus one looks to Zodiac Vodka with a certain skepticism: Available in 12 different, star-signed bottles, Zodiac attempts to merge the astrologic with the alcoholic. How does it fare? This potato vodka (straight outta Idaho, U.S.A.) is 80 proof…
U.S. Alcohol Consumption Falling
What? Sales of liquor are supposed to go up during a recession or periods of other economic unrest. But the American Journal of Medicine is saying that alcohol sales are on the decline, with beer especially getting hit hard. Researchers examined 50 years of data and found several changes in alcohol intake but no change…
