Review: King Floyd’s Bitters – Scorched Pear & Ginger, Grapefruit Rosemary, and Cherry Cacao
Today we’re dipping back into the bitters of Novato, California-based King Floyd’s, catching up on a few expressions we missed the first time around. Let’s dive in. King Floyd’s Scorched Pear & Ginger Bitters – Heavy on the notes of fresh, pungent ginger, if only because “scorched pear” just doesn’t pack nearly as much punch.…
Review: Cragganmore 12 Years Old Limited Edition 2019
Round 2 with Diageo’s 2019 Special Releases is this “medium-peated” Cragganmore, distilled as an experiment in 2006 and aged in refill bourbon casks. (Despite being a Speyside distillery, Cragganmore is normally made with a slight level of peat, which is already unusual for this region.) I’d say the medium-peat designation is fairly spot on here.…
Review: 2018 Malene Rose Central Coast
This Provençal-style rosé actually hails from California’s Central Coast. It’s made from grenache, mourvedre, cinsault, vermentino and syrah. Pretty and approachable, the wine blends floral and strawberry elements, pushed through a filter of minerals and fresh steel. The notes of white flowers and white peaches linger for quite some time on the fresh and lively…
Review: Baker’s Single Barrel Bourbon 7 Years Old and 13 Years Old (2019)
As the unofficial champion of Baker’s Bourbon, I was nervous to receive news that the brand, now 27 years old, was being revamped and relaunched in late 2019. The concept: Baker’s classic 7 year old would maintain its age and proof level but would become a single barrel offering, and a new (limited edition) 13…
Review: Wines of Cline, 2018 Vintage
We’ve covered the wines of Cline on many occasions. Today we look at two of the operation’s bottlings from the Sonoma Coast, as well as its Sonoma County pinot noir. Let’s dive in. 2018 Cline Chardonnay Sonoma Coast – This is an approachable but somewhat innocuous chardonnay, particularly for a wine born in the rugged…
Book Review: The Dead Rabbit: Mixology & Mayhem
The Dead Rabbit is a famed bar in New York City, and like all famed bars the time has come for it to put out a book of cocktails. (Correction: This is their second book.) Naturally, as leaders in the craft cocktail space, owners Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry (and bar manager Jillian Vose) couldn’t…
Review: Belvedere Single Estate Rye Vodkas – Lake Bartezek and Smogory Forest
No corner of the drinking world is safe from the grain-to-glass movement. The latest is Poland’s Belvedere Vodka, which recently announced two new spirits, each made from the same Dankowskie Diamond rye seed, but each grown on a different, single Polish estate. Per Belvedere, “The influence of the distinct soil, topography and climate is beautifully…
Review: The Scandinavian Cocktails at Plaj, San Francisco
If you want to eat Scandinavian food in the San Francisco Bay Area, you have two choices. You can pick up frozen meatballs and jars of herring at Ikea, or you can go to Plaj, which has been serving elevated Swedish essentials for seven years. Pronounced “play,” the restaurant is curiously located in the back…