Review: Greenbar Fruitlab Orange Liqueur
From Greenbar Distilling, the L.A.-based makers of one of our favorite new amaros, Grand Poppy, comes Fruitlab Orange Liqueur, a sweet and juicy concoction meant to compete with your rack bottle of $6 triple sec. (This appears to be a rebranding and perhaps an update of Citry, which was made when the company was known…
Winter Cocktails for 2018
What, you haven’t sworn off drinking as a New Year’s resolution? We still swear that when the weather is dreary outside, there is nothing better to warm you than a nice winter cocktail (and perhaps a big bowl of chili — our favorite recipe follows). Enjoy these cocktails as you dream of spring! Winter Rose…
Review: William Hill 2015 Chardonnay and 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
William Hill experienced minor damage in last year’s NorCal wine country fires, but the winery described it is merely cosmetic. Nothing stopped the outfit from sending us its latest passel of releases, an iconically California chardonnay and a cabernet sauvignon. 2015 William Hill Chardonnay Benchland Series – A rich Cali chardonnay, though it’s dialed back…
Review: Eau Claire Distillery Parlour Gin and Prickly Pear Equineox
Eau Claire Distillery calls Alberta, Canada its home, and this little outfit is turning out an increasingly diversified variety of spirits, including single malt whiskey and rum. Today we look at two of its straight white spirits, a gin and a unique spirit flavored with prickly pear. Both are 80 proof. Thoughts follow. Eau Claire…
Review: 2014 Psagot Merlot Jerusalem
Congrats, new world capital! Now you have a new world class wine to show off! Psagot Merlot is made from 100% Israeli merlot grapes and is aged for 13 months in French oak before release. This is a rich and earthy wine, almost brambly as it layers in notes of blackberry and currant, very dark, very…
Review: BenRiach 10 Years Old and Curiositas 10 Years Old (2018)
In 2016, Speyside-based BenRiach was acquired by Brown-Forman, making it one of just a handful of Scotch distilleries owned by an American concern. Built in 1898, closed in 1900, and reopened in 1965, it’s a worhorse of a distillery that doesn’t get as much credit as it should. Today we look at a couple of…
Review: Starr Hill Double Bass Variants – Peppermint, Chipotle, and Mocha (Late 2017)
Last year, Starr HIll dropped a stout called Double Bass, a big, chocolate-infused brew loaded with confectionery notes. In November, Starr Hill took this mad brew a step further, releasing three variants, along with the original, in a limited release 12-pack called the Box of Chocolates. Alternately flavored further with peppermint, chipotle pepper, and mocha,…
Review: Dulce Vida Tequila Blanco (2017) and Pineapple Jalapeno
We last encountered Dulce Vida way back in 2010, when we looked at the core lineup of three standard tequila expressions. Today we take a fresh look at the blanco — rebranded but still organic and made from 100% Highlands agave, though now much less expensive — along with a new flavored expression, pineapple jalapeno.…
