How to Make a Perfect Old Fashioned Cocktail
So, you’ve mastered mixing the manhattan, and now you want to try your hand at another 19th-century classic cocktail? Another simple and delicious mixed drink with oodles of history behind it is the Old Fashioned, and for a drinker who has mixing manhattans down pat, an old fashioned is an excellent new recipe to try.…
Review: 2012 Dolin The Blue Note Malibu Coast
Dolin Malibu Estate Vineyards, located in the SoCal Malibu Coast AVA, has released its inaugural bottling of The Blue Note — a blend of 44% merlot, 36% cabernet sauvignon, and 20% cabernet franc. I’m intrigued already. It’s heavy, heavy on the violet notes, particularly on the nose. The body however is initially quite tannic and tight…
Review: Heritage Distilling Rye and Bourbon Whiskeys and Crisp Gin (2017)
Heritage Distilling makes a veritable ton of spirits in its Gig Harbor, Washington home, and by that I mean it actually makes them. This isn’t sourced or finished whiskey and gin, it’s the real deal, bringing in grains from the Pacific Northwest and Canada, mashed and fermented on site, and distilled in a copper column still.…
Review: Cocktail & Sons Fassionola Syrup (2017)
Cocktail & Sons’ seasonal Fassionola — a red tiki syrup that includes pineapple, mango, passion fruit, hibiscus flowers, strawberries, and lime zest — is back in time for the summer, and the company has tweaked the recipe in time for the inauguration of its partnership with Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, where the syrup will be featured on the…
Review: Glenfiddich Project XX
Glenfiddich’s Project XX (pronounced “twenty”) is a unique experiment that defies easy categorization. I’m going to let the distillery explain before I go any further: Project XX is the result of one of the most ambitious malt experiments of Glenfiddich’s 130 year history. The expression is the collaboration between the 20 Glenfiddich Brand Ambassadors from…
Review: Geyser Peak 2012 Tectonic and 2013 Walking Tree Cabernet Sauvignon
Two new reds from Sonoma’s Geyser Peak, both cabernet-focused but wildly different in style — despite both hailing from the same appellation. Let’s give this duo a spin! 2012 Geyser Peak Tectonic Red Blend Alexander Valley – A very dry blend of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, and petite sirah. The cab takes center stage, with brambly…
The Best Violet Liqueur Roundup: Creme Yvette, Rothman & Winter, The Bitter Truth, & Marie Brizard Parfait Amour
Should you desire an Aviation, a Blue Moon cocktail, or a classically layered Pousse-Cafe, you’ll need one rarity in your bar: violet liqueur, a liqueur which is a lovely shade of purple and which is made, yes, from flower petals. A staple spirit of, oh, the late 1800s, violet liqueur had long been off the market…
Review: The Fruit Ales of Redd’s
Last year Redd’s introduced as its limited edition “pick” (pun intended) a Blueberry Ale. Like all good things, it has returned for another full season along with new sidekicks, Redd’s Raspberry and this year’s limited edition, Peach Ale. Not wanting to leave the other fruity siblings out of the loop, a full flight tasting was…