If one were looking to write a list of influential gins, (and why wouldn't one look to write a list of influential gins?) I think few people would quibble about Bombay Sapphire being given the top spot. The general consensus is that it truly helped revive the failing category of gin, and played a part … Continue reading Hendrick’s Gin – Review
Cocktails
Tanqueray London Dry Gin – Review
If you're wondering how a stalwart, classic London Dry Gin got a French-sounding name like Tanqueray, wonder no longer. The distant relatives of Charles Tanqueray, who founded the original Tanqueray distillery, relocated from France to England in the late 1600's. There...I guess that's pretty much it. Apparently, these early, ex-French Tanquerays were a devout bunch, … Continue reading Tanqueray London Dry Gin – Review
Tattersall Amaro – Review
On May 24, 2011, after it had passed both the Senate and the House, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed the bill entitled Chapter 55, HF 1326/SF 918 into law. "Chapter 55, HF 1326/SF 918" might have been a perfectly acceptable name for a bill to politicians and lawmakers, but, obviously, it lacked a bit of … Continue reading Tattersall Amaro – Review
Averna Amaro Siciliano – Review
Averna Amaro Siciliano has been one of the more visible amari on US shelves for quite some time. If your local liquor store has only one amaro, it's probably not going to be Meletti or Tosolini...more than likely it will be Averna. The recipe for the brand reportedly was developed by some Benedictine monks in … Continue reading Averna Amaro Siciliano – Review
Dolin Rouge Vermouth de Chambéry – Review
I'm sure we all remember Stage 7 of the 1996 Tour de France, right? That 200km romp through the Alps was one for the ages not just because of who won, the Frenchman by the almost-too-French name of Luc Leblanc, but also because of who lost. Spaniard Miguel Indurain had won the previous five Tours, … Continue reading Dolin Rouge Vermouth de Chambéry – Review
Whisky Roundtable #15
It's fallen upon me to host the 15th installment of the Whisky Roundtable, and since it's summer and damn hot in some places, I thought I'd steer the conversation towards a more light-hearted, yet no less delicious whisk(e)y issue...that of the high-end whisk(e)y cocktail. With speakeasies, pre-prohibition recipes, DIY infusions and bitters, and specialty ice … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #15
Bacon Bourbon for Breakfast at Serpentine
Granted, the whole everything bacon craze has gone too far and far too mainstream to really be taken seriously anymore but that doesn't mean that bacon didn't warrant all the attention in the first place. Bacon is an innocent victim here, it's not bacon's fault it's so delicious, it's the fault of the fad-obsessed, must-create-something-unique-to-be-accepted-by-the-collective … Continue reading Bacon Bourbon for Breakfast at Serpentine
The Roubaix – a whiskey cocktail.
Last weekend my favorite cycling race, Paris Roubaix, was held on narrow, treacherous roads between Compiègne and Roubaix in Northern France. The race is one of the oldest on the cycling calendar, with the first edition being run in 1896, and is one of the most enigmatic, unique, and difficult. At around 260 kilometers, the … Continue reading The Roubaix – a whiskey cocktail.
Nihon Whisky Lounge – Review
"Dangerous" means different things to different people. Some might consider walking across the street dangerous while others don't really see danger coming until it appears as an irate, hungry, 8-foot tall grizzly bear ((Ursus arctos horribilis), barreling towards their remote campsite early in the morning before they've even had a chance to put on coffee. Still … Continue reading Nihon Whisky Lounge – Review
Whisky Cocktails at Bourbon & Branch
There is no surer sign that this whole cocktalian revolution has gotten out of hand than the two small jars of homemade bitters infusing in my kitchen as we speak. I can barely get out the door without someone shoving some rye & whipped egg-white combination in my face. Cocktails unearthed from the Crimean War featuring … Continue reading Whisky Cocktails at Bourbon & Branch
THE CASKS 