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Party Tips from Esquire

I think it's a little odd to put your New Year's party tips in the January issue of a magazine instead of December, then to give away all the content online before it's even January, but that's why I'm not a rich and famous magazine editor.

Nor am I a David Wondrich, who wrote all the booze stories for the issue. They include:

Esquire's Guide to Hosting

A complaint about oversized Martini glasses

And batch-sized recipes for party drinks: the Gin Daisy, Manhattan, and an original drink called the Saint Valentine (umm, wrong month again?) that includes rum, port, Grand Marnier, and lime juice.

Glossy Booze: Mid-December Edition

Glossy Booze is a round-up of alcohol stories in glossy magazines.

-Playboy (December) has a story on recommended bottles of scotch, divided into Speyside, island malt, Highlands, and blended whisky categories. There are recipes for the Roby Roy, Aberdeen Angus (scotch, honey, lime, Drambuie), and Black Jesus Shooters (one part Jagermeister to two parts scotch). Also in this issue, best winter brews.

-Best Life (December/January) has a story by Sang Yoon (owner of Father's Office restaurants) on recommended champagnes.

-Sunset (November, which just showed up to my house in December) has 10 wine-based mini-esapes.  In the December issue, there are three mocktails from Lucy Brennan of Mint and 820.

-Bon Appetit (January) lists the recipe for the Isle of Pines cocktail (pomegranate juice, rum, grapefruit juice), a list of essential bottles for the home bar, and a blurb on Mud Puddle Books' reprints.

- In 7x7 Magazine, Jordan Mackay has a story on half-bottles of wine, and another on hot drinks like the Spanish Coffee. The story and recipe are online. Also on the 7x7 website is a commercial eggnog taste test.

Free Beer (Magazine)

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Glossy Booze: November Edition

Glossy Booze is a round-up of cocktails and spirits stories in magazines.

Men's Journal has this story on the increasing popularity and price of bourbon, along with some recommendations by Wayne Curtis, a few recommended brands of merlot, and a review of The Wettest County in the World.

The December issue of Men's Journal is also out, and has a recipe for the Midnight Manhattan,  a mention of Palo Santo Marron as a good winter brew, an endorsement of Three Thieves Bandit wine in the box as "adventure-ready wine," and a list of "Top Shelf Hooch" including Bluecoat Gin, Vodka 14, Nouvelle-Orleans Absinthe, and Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey.

In San Francisco's 7x7 Magazine, Jordan Mackay lists some steak-pairing red wines, and feature's Jennifer Colliau's Small Hand Foods, her vintage syrup business.

In Details, Rob Willey has a story on eggnog, with some recommended products to put in it- Remy Martin CROP cognac, Old Forrester Signature 100-proof bourbon, Brugal Anejo rum, and El Dorado 15-year-old rum.

Esquire is also on the rum kick, with David Wondrich telling us about how rum ages faster in the hot environments, and recommends a few to try: Clement Cuvee Homere, Angostura 1824, and English Harbour 10-year-old Reserve.

And finally, Bon Appetit has a slew of stories: A recipe for the Algonquin Bar Punch, some suggested champagnes, a fun list on what drinks cost around the world, a recipe for Christmas Caipirinhas (with ginger, ginger beer, and mint added to the usual mix), and a whole vintage cocktail party feature with food and old-style drinks.

Also from the Bon Appetit website, check out these pictures of bartenders in New York making the Blue Blazer.

Glossy Booze: Late October Edition

Glossy Booze is a round-up of booze stories in magazines.

In the industry magazine Tasting Panel, I have a short write-up on the Ocho Tequila launch event in San Francisco, and a long piece on the evolving cocktail scene in Sacramento. (Oh, and I just noticed my report from last month about Tales of the Cocktail is online.)

Conde Nast Traveler (November) has two booze stories: One on in which bars and restaurants republican and democrat candidates eat, and a long travel piece on Kentucky Bourbon and the KY Bourbon Trail. The story also includes ratings and cocktails from the likes of Joel Baker of Bourbon & Branch, Brian Miller from Death & Co., and Adam Seger from Nacional 27. Oh look, the main body of the text is online already.

Playboy's November all-James-Bond-issue has a few bits and bits on booze: a mention of Drank Anti-Energy Drink, a blurb about Cabo Uno, and The Playboy Advisor takes on the difference between seltzer and soda water.

Men's Vogue, also with a Bond theme for November (I guess there must be a new movie coming out) has Lawrence Osbourne writing a full feature on Karlsson's potato vodka- probably the longest story on a single brand of vodka I've read in years. The story isn't online yet, but will probably show up in the archives next month.

Esquire packs a bunch of stories in different sections: Tom Chiarella reviews  The Wettest County in the World (a book I have at home but haven't started),Charles P. Pierce endorses Clontarf Irish Whiskey, and Ryan D'Agostino suggests drinking red wine with breakfast. Are they letting everyone write about booze now? Where's Wondrich? Oh here he is, discussing rinsing as a cocktail technique. 

Online at Esquire.com, they list 24 alcohol gifts including Wonrdich's book, Karlsson's vodka and a bunch of other spirits products, a few tools (meh), and only one thing that's sort of awesome- a USB beverage chiller! (It's the last item in the slideshow, so click backwards.)

Glossy Booze: October edition

Glossy Booze is a round-up of booze stories in magazines.

- 7X7 has a story on wine glasses, Jordan Mackay's favorite wines of 2008, and another on how sommeliers are making their own wines.

- Best Life (September) has a story on the Green Drinks happy hour events. In October, they have a story Jerald O'Kennard from the Beverage Tasting Institute's top picks.

- Sunset has a story on Scott Beattie's fall drink picks, San Diego's suds scene, and big red wines.

- Bon Appetit lists some wine from red and blue states, reviews The Wine Snob's Dictionary,and lists a recipe for the Northwood #2, a drink from David Moo of the Brooklyn bar Quarter. The recipe is online here. 

- Details November issue discusses Irish whiskey, recommends six brands to try, and has a recipe for the Irish Coffee.

- O Magazine has a story on Napa VinJus non-alcoholic wine, as well as one on "Drunkorexics" who drink instead of eating or use drinking to loosen up enough to eat. 

- Martha Stewart Living tells us how to overcome wine anxiety.

- Food and Wine has features on Paris Wine Bars, value wines, and the American Wine Awards.

- Bon Appetit has a ton of stuff: A recipe for "the widows' touch" from John Gertsen of No. 9 Park, an article on storing Champagne, a sherry round-up, and one on lesser-known Italian varieties.

Glossy Booze: mid-September edition

It's time for the monthly-or-so round-up of booze stories in glossy magazines.

In Tasting Panel, an industry magazine to which I'm a regular contributor, I have three stories in the September issue: One on Tales of the Cocktail, a quick blurb on Appleton and Kobrand, and a story on savory cocktails with quotes from Jackie Patterson formerly of Orson in San Francisco, and Stephen Kowalczuk of Room at Twelve in Atlanta.

Bon Appetit (October) has a recipe for the Moscow Mule and a round-up of ten wine bars.

There is also a largeish feature on blended whiskies that I don't believe mentions malted vs. grain whiskies, which, you know, is kind of important.

Also, how do you know when this cocktail thing is getting big? When Triscuit is sponsoring a cocktails/movies/Triscuits promotion. For reals. 

Men's Journal (October) has a round-up of America's Best Beers, regional beers, and craft beers. It's a lot of beers.

944 Magazine (San Francisco edition) has a story on Lotus Vodka.

Playboy has a little blurb on accidentalwine.com.

7X7 has three booze features: One on Clock Bar, one on white summer wines, and a third on ginger in drinks with the recipe for Beretta's Agricole Mule. (mint, cane syrup, rhum agricole, lime juice, gingle syrup, seltzer)

Details lists 5 tequila cocktails, four of them they just describe and one they print the recipe for. The drinks are from the Pegu Club (NYC), TearDrop Lounge (Portland), Bar Pilar (DC), and Violet Hour (Chicago).

Glossy Booze: early September edition

 Glossy Booze is a round-up of liquor stories in magazines sent to my house. Here's what's new in September issues:

In Men's Vogue, Jay McInerney (yep, him) has a big story on "Billionaire Winos," about multi-million dollar wine collections and auctions. Also, about how much he drank with said winos and how much everything cost.

Conde Nast Traveler notes that the most expensive drink in Vegas is the Menage a Trois at Wynn's club Tryst, which is a mix of Hennessy Ellipse cognac, Cristal rose champagne, and Grand Marnier with a 24-karat gold diamond-studded straw for $3,000. Something tells me those straws often see additional non-drink related use.

Throw out that cocktail! David Wondrich declares the Gin Rickey "The official drink of summer" in September's Esquire.

Sunset magzine is chock full o' booze this month. They mention drinking at The Trappist and Flora in Oakland, a tequila tasting at Mandalay Bay, a winemaker class in Washington, the Mai Tai at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and there is a whole section for the Western Wine Awards.

Glossy Booze: late-August edition

944 Magazine (August, SF edition) has a story on the Press Club and biodynamic wine.

Playboy (September) has a recipe for The Democrat, which they say is the "house cocktail at San Francisco's Bourbon & Branch."

Details praises the "Obscure cocktail" including the Last Word (from the Hotel Delmano in NYC), Jack Rose (from the Eastern Standard in Boston), Old Pal (from the Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle), and Vieux Carre (from the Alembic in San Francisco).

7X7  (August) not only has Jordan Mackay's bartender story, they also have a graphic on the Anatomy of a Dive Bar.