Hey, it's double-bonus tequila Friday here at Alcademics! I just learned that my Chronicle story on Bay Area distillers and business owners making tequila here or in Mexico went live today. The print story should be out this Sunday, in the newly-merged Food & Wine sections. Read the story here.... Read more →
Check out my story in the February issue of San Francisco Magazine. It's about tasting clubs around the city where you earn prizes or a degree by working your way through the menu. I focus on the Tequila Passport program at Tres Agaves, but also mention programs at Tommy's Mexican... Read more →
While everyone in their right mind would love one of those fancy giant ice ball makers that go for $1300 and up, they're not the most practical solution for the home mixologist. [Note: since this post went up we've come up with lots of great solutions for clear ice balls... Read more →
Gin and Tonic cupcakes. An LA bar goes with big ice. This AP story on sake does a great job of explaining the surge in sake sales over the past decade. Here's the meat: "Distribution of sake was limited to Japanese trading companies. They sell you the food, the plates,... Read more →
News from the BBC: A man who became trapped beneath his sofa for two days said he survived by sipping from a bottle of whisky. Joe Galliott, 65, lost his bearings during a power cut at his home in Yeovil, Somerset, and fell against the three-seater which toppled onto him.... Read more →
John Hansell, publisher and editor of Malt Advocate, evaluates trends in disappointing whiskies under the guise of the question,"Why are there still disappointing whiskies?" He knows perfectly well why, and says so in the introduction: Call me a purist, but I thought the goal here was to make great whisky,... Read more →
News-tainment person Rachel Maddow seems like she's funny from the clips I see around the internet. But increasingly I'm impressed with her cocktail knowledge. I read somewhere early on that she's a fan of rhum agricole, which is usually a sign of awesomeness. There was an interview with her in... Read more →
I'm giving away five copies of the book Good Drinks for Bad Days . Sign up for the Alcademics A-Plus email list and you could win one next week. Read more →