In France recently, I had a tour and dinner at the house of Remy Martin in Cognac. They don't allow photography in the cellar, so this post is a little light on the pictures. (Suck it up and read.) We entered the building at night so it's hard to recall... Read more →
The folks at Mixellany (Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller) have released two books: A French book of American and British Cocktails Mixellany's Annotated BARIANA: A Practical Compendium of All American and British Drinks by Louis Fouquet, Translated from the Original 1896 French Edition and Annotated by Charles Vexenat Originally published... Read more →
While in France recently I visited the cognac house of Tesseron. This brand is notable for having probably the second largest collection of old cognacs in demijohns in all of Cognac. Cognac can only age for so long in barrel before the spirit becomes flabby and loses its aromatic qualities.... Read more →
September 30th is the last day for the earlybird discount on WhiskyFest San Francisco, which takes place on October 16th. Still too early to commit? I found a couple other ways to get a discount. I received emails from both Friends of Laphroaig and Classic Malts (Diageo's single malt portfolio)... Read more →
I received a copy of the new documentary Beer Wars, released this week. I found it to be both interesting and annoying. The story is about the big brewers versus small ones and how hard it is in the current system to launch a small brand. It was interesting to... Read more →
While in the Cognac region of France, I stopped in to cognac house Bache Gabrielsen for a visit. I was greeted by fourth-generation family member Herve Bache-Gabrielsen and taken to their tasting room around a wooden table in the upstairs office. Bache Gabrielsen is located on a small, nondescript street... Read more →
I haven't had the Manana Despues yet, but I fully support it in theory. It's a version of the Fernet Branca Cocktail from the Savoy Cocktail Book, using blanco tequila instead of gin. Jay from Oh Gosh! has the recipe video with Tiffany Short of The Gibson here. Yes she... Read more →
Cuca Fresca cachaca (Brazilian rum from raw fermented sugarcane instead of molasses) is having a cocktail contest for which they want you to vote for your favorite drink. There are too many tasty looking ones from which to choose. Check them out here. Chicago's Todd Appel has a carrot juice... Read more →