I was invited to write a story for MSNBC.com about the coming new normal of casual sobriety, aka the end of Dry January. I made a bunch of points about generational drinking habits, parallels to vegetarianism, and flaws and challenges of serving nonalcoholic spirits in bars. Read the story here. Read more →
This story first appeared on AlcoholProfessor.com. Boozy Book Reviews: Three New Cocktail Books (2023) This year we’ve reviewed a lot of drinks books. Some books we’ve reviewed this year includes Bourbon 101, The Maison Premiere Almanac, Tropical Standard, Agave Spirits, Signature Cocktails, Holy Waters, The Anchor Brewing Story and many... Read more →
Well here's something I never expected when I started experimenting with ice all those years ago: The Weather Network did a segment on directional freezing to make ice for cocktails. I wish I was smart enough to have pitched them The Ice Book when it came out! Check out the... Read more →
It was believed that the Gibson cocktail was created in San Francisco. In this 2008 blog post I cited what David Wondrich told us on a tour. The information is repeated in the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails: But now new information has come to light. Martin Doudoroff shared... Read more →
I provided some quotes for an InsideHook story about absinthe called, "There’s a New Generation Embracing Absinthe in America." Lately, however, absinthe has been enjoying a small but steady burst of interest. Bars are devoting their menus to it, or at least boasting large collections; cocktails like Death in the... Read more →
Some of the equipment used in homebrewing is useful for other projects, so I was bummed with long-time San Francisco craft brewing supply SF Brewcraft closed. A friend pointed out a place that now carries some of the supplies in Oakland - it's called Preserved. They also teach classes there,... Read more →
In clear ice cube trays, one cube (or a few) almost always pops up and starts growing upward after some time of freezing. I call this The Mystery Pillar. Others call it the Sacrificial Cube, because it is usually cloudy and must be discarded. While it would be theoretically possible... Read more →
On Facebook, I run the Alcademics Book Club. In 2024 we're reading The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails letter-by-letter, with 2 weeks for each letter. So we're taking the whole year to read 850 or so pages. Follow the link to join us! Read more →