Alcademics

My latest story for The Alcohol Professor is about trends in aquavit. Check it out here. Read more →

Here's something. I read a lot of books, most of them about liquor, but not all. I am in several book clubs but one of them is my "normal" club in which we discuss non-boozy books. (With exceptions! Once I chose a book on ice; more recently another member chose... Read more →

Below are bottle shots of mostly new- and a few just new to me- spirits products that have come onto the market in the last month. There were a lot this month as many brands release stuff just before the holidays. These are from my Instagram account and you can... Read more →

It's been way too long since I did a new booze round-up. These images are all from my Instagram page, and how I'm largely covering new products hitting the market. Read more →

Last night was the opening of chezchez in the space formerly occupied by Bon Voyage, from Josh Harris of Trick Dog. It's now open Tuesday - Saturday 4:30 - 10PM at 584 Valencia Street at 17th. They're still very much working out some kinks and making refinements as they go... Read more →

Ten articles by yours truly on drinking and bartending trends in the SF Bay Area. Read more →

Behold! Here is my round-up of all the cocktails and spirits books (plus a few others) that were released in 2017. This year, beyond the annual deluge of whisky books, there are books aping the bartender lifestyle (Drink Like a Bartender, Straight Up), more narrative books (I Hear She's a Real Bitch, By the Smoke and the Smell), and recipe books seeking to simplify the process (3 Ingredient Cocktails, The Imbible, Road Soda) rather than reveal the secrets of complex drinks from top bars. All in all, another great year for reading about drinking.  Read more →

M y pal Hope S. Philbrick from Atlanta has a story in Friday's San Francisco Chronicle on aquavit and how it's consumed in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. And she oughtta know- every time I talk to her she's off to somewhere else in Scandinavia. Soon she'll start growing horns like... Read more →