The other week John Gakuru, jet-setting (seriously his Facebook updates are from a different country every couple days) international brand ambassador for Sagatiba cachaca, gave a talk at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Cachaca, as we know, is a type of rum (as defined by US laws anyway) made... 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 →
Glossy Booze is a regular Alcademics feature in which I note the coverage of alcohol in glossy magazines. Fine Cooking (August/September) has a story on beer cocktails written by Lew Bryson. Sherman's Travel (summer 2009) lists which Napa wines to buy now. In Gourmet (August) David Wondrich writes a story... Read more →
A few months ago several San Franciscan bartenders went on a trip to Peru and Brazil and brought back with them samples, Peruvian bitters, and ideas for new drinks. Borys Saciuk of Restaurant Michael Mina added a coca leaf-infused Pisco Punch to the menu, but has already replaced it with... Read more →
Oh, Caipirinhas. So much muddling, so much effort. Who has the time? I created a short cut with lime-flavored water and sugar poured into a shot glass ice mold. Read more →
A couple weeks ago, I attended a cachaca intensive with Minister of Rum Ed Hamilton and Cabana cachaca distiller Cesar Cestari. Here is some of what I learned. Up to six grams per liter of sugar may be added to cachaca without declaring it on the label. Between six and... Read more →
Of all the competitions between all the spirits brands, there is no more heated battle than the one for dominance of the cachaca market. Cachaca, Brazilian rum made from sugar cane (instead of molasses) is the ingredient in the Caipirinha, the drink many people are banking on to become the... Read more →
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... Read more →