“Have you ever considered how often we set stuff on fire?” the bartender asked as he set my Manhattan down. As if to illustrate his point, he deftly flexed an orange peel over the drink, sparking the citrus oils into flame with a match struck on the edge of the bar. It’s true, when you think about it. Everyone has a hazy memory of sucking down flaming shots of one kind or another and feeling a bit dangerous. For me, it was ouzo. Some like to set absinthe on fire as part of the elaborate drinking ritual; this practice was developed in order to make Czech absinthe palatable, but most distillers I’ve met frown on having their product cooked. I once watched author Wayne Curtis use a charcoal starter to ignite overproof rum-soaked gunpowder – WHOOSH! – to demonstrate how alcoholic content was tested prior to the invention of the [...]
Recipe of the Week: Scofflaw Cocktail
Personally, I think prohibition was one of the worst and best times in U.S. drinking history. Yes, you weren’t legally allowed to drink, which totally sucked, but at the sametime, some of the best cocktails creations came out of the drought. The Scofflaw Cocktail is one of them. It was created over at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the mid 1920′s and the name was intended to coin someone who enjoyed ducking into a Speakeasy or two to get away from the law. 1.5 oz Rye 1 oz Dry Vermouth 3/4 oz lemon juice 3/4 oz Grenadine Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and add ice. Shake and strain into a fancy martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Note: Make sure you don’t use the syrupy grenadine. Pomegranite-based grenadine is what is meant for this cocktail. There’s plenty of recipes online, but Small Hands sells [...]
BevMo’s Wilfred Wong: Top Ten Wines of 2011
We had the pleasure of chatting with Wilfred Wong, BevMo’s cellar master, this week about his favorite wines of the year and what it’s like to have the best job in the business (seriously — he visits France, Chile, Argentina, and more every year and tastes thousands of wines on each trip). He started at BevMo in August of 1995 as the import wine buyer and now, as cellar master, he scores about 8,000 wines/year for the retailer. Bevmo shoppers will be thrilled to know that the ‘WW’ on wine ratings around the store is, in fact, a real person. Wilfred gave us a quick primer on how he utilizes the 100 point scale to score wines in a systematic way. These top ten wines are all members of the illustrious “90+ point club,” which means that they all possess the characteristics of not only their respective grapes, but also [...]
Recipe of the week: Satan’s Whiskers
The great thing about a Satan’s Whiskers cocktail is that is can be made “Straight” with Grand Marnier or “Curled” with Orange Curacao. The first time (I believe) it was published was by Harry Craddock in the 1930 publication of The Savoy Cocktail Book. It’s a great classic cocktail for a quick afternoon pick me up, great for those Christmas shopping days where your significant other is dragging you around the city for “just one more stop I promise!” 1/2 oz Gin 1/2 oz Grand Marnier (substitute Orange Curacao for a “Curled” version) 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth 1/2 oz Orange Juice Dash of Orange bitters Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and add cracked ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist.
License To Still
Two years ago, Brad Estabrooke lost his job as a Wall Street bond trader. A year later, with the help of a severance check and a decade of deregulation in new York’s distilling industry, he followed his distillation dreams and started Breuckelen Distillery. He sold the first bottle of gin last summer and just added a wheat whiskey to Breuckelen’s repertoire. Across New York, a state known during the twenties for its gin-soaked speakeasies and gangster bootleggers, a new boutique distilling license is making it cheaper and easier for the latest generation of tipplers to make and sell their own liquor. Distillers such as Finger Lakes, Kings County, Tuthilltown Spirits, and Breuckelen are re-engaging in the state’s historical tradition by producing artisanal whiskeys, gins and vodkas that are as bold and flavorful as they are potent. The result is so good you’d think they’d been distilling the stuff for years. [...]
Contest Alert: Camarena Tequila’s Cinco de Diciembre Sweepstakes
Camarena Tequila is giving away swag every five minutes this Monday, December 5th. Like their Facebook page for a chance to get in on the action!
Contest Alert: Blue Collar Holidays Sweepstakes
Chrome bags and Miller High Life have partnered up to give away the ultimate tour of Milwaukee, the midwestern beer mecca. Check out all the details here
Friday Libation Links
Hey there, campers! Did you get through all of the leftovers in your fridge? We did… and now our ugly Christmas sweaters are a bit snug around the middle. Oh well. It was a big week for celebrity booze, spirits winning trophies, and beers in space. On to the links! Congratulations to all of the recently-announced medal winners of the 2011 New York International Spirits Competition. We see a lot of our favorite brands on that list! Special thumbs up to Becherovka, the herbtastic Czech liquor that grabbed the only gold medal in its category. So, Hanson’s MMMhop IPA is happening. We could tell you that our inner middle schoolers didn’t squeal for joy about this, but that would be a lie. The first beer in space is the first one you drank in college. Natty Ice has gone supernova. And finally, in the super-spendy wine category, we have Yao [...]
This Showed Up At Our Office: AF Rapoport’s Hot Buttered Rum
There’s almost nothing better than cozying up under a blanket with a hot winter cocktail to warm the toes on a cold winter night. We love a Hot Toddy, an Irish Coffee, a mug of mulled wine or spiked cider … sometimes it’s tough to choose. But the choice was made for us when a sample of AF Rapoport’s Hot Buttered Rum and HBR Batter landed in our mailbox right before we left work for Thanksgiving weekend. Let’s just say no one had their eyes on the pie, because we were too busy swilling this warm, sweet, delightfully boozy treat. AF Rapoport is the brainchild of Ryan Dunsmuir and Andy Rapoport, brother of Bon Appetit’s editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport, so it’s no wonder the product is as delicious as it is intoxicating. The mixed cocktails are currently available at Joseph Leonard and The Spotted Pig in New York, but all you [...]
Wine Tip of the Week: Holiday Gift Guide
The holidays are upon us. Holiday shopping has officially taken hold of our wallets. The only tool a wine enthusiast really can’t live without is a good old fashioned cork screw — but presents are more fun when they’re something you want, not need — so here’s a quick list of gift items any wine lover will love. Corkcicle $22.95- This little contraption is the answer for the age old question – “What do I do when a white wine is warm that should be cold now?” The corkcicle is a like an ice pack for your wine. To use, simply open the bottle of white wine, pour a small portion in a glass to create some room, and pop the corkcicle in the wine. The corkcicle is made up of a cork that has a long, thin freezer pack attached to it. Once inserted, the corkcicle will chill the [...]
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