The Fifth Cup is a liqueur crafted from figs, apricots, dates, almonds and pistachios. Since Righteous Road Craft Spirits uses kosher sugar cane distillate for their two Fifth Cup liqueurs, owner David Hermelin released his liqueur with Kosher certification in 2021. Kosher spirits are often made from kosher, wheat-based distillate, …
Coffee and wine have much in common. Their aroma, flavors, and level of intensity—mellow to strong—draw people to pour a cup or glass. Finding pleasure in both coffee and winemaking influenced Scott Burr to launch his 100% Kona-grown Carta Coffee Merchants. Burr grew up with his hands purpled from sorting grapes …
Plaj cocktails with beet-cured gravlax and herring Credit-Deborah Grossman What do you get when you match outstanding Swedish Chef Roberth Sundell with a talented Swedish bartender in San Francisco? An opportunity to play at pairing delicious cocktails with flavorful Nordic food. The Swedish pronunciation of “play” is “plaj,” thus the …
I’m all in for new spirits and new wines. But sometimes we reach for the classics. As a fan of aperitivos, Martini & Rossi Bitter aperitivo is a favorite at the bar, not too sweet or bitter. During recent travels, I’ve bumped into several fun ways to serve Martini & …
A river cruise is a far sail from ocean ship excursions. Forget the big top atmosphere and thousands of passengers on large cruise ships. On a typical river cruise, you may be joined by 150 fellow explorers who also dislike pricey margaritas, massive crowds, and costumed extravaganzas. We boarded …
by Deborah GrossmanThe Vineyard Table & Tasting Lounge looks like a big city restaurant with a sleek, friendly bar, wooden tabletops, wine wall, communal table and expansive patio. But peer out the floor-to-ceiling windows and you’ll see grapevines and the historic tasting building of Wente Vineyards in a bucolic corner …
With 2,000 years of vinous fame, Burgundy rarely jostles for the media spotlight. But on July 4th, the region broadcasted loud news. The headlines touted UNESCO’s recognition of the near-sacred status of their climats, the legally defined and forever-keeping-the-same-name vineyard plots as World Heritage sites. But along with this …
Introduction Cognac is no ordinary brandy. Anyone can make brandy, but Cognac comes only from the Charente region of France, southwest of Paris located on the northern border of Bordeaux. Fermented wine, mostly from ugni blanc grapes grown in six crus (areas), is double distilled in the unique Charentais method. …
The heat is on for cinnamon liquor. Tennessee Fire from Jack Daniels is staking claims to shelf space near Kentucky Fire from Jim Beam. Launched nationwide in early March, Tennessee Fire expects to strike gold by targeting Fireball, the granddaddy of cinnamon spirits. A stampede of new producers is singeing …
Ready to heat things up? Cinnamon spirits are the fasted growing category in the dark whiskey universe. The spice now lights up tequila and moonshine. Vodka was the first spirit to vigorously pursue flavor, but the proliferation of extreme examples from marshmallow to bubble gum may have saturated the market …
Ice cider is a niche dessert wine coming into its own. Also known as apple ice wine or ice apple wine, ice cider is sweeter and more alcoholic than hard cider. The pressed apple juice for ice cider is left in the natural cold for several months to force watery …
Hard cider has resurfaced as the darling of the beverage world. Now it’s time to meet ice cider. Forget the analogy with iced tea and tea. Ice cider is apple ice wine, similar to Sauternes or a sweet Riesling, and nothing like long-gone Apple Boone’s Farm. Ice cider doesn’t have …
