Latest & Greatest

This series is dedicated to my beloved California wine countries. Fittingly, one must start with the Rolls Royce of appellations. It’s California’s most prestigious viticulture area, with plantable land selling for upwards of a million dollars per acre. Located in the center of Napa Valley, the Oakville AVA is two …

It does exactly what it says on the tin. There is literally no other bartending tool like this on the market. It has everything you need to craft up that perfect cocktail without all the fuss and confusion of having 10 different pieces of equipment laying around. Perfect for those …

Before I went to Antwerp, I knew two things: 1) Antwerp is a European fashion capital, 2) my attire (old jeans and sneakers) would not be up to local standards. No matter, I told myself. Comfy kicks are more important than haute couture when you want to eat, drink and …

Five years after opening, notable cocktail bar Blackbird in San Francisco’s Castro is having its year. First, it announced Brewcade, a new bar arcade imagined by Blackbird owners Shawn Vergara and Tiffny Vergara Chung, which opened nearby in December. Also in December, bar manager Matt Grippo launched the “Winter is Coming” Game of Thrones themed …

There’s a bit of fun going on at the Bar at Edinburgh’s classic Balmoral Hotel. You know how Michelin-starred restaurants offer multi-course “tasting menus” to show off the virtuoso skills of the chef? Well the Balmoral has applied that concept to drinks: a seasonal cocktail tasting menu enjoyed over a …

Wood’s is a family-run business out of central Vermont producing the state’s only bourbon-barrel-aged maple syrup. And they’re not just using any old barrels. The company sources their oak from New York’s award-winning Hudson Whiskey. One of the unique features of Hudson is the smaller casks they use for maturation, …

This tale of travel, sex, and perfectly made cocktails charts the debauched first year of a young bartender’s career in the jäger-fuelled world of late-night bars and clubs. Written by award-winning bartender-turned-journalist Dan Miles, Filthy Still has become a cult bestseller among hospitality workers around the globe. With each chapter …

Childhood nostalgia and adult beverages make a great pair. San Francisco’s latest iteration of child’s play and booze is Brewcade, a Market Street bar-arcade curated by Kai Villegas (formerly of Monk’s Kettle). The bar – opened on December 10 by the owners of neighboring cocktail bar Blackbird – has 25 …

Brouwerij De Ranke XX Bitter IPA.  Belgian 6.0% 93 points. Sun in a glass, smile on your face. Bitter lemon meets spicy butterscotch. An IPA drinker’s Belgian ale with enough complexity to satisfy the “Belgianista.”

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 …

Stillwater Ales Sensory Series V.2 Black Saison Ale Baltimore, Maryland. 5% 90 points. A sheep in wolf’s clothing, the opaque hue surprises the taste buds with delicate chocolate and rye bread. Has the lightness of a much paler ale with a tongue-drying finish. An easy drinking dark session brew.  

Brut NV Champagne can and often does sell for a lot of money—Krug Grande Cuvee, for example, commands approximately $150 in most markets, and typically more than double that on the wine lists of restaurants smart enough to offer it. The solera system employed in Sherry production is built on …