In addition to my friend Hunter Dillon and his “Casual Crusades” guest column, I am bringing in the husband-wife duo of Gordon Bond and Stephanie Hoagland for something new. They are going to be tackling a guest column of their own, titled “Fermented Musings”. In it, they will focus on liquor reviews, cocktail recipes, and…
Tag: Gin
Photo of the Day: July 29, 2017
This cabinet of vintage liquor belongs to my friend Lynn. Still waiting for her to write a cocktail column for this blog. She’s one of the more knowledgeable people I know when it comes to mixology, and the friend who introduced me to Chartreuse and a favorite drink of mine which combines champagne, gin, and…
Product Review: Fever-Tree Tonic
You know, I never quite thought about it this way until I saw this [paraphrased] statement on a packaging of Fever-Tree Tonic: “Tonic water is 3/4 of a gin and tonic, so shouldn’t be of a higher quality?” I’m all about trying something new when it comes to cocktails and natural ingredients. I had seen…
Restaurant Review: Hailey’s Harp and Pub (Metuchen, NJ)
Metuchen is a great food town. There are cafes, pizzerias, a fantastic ice cream shop, restaurants of every nationality you can think of, and then there’s Hailey’s Harp and Pub. Of course the food has to be good, but when it comes to pubs, the first thing I’m looking for is actually the atmosphere. Does…
Photo of the Day: May 11, 2017
The complex simplicity of a gin martini. Cafe Bella Vita, Staten Island, New York. A place I have been visiting my entire life (literally, my christening party was there). It’s about time I reviewed this place. July 2016.
I was All Set to Rip These Two Cheap Spirits…
A 750 ML bottle of Jacquin’s Royale 100 Proof Vodka and a liter of London Tower Gin came to a total of $15. I found them at a liquor store in the “Made in Pennsylvania” aisle two weeks ago. I had never seen either of these two items before. The only awareness of Jacquin’s I had…
Travel Guide PA: Booze Notes on this Current Trip
Years ago, my friend Jeff said the only two things more expensive in Pennsylvania are gas and alcohol. So far, he’s been right. I always visit the liquor stores just to see if they have anything I cannot find in New Jersey, but more often than not, I walk out empty-handed. For example, Johnnie Walker…
Cocktail Recipe: The Last Word
Like Absinthe, Chartreuse is one of those more mysterious spirits. It is produced in France, using a recipe more than 400 years old. That recipe is known by only two Carthusian monks at a time. They prepare the blend of 130 herbs which are steeped in alcohol. The product is either green or yellow Chartreuse,…
Drinking History: 10 Years Ago Today, Absinthe Re-Legalized in the USA
Happy Absinthe Day! 10 years ago today, absinthe was re-legalized in the United States after being banned for nearly 100 years. Less than a week removed from my History of Liquor course at Brookdale, I feel inclined to mention how needless the ban was in the first place. How hysteria, propaganda, and ignorance led to the…
This Warm Weather is Messing with My Drinking Habits
Winters are for whiskey. That’s always been the case for me. The cold, dark, and sometimes harsh months require a strong drink with complex flavors. No cocktails for me. When it’s freezing outside, I’ll take a good bourbon or Scotch neat. But what about when it’s February…and 70 degrees out? As I sit here and…
Restaurant Review: Piero’s (Union Beach, NJ)
Piero’s is one of those places I have driven past almost every day for many years. I live less than 10 minutes away, but until two weeks ago, had never been there. We went for my mom’s birthday. My parents had been there once before and wanted to come back. The chef/owner used to be…
Travel Guide PA: La Verona (Kennett Square)
We had New Year’s Eve dinner at La Verona. Our culinary exploits had taken us everywhere except for Italian food, so it was about time. The interior of the restaurant is beautiful. We sat in the bar area. Gradually, the place started to fill up as it got later and later, and people wanted to…
