Whenever I come home from lecturing, I usually have a martini. But since that was my dad’s drink, I have not really been in the mood for one the last few months. On this particular night, I poured myself a Napa River Merlot. Nothing fancy. I’m not much of a wine guy (horrible Italian, I…
Tag: Liquor
Product Review: Cask & Crew Ginger Spice Whiskey
This is going to be a short post because there really is not much to say. We have another damn good spirit on our hands (and in our glasses). After reviewing Cask & Crew’s walnut toffee whiskey a few weeks ago, I had inquired with them to see if I could try their ginger spice…
Photo of the Day: August 30, 2017
With the summer coming to an end, I’m looking back to a 4th of July party which I bartended at for the second year in a row. It’s a great gig. My friend who is a chef does the cooking, his wife who is also a close friend of mine does the singing, and another…
Photo of the Day: August 22, 2017
Sometimes you can indeed have too much of a good thing. This shop below the Steamboat Inn in Mystic, Connecticut offered more than 150 different kinds of whiskey…but I could not decide on one, and ended up buying nothing. What a tragedy! June 2017.
Introducing a New Guest Column
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…
Photo of the Day: August 10, 2017
I’ve never been inside Crate’s Liquor Store in Red Bank, New Jersey, but I just had to stop and photograph this awesome vintage signage. So much of it has been taken down everywhere, but even far-removed from their glory days, metal emblems like this still reek of Americana and a simpler time. That’s why there’s…
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: Johnnie Walker Blender’s Batch Triple Grain American Oak
Here’s a short but sweet post: you have to get your hands on a bottle of Johnnie Walker’s new addition to their limited Blender’s Batch series. It’s a 10 year old Scotch blended with triple grain American oak. The result is a finished product that barely tastes like Scotch. It is incredibly smooth, there is not…
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…
Another History of Liquor Lecture
On March 2nd, I will be giving a lecture on the history of liquor at Brookdale Community College for the third time. To my happiness, it has been very well received so far, even calls for a sequel. I try to cover as much as I can. Such an extensive topic can not be condensed into…
Christmas 2016 Product Review: Not Your Father’s Root Beer
Imagine: there was a nationwide shortage of this stuff last year. Things have since calmed down. My friend Brett and I went to at least five different liquor stores when it first came out just trying to find a six-pack, and our efforts were to no avail. All I kept hearing is how amazing Not Your…
Christmas 2016 Product Review: Torani Bacon Syrup
There is bacon everything on the market. I love the smokey pork product as much as anyone, but how much is too much? Months ago, I was introduced to something called Bacon Syrup. While I was very skeptical at first, an initial whiff of the liquid produced by Torani had me going,”Wow!”. It truly smelled…
