One of the best ways to experience new whiskey is to try it in a bar at a reasonable price. This is how I fell in love with Little Book Chapter 2, and how I ended up initially finding a bottle of Little Book Chapter 5 to review a few years back. I still find […]
Sometimes drinks are inspired by a beautiful piece of art or a pop culture reference. Other times they come from classics, providing the template to an amazing cocktail. All drinks start somewhere, and in the case of the Thaijito, it finds it foundation in the fact that I just had way too much Thai Basil. […]
This review would like have never happened if not for some pure happenstance, the kindness of the folks at Patient Wolf, and pure dumb luck. Departing for Australia last year, I had a couple of distilleries that I ideally wanted to visit. Before we even left, it became apparent that one of them, Mr. Black […]
Sometimes the hype train gets you going. People review things that they can find in their local area, that you have no way to obtain where you live, and you think, ‘I have to try that’. A few years back, when I was falling down the Bourbon rabbit hole, that same thing happened to me, […]
What do you conjure when you hear the word Cloister. If it’s a Pokémon, you’ve probably found yourself on the wrong blog, though the same could be said if you’ve reached the word reflecting monasteries or convents. This cocktail takes it’s name from those, although why it doesn’t isn’t immediately clear. Neither it this cocktail’s […]
Part of Foursquare’s “Exceptional Cask” Series, Foursquare Rum Distillery 2005 appears to be a rather simple bruiser of a Barbados rum on first glance. Coming in at a hearty 59%, this rum was distilled in 2005 from both Pot and Column stills. It was then aged for 12 years in ex-Bourbon casks stored in Barbados […]
Perhaps few bottles command the collectability of Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon. These single barrel expressions of Buffalo Trace’s Mash Bill #2 (more rye – albeit really low high rye at 12%-15%) are well known for not only the solid bourbon they contain, but also their darling little horse toppers that you can collect. Get […]
As we mentioned during our review of Averell’s Damson Gin, Damsons or Sloes are different than their modern plum counterparts you’ll find in the store. They tend to be sharp, more concentrated, and a bit more astringent then their snacking cousins. As a result, they were more commonly used for preserved and sweetened things like […]
Sole Vermouth Rosso is cheap. Like under $7 (sometimes under $5) for a liter cheap. Cheap vermouth is usually a minefield of sweetness, over (or under) aromatizing, or pre-oxidized tasting wine. It isn’t helped by typically being incorrectly stored, or older than you when you’re at your relatives. So if you’re buying Sole’s Rosso new, is […]
After receiving a Castle & Key Restoration Rye Single Barrel from a friend in Chicago, I was intrigued to see how the Castle & Key entry level offering was. The single barrel offering was deep and robust, with lots of layered flavors. With a higher proof point than many standard offerings (coming in at 103), […]
A more modern classic, the Revolver originates in San Francisco in the early 2000’s. While this is technically a Manhattan variant, you’d be forgiven for confusing the 3 ingredient template with an old fashioned. Instead, the vermouth is replaced by rich, luxurious coffee liqueur. The result is a rich and simple to execute twist on […]
One of the more frequent questions that pops up in the search results for our site is what bottles are recommended by Death & Co. This has changed over time as Death & Co. is now on their third book, and each book represents something of a time capsule. If you venture all the way […]