The Algonquin is named for the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan, and steeped in history. The hotel had been serving as meeting place for a roast for drama critic Alexander Woollcott. It soon became an ongoing meeting place for people such as Harpo Marx, Dorothy Parker, and Peggy Wood. The drink ended up being named in […]
Not every bourbon involves needing to line up at 11pm the day prior to wait for the opening of the shop to get. In fact, the vast majority of bourbons sit on the shelf and are completely serviceable. Perhaps the best example of this Wild Turkey 101, which offers amazing value for money. Among […]
Starting life as a trendy drink in the Castro district of San Francisco, the proto-cocktail that lead to the modern Cosmopolitan was a mix of Rose’s Lime Cordial, grenadine, and well vodka. When Toby Cecchini set out to make a version in the late 80s, he never thought it would be the type of drink […]
Owned by Diageo, Tanqueray is a brand positioned as premium but that isn’t the highest in the Tanqueray portfolio. Tanqueray London Dry Gin is positioned as their entry level brand, while they market Tanqueray No 10 Gin as their premium offering. Most people won’t ever get to realizing this though, as Tanqueray frequently is seen […]
Cocktails can be unnecessarily complicated. They feature hard to find, hard to pronounce, or hard to make ingredients. Sometimes cocktails that have a lot of steps are just the thing to spark your imagination, but heading into the holidays we all need something a little simpler to make. Enter the Maple Cinnamon Old Fashioned, a […]
Made by Jim Beam, Knob Creek represents part of their Small Batch collection (including Basil Hayden, Bookers, and Baker’s). The Knob Creek series has been in existence since 1992, and carried a 9 Year age statement for most of its history. The 9 year age statement returned in 2020, making it one of the few […]
The Toronto is one of the few classics that calls for Fernet. While Fernet Branca is the most well known of these, there are numerous other Fernet on the market. The dark, pungent liqueurs are known for the strong flavor profiles and high levels of complexity. To partner with them, Rye and Angostura Bitters lend […]
We’ve been a big fan of Elijah Craig’s Small Batch bourbon for a number of years. While it keeps tettering back and forth on our recommended bourbons list, we keep it there because the produce is incredibly well made for the price (even if the price creep is what keeps threatening to throw it off […]
Transitioning away from Halloween, we enter into the realm of autumnal cocktails that don’t quite reach into Christmas and Holiday spices. There’s still a chill in the air, but it’s time to celebrate the harvest. Squash, apple, pear, and other fall flavors take priority as we head into Thanksgiving. To lead off, we want to […]
Chopin is a premium producer of vodka from Poland. They make three distinct vodkas: Chopin Potato Vodka Chopin Rye Vodka Chopin Wheat Vodka Given the overwhelmingly positive response from r/vodka to Chopin, I felt it should be one of my next selections to explore. For filling a hole in our line up, it made sense […]
Growing up there were all sorts of Halloween specials that networks would air ranging from one time specials to blocks of spooky shows (like Scooby Doo or the Most Haunted Places on Earth). Some became classics, like the Simpson’s Tree House of Horror V, while others, like the Halloween Tree hang out at the edge […]
While juniper is the most well known botanical used to flavor gin, there are often a host of other supporting flavors. These can range from cassia to lemon rind to grains of paradise to almost any spice the mind can conceive of. For these reasons, gins are highly variable as their influence is driven by […]