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Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey Review

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Old Potrero is a recreation of an 18th century American whiskey. It’s made with 100% rye mash. Most rye makers mix corn and/or barley in the mash, which would make the spirit sweeter.

It’s copper-pot distilled and aged for two years plus in toasted oak barrels. The reason they don’t call it a “rye whiskey” on the label despite the fact that it has a much higher rye content than other American whiskeys is that … Read more

Razerac

The sazerac is one of my favorite cocktails. So I was hesitant to mess with it.

But I had some raspberries in the fridge and a funny name in my head — Razerac … sounds like Scooby Doo saying “Sazerac.”

Thus the Razarac was born. And it is awesome.

It’s still quite a stiff cocktail. Just like a sazerac, it’s just rye, simple syrup and bitters. However, it has a little sweet twist.

Accounting for … Read more

Xante Liqueur Review

Xante is a pear and cognac liqueur. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, it is.

The pear nose on this liqueur goes right to the edge of being too sweet and stops just in time. It’s a pleasant aroma, like a pear stripped of its water leaving only the sugar.

I was afraid it would be sickly-sweet tasting. But the initial burst of sweet pear gives way to a richer cognac and vanilla flavor. Then comes … Read more

Mad Men Season 3 Premiere Cocktail Party

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Finally! Season 3 of Mad Men premieres August 16. And it’s just not Mad Men without booze.

Who can forget when Sally Draper mixed a Tom Collins for the grownups? Or when Don Draper wooed Rachel Menken with one of the prettiest Mai Tais I’ve ever seen? And of course there was Freddy Rumson’s … incident in the office after one Screwdriver too many.

So what better way to celebrate the start of this new … Read more

Some Pushing for More Regulation of Caffeinated Alcohol

People have been mixing alcohol and caffeine for a long time whether it’s a rum and coke or vodka and Red Bull. So it was only natural that liquor and beer companies would come up with their own caffeinated concoctions, such as JETT Vodka, Liquid Charge and Joose.

Now some regulators and advocacy groups are claiming that the practice needs to be regulated more, stating that caffeine and alcohol are a dangerous combination.

Some scientific

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Black Maple Hill Bourbon Review

Black Maple Hill is a damn fine, 95-proof bourbon at a damn fine price. My friends and I call it “the one that smells like bananas,” but there’s more to it than its tropical nose.

It starts out mellow on the tongue with a bit of a sweet, fruity taste and quickly brings on a little heat to let you know that, yes, this is Kentucky bourbon you’re drinking. The result is a solid, complex … Read more

Luxe Hunt: Find a Sticker, Win $100,000 Brandy

Luxe Coterie, a high-end jewelry and spirits company, will hide a sticker in New York City on August 21. Whoever finds that sticker can redeem it for a rare bottle of Mendis Coconut Brandy worth $100,000. This particular bottle is signed by the founder and sealed in gold leaf.

The company will provide clues to the sticker’s whereabouts via Twitter. Hunters will have from 9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on August 21 to find the … Read more

Auditions for “The Winemakers” Reality TV Series Set in France

Got what it takes to be a winemaker? Want to create your own national wine label? Then audition for the Public Television series “The Winemakers” for a chance to go to Rhone, France and prove yourself.

Auditions will be held July 27 in San Francisco and August 3 in New York. If you can’t make it to either of those, you can upload a two-minute video audition which will be judged by popular vote.

THE

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Mayahuel: Agave-Lovers Paradise

I was doing some research on tequila and mezcal, and one bar was consistently mentioned with raves: Mayahuel in New York.

Tequila has often gotten a bad rap, due to its associations with spring break, hangovers, and the whole “eat the worm” thing. But it’s a very versatile spirit, as is its often-ignored cousin mezcal.

Mayahuel bartender Phil Ward loves the agave spirits, as evidenced by this great quote from his interview with BlackBook:… Read more

Starbucks Dabbles in Beer & Wine

Starbucks is opening a Seattle location that will serve beer and wine—with more to come. If the experiment goes well, the concept could be tested in other cities.

The test move to sell alcohol is clearly an attempt to fight off growing competition from McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, says Ron Paul, president of Technomic, a restaurant consulting firm.

Starbucks experiments with new name (@USA Today)… Read more