Ketel One has a long and proud heritage.  It was started in 1691 in Schiedam, Hollland by Joannes Nolet and has been passed from father to son for over three hundred years.  We are looking forward to the day that it passes to a daughter as well given the increasing role of women in distilling and the industry.  Ketel One historically produced a dutch spirit genever, which reminds me of a cross between vodka and … Read more

In keeping with this week’s Mad Men theme, we are reviewing the Hiram Walker Creme de Menthe. Creme de Menthe was incredibly popular in the 1960′s and for good reason – it’s delicious. It makes me sad that we miss out on so much that is yummy and good by wanting to do the opposite of what our parents and grandparents did. I really think that we lose out on some truly delicious food and drink that way. Sometimes, we are rescued from the error of our ways by a glimmer through the vastness of time. That glimmer for the 1960′s is Mad Men. And, lucky for us, the fashion, the food and most importantly, the drink has come roaring back. …Read More

The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook did not disappoint. It was the perfect blend of Mad Men recaps paired with the booze and food consumed on the show with a shot of historical context on the side. It was like the Boilermaker of books. Kudos to the authors who must of watched hundreds of hours of Mad Men to nail down such details and researching the recipes. Also, since Mad Men has been off the air for so long, it also helped me remember the details of the past seasons. …Read More

The hottest Madison Avenue firm on television is back! This Sunday Mad Men kicks off it’s fifth season on AMC and you better not be caught with an empty glass when the show starts… …Read More

We recently had a very special wine tasting with Guy Sarton du Jonchay, the winemaster of Vidal Fleury, where we tasted through the Vidal Fleury portfolio with Mr. du Jonchay. During the tasting, we found out that Vidal Fleury is the oldest winery in the Rhone Valley having been established and in operation since 1781. Imagine my excitement when I found out that Thomas Jefferson visited the winery in 1787 in his wine tour of France and Italy and was the first person to export Vidal Fleury to the United States. Not to be too geeky, but I was an American history major and have always loved Thomas Jefferson who was a true renaissance man and wine lover! …Read More

March is National Women’s Month.  We have asked one of our favorite female bartenders, Pipi Rae Diamond, to come up with a drink in honor of National Women’s Month.  Since we are in San Francisco, Pipi choose to honor Lilly Hitchcock, a 19th century San Francisco socialite who was the honorary mascot of the San Francisco Fire Department.  Lilly Hitchcock was a woman ahead of her time and was quite the firecracker.  If you ever … Read more

Today marks the much-anticipated release of The Hunger Games movie. If you’re like me, you’ve lost sleep reading the book into the wee hours of the morning, at the expense of the next day’s productivity. …Read More

This scotch is the perfect spirit for beginning scotch drinkers. It expresses the essence of scotch with its soft nose and palate expressions of dried fruit and kernal flavors, such as toffee, with none of the intensity or smokey peat that may turn off beginning drinkers. This soft and approachable qualities also make it a great scotch to use in cocktails. The Glen Grant 10 Yr. Single Malt Whiskey also clocks at an entry level price at just under $40. …Read More

This week’s Wine Wednesday is the 2010 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir and it hails from Marlborough New Zealand. While we receive this wine as a sample, it appears to retail from $9.99 to $17 and at $9.99, just sneaks into Wine Wednesday. There have been many a wine from Italy and Spain featured in the Wine Wednesday column, but not so many from New Zealand. While the wines from New Zealand aren’t overly expensive, they generally don’t fall into the $10 and under category. But, a number of them can be had in the $10 to $20 range and are still a good value at those prices. …Read More

We made it! Spring is here. So, what does spring mean for us? Vibrant fresh cocktails, that’s what! …Read More