Drinks Wire

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

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The Chinese Lunar New Year is one of the most widely celebrated cultural and religious events among Chinese communities worldwide! Considered the most important holiday, the centuries-old tradition marks the end of the winter season with giant festivals around the world featuring dragon and lion dances and fireworks. 

Welcome in the Year of the Dragon by trying out a few of these recipes inspired by this special holiday!

    Year of the Dragon — this vodka

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Ice Cream Happy Hour Review – Literary Monday

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If you love booze and you love to to make your own ice cream, sorbets and granitas, then this book is the one for you. Ice Cream Happy Hour is an innovative book that brings you “50 boozy treats you spike, freeze and serve”. The authors of Ice Cream Happy Hour have covered a number of old and new classics in their book and most of them seem downright yummy.

I will freely admit that … Read more

A Trip To Volcano Winery

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On a recent trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, I visited the Volcano National Park and nearby town of Volcano where I discovered the Volcano Winery. Situated on the slopes of Mount Kilauea, the Volcano Winery produces a number of unique wines. After a day of hiking around the rim of the caldera, through lava tubes and across fields of sulfur vents, nothing could be better than sampling locally-produced wine!  I was intrigued by

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New World and Old World – High/Low Weekend

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This week’s high/low weekend is a comparison of the new world and old world styles of wine. Australia is representing the new world with a Riesling from Edna Valley. I bet a few of you didn’t even know that Australia made Rieslings (you are not alone). But, they certainly do and if you enjoy Riesling with petrol characteristics, then you should really try Australia. The old world is being represented by Spain with a traditional, … Read more

The NFL Cocktail Playoffs: Championship Sunday

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The eyes of the world will all be on the two-storied fields this Championship Sunday. The big question is: where will you be to enjoy it? If you can’t make it to the game, I’m here to showcase the best places for you to watch, celebrate and most importantly pound the best local brews your bartender can pour! 

    Kezar Pub, San Francisco, California – This Haight-Ashbury watering hole has a rich pub atmosphere where fans

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Cocktail Casting Call: 30 Rock

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Fire up your Kabletown boxes and grab a large bag of Sabor de Soledad, the loveable cast of characters at 30 Rock are back! The cast of 30 Rock is one of the best on television, so today we honor each character with a casting call of our own. Here are some of the best supporting cocktails for your must-see Thursday! 

    Liz’s Lemon Lavender Cocktail – The leader of this motley crew might not be

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Flor de Cana Centenario Gold 18 Year Old Rum Review

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It’s been awhile since we reviewed a Rum so we thought we would review one that we really enjoy – the Flor de Cana Centenario Gold 18 Year Old Rum. But, truly, what isn’t to like about a well made 18 year old rum? The Flor de Cana Centenario hails from Nicaragua (although from what I could find, they source the sugar cane for their Rum all over Central America) and is the star of … Read more

2010 Bernabeleva Camino de Navaherrero Review – Wine Wednesday

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The rule for Wine Wednesday is that the wine must be purchased or retail for $10 or under. But, this week, we are going to break this rule and bring you a wine that retails for $12. We tried it at our weekly wine tasting, which this week highlighted Grenache or the Spanish Granacha. This wine was uniformly adored and people were rating it very good at a $25 price point. Yet, it was a … Read more

Prohibition and the California Wine Industry

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On January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States made “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States…for beverage purposes….” illegal. But, two little words were missing from that list: ownership, and consumption.  It was those 2 words that made all the difference in the years ahead.   

The Volstead Act, the body of law responsible for … Read more

Creme Yvette Review

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In honor of January 17, the day that Prohibition went into effect, we thought that we would review an old timey liqueur that was recently revived. Creme Yvette was originally conceived by the Sheffield Company of Connecticut in the 1800’s and purchased by Charles Jacquin et Cie in the 1930’s. I wish I could tell you more about the Sheffield Company but there wasn’t much out there and given the timing of the sale to … Read more