Published at NYC’s new Barcademy in February 2020, my article on r(h)um funk or hogo, namely Haitian clairin, including interview quotes from Calvin Babcock of Saint Benevolence in Haiti. My article here. “Funk” is a descriptor rum lovers are well acquainted with. The 18th-century term for funky rums is haut goût or hogo. Rum geeks often talk hogo or dunder, referring… Read more →
Published February 3, 2020, at Distiller Magazine, my new bottle column covers trends and reviews international spirits. This first column calls out 2019 releases and trends in rum, clairin, gin, vermouth, whiskey, coffee liqueur, absinthe, coffee amaro, bourbon and Japanese whisky here.
Covering 10 standout rum cocktails around the US at Liquor.com, you’ll find my top national drinks on menus at these bars/restaurants: — Seaworthy, New Orleans— Elements at ONE65, San Francisco— The Hidden Pearl, New York City (Brooklyn)— Mercantile, Denver— Tigertail + Mary, Miami— Naive, Louisville— Corrida, Boulder— Charmaine’s, San Francisco— Katana Kitten, New York City— Bad Hunter, Chicago Whether you chase rhum funk or spiced… Read more →
Covering the 9 top rum cocktails of the month around the country at Liquor.com, you’ll find my top national drinks now at these bars/restaurants: Hell or High Water, Louisville, KY Curio at The Chapel, San Francisco The Patterson House, Nashville Sen Sakana, NYC Hello Stranger, Oakland, CA The Diamond, Vancouver, B.C. Three Dots & A Dash, Chicago The Snug, San… Read more →
Published at Liquor.com on January 24, 2018, my article on the one-of-a-kind Lost Spirits Distillery and my interview with distiller/founder Bryan Davis after their move from the Santa Cruz area to DTLA (downtown Los Angeles). Is the Distillery Tour at Lost Spirits the Wackiest in the World? Read more →
It is Rum month at Liquor.com and here are 11 of my rum cocktails around the US now (click on each for the featured cocktail and bar/restaurant): Read more →
Winter in California is a gorgeous affair, much like the rest of the year, with sunny, crisp days and nights interspersed with warm, summery waves. There are always nearby mountains when one craves snow for the weekend but winter leads into spring seamlessly and we drink refreshing cocktails as easily as spirituous drinks, thus all spirits flow year-round, from whiskey… Read more →
Almost daily, I’m tasting a wide range of spirits, wines and beers, whether at restaurants and bars, distilleries, wineries or breweries or as samples crossing my desk. Over the past few months, there have been many new spirits releases, including these spring and winter releases since the year began. I’ve been having fun experimenting with cocktails with recently released Cent-Anni… Read more →
With high altitude (around 8000 feet) and an onslaught of activity, Aspen Food & Wine is a dizzying, long weekend of tastings, seminars, parties and events held in the idyllic mountain town of Aspen every June. This summer I went with a drink focus in mind, even as I ate my way through the weekend. In fact, drink — namely… Read more →
Many spirits cross my desk — or are tasted at numerous bars or distilleries — in any given month. For December, here are 3 international spirits — vermouth, rum and Scotch— that stood out or offer something different. BroVo Vermouths ($18) I’ve been having fun with BroVo’s brand new line of vermouths — and was already a fan of their… Read more →