SF Cocktail Week was a blast, particularly the molecular mixology event put on by Cocktail Lab. You can read my coverage on CitySip, which just launched in SF! Note: I’m writing more for other food and beverage sites, so I will post links to those as they are released and I’ll try to post all …
Category Archives: Featured
Hermetus Bottle Opener & Resealer
Update: sign up for the email newsletter to get a $7 off coupon, bringing the cost under a buck (+$5 shipping). For crooked bar owners, roofy dosers and those who just can’t drink a whole beer in one sitting, there is now the Hermetus Bottle Opener & Resealer. This churchkey can also be used to hermetically …
St. George’s New Gins (& The Best Place To Taste Them)
My favorite mad scientists, the fine distillers at St. George Spirits have just released their first gin… and their second… and their third. This delectable trio of new gins is incredibly diverse and unique. When I mentioned the endeavor in an article earlier this year, master distiller Lance Winters only described what would become the …
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Bitter Last Words
A friend recently mentioned how one crafty bartender had treated her to his bitter variation of the Last Word, swapping Angostura for gin in the traditional recipe. I had to give it a try, and found it biting and aggressive in the nicest way, so I figure it’s worth passing along. Bitter Last Words 3/4 …
Gunpowder Test
In the 18th and 19th centuries, when the British Royal Navy rationed rum to mariners, it wasn’t Bacardi Gold. This stuff had to be fiery enough to fend off the elements, so to ensure their booze wasn’t being watered down, seamen would perform the gunpowder test by dousing a pile of gunpowder with rum, touching …
Visiting Vintners at Press Club
I rarely leave San Francisco, except by plane, and the occasional trek north to wine country, so being able to get the tasting room experience without actually leaving the city would be a blessing. Press Club has answered my lazy cry (really more of a grumble), presenting their series of Visiting Vintner events. Every Thursday …
UrbanDig it
Sometimes I forget that there are at least three of you who aren’t my Facebook friends, and thus probably haven’t heard from me about UrbanDig. It’s a fantastic, free iPhone app (Android coming soon) that supplies very specific urban tours. Rather than digging around on Yelp, trying to figure out where to go, you can …
California Backing Down On Stupid Liquor Laws
It’s been over a year since I mentioned California’s absurd post-prohibition blue laws being newly enforced, ticketing bars for the heinous crime of infusing alcohol with fruit and herbs, and finally this week, it looks like things are about to change. Local boy, SF State Senator Mark Leno’s bill has passed the legislature and just …
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Why Connoisseur Is A French Word
I was treated to lunch by two fine, upstanding gentlemen from France (no, that’s not an oxymoron), and we tasted through a couple of great Cognac cocktails from Michael Mina and then four of their fine brandies1, but the highlight of their selection was a pair of vintage cognacs about to come to market in …
History of Craft Cocktails
My latest article for DrinkMe Magazine just rolled off the presses, but if you can’t pick up a copy, here’s the piece I wrote, accompanied by some great photos by my dear friend Liza. Click the image to link to the article on the DrinkMe site, or read it less prettily formatted below. Cheers, Quinn …