| January 30, 2012 |
| And Then There Was Shandy |
| Posted by Lisa P. Sutton |
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| Like most women, I wasn't born a beer fan. I came of age drinking whatever tasted least like alcohol-fruit-flavored wine coolers, mimosas, forgotten bottles of coffee liquors my parents received each year as Christmas gifts. Drinking then was ... |
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| Continue reading "And Then There Was Shandy" » |
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| November 16, 2011 |
| Make up Your Freakin' Minds, Researchers! |
| Posted by Zack Jenkins |
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| Is wine good for me or not?! A recent study by Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that women who drink just two glasses of wine a day are 50% more likely to get breast cancer than those that don't drink at all. And ... |
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| Continue reading "Make up Your Freakin' Minds, Researchers!" » |
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| November 09, 2011 |
| Any Excuse to Shoot Lasers, Right, Scotland? |
| Posted by Zack Jenkins |
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| Researchers at Andrews University in Scotland have figured out the best way to test scotch-whisky authenticity-fire a laser at it! It sounds like a perfect Star Wars moment for alcohol lovers, doesn't it? But no, they're serious. It was all developed ... |
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| Continue reading "Any Excuse to Shoot Lasers, Right, Scotland?" » |
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| November 02, 2011 |
| It's Not Okay, It's ArKay . . . and It's Alcoholic-Free! |
| Posted by Zack Jenkins |
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| It's not just beer and wine that can be non-alcoholic anymore. Whisky has entered the sober game. The $40 billion dollar non-alcoholic beverage market is experiencing a first: ArKay Alcoholic -Free Whisky Flavored Drink . Available for purchase on ... |
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| Continue reading "It's Not Okay, It's ArKay . . . and It's Alcoholic-Free!" » |
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| May 06, 2011 |
| Muscadet May in Boston |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| Actually, I don’t think about Muscadet wine a lot. I’d rather it simply showed up in a glass so I could just drink it. So when I was given a chance to sample several Muscadets with oysters, of course I said yes. The SecondGlass people combined forces ... |
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| Continue reading "Muscadet May in Boston" » |
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| April 25, 2011 |
| Amarone from any year? How about 1980! |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| One of my favorite things about Bertani, the Amarone producer, is that they make available their vintage Amarones from just about any year in the last half-century. Anyone can order one through the distributor, and the prices are in the $$ hundreds, ... |
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| Continue reading "Amarone from any year? How about 1980!" » |
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| March 23, 2011 |
| View from a Bar: Te Tiare Beach Resort |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| Huahine, French Polynesia After having been evacuated from my over-the-water bungalow at 5 a.m. because of a tsunami warning, I found myself spending most of my remaining time on the islands of French Polynesia sipping Hinano ("The Beer of Tahiti") ... |
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| Continue reading "View from a Bar: Te Tiare Beach Resort" » |
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| March 17, 2011 |
| Two Sicilies – Wines from Etna and Ragusa |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| Having just returned from the annual Sicilia en primeur event, I find myself swimming in impressions about what’s happening on this island. Or is it a continent on its own? The further from the mainland you get, the more you feel you’re on a separate ... |
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| Continue reading "Two Sicilies – Wines from Etna and Ragusa" » |
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| March 07, 2011 |
| View from a Bar: Café Fiore, Ventura, CA |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenphile |
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| A few sips of Banfi grappa. PHOTO: ANTHONY HEAD She offered gelato, too. Such a fine pair they are. But only for lingering. And lo, I must go. |
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| Continue reading "View from a Bar: Café Fiore, Ventura, CA" » |
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| March 03, 2011 |
| Provence with a Dynamic Blonde – and Wine |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| Just caught up with Château Roubine 's Valerie Rousselle today at the "Provence in the City" aka rosé wines tasting in Boston. Valerie Rousselle of Ch. Roubine In addition to her "new name" (as she describes her divorce), she has several new wines ... |
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| Continue reading "Provence with a Dynamic Blonde – and Wine" » |
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| February 25, 2011 |
| View from a Bar: Harry Carry's Seventh Inning Stretch, Chicago |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| Hopping across the country, airport to airport, isn't the same kind of fun it used to be. If you can't travel light and efficient it's hardly worth making the effort to get to the airport. Plus, our society's ongoing mallification brings the same ... |
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| Continue reading "View from a Bar: Harry Carry's Seventh Inning Stretch, Chicago" » |
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| February 17, 2011 |
| Clear, Non-fat Chocolate Dessert |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| It's Godiva. The vodka, not the truffles. Well, we might have had the truffles, if there had been any left. But we ate them as soon as we opened the box. The Godiva people sent over chocolate and chocolate-raspberry truffles with samples of their ... |
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| Continue reading "Clear, Non-fat Chocolate Dessert" » |
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| February 14, 2011 |
| View from a Bar: Restless Wind, San Marcos, Texas |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| This Texas bar is much too marvelous for words. It's more about the concepts. PHOTO: ANTHONY HEAD The crazy rum that's nothing more than bloody murder. One of the Gibbs is singing, but she ain't one of them Bee Gees. Someone is gonna be Canadian, if ... |
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| Continue reading "View from a Bar: Restless Wind, San Marcos, Texas" » |
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| February 14, 2011 |
| A Dinner Party Hosted by a Great Scot |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| I like the way marketing spirits and wines is changing. Instead of summoning the press to a morning seminar or mid-afternoon comparison tasting, some companies are demonstrating the way their wines or spirits fit into our lifestyle. They’re doing ... |
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| Continue reading "A Dinner Party Hosted by a Great Scot" » |
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| January 26, 2011 |
| How to Drink Great Vodka Every Night |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| Start at 14. Most guys probably start around then, just not officially. But if you’re seriously interested in the spirits business—as opposed to just drinking—you can become a Brand Ambassador and travel the world. Like Paul Franich. His official ... |
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| Continue reading "How to Drink Great Vodka Every Night" » |
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| January 25, 2011 |
| How New EU Labeling Initiatives Will Affect US Packaging & Italian Wine |
| Posted by Emily Steers |
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| The difference between DOCG, DOC, IGT (and all the other acronyms of years past) can make purchasing a pleasing bottle of Italian wine seem like an impossible challenge. So when importers, distributers, and consumers learned that the European Union ... |
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| Continue reading "How New EU Labeling Initiatives Will Affect US Packaging & Italian Wine" » |
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| January 25, 2011 |
| Commemorating 150 Years: Two Wines Symbolizing Italian Unification |
| Posted by Emily Steers |
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| In March of 1861-- just a few days before the beginning of the American Civil War-- Italy announced its unification. This year, to commemorate the country's 150th anniversary, two blends of the country's indigenous grapes will be released. This ... |
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| Continue reading "Commemorating 150 Years: Two Wines Symbolizing Italian Unification" » |
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| January 24, 2011 |
| Vino 2011-- The Future of Italian Wine Press Conference |
| Posted by Emily Steers |
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| In a press conference held this morning by the Italian Trade Commission, leading industry professionals gathered in a panel for a quick but informative overview about the future of the Italian wine industry in America. Moderated by Elin McCoy , the ... |
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| Continue reading "Vino 2011-- The Future of Italian Wine Press Conference" » |
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| January 13, 2011 |
| Galliano L'Autentico |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| When I was young, I eyed the long, tall, yellow Galliano liqueur bottle with suspicion, when I saw it on people’s home bars. Rather than a mark of sophistication, I looked at it as a demonstration of ego. Which it probably was, for most of those ... |
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| Continue reading "Galliano L'Autentico" » |
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| December 22, 2010 |
| Averna Amaro dal 1868 |
| Posted by Becky Sue Epstein |
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| Averna . The word reminds me of taverna. In my mind, there’s group of us lingering over coffee at the end of a long, particularly warm day early spring. We’re in a little town west of Palermo, in a caffe about a block from the ocean. It’s the season ... |
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| Continue reading "Averna Amaro dal 1868" » |
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| December 02, 2010 |
| View from a Bar: Marty's, Juluchuca, Mexico |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| Let us go then, you and I, to Marty's bar in Mexico. On the coast, just south of Zihuatanejo. We'll take highway 200 from the airport past the Hotel California (is there one in every town?) until we get to Juluchuca. Then it's a gracefully smooth ... |
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| Continue reading "View from a Bar: Marty's, Juluchuca, Mexico" » |
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| November 05, 2010 |
| View from a Bar: Riley’s Tavern, Hunter, Texas |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| There is an immediate comfortable feeling inside Riley's, as if the place had been standing darn near forever and just about everybody in Texas had passed through its doors at one time or another. PHOTO: ANTHONY HEAD The building, I was told, has ... |
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| Continue reading "View from a Bar: Riley’s Tavern, Hunter, Texas" » |
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| September 29, 2010 |
| View from a Bar: Humperdink's, Arlington, Texas |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| If you only knew how fascinating Arlington is, you might never leave. Within two or three miles from Humperdink's "tallest" sports bar there is Rangers Ballpark, where the Texas Rangers play; Cowboys Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys play-and where ... |
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| Continue reading "View from a Bar: Humperdink's, Arlington, Texas" » |
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| September 26, 2010 |
| Courvoisier Updates Image with Connoisseur Collection |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| Courvoisier is changing things up with the launch of three new Cognacs. First up is their Connoisseur Collection. These two new labels will start hitting shelves in October, and aim to stand out with their age statement, which is prominently ... |
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| Continue reading "Courvoisier Updates Image with Connoisseur Collection " » |
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| September 02, 2010 |
| View from a Bar: Pony Club, Paso Robles, California |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| My recent half-week in wine country felt similar to that dreamlike area between the states of sleeping and waking—only in this case the states were delirious and exhausting. Delirious because to visit Paso Robles is to taste some of America's finest ... |
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| Continue reading "View from a Bar: Pony Club, Paso Robles, California" » |
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| August 02, 2010 |
| Kanon Vodka Launches, Jello Shots in Tow |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| When spirit brands launch, they hire bartenders to showcase the product. It’s rare that a liquor company comes up with something so inventive – and so tasty – as Kanon Vodka’s “Reverse Mojito”. This libation actually isn’t a cocktail. It’s a gussied ... |
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| Continue reading "Kanon Vodka Launches, Jello Shots in Tow" » |
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| July 12, 2010 |
| Smirnoff Splashes Down with Mango and Peach |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| It’s flavored vodka mania! During the past few months, we’ve witnessed the launch of countless vodka concoctions. Absolut has their Berry Acai, Three Olives now slings a bubble gum label, Ciroc is in the game with a Red Berry flavor and now Smirnoff ... |
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| Continue reading "Smirnoff Splashes Down with Mango and Peach " » |
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| June 28, 2010 |
| Balblair Asks: What Vintage is Your Scotch? |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| Here’s a question you don’t come across very often: what year is your whisky? Most Scotch and whisky makers don’t specify the year that their product was casked. They go by the age: 10 year, 15 year, etc. Balblair, which recently launched in the US, ... |
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| Continue reading "Balblair Asks: What Vintage is Your Scotch? " » |
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| June 18, 2010 |
| Mystery Solved in San Marcos |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| I've been wondering about this place called Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill just off I-35, in San Marcos, Texas. Would they really be wearing bikinis inside? I've been wondering. Really? You know, names can be deceptive. Hooters isn't really about ... |
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| Continue reading "Mystery Solved in San Marcos" » |
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| June 07, 2010 |
| Decoding the Shaker Face. |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| What does your shaker face say about you? That’s the question that one cheeky website asks. Shaker Faces ( www.shakerfaces.com ) thinks that you can learn a lot about your bartender from the face that they make while they shake you up a cocktail. ... |
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| Continue reading "Decoding the Shaker Face. " » |
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| May 31, 2010 |
| The Quiet Turtle in Dallas |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| The place is empty, except for the bartender and myself. Probably just as well. The Bar at The Mansion on Turtle Creek is austere. It's refined. It's like a law school library. That's not to say it's not comfortable. I like the plush seating. I like ... |
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| Continue reading "The Quiet Turtle in Dallas" » |
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| May 25, 2010 |
| Get Ready For Maker’s 46 |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| The folks down at the Maker’s Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky have only ever made one thing. Until now. A new label from Maker’s Mark is on the way to the market. Deemed Maker’s 46, this spirit puts a new twist on the old Maker’s recipe. Maker’s ... |
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| Continue reading "Get Ready For Maker’s 46 " » |
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| May 11, 2010 |
| A Bar Bottles their Mixers for Retail |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| Most high-end New York cocktail bars make their ingredients in house, but only one is getting ready to bottle their mixtures and sell them retail. The West Village’s Employees Only restaurant is set to launch a line of artisan bar mixers dubbed ... |
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| Continue reading "A Bar Bottles their Mixers for Retail " » |
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| May 04, 2010 |
| Enjoying the Blues in Austin |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| The temperatures have hit the low-90s in Central Texas, which means we'll probably have 100+ degrees soon enough. Last summer, we passed the century mark every day for something like three months in a row. Nighttime temps rarely dipped below 75 until ... |
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| Continue reading "Enjoying the Blues in Austin" » |
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| April 19, 2010 |
| A $1,000 Mint Julep, For a Good Cause |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| This year’s Kentucky Derby is May 1st, and you’re going to need something to put your mint julep in. Tiffany & Co. has created a special receptacle to commemorate the race. They’ve made 73 silver cups, which will sell for $1,000 each. Since they ... |
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| Continue reading "A $1,000 Mint Julep, For a Good Cause " » |
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| April 14, 2010 |
| A real L.A. Bar |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| It is not a club. It is not a lounge or a tavern. It's neither saloon nor nightclub. It's Frank 'n Hank, and it's a bar. Which is why, even though I had only 48 hours to spend in L.A., I made it a specific point in my itinerary to go there. Despite ... |
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| Continue reading "A real L.A. Bar" » |
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| April 10, 2010 |
| How to Make Tequila |
| Posted by The Liquid Muse |
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| The Liquid Muse takes a trip to Jalisco to find out how tequila is made at Jose Cuervo. Find more at TheLiquidMuse.com . |
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| Continue reading "How to Make Tequila" » |
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| April 05, 2010 |
| New York Gets a Cocktail Festival |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| Everyone summer, cocktail lovers and industry professionals flock to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail . This year, New York is trying to create their own world-class libation festival. Spirits aficionados will have to plan for two trips in the ... |
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| Continue reading "New York Gets a Cocktail Festival " » |
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| March 31, 2010 |
| At SXSW, a pioneer is remembered |
| Posted by The Armchair Oenophile |
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| It was, sadly, not the news I expected to hear at my first of many South By Southwest events in Austin last week: the news of Fess Parker's passing. For a number of us in the wine industry, Fess was a pioneer in modern day wine and hospitality in ... |
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| Continue reading "At SXSW, a pioneer is remembered" » |
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| March 22, 2010 |
| The Magic of Agave Nectar |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| In the span of a few months, a new ingredient has found its place behind many of New York’s top notch bars. Agave Nectar, made from the heart of the tequila producing plant, is replacing simple syrup as the cocktail sweetener of choice. The flavor ... |
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| Continue reading "The Magic of Agave Nectar " » |
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| March 15, 2010 |
| NX35, Denton, Texas |
| Posted by The Armchair Enophile |
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| While Austin boasts what the country recognizes as the premiere music conferences, South By Southwest (SXSW), Denton has one of its own: North By 35 (NX35). Named after the interstate that links the two Texas cities, NX35 is in its infancy (2010 was ... |
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| Continue reading "NX35, Denton, Texas" » |
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| March 08, 2010 |
| A Hotel Bar Without a Bar |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| New bars are always seeking to stand out from the crowd, especially in towns like New York where there are 3 drinking establishments on every block (not counting the liquor stores, with those there are 5). The Andaz Hotel is a recent entry in the ... |
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| Continue reading "A Hotel Bar Without a Bar " » |
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| February 22, 2010 |
| The Scotch and Curling Connection |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| With the Olympics well under way, alcohol companies and bars are using some innovative marketing to ride on the coattails of the winter games. Gold medal martinis and Olympic drinking specials are everywhere. It turns out that Scotch doesn’t have to ... |
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| Continue reading "The Scotch and Curling Connection " » |
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| February 08, 2010 |
| Shochu, The Next Big Thing? |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| New York drinkers have seen a trend of single spirit bars dominating the cocktail scene. The city’s drinking public has moved on from wine and beer bars, they now head to Tequila or Rum focused spots. With once obscure spirits like Mezcal gaining ... |
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| Continue reading "Shochu, The Next Big Thing? " » |
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| January 25, 2010 |
| Angostura Bitters Shortage Affects Cocktail Boom |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| Cocktail makers might have to ration the dashes of bitters in their recipes due to a looming shortage of the popular Angostura brand. Word has it that distributors and sales reps are running low on their supply of this valuable cocktail ingredient. ... |
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| Continue reading "Angostura Bitters Shortage Affects Cocktail Boom " » |
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| January 18, 2010 |
| Hunter III Wines - Cabernet Is King |
| Posted by Daedalus Howell |
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| This is the first of a series of videos made in collaboration with Original Matters Media for Hunter III Wines. Fine time (finer wines). Kudos to director pal Raymond Scott Daigle for keeping Robert Hunter and me on task (we were having far too much ... |
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| Continue reading "Hunter III Wines - Cabernet Is King" » |
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| January 11, 2010 |
| Making Do Without a Liquor License |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| Judging by the Cosmopolitans and Martinis coming from the bar, you’d never guess that Emporio doesn’t have a liquor license. This Italian Restaurant, located in New York’s SOHO district, is down the street from a church. Proximity to the holy spot ... |
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| Continue reading "Making Do Without a Liquor License " » |
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| December 28, 2009 |
| Another Jägermeister Competitor Enters the Ring |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| Spirits companies have been hard at work trying to come up with their own proprietary herbal blends to counter the long time dominance of Jägermeister. In 2008, Hungarian liqueur Zwack was released to the U.S. market. Now, it’s HARLEM’s turn to try ... |
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| Continue reading "Another Jägermeister Competitor Enters the Ring " » |
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| December 14, 2009 |
| A New Way to Keep Your Wine List Fresh |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| How does Bar Henry , a recently opened restaurant in New York’s West Village, manage to rotate their wine list so frequently? Bar Henry in New York's West Village They have around 100 bottles available on their market list (and countless more on ... |
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| Continue reading "A New Way to Keep Your Wine List Fresh " » |
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| November 30, 2009 |
| Ardmore Online: A Decades Old Scotch Goes Digital |
| Posted by New York Barfly |
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| Spirits companies are seeking new ways to engage consumers in the digital age. For Ardmore, a Single Malt Scotch Whisky, this meant going 3-D. No, not donning the funny glasses and watching fermentation on the silver screen. Their 3-D experience is ... |
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| Continue reading "Ardmore Online: A Decades Old Scotch Goes Digital " » |
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