VinePair https://vinepair.com/ Mon, 05 Aug 2024 20:35:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Why the Mule Is the Ultimate Workhorse Cocktail https://vinepair.com/articles/mule-workhorse-cocktail/ Mon, 05 Aug 2024 13:00:04 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165274 We may be living through the age of the aperitivo and unendingly mad for Martinis, but if we’re really being honest, the cocktail we’re reaching for just as often — if not more — is the workaday Moscow Mule. This bright concoction of ginger beer, vodka, lime and soda in its distinctive copper vessel might not garner the media love of its posher, pre-Prohibition counterparts — except perhaps that time word got out that it’s Oprah Winfrey’s favorite cocktail. But numbers don’t lie.

The article Why the Mule Is the Ultimate Workhorse Cocktail appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

We may be living through the age of the aperitivo and unendingly mad for Martinis, but if we’re really being honest, the cocktail we’re reaching for just as often — if not more — is the workaday Moscow Mule.

This bright concoction of ginger beer, vodka, lime and soda in its distinctive copper vessel might not garner the media love of its posher, pre-Prohibition counterparts — except perhaps that time word got out that it’s Oprah Winfrey’s favorite cocktail. But numbers don’t lie.

The Mule was the third best-selling cocktail of 2023 in the United States, trailing only the Margarita and the Martini, according to NielsenQ (NIQ) data compiled from more than 10,000 independent and chain restaurants and bars. The Mule also ranked 10th on Drinks International’s annual compendium of the 50 most popular cocktails worldwide according to bartenders, behind the auspicious likes of the Negroni, Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, Espresso and Dry Martinis, and the Whiskey Sour. The Gin-Gin Mule, bartender Audrey Saunders’s early-aughts creation that subs in gin for vodka and borrows a minty garnish from the Mojito (or perhaps Winfrey), rounded out the list at No. 50.

The OG Influencer Cocktail?

Chalk up the Mule’s success to its refreshing simplicity as a sweet, citrusy cocktail with ginger’s invigorating warmth and the flavorless burn of vodka. A profitable crowd-pleaser that doubles as an on-ramp to more chichi mixology, you’ll find a Mule at both juggernaut restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse (in the form of a Kentucky Mule, swapping the vodka for bourbon) and at New York’s buzzing Double Chicken Please (No. 7 on the North American 50 Best Bars list).

Or maybe we love that charming, gimmicky mug that keeps the drink frosty-cold. (It’s proven a tempting enough souvenir to warrant anti-theft measures by bars and plenty of news media attention through the years.) In fact, this eye-catching vessel arguably made the Mule one of the original influencer cocktails. As an often repeated origin story goes, in 1939, a small drinks trader named John G. Martin acquired the American rights to a large Russian vodka brand called Smirnoff. Meanwhile, his friend Jack Morgan, owner of the Cock’N’Bull Saloon in Los Angeles, was trying to launch his own brand of ginger beer without much luck. The two purportedly met at New York’s Chatham Bar, where they hatched the idea to mix Martin’s vodka with Morgan’s ginger beer and add a squeeze of lime. They decided to promote and serve the drink in a striking copper mug (designed by Russian Sophie Berezinski for her father’s copper factory — and, until then, selling quite poorly). The rest was, as they say, history.

Ginger beer exists at the fortuitous intersection of a number of converging trends — among them the rise of craft spirit-free and so-called functional beverages.

Bartenders have long toyed with the Mule’s component parts, subbing its vodka base for gin, Jamaican rum, Pimm’s, apple brandy, mezcal, or bourbon, and zhuzhing its flavor profile with everything from absinthe to raspberries, hibiscus, peach schnapps, and sarsaparilla.

This doesn’t always spring from the minds of barkeeps, either.

“I had a woman tonight order a Caramel Mule,” one bartender wrote two years ago on the bartending subReddit. It’s possible that said patron was referencing the Smirnoff Kissed Caramel Mule, which reinforces its namesake, caramel-flavored vodka base with a caramel cube garnish. Indeed, there’s nary a household-name spirit brand that doesn’t offer up a Mule or riff recipe on its website, be it Ketel One, Skyy (with vodka or agave!), Bacardi, or Jose Cuervo.

It Must Be the Ginger Beer

It’s just as likely that the Mule’s undying popularity owes mostly to its dominant mix-in: ginger beer, the star of the also reliably beloved, mass-market rum highball: the Dark ‘n Stormy. Ginger ale’s sophisticated, British-born cousin has lately become a veritable NA powerhouse in its own right. The global ginger beer market is expected to reach $7.94 billion this year, up 7.6 percent from $7.38 billion in 2023, according to ResearchandMarkets. It might even hit $10 billion this decade, should its predicted 7.5 percent compound annual growth rate hold steady.

In 2023, Warrillow told Forbes the only reason the ginger category had been on the decline for so long until then was the “lousy soda versions on the market.”

Ginger beer exists at the fortuitous intersection of a number of converging trends, among them the rise of craft spirit-free and so-called functional beverages. Gingerol, a natural component of ginger root, has long been touted as a digestive aid, also rich in antioxidants and (purportedly) anti-inflammatory compounds. Of course, these benefits — several of which still warrant additional research — don’t really hold water once that ginger root is extracted, force-carbonated, and sweetened with sugar. But, as we’ve learned with the “healthiest” spirit, tequila, many health-conscious consumers don’t necessarily care.

British producer Fever-Tree Drinks became a household name at bars around the globe thanks to its posh bottled tonics, though it has recently trained much of its attention on its line of “Gingers.” In March, CEO Tim Warrillow claimed that Fever-Tree is now the largest ginger beer brand in the world, telling The Times that ginger beer now accounts for 20 percent of the company’s global sales and was its fastest-selling product in 2023, growing by 17 percent. In the past six years, the company has rolled out Blood Orange Ginger Beer in collaboration with Maker’s Mark and a light version of its ginger beer, plus Premium Ginger Ale (regular and light), Smoky Ginger Ale, and Spiced Orange Ginger Ale. In 2023, Warrillow told Forbes the only reason the ginger category had been on the decline for so long until then was the “lousy soda versions on the market.” As of last year, ginger was still “red hot,” he said.

On track with the “everything old becomes new again” adage (looking at you, fanny packs and Espresso ’Tinis), ginger ale may be poised for a comeback of its own. The global ginger ale market is expected to reach $4.7 billion by 2032, growing at a nice clip of over 3 percent annually, according to Future Market Insights. Fevertree’s U.S. CEO, Charles Gibb, has been quoted in product rollout press releases noting the untapped potential of ginger ale as a mix-in for premium dark spirits. Indeed, per Mintel, the U.S. market for dark spirits increased by 8.3 percent in 2023, and is “steadily climbing towards $100+ billion” by 2028, thanks in part to the explosion of youth-courting RTD cocktails. It’s not just about the premium end of the market, of course. Just ask my dad, who faithfully commences every Thanksgiving with a stiff round of Seagram’s 7 & 7 cocktails, which he always makes with Schweppes ginger ale. I suppose you’d call them 7 & Schweppes.

Ginger ale is pleasingly subtler than its spicier counterpart, and enjoys similar, enduring health-halo status to ginger beer. Moreover, it remains the choice beverage for settling stomachs and refreshing palates on airplanes. We’d stop short of recommending ginger ale as a mixer in the Moscow Mule, however. Then again, given the numbers, everyone seemingly already knows that.

The article Why the Mule Is the Ultimate Workhorse Cocktail appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The Weirdest Drink Modification Requests, According to Bartenders https://vinepair.com/articles/bartenders-explain-weirdest-order-modifications/ Mon, 05 Aug 2024 12:30:37 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165254 While it’s routine to ask for a sandwich without tomatoes at a deli or swap out skim milk for almond at a cafe, there’s always a certain point where modification requests get out of hand. (We all know what it’s like to wait behind someone ordering a tall latte with no foam, a double shot, and three pumps of hazelnut at Starbucks.) But what level of alteration is acceptable at a bar? Even though bartenders have a full arsenal of tools at their disposal, it’s not always wise to assume that they can whip up just about anything imaginable.

The article The Weirdest Drink Modification Requests, According to Bartenders appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

While it’s routine to ask for a sandwich without tomatoes at a deli or swap out skim milk for almond at a cafe, there’s always a certain point where modification requests get out of hand. (We all know what it’s like to wait behind someone ordering a tall latte with no foam, a double shot, and three pumps of hazelnut at Starbucks.) But what level of alteration is acceptable at a bar?

Even though bartenders have a full arsenal of tools at their disposal, it’s not always wise to assume that they can whip up just about anything imaginable. There are classic substitutions like replacing the gin with mezcal in a Negroni or even swapping out Aperol for Cynar in a Spritz, and while quick fixes like these are to be expected, sometimes the orders that guests dream up can come out of left field.

We asked bartenders from across the country to share the weirdest modification requests they’ve ever received, and here are eight of the most ridiculous.

The weirdest order modifications, according to bartenders:

“One of the funniest moments I’ve ever experienced working behind the bar was when a guest made a very unusual request. Amid the hustle and bustle, a lady sat at the bar and said, ‘Can you make me a Margarita that tastes like my favorite Caesar salad?’ I love a good challenge, so I decided to give it a shot. If I remember correctly, I added some sea salt and celery to the cocktail. She ended up loving it. Who knows, maybe Caesar Salad Margaritas will be the next big thing!” —Elvis Rosario, beverage director, Chica & The Don, NYC

“I have to say the weirdest drink order I ever got was just last year. I was running a bar in St. Lucia where virgin cocktails and Amaretto Sours were all the rage. One night, a sweet woman comes in and tells me it’s her birthday and I offer to buy her a drink. She says, ‘I’ll have a virgin Amaretto Sour.’ The words just stunned me. I opened our prep fridge and hopelessly stared inside, waiting for divine intervention. Then I remembered a friend of mine had brought me some orgeat when they came to visit me a month earlier. I basically made her a lemonade sweetened with orgeat. She got about halfway through it when I asked how it was. She said ‘delicious.’” —Brian Miller, bar manager, Stockton Inn, Stockton, N.J.

“One that still haunts my dreams is the request for a Grey Goose Watermelon Jungle Bird. It didn’t necessarily sound awful, but at that point you’re just making a weird jungle juice.” —Rhys Williams, former bartender and brand ambassador, Faccia Brutto, NYC

“The funniest and weirdest drink orders that I constantly got during my nightclub days were always a Grey Goose and Vodka, a Tito’s and Vodka, a Stoli and Vodka, or an Absolut and Vodka. It would happen repeatedly every night. Any bartender can tell you they have had this conversation with a guest all the time. When you would ask, ‘Grey Goose and what?’ the reply was always — wait for it — vodka. Every. Single. Time.” —Gabe Sanchez, cocktail expert, Midnight Rambler at The Joule, Dallas

“A few that will live forever in my head include a guest asking for a weak, dry Martini, a request for a virgin Old Fashioned, and a ‘Spritz, but not bubbly.’ There’s also always a good restrained chuckle or side-eye resulting from orders such as a Gin & Tonic made with vodka and soda or ‘I don’t like alcohol, but want something strong.’” —Cody Pruitt, managing partner and beverage director, Libertine, NYC

“I have had so many strange requests, but a few that come to mind are a warm Margarita, a cup of hot coffee with a whole egg, and a shot of simple syrup — not to add to a drink, they actually drank it.” —Tiffanie Barriere, former bartender + cocktail educator, Atlanta

“I was asked once by a customer to add gin to his Cuba Libre. Apparently he discovered some dead sea scroll with the ‘actual recipe’ and gin was a forgotten component. I don’t know if this is weird but it’s definitely wack and certified-bozo behavior. What’s next? Rum in the original Vodka Soda!?” —Kelvin Uffre, former bartender + strategic market manager for Lalo Tequila, NYC

“When I was working at Bar Pendry, someone ordered a double Martini, which is an insane amount of booze. None of the glasses we had at the bar were large enough, [so I thought] maybe a wine or beer glass could hold 6 ounces of Martini. Me being a people pleaser but also somewhat chaotic, I asked if I could use something other than a glass, and after they said yes, I dashed to the kitchen to find a suitable alternative. I ended up using a clean 21-quart Cambro for the cocktail. The scene was so absurd that cameras started snapping pictures of what appeared to be a bit of Dirty Martini and a skewer with three olives inside the 21-quart Cambro.” —Steve Martin, head bartender, Figure Eight, NYC

The article The Weirdest Drink Modification Requests, According to Bartenders appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Despite Their Name, Swedish Meatballs Aren’t From Sweden https://vinepair.com/cocktail-chatter/swedish-meatball-origin-story/ Mon, 05 Aug 2024 12:00:49 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165255 This article is part of our Cocktail Chatter series, where we dive into the wild, weird, and wondrous corners of history to share over a cocktail and impress your friends. After shopping for a new POÄNG to sit in, a practical SKRUVBY for your living room, or a state-of-the-art VINTERKALL for your kitchen, all good days at Ikea should end at the food court. And for most, the go-to order is Swedish meatballs slathered in gravy and plated with the usual accouterments, mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce.

The article Despite Their Name, Swedish Meatballs Aren’t From Sweden appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

This article is part of our Cocktail Chatter series, where we dive into the wild, weird, and wondrous corners of history to share over a cocktail and impress your friends.

After shopping for a new POÄNG to sit in, a practical SKRUVBY for your living room, or a state-of-the-art VINTERKALL for your kitchen, all good days at Ikea should end at the food court. And for most, the go-to order is Swedish meatballs slathered in gravy and plated with the usual accouterments, mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. The dish is a well-established cornerstone of Swedish cuisine, and one that the Swedes are vehemently proud of. That’s why Sweden’s official Twitter account stirred up a social media uproar when it proclaimed that its namesake meatballs are actually an import from another part of the globe.

Has the wool been pulled over our eyes this whole time? Well, the truth is, the story of Swedish meatballs is actually a bit complicated.

A Meaty Theory

To kick off the tale of the sacred Swedish meatball, we need to roll back the clock to the early 1700s. At the time, a young King Charles XII was fixated on defending the borders of the Swedish Empire, and at first, he was pretty damned good at it. He and his troops defeated the then-joined kingdoms of Saxony-Poland-Lithuania and Denmark-Norway before he set his sights on Russia. However, invading Russia turned out not to be the best idea. The Russians whalloped his troops in the 1709 battle of Poltava, forcing Charles and 1,000 of his men to flee to the Ottoman Empire, which encompassed what’s now modern-day Turkey.

For the next five years, Charles gallivanted around the Empire, awaiting his safe return to Sweden. It’s believed that during those years, Charles and his cohorts developed an affinity for traditional Turkish foods. According to the story Uppsala University researcher Annie Mattsson shared with Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency in 2018, when Charles finally returned to Sweden in 1715, he brought with him Turkish coffee beans and the recipes for dolma and köfte. From there, it’s presumed that the two recipes morphed into what we now know as stuffed cabbage rolls and Swedish meatballs. The first documented recipes for both — called kåldolmar and kötbullar, respectively — appeared in cook Cajsa Warg’s 1755 book, “Guide to Housekeeping for Young Women.”

As straightforward as this all sounds, it turns out that this is just one version of the meatballs’ origin story.

The Counter Argument

According to some historians, Charles XII wasn’t necessarily the foodie that others claim him to be.

“There is no documented interest from him in food,” food historian Richard Tellström told media company Great Big Story in 2019. “No mentioning of meatballs there. They are not Turkish because we can’t follow the original meatballs in the world.”

While it’s entirely possible that Charles still played a hand in the development of the modern-day Swedish meatball, the köfte-to-meatball pipeline is shrouded in hearsay and assumption. The truth is, trying to figure out who first invented the meatball is like trying to pin down the origin of soup. The roots are anything but clear, and it’s more than likely that versions of meatballs were born near-simultaneously in different parts of the world.

Even Sweden’s official Twitter account backtracked on its initial statement in early May 2018, tweeting: “We had little doubt about its origins last week. We’ve since come to realise that culinary history is complex.” In a follow-up tweet that same day, the Nordic nation wrote, “Swedish food has been influenced by many foreign cultures. The same can be said about nearly all food cultures. Having said that, we should have looked deeper into the origins and history of Swedish meatballs before tweeting.”

Someone had to be the very first to craft the beloved Swedish delicacy, but who that was we’ll never know. On the bright side, if you really want to give the nation its flowers, it definitely gave us ABBA and affordable, minimalist furniture — so kudos to the Swedes on that front.

*Image retrieved from Brent Hofacker via stock.adobe.com

The article Despite Their Name, Swedish Meatballs Aren’t From Sweden appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Every Major Olympic Sport as a Cocktail https://vinepair.com/articles/olympic-sports-as-cocktails/ Sun, 04 Aug 2024 12:00:29 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165256 When it comes to sporting events, none is as globally revered as the Olympics. Held every four years, the games bring together different cultures, fierce competition, and, of course, celebration. No celebration is complete without a cocktail in hand, and between clinking glasses of French 75s and Champs-Élysées to commemorate the Games’ host city, we decided every Olympic sporting event has a classic cocktail it could easily claim as its own. Take gymnastics, for example, where athletes catapult as high as 12 feet in the air to throw stunning tricks that defy gravity.

The article Every Major Olympic Sport as a Cocktail appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

When it comes to sporting events, none is as globally revered as the Olympics. Held every four years, the games bring together different cultures, fierce competition, and, of course, celebration. No celebration is complete without a cocktail in hand, and between clinking glasses of French 75s and Champs-Élysées to commemorate the Games’ host city, we decided every Olympic sporting event has a classic cocktail it could easily claim as its own.

Take gymnastics, for example, where athletes catapult as high as 12 feet in the air to throw stunning tricks that defy gravity. Sound like a Death Flip to anyone else? There’s also surfing (a newbie in the Olympic Games) to consider, which can easily be represented by the Mai Tai — a Tahitian classic from the same region where the sport was invented.

Curious to see what your favorite Olympic event would be in cocktail form? Check out our list of the 13 major Olympic sports and their respective cocktails below.

Artistic Gymnastics: The Death Flip

If Artistic Gymnastics were a cocktail, it would be The Death Flip.

With Simone Biles regularly landing the most difficult tricks in the sport’s history, gymnastics would most certainly own the Death Flip. (Seriously, the Biles 2 and the triple-twisting double back on the floor don’t look like anything we’d be able to survive.) Not only is the cocktail’s name appropriate for representing one of the most watched Olympic sports, but its global list of ingredients is, too. There’s tequila from Mexico, yellow Chartreuse from France, and Germany’s Jägermeister to booze things up while simple syrup and an egg white round things out.

Athletics: Espresso Martini

If Athletics were a cocktail, it would be the Espresso Martini.

Things move fast in athletics, an event more commonly known as track and field. Like, 100-meters-in-10.65-seconds fast. So, if the sport were a cocktail, it would need to be one that can help you keep pace. Luckily, the Espresso Martini exists. With a full shot of espresso shaken into each build, drink one (or three) of these and you might feel speedy enough to keep up with Sha’Carri Richardson. Who are we kidding? Nobody is catching her.

Basketball: The Air Mail

If Basketball were a cocktails, it would be The Air Mail

It’s highly unlikely you’ll see an airball at the Olympics, so we’re suggesting the Air Mail in its place. The cocktail combines gold rum, lime juice, honey syrup, and Champagne or sparkling wine, but since these games are held in Paris, we recommend opting for the French sparkler.

Beach Volleyball: The Right Hand

If Beach Volleyball were a cocktail, it would be The Right Hand

Beach volleyball is a sport played in pairs, with every competitor relying on their right-hand man’s teamwork to get the ball over the net. As the sister cocktail to Sam Ross’s Left Hand, this cocktail fuses Campari, sweet vermouth, and mole bitters with aged rum — the best spirit to drink on the sand.

Cycling: Road: The Bicicletta

The most important apparatus in cycling is obviously the bicycle, so the Bicicletta feels like a no-brainer here. The white-wine-and-Campari-based cocktail originated in Lombardy, Italy, sometime in the 1930s and was beloved by the locals. So beloved, in fact, that they were unable to ride their bikes home after aperitivo hour, a hindrance that gave the cocktail its name.

Diving: The Naked and Famous

If Diving were a cocktail, it would be The Naked and Famous

To maximize flexibility and aerodynamics, the sport of diving mandates small swimsuits. Seriously, have you seen the outfits these athletes wear to launch themselves from three-story heights in pursuit of the gold? Naked and Famous, indeed. Plus, with the cocktail combining a medley of global ingredients, like mezcal, Chartreuse, and Aperol, it fits right in at the international competition.

Football: Caipirinha

If Football were a cocktail, it would be the Caipirinha

Brazil tends to dominate soccer during the Olympic Games, with an impressive seven medals under the team’s belt. So, it’s fitting that football would be the country’s national drink, the Caipirinha. Made with cachaça, the spirit of Brazil, along with white sugar and a whole lime, the cocktail also got some extra attention during the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Rugby Sevens: The Gin Martini

If Rugby Sevens were a cocktail, it would be The Gin Martini

Rugby is often considered one of the toughest sports in the Olympics, with athletes duking it out on the pitch with no protective equipment. That means its drinkable equivalent would be just as intense, and should feel like a full-contact experience on the taste buds. Enter: the Gin Martini. Bracing, boozy, and sometimes difficult to down, the Martini is the only suitable build to represent a sport that requires such high levels of strength and endurance.

Surfing: Mai Tai

If Surfing were a cocktail, it would be the Mai Tai

Despite most of the events taking place in Paris, this year’s surfing competitions are being held in Tahiti, the main island in French Polynesia. Of course, surfing would claim the Mai Tai, which gets its name from the Tahitian phrase “mai tai-roe aé,” which translates to “out of this world — the best.” The combination of blended rum, orange liqueur, orgeat, lime juice, and a mint sprig is sure to make you feel like you’re right there on the island cheering on your favorite surfer as they conquer the 40-foot waves.

Swimming: Piña Colada

If Swimming were a cocktail, it would be the Piña Colada

Name a better cocktail to enjoy poolside than the Piña Colada. We’ll wait. Served up at resort bars the world over, the Piña Colada is the obvious choice to represent the cherished sport of swimming. Plus, after the months of physical and mental training required to compete at such a high level, we’re sure every Olympic swimmer could use a frozen treat to wind down post-podium.

Tennis: The Pimm’s Cup

If Tennis were a cocktail, it would be The Pimm’s Cup

Aside from the U.S.Open-centric Honey Deuce, it’s hard to think of a drink more synonymous with tennis than the Pimm’s Cup. Made with the low-ABV, gin-based liqueur, cucumber, mint, fresh fruit, and lemon-lime soda, the Pimm’s Cup is sessionable and perfect for nursing mid-match — and commiserating over Coco Gauff’s contentious defeat.

Water Polo: Miami Vice

If Water Polo were a cocktail, it would be the Miami Vice

With polo players’ bodies half underwater and half above during matches, the sport is basically a Miami Vice. Layered with half Piña Colada and half Strawberry Daiquiri, the cocktail is two equal parts working in tandem.

Weightlifting: Whiskey Sour

If Weightlifting were a cocktail, it would be the Whiskey Sour

Egg whites can have a considerable amount of protein, so it’s only right that weightlifting equates to an egg white cocktail. And why not the most famous of the bunch, the Whiskey Sour? Made with whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white, the classic sour was created sometime in the late 1800s, right around the same time weightlifting was named an official Olympic sport.

The article Every Major Olympic Sport as a Cocktail appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
In Portland, Maine, a New Generation of Puerto Rican Bartenders Is Thriving https://vinepair.com/articles/puerto-rican-bartenders-portland-maine-cocktail-scene/ Fri, 02 Aug 2024 13:00:50 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165109 Bartender River Gish has (almost) no idea how they wound up in Portland, Maine. A Florida native of Puerto Rican descent (a “Florican,” as Gish calls it), they were eyeing a move to either Chicago or New York to jump into their respective bar scenes. Instead, they rolled the dice on the unknown — the real unknown. “I didn’t know anything about Maine,” says Gish, who tends bar at Puerto Rican restaurant and bar Papi Portland.

The article In Portland, Maine, a New Generation of Puerto Rican Bartenders Is Thriving appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Bartender River Gish has (almost) no idea how they wound up in Portland, Maine. A Florida native of Puerto Rican descent (a “Florican,” as Gish calls it), they were eyeing a move to either Chicago or New York to jump into their respective bar scenes. Instead, they rolled the dice on the unknown — the real unknown.

“I didn’t know anything about Maine,” says Gish, who tends bar at Puerto Rican restaurant and bar Papi Portland. “I suppose you could say I ended up here by chance.”

What they found once they arrived was a small but mighty community of Puerto Rican bartenders and hospitality workers proudly representing their culture as they influence the city’s cocktail scene at large. This impact is highly visible: Guava tends to be a popular ingredient in drinks, and other Puerto Rican fruits and spices occasionally get referenced in food menus across the city.

While Portland earned a reputation as a cool cocktail destination for traveling drinks enthusiasts in recent years, the influx of Puerto Rican bar professionals like Gish and the impact they’ve imparted may be surprising at first glance. After all, Maine is the least ethnically diverse state in the nation by population percentage, per 2020 U.S. Census data. But it’s becoming less unorthodox over time: For bartenders hailing from the Caribbean island or boasting Puerto Rican roots, it’s even becoming an essential destination that may even help shape their careers.

Getting Schooled

The catalyst fueling Portland’s status as an improbable mecca is Papi’s co-founder and beverage director LyAnna Sanabria. When she launched the venue in the city’s historic Old Port neighborhood in March 2023, it quickly became a unifying source of pride among the Puerto Ricans within the local hospitality scene. It also captured the attention of Puerto Rican bartenders outside of Portland, to the point where they started inquiring about work opportunities during tourist season.

The catalyst fueling Portland’s status as an improbable mecca is Papi’s co-founder and beverage director LyAnna Sanabria
Credit: Papi Portland

Sanabria responded to the demand by launching an internship program for unseasoned Puerto Rican bartenders, allowing them to get behind the stick at Papi and cultivate their skill sets for up to six months. “We offer bartenders a pathway where they can work and learn while they’re getting their ass kicked,” she says. “Then, they can go back to the island with new skills that can rival other international scenes.”

Sanabria’s program doesn’t have an official name yet — she’s waiting until she sets up an official nonprofit to cross that bridge — but it’s already earned the nickname TiTi, a nod to the Spanish term for Auntie. It’s also an alliterative nod to Turning Tables (TT), the New Orleans-based non-profit devoted to training and mentoring Black and brown bartenders. The latter is not a superficial acknowledgement: Sanabria and TT founder Toure Folkes joined forces to form a partnership of sorts: TT graduates can continue their learning experience at Papi to hone their talent.

“If Turning Tables is the undergraduate program, then we’re the grad school,” Sanabria says. “We’ll take a look at what you already know and we’ll help you grow in that existing knowledge.”

“The community embraced us so much when we opened, I almost thought it was a setup. We were ready to fight for us being here in a dignified, professional manner. Instead, there was this overwhelming feeling of love supporting us.”

The makeshift master’s program’s first participant, Ava Gonzalez, has been in TiTi for about one-and-a-half months. “I’ve already learned so much,” she says. “It’s been great to go from [learning] about the classics to Papi where you take that knowledge and experiment with new techniques and creativity, all while celebrating Puerto Rican culture.” The Houston native has no plans on staying in Portland once she “graduates” in September — she’s headed to New York City to seek a position in the hospitality industry — but the experience and lessons learned through both programs have left an indelible impact.

“I plan on carrying what I’ve learned from TT and TiTi everywhere,” she says. “I’m picking flowers on my own journey and making my own bouquet, if you will.”

Response and Representation

For the most part, the Puerto Rican bartenders who have settled into Portland enjoy the city for its thriving creative scene and bucolic outdoor environment. There are some parts that still require adjustments.

“It’s the whitest, least diverse place I’ve ever lived, and I’m still getting used to it,” explains Juan Rodriguez, who helped Sanabria open Papi and is now tending bar at waterfront seafood restaurant Scales. “But I love it here. I love being so close to the water and the mountains.”

The Portland community has also generally supported the small band of Puerto Rican bartending talent as it grows and flows into other venues. This was a pleasant surprise for some.

“When people come from Puerto Rico and see things from where they come from, it brings them right back home, even if they haven’t been [back] in years. It’s a little piece of home, and it’s crazy to see here in a place like Portland, but it’s great, especially because of the sacrifice some people had to make to live better.”

“The community embraced us so much when we opened, I almost thought it was a setup,” Sanabria says. “We were ready to fight for us being here in a dignified, professional manner. Instead, there was this overwhelming feeling of love supporting us.”

Beyond offering acceptance from their barstools, guests have expressed a desire to learn more about the U.S. territory beyond its influence on a specific cocktail. This has led to conversations of warm, white sandy beaches and turquoise waters under sunny skies, but it’s also leaned into more serious topics, such as the still-lingering effects of Hurricane Maria.

When Papi Portland's opened in the city’s historic Old Port neighborhood in March 2023, it quickly became a unifying source of pride among the Puerto Ricans within the local hospitality scene.
Credit: Papi Portland

“People are still leaving Puerto Rico because of Maria,” Rodriguez says. “Ten years ago, Puerto Rico’s population was 4 million. Now, it’s down to 3.3 million. That takes a toll.”

Pride Over Prejudice

While communal support for the scene is strong, it’s not completely idyllic. Ribbons of conservative New England insularity weave through the region, particularly outside of the city. This occasionally delivers harsh realities.

“The job exposes us to a lot of racism, to be honest,” says Gish. “We’re basically on display as people of color, and we’re subject to a lot of microaggressions at work. But that’s how it is growing up Puerto Rican, both inside and outside of Portland.”

“People occasionally tell me, ‘You don’t look Puerto Rican,” adds Rodriguez. “It makes me wonder, well, what do they think a Puerto Rican looks like?”

Still, these unsavory moments are no match for the pops of positive joy that comes from speaking conversational Spanish in public or seeing a guest get misty-eyed after that first bite of a dish they haven’t had since they left the island. These experiences matter because they foster representation: In a place as overwhelmingly white as Maine, these moments matter greatly to those in the scene, even if their presence there is temporary.

“When people come from Puerto Rico and see things from where they come from, it brings them right back home, even if they haven’t been [back] in years,” explains Elliot Natera, a current Papi intern. “It’s a little piece of home, and it’s crazy to see here in a place like Portland, but it’s great, especially because of the sacrifice some people had to make to live better.”

Moments like these are ultimately why the slow, ongoing infusion of Puerto Ricans into Portland works, and the fact that they can be pulled off in such an unorthodox environment makes the movement impressive as hell.

“We’ve shown that we can run a Puerto Rican program in the whitest state in the U.S,” Sanabria states. “It’s cool that such a little colonized island can have that much influence.”

The article In Portland, Maine, a New Generation of Puerto Rican Bartenders Is Thriving appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The 30 Best Scotch Whiskies for 2024 https://vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/best-scotch-whiskies-2024/ Fri, 02 Aug 2024 12:30:44 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165117 While bourbon has enjoyed a billion-dollar boom in recent decades and Ireland boasts the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, neither matches the heritage and status of Scotch and its homeland of Scotland. The nation is home to five distinct whisky regions, produces multiple styles of its iconic spirit, and boasts one distillery for every 40,000 inhabitants. That depth and diversity can seem intimidating, but it also guarantees there’s a style of whisky to suit every palate, budget, and occasion — from friendly Highland single malts to complex blends and peated Islay smoke bombs.

The article The 30 Best Scotch Whiskies for 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

While bourbon has enjoyed a billion-dollar boom in recent decades and Ireland boasts the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, neither matches the heritage and status of Scotch and its homeland of Scotland. The nation is home to five distinct whisky regions, produces multiple styles of its iconic spirit, and boasts one distillery for every 40,000 inhabitants.

That depth and diversity can seem intimidating, but it also guarantees there’s a style of whisky to suit every palate, budget, and occasion — from friendly Highland single malts to complex blends and peated Islay smoke bombs.

This list of the best Scotch whiskies to drink right now encapsulates all of the above and more. To compile it, VinePair sampled over 100 expressions submitted (without charge) by brands, importers, distributors, and PR firms. Each product was tasted non-blind, in line with VinePair’s tastings policy, allowing us to keep price in consideration and compile a roundup that doesn’t just showcase the highest quality on offer, but across a wide range of price points.

Ready to check them out? Here are the 30 best Scotch whiskies for 2024.

The Best Scotch Whiskies Under $50

Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Compared to its American counterparts bourbon and rye, Scotch doesn’t boast a ton of classic cocktails. But drinks like the Bobby Burns and Penicillin are classics — pre-Prohibition and modern, respectively — for a reason. When the time calls to mix them up, the depth, roundness, and richness of Monkey Shoulder, not to mention its price tag, make it a stellar option.

Average price: $33
Rating: 89

Maclean’s Nose Blended Scotch Whisky

Maclean's Nose Blended Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Another high-quality blended option that’s also budget-friendly, Maclean’s Nose pays homage to both an iconic figure in Scotch whisky and a local landmark. Comprised of a mix of non-chill-filtered malt (70 percent) and grain (30 percent) distillates, this Scotch is attractive and approachable, with citrus and honey on the nose and chocolate and hazelnuts on the palate.

Average price: $37
Rating: 91

Spearhead Single Grain Scotch Whisky

Spearhead Single Grain Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Typically light in texture and subtly fruity and spiced in profile, single grain whisky offers a great option for simple summer drinks. This example, from Loch Lomond Distillery, dials up the decadence, thanks to a six-month finishing period in virgin American oak. It’s still a candidate for highballs but it’s oaky sweetness and orchard fruit flavors are just as enjoyable sipped over ice.

Average price: $39
Rating: 90

The Best Scotch Whiskies Under $75

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Amid a backdrop of ultra-aged releases and ever more esoteric finishes, 12-year-old expressions remain the standard bearer for single malt Scotch and the age at which the fiercest competition exists. One of the best bargains in that bunch, this amontillado-cask-finished example from Glenfiddich delivers a seamless harmony of berry fruit notes and sherried oak, with a pleasantly persistent finish.

Average price: $50
Rating: 91

Compass Box Orchard House Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Compass Box Orchard House Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Independent blender and bottler (or “whiskymaker,” to use the brand’s terminology) Compass Box was founded in 2000 and has since become a firm industry favorite. Unsurprisingly, from a release named “Orchard House,” this blended malt is fruity, floral, and bright on the nose. The palate is equally energetic — light and lively but in no way lacking in flavor. This is stunning summer whisky.

Average price: $50
Rating: 94

Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Non-chill-filtered and bottled at a nicely poised 46 percent ABV, this single malt aged in three different varieties of American oak: bourbon, refill, and re-charred. Its fruit-forward nose couples peach and pear with subtle vanilla sweetness, while just a hint of smoke emerges on the palate, lingering well onto the finish.

Average price: $55
Rating: 92

Coachbuilt Scotch Blended Whisky Blend No. 001

Coachbuilt Scotch Blended Whisky Blend No. 001 is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Another independently bottled blend, this release combines Scotch sourced from all five of the nation’s whisky-producing regions: Highlands, Speyside, Lowlands, Campbeltown, and the Isle of Islay. Smoke kicks off the show with aromas of charred marshmallows, while light stone fruit lingers underneath. The palate is rounded, with a thick dollop of toffee serving a sweet and luxurious finish.

Average price: $60
Rating: 91

The GlenDronach The Original 12 Year

The GlenDronach The Original 12 Year is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Aged in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso casks, this heavily sherried Highland single malt is immediately approachable and inviting. Beyond the prominent influence of those casks lies a nice undercurrent of blackberries and dark cherries, with just a hint of tannins coming through on the palate.

Average price: $66
Rating: 92

Meikle Toir ‘The Sherry One’ Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Meikle Toir ‘The Sherry One’ Single Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Bottled at 5 years old, this peated Speyside single malt was aged in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso casks. Prominent stone fruit aromas lead the nose while smoke remains an understated afterthought. It’s a completely different story on the palate, where sweet peat notes take center stage, and ripe berries and dark chocolate play a supporting role.

Average price: $73
Rating: 93

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask Aged 14 Years

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask Aged 14 Years is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Finishing spirits in rum casks can often overpower the base distillate, with rich molasses notes stealing the show. But that’s not the case with this fine 14-year-old single malt. Rum remains a pleasant seasoning throughout, complementing sweet malt and tinned peach notes, with dried fruits showing the spirit’s age on the finish.

Average price: $75
Rating: 92

The Best Scotch Whiskies Under $100

The Glenlivet 14 Year Cognac Cask Selection Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The Glenlivet 14 Year Cognac Cask Selection Single Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

The influence of the Cognac casks used to finish this expression leap out from the get-go and continue well onto its finish. A mix of raisins, nuts, and sweet cake batter call to mind fruit loaf, while subtle spice brings complexity to the finish.

Average Price: $77
Rating: 92

Oban 14 Year Old West Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Oban 14 Year Old West Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Distilled in a tiny town on Scotland’s west coast, this whisky is notably mighty by contrast. Its aromas lean into the vibrant tropical fruit that typically comes with substantially more age, while the palate is concentrated, nuanced, and oozing with honeyed sweetness.

Average price: $85
Rating: 93

Deanston 12 Year Whisky

Deanston 12 Year Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Another shining example of 12-year Scotch, this Highland single malt was aged in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at a precise 46.3 percent ABV. Sweet red berries, bright stone fruits, and a seasoning of oak define the nose. The proof feels on point, bringing a slight spiciness and heat to the finish. This is textbook Scotch, destined to be sipped neat or over a large clear rock of ice.

Average price: $90
Rating: 94

Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Caribbean Rum Cask Finish Aged 11 Years

Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Caribbean Rum Cask Finish Aged 11 Years is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

The rum casks used to finish this year’s Offerman Edition from Islay icon Lagavulin have a tempering effect on the whisky’s robust peat profile, allowing red berries and sweet vanilla to blossom on the nose. Rum and smoke are more prevalent on the palate but the fruity core remains, making this a great option for drinkers who have previously been intimidated by peat.

Average price: $90
Rating: 92

Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak Finish

Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak Finish is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Another instance of finishing casks keeping smoke in check, $90 is admittedly a lot to pay for a 10-year-old Scotch from a major producer, but it’s crucial to note that this release was bottled at a higher-than-average 48 percent ABV. While Laphroaig could have chosen to proof it down further to stretch stocks and lower the price, not doing so has resulted in an intensely concentrated whisky, whose fruity, smoky, oaky profile evolves with time in glass.

Average price: $90
Rating: 93

Nc’nean Organic Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Nc'nean Organic Single Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Seldom do we talk about the base ingredients for Scotch, but a handful of newer distilleries including Nc’nean (founded in 2017) are pushing the organic and sustainable conversations. A non-age-stated release, this whisky was matured in a mix of American whiskey, specially treated red wine, and oloroso casks. Its atypical profile features youthful, but enjoyable, cereal notes blended with wild flowers and delicate fruit.

Average price: $93
Rating: 92

Isle of Raasay Dùn Cana Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Isle of Raasay Dùn Cana Single Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

From the tiny Isle of Raasay, home to fewer than 200 people, this forward-thinking Scotch blends peated and unpeated spirit; undergoes maturation in rye, Pedro Ximénez, and oloroso casks; and is bottled at a bold 52 percent ABV. Decadent toffee dominates the nose, with just a suggestion of smoke and fruit. Complex wood notes and texture shine through on the palate, setting up a lengthy finish.

Average price: $96
Rating: 93

The Best Scotch Whiskies Over $100

Jura Aged 18 Years Single Malt

Jura Aged 18 Years Single Malt is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Produced on the Southern Hebridean Isle of Jura, this lightly peated whisky spent 18 years in ex-bourbon casks before an undisclosed finishing period in Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux red wine barrels. Notes of sandalwood, lavender, and moss mingle with a range of fruit, spanning from orchard to dark berries. The overall profile is easygoing but nuanced, while the price represents great value, considering the age of this release.

Average price: $100
Rating: 92

The Glenturret 12 Year Single Malt 2023 Release

The Glenturret 12 Year Single Malt 2023 Release is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Founded in 1763, The Glenturret is Scotland’s oldest working distillery. That rich heritage is immediately apparent in this Highland single malt, which seems to drink above its age without feeling tired or over the hill. Raisins, a medley of baking spices, and rich Demerara syrup lead the charge, while used oak closes the show. This is an excellent option for Cognac drinkers.

Average price: $105
Rating: 93

The Dalmore 14

The Dalmore 14 is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Part of The Dalmore’s “Principal Collection,” this U.S. exclusive release was first aged in ex-bourbon barrels before a portion of the batch was finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks from heavyweight producer Gonzalez Byass. A mix of red berry and stone fruit aromas are followed by light vanilla and savory spices. The palate is nicely rounded, setting up a baking-spice-rich finish.

Average price: $110
Rating: 94

Aberlour A’bunadh Scotch Whisky

Aberlour A'bunadh Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Bottled at a cask-strength 61.2 percent ABV, this potent dram juxtaposes delicacy and power. Fresh flowers and orchard fruit aromas kick things off before the palate explodes with concentration and depth. Each sip tastes like dried stone fruits dipped in honey, with a hint of toasted oak rounding out the experience. Don’t be afraid to proof this one down!

Average price: $120
Rating: 93

Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky 15 Year Old

Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky 15 Year Old is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

A mix of sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks provides this 15-year-old release with a luscious vanilla backbone. Charred pineapples and dried heather build upon that on the nose, while a slight hint of peat barely registers. The intensity of all of those notes ramps up on the palate — especially the smoke, which leans more woody than earthy.

Average price: $125
Rating: 94

Tobermory 12 Year Old

Tobermory 12 Year Old is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Tobermory is the only distillery on the Isle of Mull, which is located off the west coast of Scotland and is the second-largest island of the Inner Hebrides. Undoubtedly the top end of the price spectrum for a 12-year-old release, this whisky justifies its lofty sum with an incredible depth and concentration of aromas and flavors. Notes of apple and pineapple marry with fresh flowers, then give way to candied ginger, rich caramel, and crème brûlée. Each sip is vibrant, fresh, and clean, making this a splendid summer whisky.

Average price: $127
Rating: 93

Dewar’s Double Double 21 Year Old Mizunara Oak Cask Finish

Dewar's Double Double 21 Year Old Mizunara Oak Cask Finish is one of the best Scotches for 2024

This standout bottling from Dewar’s saw malt and grain whiskies aged separately for 21 years, before master blender Stephanie Macleod compiled the blend, returning the spirit to cask to harmonize before a final resting period in Mizunara oak. The coveted Japanese casks lend their signature sandalwood note, which pairs beautifully with the spirit’s citrusy, creamy cereal notes. All things considered, this offers exceptional value and a must-try drinking experience.

Average price: $150
Rating: 95

GlenAllachie Distillery 13 Year Madeira Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky

GlenAllachie Distillery 13 Year Madeira Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Following 11 years in American oak barrels, this Speyside single malt spent a two-year finishing period in Madeira casks that previously held wine made from Malvasia grapes, a “richer” style of the fortified wine, according to the distillery. The savoriness of the casks’ previous occupants runs throughout this expressive whisky, which sings with notes of walnuts, apricot stones, vanilla, and pineapple skin.

Average price: $155
Rating: 93

Bowmore 18 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Bowmore 18 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

From the oldest licensed distillery on the Isle of Islay, this is a delightfully complex peated single malt. Sour cooking apple aromas wrap around a rich caramel core, with almost no presence of smoke on the nose. Dried flowers linger on the finish of the nose, before peat makes a bold introduction on the palate. If it’s at first unexpected (because of the aroma profile) fruit quickly comes back into play, setting up a long and balanced finish.

Average price: $160
Rating: 94

Oran Blended Scotch Blend #1

Oran Blended Scotch Blend #1 is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

A blend of 50 percent malt and 50 percent grain, bottled at 50 percent ABV, that seemingly straightforward proposition belies an elaborate blend of nine whiskies ranging in age from 12 to 34 years old. The result is a fruity and floral dram underpinned by a whisper of smoke. Texturally, it’s light and energetic — a nice contrast to the impressive depth of flavor in each sip.

Average price: $189
Rating: 94

The Macallan Harmony Amber Meadow

The Macallan Harmony Amber Meadow is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

The third release in The Macallan’s “Harmony Collection” arrives, like its predecessors, without an age statement. Produced in collaboration with Stella and Mary McCartney, and bottled at 44.2 percent ABV, Amber Meadow melds ripe citrus (orange and lemon) and stone fruit aromas with notes of vanilla cake batter, savory tea, and salted almonds. The producer’s signature sherried profile is dialed down here, but the overall quality and easygoing personality of this whisky will no doubt please Macallan fans.

Average price: $210
Rating: 94

Longmorn 18 Year Old 2023 Release

Longmorn 18 Year Old 2023 Release is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

From Speyside, this single malt was bottled at a cask strength 57.6 percent ABV. That proof, coupled with the price, won’t appeal to every drinker. But should your palate (and wallet) cooperate, this is a stunning example of Scotch in its purest form. The nose seems to have endless depth, serving up aromas of used oak, dried lavender, dark berries, and fragrant baking spices. The palate, too, has searing intensity, delivering much of the same character as the nose.

Average price: $280
Rating: 93

The Glen Grant Aged 21 Years 2022 Release

The Glen Grant Aged 21 Years 2022 Release is one of the best Scotches for 2024.

Aged in ex-bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, this Speyside single malt was bottled at 46 percent ABV. That’s a few percentage points higher than you’ll typically encounter in bottles of this age, and it helps maintain an excellent concentration of aromas and flavors. Despite its 21 years in cask, this whisky is remarkably youthful, with fresh fruit (pineapple and apricot, predominantly) all over the nose and palate, complemented by floral tones and sweet sips of honey. Absolutely worth the splurge for special occasions.

Average price: $360
Rating: 95

FAQ

How is Scotch different from whiskey?

Technically speaking, all Scotch is whiskey, though producers in the nation and the industry at large opt to drop the “e” from the word, spelling it “whisky” instead.

What are the different types of Scotch?

In total there are five different Scotch regions: Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland, and Speyside. While producers in each region share some general similarities in style — almost all Islay whisky is peated, for example — so many factors go into Scotch production that two distillers from the same region may produce vastly different styles of whisky.

What is the proper way to drink Scotch?

Scotch is a very versatile spirit that can be sipped neat, with a few drops of water, on the rocks, or mixed in cocktails.

VinePair’s Tasting Methodology

Throughout the year, VinePair conducts numerous tastings for our popular Buy This Booze column and wine and spirits reviews. Our mission is to provide a clear, reliable source of information for drinkers, providing an overview applicable to day-to-day buying and drinking.

Tastings are not typically conducted blind. In alignment with our reviews mission, we believe in purposefully tasting all products as our readers typically would, with full knowledge of the producer, the region, and — importantly — the price.

For Buy This Booze roundups, we typically include a maximum of one expression per brand, though we do allow multiple products from the same production facility (i.e., released under different labels).

For this Scotch roundup, we considered a number of different factors before finalizing the list. Our overall aim was to provide a complete overview of the myriad styles and expressions of Scotch that define the world’s most famous whisky producing nation. That means entry-level, “approachable” blends featured alongside intricately finished and limited-edition releases that spirits geeks go to great lengths to seek out. We are confident that every bottle that made this final ranking delivers on flavor, balance, depth, and complexity for each of their respective price points.

*Image retrieved from 5ph via stock.adobe.com

The article The 30 Best Scotch Whiskies for 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The VinePair Podcast: Most Drinkers Don’t Care About What a ‘True’ Cocktail Is https://vinepair.com/articles/vp-podcast-true-cocktails-debate/ Fri, 02 Aug 2024 12:00:25 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165126 Wait, is Tommy’s Margarita actually a Daiquiri? Well, if we’re gonna get really technical here, it’s neither a Margarita nor a Daiquiri, but if the drink didn’t contain “Margarita” in its moniker, there’s a good chance that it never would have taken off. With all the riffs we’re seeing in the modern cocktail landscape, it’s almost become standard practice for bartenders to use classic cocktail names as a point of reference when introducing new creations to their customers. That said, there are a handful of sticklers in the industry who are adamant about classic specs and their given names.

The article The VinePair Podcast: Most Drinkers Don’t Care About What a ‘True’ Cocktail Is appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Wait, is Tommy’s Margarita actually a Daiquiri? Well, if we’re gonna get really technical here, it’s neither a Margarita nor a Daiquiri, but if the drink didn’t contain “Margarita” in its moniker, there’s a good chance that it never would have taken off. With all the riffs we’re seeing in the modern cocktail landscape, it’s almost become standard practice for bartenders to use classic cocktail names as a point of reference when introducing new creations to their customers.

That said, there are a handful of sticklers in the industry who are adamant about classic specs and their given names. Does this really keep us honest as a cocktail culture, or do we risk becoming too rigid and hindering the potential success of delicious, new drinks?

On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam and Zach talk about a frustrating habit that certain bartenders and drinks professionals have of policing drink names and insisting on a strict adherence to traditional definitions and recipes. If calling a drink a Margarita, a Martini, or a Negroni makes it easier for the drinker to know what to expect, that’s a good thing! Tune in for more.

Zach is reading: You’re Probably Shaking Your Cocktails for Too Long
Adam is reading: Help, There’s a Hot Dog in My Drink!

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The article The VinePair Podcast: Most Drinkers Don’t Care About What a ‘True’ Cocktail Is appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The Cocktail College Podcast: El Diablo, Revisited https://vinepair.com/cocktail-college/el-diablo-revisited/ Fri, 02 Aug 2024 11:30:35 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165127 “Cocktail College” is brought to you by tequila Don Julio. Don Julio González followed his heart over his head. He loved his land, agave, and community — basically, every choice he made was for exceptional tequila, something I know you can appreciate, “Cocktail College” listener. He did it por amor, and this is how people from Mexico basically live every single day. Hecho en México, loved everywhere, head to www.donjulio.com/tequila-drinks for a list of cocktails to create with Don Julio’s expressions. Made with love in every drop.

The article The Cocktail College Podcast: El Diablo, Revisited appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

“Cocktail College” is brought to you by tequila Don Julio. Don Julio González followed his heart over his head. He loved his land, agave, and community — basically, every choice he made was for exceptional tequila, something I know you can appreciate, “Cocktail College” listener. He did it por amor, and this is how people from Mexico basically live every single day. Hecho en México, loved everywhere, head to www.donjulio.com/tequila-drinks for a list of cocktails to create with Don Julio’s expressions. Made with love in every drop.

Something that comes up quite a lot here on “Cocktail College” is the relative lack of classic tequila cocktails. We even dedicated an entire episode to transforming other classics into tequila drinks. Today, though, we’re highlighting an often-overlooked agave-fueled classic: El Diablo. In late Summer 2022, we discussed this very drink with Josué Gonzaléz of Miami’s Unfiltered Hospitality. At the time, it seemed like El Diablo was quietly tending. However, coming up on two years later, it seems like it never really caught on, even though tequila itself remains on fire.

That’s why we’re diving into the “Cocktail College” archives today to shine another light on this blend of fresh lime, crème de cassis, ginger beer, and blanco. Whether you’re a home mixologist looking for something new or a bartender whose guests simply can’t get enough tequila cocktails, it’s time to dance with the devil and give El Diablo a chance. Squeeze those limes, dust off the crème de cassis, get the ginger beer on ice, and tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Josué Gonzaléz’s El Diablo Recipe

Ingredients

  • ¾ ounce fresh lime juice
  • 1 ¼ ounces blanco tequila
  • ½ ounce crème de cassis
  • 3 ounces ginger beer
  • Garnish: lime wheel, candied ginger, and Filthy cherry

Directions

  1. Combine lime juice, crème de cassis, and tequila in a cocktail shaker with two ice cubes. (Optional: Substitute crème de cassis with strawberry syrup for a sweeter flavor).
  2. Shake until cold and strain into a highball glass.
  3. Top up with ginger beer and crushed ice.
  4. Garnish with a lime wheel, candied ginger, and skewered Filthy cherry.

Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

Follow us on Instagram:

VinePair
Tim McKirdy
Josué Gonzaléz
Unfiltered Hospitality

The article The Cocktail College Podcast: El Diablo, Revisited appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
How Wyoming Whiskey Conquered the Wild West https://vinepair.com/articles/how-wyoming-whiskey-conquered-the-wild-west/ Fri, 02 Aug 2024 10:30:50 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165034 Kirby, Wyoming, population 76, is a virtual no man’s land. There’s a literal ghost town just across the highway, and nearby Thermopolis, population 2,725, seems gargantuan by comparison. The closest city, Casper, is two hours away. If desolate were a place, it’d be Kirby. It’s the last spot where one would expect to find high-quality whiskey. This remoteness drew former attorneys Brad and Kate Mead, who now operate a 350-head historic cattle ranch just outside the town of Jackson, to Kirby. They originally intended to use the 1,000 acres to isolate their cattle and prevent disease during the winter months.

The article How Wyoming Whiskey Conquered the Wild West appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Kirby, Wyoming, population 76, is a virtual no man’s land. There’s a literal ghost town just across the highway, and nearby Thermopolis, population 2,725, seems gargantuan by comparison. The closest city, Casper, is two hours away. If desolate were a place, it’d be Kirby. It’s the last spot where one would expect to find high-quality whiskey.

This remoteness drew former attorneys Brad and Kate Mead, who now operate a 350-head historic cattle ranch just outside the town of Jackson, to Kirby. They originally intended to use the 1,000 acres to isolate their cattle and prevent disease during the winter months.

But as the land sat unoccupied, the Meads decided to do something completely unexpected and open Wyoming’s first whiskey distillery. They enlisted the help of David DeFazio, a lawyer who had worked at their firm, and together vowed to make a spirit that honored the land it came from.

“Everyone who comes to Wyoming understands that nothing is easy here,” says Wyoming Whiskey master blender Brendan Cook. “You have to make a conscious decision to do something. We’re not in whiskey country or bourbon country. There was this willingness and desire to make something happen in a climate that isn’t prime territory for it. And that desire was to make America’s next great whiskey.”

Harsh Extremes Yield Unique Results

Wyoming’s harsh climate is a major factor when it comes to making the distinctive spirit, and it’s critical to how the whiskey is barrel-aged. While places like Kentucky or Tennessee have a fairly mild climate with no major temperature extremes, Wyoming’s seasonal swings can fluctuate dramatically — but the whiskey makers use this to their advantage.

“What we’re able to do as blenders is picture the warehouse as a spice cabinet and think, ‘I want a little of this one, this one, and this one,’ to make something that gives us a variety of flavors,” Cook says. “The temperature swings in Wyoming are quite extreme: We see temperatures of 117 degrees at the top of the warehouse and 60 degrees at the bottom. We have huge temperature differences within a small space, but that allows us to get different flavor profiles depending on where the barrel is picked from,” Cook says.

Unlike its milder counterparts, Wyoming’s climate stays consistently cold from October to April, preventing the warehouses from really warming up at all. Wyoming Whiskey calls this the “dormancy period.” It gives the spirit time to mature and age without the heat that causes cask expansion and contraction during summer months.

“We measure our five-year-old bourbon with summer as its birthday,” Cook adds. “That’s when we see the mature characteristics come from the cask. That’s definitely unique to this part of the world.”

A Taste of Wyoming

To make whiskey, you need water. And finding a viable water source in Wyoming is no small feat. Water from nearby Thermopolis, home to the world’s largest natural hot springs, wasn’t an option because of its high mineral content, which would calcify in the still. Instead, the co-founders were able to tap a 6,000-year-old underground limestone aquifer a mile underground.

“The Meads and their partner, David DeFazio, decided to stay true to Wyoming — to build something from the ground up and celebrate that. It’s about building a sense of community and doing the difficult thing because it’s right. We could source ingredients from somewhere else, but we decided to use our surroundings,” says Cook.

Ingredients like non-GMO corn, winter wheat (they use a variety called “Yellowstone”), barley, and winter rye are sourced from farmers based in Byron, Wyoming, just an hour and a half away. These grains were chosen for their sugar and starch yields, and the variety of corn cultivated matures in 91 days, which is critical for Wyoming’s high elevation and short growing season.

“It truly is like a taste of Wyoming from grain to glass,” Cook says.

Whiskey’s Softer Side

Wyoming Whiskey’s pursuit of perfection carries on through its distillation process. The team uses a combination of two yeasts — one that’s high-yield, as well as a proprietary yeast that produces alcohol with a slightly fruitier flavor.

After being distilled in a Vendome Copper & Brass continuous column still, the whiskey is put into oak barrels and aged for a minimum of five years in one of their six rickhouses. The temperature swings in the warehouse create the bourbon world’s most unique aging environment. The summer heat pushes the whiskey into the barrel’s charred oak, while cooler temperatures force the spirit to contract — almost like inhaling and exhaling — resulting in layers of flavor.

“We have these great caramel, vanilla, and orange notes, then some dark, dried fruits, and big cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger flavors,” Cook says. “When we’re putting a small batch together, we want that creamy orange vanilla with a little bit of grounding notes from the dark dried fruit. There’s this dichotomy of an incredibly extreme environment but a very soft, delicate, and rich spirit, where you might have expected it to be harsh.”

Heading Out West

The folks behind Wyoming Whiskey know how exceptional their state is, from its majestic mountains to its sweeping high plains. Preserving the Wyoming way of life is integral to their craft, which is why they’ve created Wide Open Spaces, a partnership that has worked closely with the National Park Foundation, Yellowstone Forever, and Grand Teton National Park Foundation to help preserve Wyoming’s landscapes.

Each chapter in the series pays homage to Wyoming’s landmarks. The latest release, The Grand and National Parks No. 3, celebrates the Snake River and Grand Teton National Park, home to a 40-mile-long mountain range and native wildlife like bison and bears. Proceeds help support the Grand Teton National Park Foundation’s mission to preserve natural and cultural resources for generations. It’s just one of the many ways Wyoming Whiskey shows respect and reverence for its home.

For those who happen to be near Kirby, Wyoming Whiskey offers distillery tours, as well as tastings at its satellite location in Jackson Hole. For those unable to make it out west, you can explore Wyoming Whiskey’s expressions online.

From the harsh conditions of the 44th state, the distillers at Wyoming Whiskey have done the impossible and caught lightning in a bottle, capturing the intrepid spirit of the West.

This article is sponsored by Wyoming Whiskey.

The article How Wyoming Whiskey Conquered the Wild West appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Hop Take Mid-Year Report Card: Scrutinizing and Scoring the Beer Industry’s Q2 https://vinepair.com/articles/hop-take-mid-year-report-card/ Fri, 02 Aug 2024 04:01:29 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165223 Traditionally, the second fiscal quarter closes at the end of June every year. Yet two days into August, Hop Take’s second-ever quarterly report card on the American brewing industry is just hitting the digital wire. A late filing! Nobody tell Gary Gensler, all right? It’s not that I forgot this editorial scheme since kicking it off in mid-April. It’s just that there’s hardly been a slow week for beer-business news in the intervening three and a half months. In that time, Mr.

The article Hop Take Mid-Year Report Card: Scrutinizing and Scoring the Beer Industry’s Q2 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Traditionally, the second fiscal quarter closes at the end of June every year. Yet two days into August, Hop Take’s second-ever quarterly report card on the American brewing industry is just hitting the digital wire. A late filing! Nobody tell Gary Gensler, all right?

It’s not that I forgot this editorial scheme since kicking it off in mid-April. It’s just that there’s hardly been a slow week for beer-business news in the intervening three and a half months. In that time, Mr. Chobani bought Anchor Brewing Co., Ballast Point finally found a buyer for its enormous brewhouse/albatross in San Diego, and so much more. There was simply too much news. The Hop Take Quarterly Beer Business Report Card had to wait.

No longer. This week, let’s once again zoom out on the beer beat to take stock (securities joke!) of the American brewing industry. As before, this evaluation is based on both facts and feelings. It’s fully subjective, but also somehow objectively correct? No opportunities for extra credit will be offered, so if you’re not happy with your grade, American beer industry, you’ll just have to apply yourself more next quarter. Let’s review.

Subject: Government
Grade: B+
Comments: As the nation grinds its way toward the election in November, the CHEERS Act, an industry-backed bill introduced to the House of Representatives in March that seeks to bolster flagging on-premise sales by changing the way draft systems are taxed, appears to have stalled out. H.R.7577 has been parked in the House Ways & Means Committee since our last check-in. On the other hand, brewing and distributing trade groups seem to have finally found a line of attack on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s dietary guideline revision process that they can all agree on — and their counterparts in other categories, too. The Brewers Association, the Beer Institute, and the National Beer Wholesalers of America were three co-signatories among 15 on a letter from industry orgs to the Secretary of Health and Human Services in June demanding more “transparen[cy]” and “stakeholder input” in the once-every-half-decade process of updating the guidelines. Witness all those member dues at work.

Subject: Fluid (Sales) Dynamics
Grade: B
Comments: With five weekends to go until Labor Day 2024, the traditional conclusion of the industry’s high season, the category’s performance is a real mixed-bag 12-pack. Hard seltzers are getting pummeled by spirits-based canned cocktails. Craft is down overall; Twisted Tea is the only star currently shining Boston Beer Company’s mostly beat bench; even the mighty Voodoo Ranger brand family is showing some signs of trouble. Mark Zuckerberg’s cringe-inducing Independence Day performance may have helped Coors Banquet, but Molson Coors growth was nearly flat overall, suggesting those once-in-a-lifetime 2023 gains were harder to lock in than the brass envisioned. Tilray Brands’ first-half sales look great, its margins… not so much. Meanwhile, I saw one (1) person order a Bud Light on purpose in the on-premise last month, which may or may not help explain why Modelo beat Anheuser-Busch InBev’s still-flailing flagship like it stole something in off-premise dollars last frame. Most observers expected Michelob Ultra to overtake Bud Light at some point (the brand also did in off-premise dollars last month), but ‘twas a real “not like this” milestone for the world’s biggest macrobrewer. Heineken struggled globally and stateside last quarter; Pabst was flattish, but having fun out there.

Subject: Innovation Lab
Grade: D
Comments: I don’t particularly like that more macrobrewers (ABI, Sapporo, and soon Molson Coors with Peroni) are moving production of their foreign brands to American facilities, because I think it’s confusing to customers and mostly a play for margin, but the claim that it’s better for the environment not to ship beer halfway around the world isn’t untrue. Can you call that an innovation? I hope so, because there wasn’t a whole lot of actual brewing innovation bearing fruit at meaningful scale these past three months. As we’ve discussed, it’s “White Claw plus everyone else” in hard seltzer; it’s “Athletic plus boring macros plus everyone else” in non-alc. The BA’s chief economist Bart Watson announced at the Craft Brewers Conference in late April that he’d actually measured the once-unstoppable India pale ale segment “flat to down” last year, and I see no obvious heir-apparent style to “Immediate Profits Ahead.” Voodoo Ranger ain’t in danger overall, but Fruit Force’s serious sophomore slump suggests the firm may have found the American drinking public’s limit on hyper-hazy molar-rattlers. BBC is actually promising not to innovate Twea too much, which is sort of innovation-by-subtraction after the Truly debacle.

Subject: Social Studies
Grade: C-
Comments: After watching transphobes catch ABI like a deer in the headlights and then run the firm over with a lifted F-150 of bigotry last year, it wasn’t surprising to see rainbow capitalism in retreat at the industry’s biggest corporate players during Pride Month 2024. It was gross, though! Ditto, Hulk Hogan’s corny conservative pander-brand, Real American Beer, which was, of course, never actually meant for “for Republicans and Democrats” so much as “Trumpites” and whoever’s unlucky enough to wind up at their tailgates. I’m genuinely excited to see whether an overeager brewery manages to incur a regulatory backlash by pushing its newly granted TikTok advertising privileges too far before the app gets banned in the U.S., but that’s more of an industry pitfall than a “positive.” When it comes to our definitely not-captured judiciary, bright spots include the rejection of Reyes Beverage Group’s “absurd” effort to cadge fair-market value for Anderson Valley Brewing Co.’s California distribution rights without contractual or statutory claims to them, and the revelation that Supreme Court Justice/amateur vexillologist Samuel Alito took a haircut on his bad stock trade against ABI during the Bud Light fiasco’s fifth month. Fun! Also a revelation but less fun: New disclosures last month showed Leonard Leo, the hard-right rainmaker who architected SCOTUS’s minority rule, helped to fund the supposedly grassroots reactionary tantrum against Bud Light to the tune of millions of dollars.

Subject: Craftology
Grade: B-
Comments: The craft brewing business got really hard, really fast, and the mid-year snapshot from the BA was correspondingly gnarly. Layoffs at Artisanal Brewing Ventures and Monster Brewing Co.’s Cigar City Brewery were just two testaments to said gnarliness. We got word last quarter from San Francisco that Hamdi Ulukaya, the billionaire founder of Chobani, had snatched Anchor whole from the jaws of piecemeal liquidation (hooray!), and no word on whether he intends to make good on his vague statements about hiring back its former workers, many of whom are unionized and even more of whom appear to still care incredibly deeply about the place. ATTN: Probiotic Papi — there’s still time to do the right thing! Athletic’s aforementioned acquisition in May of Ballast Point’s colossal Miramar is a serious vote of confidence from the pioneering NA firm in the segment’s future. (I’m more glass-half-empty than -full on that, and Athletic’s just-minted $50 million valuation; your mileage may vary.) Gallo’s investment in Montucky Cold Snacks is smart for both sides of the deal, and yet another example of compelling branding trumping unremarkable liquid in the beer aisle. Maybe a lesson there.

🤯 Hop-ocalypse Now

A little while back, I pondered what it would take to derail Modelo’s ascent to undisputed, year-over-year, on-premise and off No. 1 spot on the big board of American beer sales. The upshot was “not much.” Since then, Constellation’s golden lager/goose has continued its rampage, but new considerations have come to mind. In addition to the potentially destabilizing impact of an immigration crackdown I mentioned, analysts have also begun evaluating damage that another round of Trump tariffs could do to the firm’s imports from south of the border. More astonishing: A month after I filed, the North American Drought Monitor reported that 76 percent of Mexico is experiencing drought, the highest measure in 13 years. The fight for fresh agua is already a potent Mexican political issue that forced Constellation to bail on its partially built $1.4-billion Mexicali plant last year. The longer the drought lasts, the murkier Modelo’s stateside future becomes.

📈 Ups…

Happy Dad, the hard seltzer of YouTube’s NELK Boys, grew more than 100 percent year-over-year in off-premise dollars and volume, per CircanaUrban Artifact outta Cincinnati is taking a run at Pennsylvania’s “protectionist” beer-shipping rules in federal courtABI reported an additional $1.45 billion in underlying profit in its first earnings call since it “lapped comps” on last year’s mess…

📉 …and downs

With ABI all in on vodka-based NŨTRL, Bud Light Seltzer was down over 50 percent in both dollars and volume year-over-year through mid-JulyHeineken took a nearly $1 billion impairment charge on its big Chinese investment last quarter… BrewDog ditched its “carbon negative” claims, blaming dicey offset schemes that overpromise and underdeliver…

The article Hop Take Mid-Year Report Card: Scrutinizing and Scoring the Beer Industry’s Q2 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
7-Eleven’s New Slurpee Flavor Is… Pumpkin Spice? https://vinepair.com/booze-news/7-eleven-pumpkin-spice-slurpee/ Thu, 01 Aug 2024 18:20:30 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=165104 Pumpkin spice season creeps up earlier and earlier every year, with brands rushing to put out fall-themed drinks, bites, candles, Chapsticks, and more. But this year might have set the record, with autumnal beverages hitting menus as early as Aug. 1. And one of them is straight out of a nightmare: the 7-Eleven Pumpkin Spice Slurpee. You read that right. A Pumpkin Spice Slurpee. “The Pumpkin Spice Slurpee drink is unlike anything fall flavor fans have tasted before,” the brand says in a press release. (Ain’t that the truth).

The article 7-Eleven’s New Slurpee Flavor Is… Pumpkin Spice? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Pumpkin spice season creeps up earlier and earlier every year, with brands rushing to put out fall-themed drinks, bites, candles, Chapsticks, and more. But this year might have set the record, with autumnal beverages hitting menus as early as Aug. 1. And one of them is straight out of a nightmare: the 7-Eleven Pumpkin Spice Slurpee.

You read that right. A Pumpkin Spice Slurpee.

“The Pumpkin Spice Slurpee drink is unlike anything fall flavor fans have tasted before,” the brand says in a press release. (Ain’t that the truth). “The flavor[s] of pumpkin and cinnamon spice [swirl] together in the form of a refreshing, ice-cold Slurpee drink.”

As it does not contain any caffeine, the drink is essentially just slushed-up, cinnamon-spiced pumpkin water. Yum? Still, it is served out of 7-Eleven’s patented, fizz-inducing Slurpee machines, which can transform almost any liquid into a palatable, frozen delight. So while the flavor may be bizarre, the texture will still be the one Slurpee-sluggers are familiar with, at the very least.

The drink is the latest addition to the chain’s fall menu lineup, which also features Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Pumpkin Spice Coffee, and a Pumpkin Spice Latte, all of which are available now.

“7-Eleven customers are huge pumpkin spice fans, so we’re always looking for reasons to bring out the pumpkins a bit early and delight customers with new creations,” Dennis Phelps, the chain’s senior vice president of merchandising, expressed in the release. “This year, you don’t have to just be a coffee lover to get your pumpkin spice fix!”

If you happen to be intrigued by the slushy pumpkin water, you may have to take a road trip to try it. The frozen concoction is only available for a limited time at just five 7-Eleven locations across California, New York, Ohio, and Texas. According to the brand, the Slurpee flavor will only stick around while supplies last, so who knows if it’ll even make it to Halloween?

The article 7-Eleven’s New Slurpee Flavor Is… Pumpkin Spice? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Can the Beverage Industry Stand United Amid Anti-Alcohol Animosity on Multiple Fronts? https://vinepair.com/articles/alcohol-criticism-deepens/ Thu, 01 Aug 2024 13:00:41 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165076 Alcohol is under scrutiny from regulators, public health experts, and the media. If a house divided against itself cannot stand, it behooves the industry to band together to fend off attacks. So, is the industry in fact united across tiers and categories? Or is it at war with itself? On the broad message — that alcohol has a place in society, and that it can be consumed at safe levels — the industry largely agrees. But with increased competition for drinkers’ dollars, nearly everything else is a battleground.

The article Can the Beverage Industry Stand United Amid Anti-Alcohol Animosity on Multiple Fronts? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Alcohol is under scrutiny from regulators, public health experts, and the media. If a house divided against itself cannot stand, it behooves the industry to band together to fend off attacks. So, is the industry in fact united across tiers and categories? Or is it at war with itself? On the broad message — that alcohol has a place in society, and that it can be consumed at safe levels — the industry largely agrees. But with increased competition for drinkers’ dollars, nearly everything else is a battleground.

Here’s the context that explains why: The proportion of American adults who consume alcohol — about two-thirds — has been broadly stable for 50 years. But those drinkers have more choice than ever, with entire categories that didn’t exist a decade ago (hard seltzer, premade gelatin shots, kegged cocktails, etc.) sucking up market share. Because U.S. consumers aren’t buying more alcohol in total, it makes most categories’ and companies’ slices smaller than they’ve been in the past. Analysts for the trade group Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America put the reality bluntly in a year-end 2023 report: Whether in beer, wine, or spirits, “growth is anything but certain.”

Fierce jockeying for market share can happen in any sector, from tech to fashion, but what makes alcohol different is its highly regulated nature, undergirded by the legally imposed three-tier system of suppliers, distributors, and retailers. The structure of the industry itself guarantees a degree of tribalism, even as the diversity of products and brands explodes. When wins for one entity come at the expense of another, competition breeds defensiveness. Categories and tiers retreat behind their barricades, fretting about the future and guarding their precious turf. Earlier this year, two of the most important alcohol companies in the U.S. — Anheuser-Busch InBev and Constellation Brands — tussled in court over a hard seltzer at the same time beer and spirits trade groups were accusing each other of spreading disinformation and exploiting tax loopholes.

It’s hardly one big happy family, and some in the trade press have asked whether this hampers the industry’s response to critics. In an April 2 edition of Alcohol Issues Insights, editor Christopher Shepard asked the question outright: “With anti-alcohol rhetoric ratcheting up on the daily, is the industry closer to or farther from finding an effective, unified response?”

Currently, beer and spirits are the two categories with the biggest beef. Wine has historically enjoyed a health halo, and is lately content to be an onlooker to industry drama. But it’s dealing with its own issues as well: namely, declining sales combined with a struggle to win younger legal-drinking-age consumers, neither of which is helped by general anti-alcohol messaging.

Still, no one in beer, wine, or spirits leadership wants to see the infighting get out of hand. They’d like it to remain mostly behind legislative chambers’ closed doors, or relegated to PowerPoint slides at conferences. There’s a danger that all-out war could ruin the chance for cooperation on core policy issues, such as revision of the U.S. dietary guidelines or federal changes to alcohol labeling.

“Yes, there is fighting and yes, it’s different from the recent past,” says Jim Watson, senior analyst for beverages at Rabobank. “But I do think there’s still an overarching desire for that fight to stay as contained as possible.”

What alcohol has, then, are internal fractures that exist almost entirely outside of public view. Battle lines form around abstruse issues like excise taxes, interstate commerce, and franchise law, with trade groups firing shots in comments made to regulatory agencies. From the point of view of the average drinker, it’s hardly compelling. So why does it matter at all?

All for One

Collaboration has material benefits. It’s why U.S. alcohol has, in rare instances, been able to corral its warring factions, even on a national level. The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA), signed into law in late 2020, was the culmination of years of compromise between tiers and categories. In the end, CBMTRA cut excise taxes for the vast majority of alcohol producers in the U.S., and was praised by beer, wine, and spirits groups alike. Its hard-fought passage saved alcohol companies millions of dollars, and marked a fleeting moment of kumbaya that hasn’t been recaptured since.

“One reason that CBMTRA passed in such a broad and bipartisan fashion was that the legislation became a unifier for the industry,” says Joe Heaton, of counsel at Ice Miller LLP. (In his former role as the senior director of federal affairs at the Beer Institute [BI], a trade group representing beer companies, Heaton helped secure CBMTRA’s passage.) “Absent that kind of unifying legislation or issue, I anticipate we will continue to see turf fights between industry players,” he says.

“There is no doubt that the beer, wine, and spirits sectors are strong competitors in the marketplace and, even at times, in the legislative arena. We have a shared interest, however, in ensuring that the U.S. federal guidance on alcohol is based on the preponderance of scientific evidence, not ideology.”

In simplest terms, CBMTRA passed because no industry segment likes taxes — it’s one point all groups can agree on. But those galvanizing issues come along only so often. The U.S. dietary guidelines offer another rare opportunity to rally the troops, lest the government agencies in charge of writing them decide to reduce the number of drinks that constitute “moderate” consumption. Under current guidelines, that level is one drink or fewer per day for women and two or fewer for men. These guidelines are merely suggestions, of course, and have no direct regulatory consequences. Their actual effect on Americans’ consumption is also an open question. (How many people actually eat based on the MyPlate schematic?) But it would deal a cultural blow to the industry if the new guidelines were to declare, as the World Health Organization has, that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will review the dietary guidelines again in 2025, as they do every five years. But there’s a new — and, to some industry observers, concerning — twist this time around. Next year, recommendations regarding alcohol consumption will not fall under the purview of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Instead, they will be considered by a separate body, details of which are still scarce. Spirits’ most influential trade organization, the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS), is already undertaking a public information campaign designed to counter anti-alcohol messaging that it fears could sway the group’s recommendations. Beer and wine groups are likely to join the chorus, as they have in the past, realizing that unity on this issue is critical.

“There is no doubt that the beer, wine, and spirits sectors are strong competitors in the marketplace and, even at times, in the legislative arena. We have a shared interest, however, in ensuring that the U.S. federal guidance on alcohol is based on the preponderance of scientific evidence, not ideology,” DISCUS president & CEO Chris Swonger said in a statement.

Like lowering taxes, countering the idea that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption is a broad call to arms — until the thornier question arises of how, exactly, to promote moderation.

What’s the Difference?

Whether beer and spirits are fundamentally different in terms of their effects on the body is central to the intensifying clash between the two. What seems like a simple question has implications for excise tax policy, for retail availability of beer versus spirits, for public health, and more. And the debate is heating up.

In essence, beer continues to assert its long-standing position that it is “the drink of moderation,” a generally lower-ABV type of alcohol than distilled liquor and therefore, it should be regulated and taxed differently from spirits. Historically, governmental powers have agreed. In contrast, spirits groups — notably DISCUS — have in the past three years scored some regulatory victories stemming from their position that it’s not the type of alcohol that matters, but the alcohol content itself. In their view, sometimes referred to as “equivalency,” “there is no drink of moderation, but only the practice of moderation.”

“If the beer guys were to tell you that spirits were harmful, that would probably affect your overall view on alcohol.”

Within the last year, DISCUS and the BI have taken their fight to the people. Both have launched websites to educate the public about their respective stances, in addition to advocating at the state and federal levels. It might seem curious that these groups are drawing harder lines in the sand at the same time that alcohol companies are diversifying the types of products they make: Traditional beer companies now sell spirits-based beverages and spirits brands now sell malt-based versions of popular cocktails. That diversification could make companies less rigid over time — but it’s still a long way off compared to the competitive threats these companies perceive today.

“Despite product innovations, the producers at their cores are either brewers, winemakers, or distillers,” Heaton says. “Only a few producers are doing all three in a measurably significant manner that would cause them to shift positions away from their core products.”

Though the average drinker isn’t privy to much of the debate over moderation and equivalency, the squabbling could still have unintended consequences. Watson says there’s a risk that, in arguing against beer or spirits, the opposing category makes a public health argument that harms alcohol broadly.

“If the beer guys were to tell you that spirits were harmful, that would probably affect your overall view on alcohol,” he says.

And then there’s the simple question of limited resources. Time and money spent fighting another alcohol company are time and money not spent fighting external threats. Right now, trade groups are trying to do both. But there may come a time when they have to more clearly pick their battles.

The article Can the Beverage Industry Stand United Amid Anti-Alcohol Animosity on Multiple Fronts? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The 16 Best Rieslings for 2024 https://vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/best-riesling-2024/ Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:45:13 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165061 Ever come across a movie that has a 32 percent audience score but 90 percent critics score? That’s kind of like Riesling. Many wine drinkers avoid the grape due to its reputation as “sweet,” while sommeliers and wine professionals sing its praises as a complex, age-worthy, high-acid wine. In reality, Riesling takes on a wide range of expressions. Many examples are bone dry with laser-like acidity and a crisp mineral edge, while others offer ripe fruit flavors and, yes, a slight hint of sweetness. The profile can depend on region, harvest date, and the winemaking.

The article The 16 Best Rieslings for 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Ever come across a movie that has a 32 percent audience score but 90 percent critics score? That’s kind of like Riesling. Many wine drinkers avoid the grape due to its reputation as “sweet,” while sommeliers and wine professionals sing its praises as a complex, age-worthy, high-acid wine.

In reality, Riesling takes on a wide range of expressions. Many examples are bone dry with laser-like acidity and a crisp mineral edge, while others offer ripe fruit flavors and, yes, a slight hint of sweetness. The profile can depend on region, harvest date, and the winemaking. It’s all about finding the right bottle that fits your preferred style.

This list showcases the full spectrum of Riesling from austere and focused to rounded and weighty. Some are tart with zesty citrus and green apple flavors while others are overflowing with notes of juicy peaches and pineapples. There are wines from across Germany including Spätlese bottlings from the Mosel and fuller-bodied wines from the Pfalz, as well as Rieslings from Alsace, Austria, the Finger Lakes, and even a unique cool-climate site in California. Whether you’re a devout member of the fan club or are a skeptic waiting to be convinced, here are 16 bottles to explore on your Riesling journey.

Best Rieslings Under $25

Von Winning ‘Winnings’ Riesling 2023

Von Winning ‘Winnings’ Riesling 2023 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

Dating back to 1849, von Winning is an historic producer in Germany’s Pfalz region, an area known for producing rich, full-bodied expressions of Riesling due to its relatively warm climate. The sunshine in this region comes through in this ripe and expressive wine. Aromas of peaches, jasmine flowers, and rose petals float out of the glass. The palate is full of juicy mango and apricot flavors, complemented by hints of green tea and minerals.

Average price: $20
Rating: 92

Apollo’s Praise Lahoma Vineyard Dry Riesling 2023

Apollo's Praise Lahoma Vineyard Dry Riesling 2023 is one of the best Riselings for 2024.

Apollo’s Praise is a new project run by Kelby James Russell in the Finger Lakes. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the head winemaker at Red Newt Cellars, a leading producer in the region, for the past decade. In 2023, Russell purchased the esteemed Lahoma Vineyard on Seneca Lake to start his own winemaking venture, and this is the winery’s first vintage. The dry Riesling is expressive on the nose with aromas of apricots, mango, grapefruit, and smoke. The palate is full of ripe stone fruit and tropical fruit notes, but still comes across as clean and crisp. A great new addition to the world of Finger Lakes Riesling, indeed.

Average price: $22
Rating: 92

Forge Cellars Dry Riesling Classique 2022

Forge Cellars Dry Riesling Classique 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

The “Classique” bottlings from Forge Cellars are meant to represent a snapshot of the vintage across Seneca Lake, blending the winery’s 16 vineyard sites into one cohesive wine. While Forge also offers a range of stellar single-vineyard bottlings that are well worth exploring, this is the perfect introduction to the winery’s crisp, bone-dry style. Pouring an impressive golden hue, the nose has notes of lemon oil, white cherries, and freshly baked biscuits. The palate offers concentrated citrus flavor and a rich, rounded texture that’s balanced by bright acidity.

Average price: $22
Rating: 91

A.J. Adam Riesling Trocken 2023

A.J. Adam Riesling Trocken 2023 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

A.J. Adam is a 12-acre estate in the steep, south-facing vineyards of Dhron, a small area in Germany’s iconic Mosel. Like many wines from the region, this dry Riesling offers incredible value, serving delicate notes of lime, lemon, and green apples on the nose, and a full spectrum of citrus flavors from tart and bitter grapefruit juice to round and fatty lemon oil on the palate.

Average price: $23
Rating: 92

Pfeffingen Dry Riesling 2021

Pfeffingen Dry Riesling 2021 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

Pfeffingen’s wines benefit from the estate’s unique position in the historic Bad Dürkheim town in the northern Pfalz. Here, the vineyards are protected by the Palatinate Forest, creating a distinct microclimate that translates to mineral-driven wines full of rich character. The nose brings delicate citrus and apple aromas, but the palate is really where this wine shines. Zippy notes of grapefruit, lime, and slate reach from the front to the back of the palate and linger on the finish. The wine is wonderfully balanced between fruit, minerality, acidity, and body.

Average price: $23
Rating: 91

Best Rieslings Under $50

Reichsrat von Buhl ‘Armand’ Riesling Kabinett 2022

Reichsrat von Buhl ‘Armand’ Riesling Kabinett 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

The von Buhl estate has been committed to producing high-quality Rieslings since its founding in 1849. Named after Franz Armand von Buhl, who took over the winery from his father in 1862, the “Armand” bottling is a tribute to the estate’s history and significance in the region. Sipping this wine is like biting into a juicy white cherry. The palate pops with ripe stone fruit flavors and a hint of sweetness, lifted by a bright acidity.

Average price: $25
Rating: 92

Albert Mann Riesling Cuvée Albert 2020

Albert Mann Riesling Cuvée Albert 2020 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

Sitting on the edge of the France-Germany border is Alsace, a region that’s been controlled by the two countries on several occasions. It’s no surprise, then, that Riesling thrives in this hilly French region. Due to the sunshine here, the wines tend to be rounded, and though this example does have a bit more body than average on the palate, the chalky minerality and crisp citrus notes still shine through.

Average price: $26
Rating: 90

Ravines Dry Riesling Limestone Vineyard 2021

Ravines Dry Riesling Limestone Vineyard 2021 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

Ravines has been a leader in establishing the Finger Lakes as a high-quality region for dry, mineral-driven Rieslings since its founding in 2001. This example comes from the Limestone Vineyard, named for its limestone-based soils. It’s a beautiful golden color in the glass, and offers notes of lemon, orchard fruit, and underripe mango. But the real star of this wine is the racy acidity.

Average price: $29
Rating: 90

Trestle Thirty One Dry Riesling 2022

Trestle Thirty One Dry Riesling 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

This bottle showcases the lean, mineral-driven side of Finger Lakes Riesling. There’s a slight petrol note on the nose, and the palate has delicate citrus and stone fruit flavors and a slate-like minerality. Acidity dominates each sip, but without being too austere.

Average price: $32
Rating: 90

Cobb Wines Vonarburg Vineyard Riesling 2021

Cobb Wines Vonarburg Vineyard Riesling 2021 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

Cobb Wines was a pioneer in crafting elegant, site-specific Pinot Noirs on the cool Sonoma Coast. It applies that same precision to making expressive and focused Rieslings. This bottle comes from the two-acre Vonarburg Vineyard in Anderson Valley. It’s fermented in stainless steel and aged for six months in neutral oak. The nose is perfumed with notes of honeysuckle and petrol. The palate is rich and expressive with notes of yellow pears, orchard fruit, hazelnuts, and lemon oil with a waxy texture.

Average price: $45
Rating: 92

Hermann J. Wiemer HJW Vineyard Riesling 2022

Hermann J. Wiemer HJW Vineyard Riesling 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

The HJW Vineyard is where Hermann J. Wiemer’s legacy began. Perched on a land bench 700 feet above Seneca Lake, this site is where Hermann planted the estate’s first Riesling vines in 1977. The area’s relatively cool mesoclimate leads to a distinct expression of the variety. Precise notes of lemon oil and zest fill the nose. The palate is packed with notes of citrus, underripe pineapple, grapefruit pith, and minerals that linger on the finish.

Average price: $45
Rating: 94

Wagner-Stempel ‘Porphyr’ Siefersheim Riesling 2022

Wagner-Stempel ‘Porphyr’ Siefersheim Riesling 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

This bottle from Germany’s Rheinhessen region is a Riesling for the Chardonnay lover. It shows a richer, rounder style of the variety with notes of lemon curd, vanilla, and ripe apples. Though the palate has a good weight to it, the acidity still shines through on the finish.

Average price: $46
Rating: 90

Robert Weil Riesling Spätlese 2022

Robert Weil Riesling Spätlese 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

This wine from historic Rheingau producer Robert Weil is a textbook example of Germany’s Spätlese category. These wines are made with grapes harvested later in the growing season, which allows them to accumulate more sugar and concentrated, ripe flavors. While they do have a touch of sweetness, vibrant acidity balances it out. This bottle offers zingy notes of freshly squeezed lemon, grapefruit pith, and juicy apricots. Break it out for your toughest spicy food pairings.

Average price: $49
Rating: 91

Best Riesling Over $50

Domane Wachau ‘Achleiten’ Riesling Smaragd 2022

Domane Wachau ‘Achleiten’ Riesling Smaragd 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

Neighboring Germany, Austria also makes some remarkable Riesling expressions. This single-vineyard bottling from the Wachau comes from the renowned Achleiten site, known for its gneiss soils that make wines with a strong mineral character and racy acidity. Intense aromas of tangerine, orange zest, and honeysuckle float out the glass, and the palate has an impressive concentration of fruit, with rich notes of apples and citrus.

Average price: $51
Rating: 93

Reinhold Haart Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2022

Reinhold Haart Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

Another stunning example of German Spätlese, but this time from the historic Haart estate in the Mosel. It’s wonderfully complex with layers of ripe peach and lemon bundt cake. Though it does land on the sweeter side, it’s extremely lively with bright acidity and streaks of electric lime breaking through the weight on the palate.

Average price: $54
Rating: 93

Rebholz ‘vom Rotliegenden’ Riesling 2022

Rebholz ‘vom Rotliegenden’ Riesling 2022 is one of the best Rieslings for 2024.

The Rebholz estate is a leader in organic and natural winemaking in the Pfalz region of Germany. The winery has been certified organic since 2005 and practicing biodynamic since 2006, while the tradition of winegrowing in this family dates back to 1632. This bottling is named for the red slate soils that the vines grow in, which lead to a vibrant and expressive wine. The nose is a melange of ripe stone fruits and flowers, with aromatic notes of peaches, white cherries, honeysuckle, and rose petals. The palate brings more stone fruit notes with added hints of jasmine tea, pineapple, and lychee.

Average price: $60
Rating: 94

FAQs

What regions make good Riesling?

Riesling tends to thrive in cool-climate nations and regions like Germany, Alsace, Austria, Australia’s Eden Valley, and the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Many of the world’s best Rieslings come from vineyards located at high altitudes or on steep slopes, giving the grapes the perfect balance of cool temperatures and sun exposure. Many of the great Riesling regions also feature slate soils, like Germany’s Mosel region. The style can vary between each of these all-star regions, so it’s worth exploring all of them to find your favorite.

How can I tell if a Riesling will be dry or sweet?

Germany has a long history of Riesling production, so the country has a specific labeling system that indicates the residual sugar levels in the wine. Typically, if the wine has “trocken” on the label, that means the wine is dry. Other terms like “Halbtrocken” and “Feinherb” are used to indicate an off-dry wine, and “Liebliche” or “Süss” signals a sweet wine. Outside of Germany, many regions like the Finger Lakes have started to include “dry” or “off-dry” on the labels, or include the residual sugar level on the back. When in doubt, check the alcohol level of the bottle, if it is 12 percent or higher, that tends to mean the wine is dry, and if the wine is 8 to 10 percent alcohol, that can indicate there’s some sweetness.

VinePair’s tasting methodology

Throughout the year, VinePair conducts numerous tastings for our popular Buy This Booze column, and wine and spirits reviews. Our mission is to provide a clear, reliable source of information for drinkers, providing an overview applicable to day-to-day buying and drinking.

Tastings are not typically conducted blind. In alignment with our reviews mission, we believe in purposefully tasting all products as our readers typically would, with full knowledge of the producer, the region, and — importantly — the price.

The article The 16 Best Rieslings for 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
We Asked 15 Bartenders: What’s the Best New Rum That’s Earned a Spot on Your Bar? (2024) https://vinepair.com/articles/wa-bartenders-best-new-rum-2024/ Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:00:28 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165060 For years, much of American cocktail culture treated rum as little more than a summertime spirit or a match for Coke and ginger beer. But thankfully, those days are behind us, and the U.S. is embracing rums in every facet. With a rich, storied history that dates back to pre-colonial days, rum-making traditions are varied across the Caribbean, resulting in spirits that span generations and islands. With this in mind, bartenders and beverage directors have grown increasingly interested in the new and small-batch rums popping up on shelves.

The article We Asked 15 Bartenders: What’s the Best New Rum That’s Earned a Spot on Your Bar? (2024) appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

For years, much of American cocktail culture treated rum as little more than a summertime spirit or a match for Coke and ginger beer. But thankfully, those days are behind us, and the U.S. is embracing rums in every facet. With a rich, storied history that dates back to pre-colonial days, rum-making traditions are varied across the Caribbean, resulting in spirits that span generations and islands. With this in mind, bartenders and beverage directors have grown increasingly interested in the new and small-batch rums popping up on shelves.

To get to know the category better, we asked bartenders from across the country to share with us the new (and new to them!) bottles that have recently earned a spot on their back bars. From actually delicious coconut rums to woman-owned Guatemalan bottles, these are the best new rums being poured stateside.

The best new rums, according to bartenders:

  • El Dorado High Ester Blend
  • Coconut Cartel Añejo Rum
  • Tenango Rum
  • Planteray Rum Isle Of Fiji (formerly Plantation Rum)
  • Empirical Soka
  • Batavia-Arrack Van Oosten Indonesian Rum
  • Bumbu Rum Company
  • Wray & Nephew Overproof
  • SelvaRey Rum
  • Mount Gay Navy Strength Eclipse
  • Planteray Cut & Dry Coconut Rum
  • Worthy Park Estates Jamaican Rum
  • Transcontinental High Seas Blend
  • Saint Benevolence Clairin

El Dorado High Ester Blend is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“One of my favorite rums to be released this year is the El Dorado High Ester Blend. This rum bursts with rich chocolate and caramel notes, with a little smoky-sweet coffee in there, too. To balance that richness, there is just the right amount of minerality and acidity. I tried it in a Mai Tai recently, and it was incredible!” —Ruairi Gilles, beverage director, Crawford’s Social, Westlake Village, Calif.

Coconut Cartel Añejo Rum is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“My team and I have recently fallen in love with Coconut Cartel Añejo Rum. It’s Guatemalan rum aged in new American white oak casks that is cut to proof using freshly harvested coconut water. I find that the coconut water accentuates the tropical notes in the base rum and really rounds out the aging.” —Dean Hakim, bar manager, Heirloom at the St. Laurent, Asbury Park, N.J.

Tenango Rum is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“Tenango Rum is a Guatemalan-made, Philly-based, woman-owned young rum made with 100 percent sugar cane. It has a medium body and tasting notes of dark chocolate, spices, and bitter orange. I love this rum not only for its complexity and mixability in a stirred cocktail, but also because part of [the brand’s] profits go toward creating fair wages for the women who craft the beautiful Mayan sleeve that covers the bottle.” —Damian Langarica, Bar Manager, Irwin’s, Philadelphia

“My favorite rum at the moment is El Dorado’s High Ester Blend Rum. It blends two marques: La Bonne Intention (LBI), which was distilled in an 18th-century French Savaile four-column still, and the Diamond High Esther (DHE), which was made in a John Dore double retort pot still. It’s overproof and truly a delight.” —Cyllan Hicks, Head Mixologist, Nothing Really Matters, NYC

Planteray Rum Isle Of Fiji is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“We just received the Planteray Rum Isle of Fiji. The bourbon casks and tropical flavors in the liquid make it a really enjoyable rum for summer.” —Shavinraj “Sha” Gopinath, beverage manager, Casa Sol at Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort, Bodrum, Turkey

Empirical Soka is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“Empirical Soka. [Though] not technically a rum, it’s made from fresh sorghum cane that’s fermented with a Thai rice chong yeast and then vacuum-distilled, creating a spirit that’s super funky and akin to rhum agricole. It’s grassy and slightly earthy but at the same time very bright and fresh with intense green apple notes on the palate.” —Sasha Wijidessa, co-owner, FURA, Singapore

Batavia-Arrack Van Oosten Indonesian Rum is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“Batavia-Arrack Van Oosten Indonesian Rum recreated the classic with a modern polished interpretation. It’s wonderful in adding complexity to cocktails as it has somewhat of an exotic and a distinctive cut that allows the spirit to shine through. We use it the most in our Spring Milk Punch, which is a modern homage to the original punches made in Southeast Asia in the 1700s. It’s a great sub for white rum in a Floridita Daiquiri and is a great complementing spirit for any tropical fruit-driven tiki drink.” —Daniel Beedle, assistant food & beverage director, Birch & Bloom at Kimpton The Forum Hotel, Charlottesville, Va.

Bumbu Rum Company is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“For us, it’s Bumbu Rum Company. They offer a fantastic variety at a price point that reflects its exceptional quality. The rich, smooth flavor and the balance of sweet and spicy notes make it a standout. It’s an incredible rum that sips great on its own but also mixes well in cocktails.” —Blair Mathieson, bar manager, LG’s Bar & Kitchen, Chicago

Wray & Nephew Overproof is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“It could not be considered ‘new’ by any stretch, but after being unable to get it for a while, it feels new to us again: Wray & Nephew Overproof. Its classic dunder quality makes any cocktail a little more interesting, whether you want to add more punch to a Mai Tai or make your Daiquiri a little funkier.” —Daniel Floyd bar manager, Fearing’s Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas

SelvaRey is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“My favorite new rum is SelvaRey. This exceptional rum has quickly become a staple in my cocktail repertoire. The white rum, with its vanilla and citrus notes, truly shines in a Mojito or other traditional rum cocktails. It’s refreshing and versatile, making it a must-have for any home bar. On the other hand, the aged rum boasts a deeper, richer flavor profile, perfect for a Rum Old Fashioned that offers a sophisticated twist on the classic. Additionally, I love surprising my guests with a Rum Espresso Martini, blending the robust essence of this rum with the rich, smooth taste of espresso.” —Lana Golla, bartender, Angeline by Michael Symon at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, N.J.

Mount Gay Navy Strength Eclipse is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

Mount Gay has recently put out a navy strength version of their Eclipse. This dry rum hints at a touch of sweetness because of its vanilla and spice notes and finishes on the back palate with a tinge of salinity. The higher proof and character make it stand out perfectly in anything from a Zombie to a Banana Mai Tai, or even as a sub in an Espresso Martini.” —Ron Oleska, beverage director, Link & Pin, Charlotte, N.C.

Planteray’s Cut & Dry Coconut Rum is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“The best new rum that instantly landed a spot behind my bar is Planteray’s Cut & Dry Coconut Rum. Most coconut rum gets a bad rap — and for a good reason. They are often overly sweet and reminiscent of those heavily scented suntan lotions we’d slather on at the beach. This rum is different: Made with real coconut flesh, you get the full experience of the tropical fruit, including a bit of the nutty husk on the nose. It plays well in spirit-forward drinks just as much as tiki classics, and it’s something I’ll always have on my back bar from now on.” —Grace Tomczak, bar manager, MAKfam, Denver

Worthy Park Estates Jamaican Rum is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“We’ve been really excited to play around with Worthy Park Estates new overproof Jamaican rum. It’s a fun and funky expression that leans into the high esters of pot still Jamaican rums with an interesting savory pineapple nose and a palate of banana, passion fruit, and bright sugar cane juice. It’s additive-free and at 63 percent ABV, it packs quite a punch!” —Jacoby Morciglio, bar manager, Adrift Tiki Bar, Denver

Transcontinental High Seas Blend is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“My favorite new rum is Transcontinental’s High Seas Blend, which is a three-rum blend of aged rum from Panama, an unaged rhum from Martinique, and an unaged high-ester rum from Jamaica. It was made specifically in mind for rum cocktails and eliminates the need to make a rum mix of your own to achieve all the different flavors! I love it in just a classic Daiquiri or something more wild.” —Tom Brander, beverage manager, Wilder, Philadelphia

Saint Benevolence Clairin is one of the best new rums, according to bartenders.

“We’ve been loving the new Saint Benevolence Clairin, in everything from a savory Martini to something shaken with citrus. It’s grassy and bold, which you’d expect from a Haitian clairin, with a subtle briny note that adds depth to any beverage. Sales from each bottle benefit health care efforts in Haiti, so every sip is a small dose of philanthropy as well!” —Max Green, bar director, Hospitality Department (The Bronze Owl, The Press Club Grill, Point Seven), NYC

The article We Asked 15 Bartenders: What’s the Best New Rum That’s Earned a Spot on Your Bar? (2024) appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Wine 101: Italy Part II: Oligarchs and Maritime Republics https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-oligarchs-maritime-republics/ Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:00:53 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=165058 The Roman Empire’s wine industry was massive. As we travel through time, we see the grapevine spread throughout Italy in tandem with the flourishing of the Empire itself. However, when Rome fell in 476, documentation of anything viticulture-related essentially went into hibernation. At that time, a bunch of cultures tried to fill the newly created power vacuum on the Italian peninsula, and kind of made a mess of things as the economy collapsed. All the while, the Italians never stopped making wine, but it happened on a very localized basis.

The article Wine 101: Italy Part II: Oligarchs and Maritime Republics appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

The Roman Empire’s wine industry was massive. As we travel through time, we see the grapevine spread throughout Italy in tandem with the flourishing of the Empire itself.

However, when Rome fell in 476, documentation of anything viticulture-related essentially went into hibernation. At that time, a bunch of cultures tried to fill the newly created power vacuum on the Italian peninsula, and kind of made a mess of things as the economy collapsed. All the while, the Italians never stopped making wine, but it happened on a very localized basis. Roughly 300 years later, Charlemagne came down from France and conquered Italy. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, Italy’s population doubled, urban communes became city states, and Italian viticulture took off in a way the world had never seen before.

On this episode of “Wine 101,” we bid farewell to ancient times and dive into the Middle Ages. It’s here that we see medieval Italy set the stage for the country’s wine culture as we know it today. Tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Follow Keith on Instagram @VinePairKeith. Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. It really helps get the word out there.

“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. Big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme song. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.

*Image retrieved from JFL Photography via stock.adobe.com

The article Wine 101: Italy Part II: Oligarchs and Maritime Republics appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Add a Little Sparkle: Reimagining 4 Cocktails With La Marca Prosecco https://vinepair.com/articles/reimagining-4-cocktails-with-la-marca-prosecco/ Thu, 01 Aug 2024 10:30:19 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164971 In the heart of Italy’s Veneto region, where Mediterranean sunsets bathe the vineyards of Treviso in golden light, a legacy of effervescence has been bubbling for half a century. Here lies the home of La Marca Prosecco, the sparkling wine that, since 1968, has become more than just a beverage — it’s a symbol for the Italian art of living well, carrying the promise of celebration in every pop of its cork. La Marca’s five decades of winemaking have cultivated a reputation as the go-to for life’s celebratory moments.

The article Add a Little Sparkle: Reimagining 4 Cocktails With La Marca Prosecco appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

In the heart of Italy’s Veneto region, where Mediterranean sunsets bathe the vineyards of Treviso in golden light, a legacy of effervescence has been bubbling for half a century. Here lies the home of La Marca Prosecco, the sparkling wine that, since 1968, has become more than just a beverage — it’s a symbol for the Italian art of living well, carrying the promise of celebration in every pop of its cork.

La Marca’s five decades of winemaking have cultivated a reputation as the go-to for life’s celebratory moments. But with its crisp, clean palate and notes of green apple, juicy peach, and fresh lemon, La Marca Prosecco doubles as an excellent base for scores of delicious drinks. Whether it’s added to a refreshing Spritz or a new spin on a classic Martini, it’s a simple way to add some zing to your life.

Across 4,500 grower families and eight partner wineries, La Marca crafts its flagship Prosecco, Prosecco Rosé, and Luminore Prosecco, embodying the iconic brand’s commitment to quality and tradition. And that process always begins with the careful selection of Glera grapes.

From Grape to Glass

La Marca’s journey from grape to glass begins in the enchanting Prosecco DOC of Treviso. Picture this: sun-kissed hills, crisp air, and vineyards filled with Glera grapes stretching as far as the eye can see. These berries bask in the perfect balance of warm days and cool nights, soaking up all the goodness from the mineral-rich soil.

Once harvested, La Marca’s grapes embark on a bubbly adventure courtesy of the Martinotti Method. Think of it as a metamorphosis in a giant steel tank, where a second fermentation turns good grapes into great Prosecco. This state-of-the-art technique preserves every fresh and fruity note while adding the signature La Marca sparkle.

As La Marca has made clear, the joy of Prosecco isn’t limited to special occasions. The sparkling wine invites us to explore its potential in the mixology world with cocktails ranging from timeless Italian classics to innovative modern creations.

Elevating Cocktails With La Marca Prosecco

La Marca’s versatility extends far beyond solo sipping — crafting cocktails with this sparkling wine promises a new flavor adventure, no matter the recipe or palate. Read on to discover some of our favorites!

Elderflower Prosecco Splash

A garden party in a glass, the Elderflower Prosecco Splash brings a burst of summer to your lips. Start by crushing mint leaves in a glass, then splash in elderflower liqueur over ice. Next, a pour of La Marca Prosecco and a splash of soda water create a fizzy symphony. A quick swirl topped off with a mint sprig and lime wedge, and voila, you have a cocktail that’s as refreshing as a dip in a cool stream on a hot day.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces La Marca Prosecco
  • 1 ½ ounces elderflower liqueur
  • 2 ounces soda water
  • 8-10 mint leaves
  • Garnish: Lime wedge and mint

Directions:

  1. Muddle 8-10 mint leaves.
  2. Fill the glass with ice, then add elderflower liqueur.
  3. Pour in La Marca Prosecco and soda water.
  4. Stir to combine all ingredients, then garnish with a lime wedge and a sprig of mint.

Blackberry Prosecco Spritz

A twilight soirée captured in bubbles, the Blackberry Prosecco Spritz brings a taste of summer evenings to your palate. Start by crushing blackberries, then mix in gin and blackberry liqueur. Next, strain this purple concoction over a glass of La Marca Prosecco. Gently stir and top with a sprig of rosemary and a plump blackberry to enjoy a cool and refreshing drink.

Ingredients:

  • 5 ounces La Marca Prosecco
  • 3 blackberries
  • 1 ounce gin
  • 1 ounce blackberry liqueur
  • Garnish: rosemary and a blackberry

Directions:

  1. Muddle 3 blackberries in a mixing glass or shaker.
  2. Add 1 ounce of gin and 1 ounce of blackberry liqueur to the muddled blackberries.
  3. Fill a glass with 5 ounces of La Marca Prosecco.
  4. Strain the blackberry, gin, and liqueur mixture to the Prosecco.
  5. Gently stir to combine all ingredients, then garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a fresh blackberry.

Strawberry Prosecco Sparkler

The Strawberry Prosecco Sparkler brings a sweet and fizzy taste to summer days. Muddle fresh strawberries in a shaker, followed by strawberry liqueur and a splash of lemon juice. Shake with ice, pour into a Prosecco glass, and top with La Marca Prosecco before gently stirring to combine. The result is a vibrant, fruity cocktail that balances the sweetness of strawberries with the crisp effervescence of Prosecco.

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces La Marca Prosecco
  • 3-4 fresh strawberries
  • 1 ounce strawberry liqueur
  • ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
  • Garnish: Strawberry slice and mint sprig

Directions:

  1. Muddle 2-3 strawberries in a shaker.
  2. Add strawberry liqueur, lemon juice, and sugar. Fill with ice and shake well.
  3. Strain into a Prosecco glass.
  4. Top with La Marca Prosecco.
  5. Garnish with a strawberry slice and/or a sprig of mint.

Peach Blossom Bellini

Add fresh peach purée and peach schnapps to a glass before slowly topping with La Marca Prosecco, allowing it to blend with the peach mixture. A dash of lemon juice adds a zingy high note. Crown your creation with a delicate peach slice and be transported to an Italian orchard with every sip.

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces La Marca Prosecco
  • 2 ounces fresh peach purée
  • ½ ounces peach schnapps
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Garnish: 1 piece of thinly sliced peach

Directions:

  1. In a glass, add peach purée and peach schnapps.
  2. Top with La Marca Prosecco.
  3. Add a dash of fresh lemon juice and gently stir.
  4. Garnish with a thin peach slice

Not Just for Toasting

Whether you’re shaking up a Blackberry Prosecco Spritz for a summer soirée or savoring a Peach Blossom Bellini on a sun-stretched afternoon, La Marca Prosecco proves its worth in the world of mixology. These cocktails aren’t just drinks; they’re an invitation to experiment, play, and have fun.

The next time you’re in the mood to elevate your cocktail game, remember that Prosecco isn’t just for special occasions. Pick up a bottle of La Marca and turn any moment into a celebration of flavor and creativity. It’s not just for toasting — it’s the key ingredient in a world of delicious possibilities. With La Marca Prosecco, you’re not just making a drink. You’re creating an experience.

This article is sponsored by La Mara Prosecco.

The article Add a Little Sparkle: Reimagining 4 Cocktails With La Marca Prosecco appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Italian Gymnast Giorgia Villa Lives the Dream With Olympic Medal and Parmigiano Reggiano Sponsorship https://vinepair.com/booze-news/giorgia-villa-gymnast-parmesan-cheese-sponsorship/ Wed, 31 Jul 2024 20:12:00 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=165050 As Italy’s women’s artistic gymnastics team makes headlines for nabbing the silver medal in Tuesday’s all-around final, team member Giorgia Villa made waves for an entirely different reason: a cheesy sponsorship. In a move that absolutely could not be more on brand, the Italian gymnast is sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano.

The article Italian Gymnast Giorgia Villa Lives the Dream With Olympic Medal and Parmigiano Reggiano Sponsorship appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

As Italy’s women’s artistic gymnastics team makes headlines for nabbing the silver medal in Tuesday’s all-around final, team member Giorgia Villa made waves for an entirely different reason: a cheesy sponsorship. In a move that absolutely could not be more on brand, the Italian gymnast is sponsored by Parmigiano Reggiano.

Word of the athlete’s sponsorship spread on social media following the medal ceremony, after one X (formerly Twitter) user posted: “I need the people to know that olympic silver medalist giorgia villa is sponsored by parmesan cheese and regularly posts pics of herself with giant wheels of cheese.”

And the pictures could not possibly be better: the 21-year-old Ponte San Pietro native has been photographed performing a back handspring over a massive truckle, eating a hunk while perched atop the vault, and even sitting in a split stretched across four wheels.

“The very young athlete, spearhead of the […] gymnastics team, has in fact become the brand’s new ambassador, with all the enthusiasm and freshness of her splendid age,” marketing company Impresa e Sport wrote regarding the partnership. “Tenacious, determined, smiling, Giorgia proudly underlined this new role as well as one again confirming how the combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and the world of sport is indissoluble in terms of authenticity, quality and energetic value.”

Naturally, the sponsorship has set the internet ablaze, with social media users far and wide taking to the internet to express their jealousy.

“This is my actual dream,” one X user writes. “My love of parmesan cheese is unparalleled.”

“Why do I only get sponsorship offers for shifty NFT games???” another user questions. “I want to be sponsored by parmesan cheese.”

The sentiment was more or less the same over on Reddit.

“To be fair if I was sponsored by cheese this is 100% the kind of photoshoot I’d want, too,” said user EvetheDragon84 in the r/olympics subreddit. Others took to calling out the difference between parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano, highlighting the importance of the latter in Italian culture.

“That’s not ‘parmesan.’ That’s Parmigiano Reggiano,” commented user Ouibeaux. “Most people don’t know the difference, but Italians are very proud of their cheese.”

Either way, we just hope Villa enjoys free cheese for the rest of her life. We hear it pairs exceptionally well with an Olympic medal.

The article Italian Gymnast Giorgia Villa Lives the Dream With Olympic Medal and Parmigiano Reggiano Sponsorship appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Help, There’s a Hot Dog in My Drink! https://vinepair.com/articles/maybe-hot-dog-cocktails-trend/ Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164907 Everyone’s favorite tubed mystery meat is now a mainstay at cocktail bars around the world. As usual, for better or worse, much of this trend has played out on TikTok, in the form of drinks that taste like hot dogs, hot dog water Dirty Martinis, and Martini and hot dog pairings. But while glizzies — and pieces explaining what the hell a “glizzy” is — are trending at the moment, the weenie and the ‘tini have far deeper ties than we may realize. Hot dogs are summer. They’re long holiday weekends and backyard barbecues.

The article Help, There’s a Hot Dog in My Drink! appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Everyone’s favorite tubed mystery meat is now a mainstay at cocktail bars around the world. As usual, for better or worse, much of this trend has played out on TikTok, in the form of drinks that taste like hot dogs, hot dog water Dirty Martinis, and Martini and hot dog pairings. But while glizzies — and pieces explaining what the hell a “glizzy” is — are trending at the moment, the weenie and the ‘tini have far deeper ties than we may realize.

Hot dogs are summer. They’re long holiday weekends and backyard barbecues. School is out of session and it’s not dark until 10 p.m. and life is good. They represent one of the strongest and most essential pieces of nostalgia we have in our lives. And while our collective association of a hot dog and a cold beer at a sunny summer baseball game is particular to the U.S., the allure of the tubed meat in its myriad mystery forms spans much of the globe.

Why wouldn’t we want to recapture a small sliver of that in one of the few adult places — the watering hole — where we’re allowed to let our guards down and forget about emails and have a good time?

Hot Dogs Are So Hot Right Now

At LilliStar in Williamsburg, the “Hot Doggin’ It” is served in a drink pouch that calls to mind the foil wrapper of a street cart hot dog. The drink is garnished with a cocktail wiener gummy, and uses ingredients such as tomato water and mustard seed to evoke a hot dog.

“We really wanted to capture the essence of summer vibes with the cocktail,” says Christine Wiseman, global beverage director of Bar Lab‘s concepts, including LilliStar. The Hot Doggin’ It was inspired by our desire to create something new and embody the spirit of grilling and chilling with friends on a rooftop.”

Wiseman infuses agave with mustard seeds, adds in mezcal to emulate the smokiness from a grill, and a few drops of vinegar to provide acidity, and says that Lustau Vermut provides a touch of saltiness and umami. “It’s a playful spin on the classic, and it doesn’t actually taste like a hot dog,” she says. “It’s well balanced and delicious.”

At Tokyo Confidential, there is a "Glizztini" on the menu, a drink including gin, shochu, mezcal, and Lillet Blanc, along with tomato pickle, MSG, and onion brine.
Credit: Tokyo Confidential

At Tokyo Confidential, founder Holly Graham leans in even more with the “Glizztini,” a drink including gin, shochu, mezcal, and Lillet Blanc, along with tomato pickle, MSG, and onion brine. Drizzled red and yellow cacao butter squirted from squeeze bottles across the glassware give the appearance of streaks of ketchup and mustard. “I am really proud of this drink and initially worried it may be taken as gimmicky — and it is a little, that’s fine, we love silly shit — but it’s a genuinely tasty and well-crafted drink,” she says, crediting head bartender Waka Murata for coming up with the concoction.

All the better that it aligned with the bar’s new “Second Base” menu. “Each of the drinks is a cheeky nod to baseball terminology or traditions, bringing them to life in liquid form utilizing lesser-known Japanese ingredients and spirits, hence the Glizztini, glizzy being slang for hot dog and a hot dog being a quintessential baseball snack,” Graham says. The team is currently rocking customized baseball jerseys, while the menu itself takes the form of a wallet holder that can be used to collect baseball cards, with each drink having its own card.

At Denver’s Yacht Club, hot dogs aren’t going into the drinks, but rather being served beside them, with an entire franks menu of variations. Options range from the “Norm,” or a plain frank, to the “Caviar Dog,” with caviar, crème fraiche, and pickled shallot. “While we take what we do seriously, we do not take ourselves too seriously,” says co-owner Mary Allison Wright, explaining that they have even established lore behind the bar’s fictional Hollywood Franks franchise.

At Denver's Yacht Club, hot dogs are served as an accompaniment to cocktails and come in a number of variations.
Credit: @shawnxcampbell / @yachtclubbar

“We’re devotees to hot dogs because they’re the people’s food,” Wright says. “They break economic barriers, almost everyone loves them, and they’re a common unifying factor.” The bar also serves vegan and gluten-free variations to keep those inclusive vibes intact.

Yacht Club also showcases hot dog and drink pairings on its menu, such as the “Old Number 7-11,” a Norm with a Jack & Coke for nine bucks, or one of their specialty dogs served with a frozen Banana Daiquiri. “The Tropic Thunder includes a Lorraine Dog, topped with our cheese ball spread, celery remoulade, pickled peppers, and pecans, and a frozen Banana Daiquiri for $20,” Wright says. For more of a splurge, guests can order the “Royale with Cheese,” or two “Caviar Dogs” alongside a bottle of Marie Courtin Resonance Champagne for $140. “Hot dogs and non-beer alcoholic pairings are just salt, fat, acid, and sugar working together in perfect harmony.”

Hot Dogs, High Low & Hijinks

Of course, cocktails and hot dogs have been seen side-by-side at least as far back as 2007, when New York’s PDT opened in the back room of drunk food emporium Crif Dogs. And dive bars favored by the cocktail cognoscenti have long had a love affair with the hot dog as well, such as Washington, D.C.’s venerable Ivy and Coney.

Now, though, hot dogs are taking their star turn on the menus of more elevated establishments as well. The Portrait Bar at the Fifth Avenue Hotel serves a “Hot Dog Au Poivre” amid its extravagant bar food menu from chef Andrew Carmellini, while Mischa was making waves last year for its $29 hot dog, though sadly not enough of them to keep the joint open. At Trick Dog in San Francisco, its current “Salty Dog” menu features the “QD Mission Dog,” including a strip of bacon and fire-roasted jalapeño spread, as well as a vegetarian version, to fortify bar goers sampling from its lineup of tropical cocktails.

There are cocktail world memes on the subject, and at least one spirits writer devoting much of his time to an in-depth, all-things-hot-dog exploration. Elsewhere, hot dogs have been viewed as cool enough for the cool kids for at least the past decade, since the late Anthony Bourdain said, “All my happiest moments seem to revolve around meat in tube form,” a quote unleashed upon the world on an episode of “Parts Unknown” in 2013.

With July 4th in the rearview, I know we’re all counting down the days until the live Netflix event of the year, “Kobayashi vs. Chestnut: Unfinished Beef,” on Sept. 2. While the hot dog itself is nostalgia writ large, for anyone in my tier of the millennial age bracket, this is an almost unmissable spectacle harkening back to when Takeru Kobayashi first took a triumphant turn at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2001, setting the world of competitive eating aflame, before being unseated by Joey Chestnut in 2007.

At The Portrait Bar in the Fifth Avenue Hotel, there is a "Hot Dog Au Poivre" on the baar food menu.
Credit: @theportaitbarnyc on Instagram

All of this before delving into the debate over whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich — spoiler alert, it most certainly is, and if you don’t agree with me, I can die happy knowing that Padma Lakshmi does (as if I needed another reason to love the woman). Bourdain, aforementioned patron saint of tubed meats, disagreed, which, alas, is why they say you shouldn’t meet your heroes or ask them every single hot dog-related question you can conjure.

Expect the Hot Dog Trend to Have Legs

Hot dogs are popular for a reason. The nostalgia, the cost-effectiveness, and the fact that they just taste good, as long as you don’t burden yourself by wondering what the hell it even is. And in the bar world, they’re not going anywhere.

Graham credits their value as a great bar snack, but also notes that they’re “getting more meme exposure as of late.” As for her guests who’ve sampled the Glizztini, “they love it.”

At Yacht Club, Wright says that the pandemic led many of us to seek out comfort from what we were consuming and where we were doing so. “Hot dogs were that warm blanket to make us feel safe,” she says. “Also, social media has been helpful in their rise thanks to all the lovely hot dog memes that exist in the universe.”

She’s just giving the people what they want. “Hot dogs are having a moment, which is no big secret,” Wright says. “We’ve just opened up another shrine for people to worship at.”

And just like at a summer grill out, hot dogs never come one at a time, they come in bunches and hordes — even though hot dog math is admittedly hard, with most packs coming in sixes yet most buns coming in eights. “The Hot Doggin’ It is definitely one of our best sellers, and once someone watches another person get the drink, they end up ordering one for themselves,” Wiseman says.

The hot dog might never quite reach peak hot drink of summer status, but there’s no denying the glizzy’s place in the booze world zeitgeist.

The article Help, There’s a Hot Dog in My Drink! appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The 12 Best Austrian Reds for 2024 https://vinepair.com/buy-this-booze/best-austrian-reds-2024/ Wed, 31 Jul 2024 12:30:13 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164896 St. Laurent, Blaufränkisch, and Zweigelt (also known as Rotberger) are the holy trinity of Austrian red wine. These three grape varieties — Zweigelt being a cross between St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch — share a lot of characteristics. They tend to be medium-bodied with grippy tannins, refreshing acidity, and bright berry notes. They can also offer savory qualities like notes of earth, pepper, and smoke that add complexity. These grapes can also possess an incredible range of expressions, as both single-varietal bottlings or blends.

The article The 12 Best Austrian Reds for 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

St. Laurent, Blaufränkisch, and Zweigelt (also known as Rotberger) are the holy trinity of Austrian red wine. These three grape varieties — Zweigelt being a cross between St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch — share a lot of characteristics. They tend to be medium-bodied with grippy tannins, refreshing acidity, and bright berry notes. They can also offer savory qualities like notes of earth, pepper, and smoke that add complexity.

These grapes can also possess an incredible range of expressions, as both single-varietal bottlings or blends. Depending on region and winemaking style, they can be light-bodied, quaffable liter bottles or deep, age-worthy powerhouses that call for meats, cheeses, and charred vegetables.

This list focuses mostly on the wine zones of these varieties’ native soils, with some examples from neighboring countries like Slovenia, and even a few bottles that prove these grapes can thrive in the U.S. as well. From their home in Austria to the top of Michigan and the shores of the Finger Lakes, here are the 12 best Austrian reds for 2024.

Felix Austria R&B NV

Felix Austria R&B NV is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

Thank you, Austria, for being the land of liter bottles. A country that can give us both delicious, age-worthy wines and casual, easy-drinking wines, and not compromise on quality in either category, is a win-win. This blend of 85 percent Rotberger and 15 percent Blaufränkisch is ready for a big meal, good friends, and long conversations. It has a juicy nose with concentrated fruit and a hint of herbs. The palate is slightly rich with great supportive acidity, giving a comfortable medium weight to the wine.

Average Price: $15
Rating: 90

Landhaus Mayer Zweigelt 2022

Landhaus Mayer Zweigelt 2022 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

With a lake on one side of the vineyard and a forest on the other, this Zweigelt from Lower Austria enjoys a moderate climate. What does all this mean? Just try the wine and see. The nose offers notes of wild berries and juicy cherries with a pop of savory herbs. The palate has deep fruit and soft tannins brightened by good acidity.

Average Price: $16
Rating: 93

Sattler Zweigelt 2021

Sattler Zweigelt 2021 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

This Zweigelt from Austria’s Burgenland region showcases the fresh, savory side of this grape. It has earthy, brambly berry notes with the slightest hint of pepper on the nose. The mouthfeel is rich and smoky with medium fruit and great natural acidity, holding the wine up on the palate.

Average Price: $18
Rating: 93

Glatzer Carnuntum Blaufränkisch 2022

Glatzer Carnuntum Blaufränkisch 2022 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

Halfway between the cities of Vienna and Bratislava is Carnuntum, an ancient city that dates back to the time of Gaelic Rome — or even earlier. This is where Glatzer makes wine. This is its casual, village-style wine that would fit right into the everyday life of the Roman houses excavated there. It has peppery fruit on the nose with a slight floral hint. There’s a nice grip on the palate with medium fruit and a good dose of acidity. This isn’t necessarily the most complex wine, but that’s not what it wants to be. Rather, it’s great for casual events, and chillable all day.

Average Price: $20
Rating: 90

Prieler Oggau Johanneshöhe Blaufränkisch 2020

Prieler Oggau Johanneshöhe Blaufränkisch 2020 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

Blaufränkisch can be a big, bold red wine. But here in Burgenland, on the eastern edge of Austria, the highly draining soils and ample sunshine create a perfect balance. This wine has that bold vibe but with good lifting acidity. Dark berries and saline with an earthy edge on the nose. The palate is soft and juicy with a nice medium concentration of fruit.

Average Price: $21
Rating: 91

Dorcha Carbonic Frankinja 2023

Dorcha Carbonic Frankinja 2023 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

With Austria just to the north it makes sense that this Slovenian winemaker works with Blaufränkisch — known as Frankinja in Slovenia. It’s slightly different from its counterparts to the north, but a delicious example nonetheless. Made with the carbonic maceration method, it’s delightfully fruit-forward with ripe strawberry and plum notes. The bright fruit is complemented by more savory notes of pepper and herbs.

Average Price: $22
Rating: 91

Schwarz ‘The Butcher’ Zweigelt 2021

Schwarz ‘The Butcher’ Zweigelt 2021 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

This Zweigelt sits right in the comfort zone between a chillable, easy-drinking red and a well-structured, food-friendly bottle. The nose has spiced meat and wild berries with a hint of soil. The palate is delicious with good medium fruit and ample acidity.

Average Price: $22
Rating: 90

Fox Run Vineyards Lemberger 2021

Fox Run Vineyards Lemberger 2021 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

New York is known for its cool-climate white wines like Riesling, but they also work with cool-climate red varieties like Lemberger (another name for Blaufränkisch). This is a leaner expression of the variety, and it works. Aromas of ripe berries and black pepper fill the nose. The palate finds a great balance between fleshy fruit and bright acidity.

Average Price: $25
Rating: 91

Rosi Schuster Sankt Laurent 2022

Rosi Schuster Sankt Laurent 2022 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

Hannes Schuster took the reins of the wine estate from his mother in 2007 and committed to organic agriculture and thoughtful winemaking practices. The results are wines like this Sankt Laurent (also known as St. Laurent) that show both elegance and depth simultaneously. The nose is mineral-driven and tart with savory fruit and a lean, herby edge. The mouthfeel has great medium concentration of fruit with a nice amount of acidity that lifts up the wine on the palate but still maintains depth.

Average Price: $26
Rating: 91

Hermann J. Wiemer Blaufränkisch 2022

Hermann J. Wiemer Blaufränkisch 2022 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

 

This winemaker is famous for their work with Riesling in the Finger Lakes, but wow, do they make a delicious Blaufränkisch. Like, very delicious. The nose is rich and dark with deep berry notes balanced by minerality. The palate is filled with soft, plush fruit and excellent natural acidity, but with a slight grip around the edges. A great example of an American Blaufränkisch.

Average Price: $32
Rating: 93

Aurora Cellars Blaufränkisch 2021

Aurora Cellars Blaufränkisch 2021 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

Michigan has a cool climate — to say the least — and this cool-climate grape from Austria thrives in the state’s northern Leelanau Peninsula. This is one of the most expressive examples of Blaufränkisch in the U.S. The nose has deep, dark fruit aromas with slight notes of cured meat and pepper. The palate is round and juicy with an impressive fruit depth. Another great example of what this grape can do stateside.

Average Price: $48
Rating: 92

Schwarz Rot ‘Icon’ Zweigelt 2021

Aurora Cellars Blaufränkisch 2021 is one of the best Austrian reds for 2024.

If you’re a fan of Zweigelt, this is a bottle worth seeking out. This variety can yield bright, punchy wine as well as wines like this. Deep, rich, and aromatic. It has an expressive nose with dark cherry fruit, cured meats, fennel, and bay leaf. The palate is deep and weighty with excellent acidity and absolute balance.

Average Price: $75
Rating: 94

FAQs

What Are Austrian Red Wines?

This category consists of several red grape varieties that are local to Austria and the broader area of Central Europe, including Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent, and Zweigelt (which is a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent).

Where Do Austrian Reds Come From?

Even though they are native to Austria, these grapes can also be found in bordering countries like Hungary and Slovenia under different names, Kékfrankos in Hungary and Frankinja in Slovenia. These grapes are also seeing an increased presence in new regions across the globe, specifically cool-climate areas like the Finger Lakes and Michigan in the U.S.

What Do Austrian Red Wines Taste Like?

The three primary red varieties found in Austria (Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent, and Zweigelt) are typically medium-bodied with slightly grippy tannins and fresh acidity. They can be fruit-forward with juicy blackberry and raspberry notes, but sometimes also show hints of savory character like pepper, earth, and smoke.

The article The 12 Best Austrian Reds for 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Here’s Why Sparkling Water Feels More Refreshing Than Still https://vinepair.com/articles/sparkling-vs-still-water-hydration-level/ Wed, 31 Jul 2024 12:00:30 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164970 With temperatures soaring across the country, everyone is looking for a way to cool down, whether that means taking a dip in a pool for a temporary reprieve or stopping by a local ice cream shop. One surefire route to refreshment: staying hydrated. From cans of Spindrift and Sanzo to bottles of Poland Spring and Evian, limitless water options line the shelves of supermarkets across the country. But if you find yourself reaching for sparkling water instead of still, will you receive the same amount of hydration? VinePair tapped Dr. Lisa R.

The article Here’s Why Sparkling Water Feels More Refreshing Than Still appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

With temperatures soaring across the country, everyone is looking for a way to cool down, whether that means taking a dip in a pool for a temporary reprieve or stopping by a local ice cream shop. One surefire route to refreshment: staying hydrated. From cans of Spindrift and Sanzo to bottles of Poland Spring and Evian, limitless water options line the shelves of supermarkets across the country. But if you find yourself reaching for sparkling water instead of still, will you receive the same amount of hydration? VinePair tapped Dr. Lisa R. Young, an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University, to find out.

It turns out that the bracing bubbles of seltzer can make you feel extra energized, but when it comes to actual hydration, there’s no real difference between sparkling water and its still counterpart.

“Sparkling water and still water are equally hydrating,” she explains. “The main difference between the two is the presence of carbon dioxide in sparkling water, which gives it its bubbles.”

As carbon dioxide is not a dehydrating compound, the fizziness of sparkling water won’t negatively affect the body’s hydration. That said, some flavored seltzers may contain sugar, which can alter how hydrating your preferred can might be.

While some brands like Spindrift, LaCroix, and Polar do not contain any added sugars — the small amount present in each can instead comes from fruit juice or concentrate — others can contain up to 26 grams of added sweetener. That’s more sugar per serving than the American Heart Association recommends women consume per day. While these higher-sugar beverages still offer some hydration, this extra sugar can actually cause more frequent urination, and thus, dehydration.

As the vast majority of flavored sparklers contain between just 1 and 2 grams of sugar, they’ll provide the same level of hydration to the body as their unflavored counterparts, Dr. Young says. As to why you may feel more refreshed after consuming sparkling water versus still, she says there are a variety of reasons.

“The bubbles in sparkling water can provide a sensory stimulation that feels more refreshing, particularly in hot weather,” Dr. Young says. “The slight acidity of sparkling water due to carbonic acid formed by the dissolved carbon dioxide can [also] make it seem more thirst-quenching to some people.” Furthermore, she explains that the bubbles in sparkling water create a cooling sensation in the mouth, which can often result in people feeling more satisfied than if they drank the same quantity of still water.

So while sparkling and still water may be evenly matched, when a hankering for hydration hits, cracking open a can of bubbly might up the “ahhh” factor — especially on the hottest summer days.

The article Here’s Why Sparkling Water Feels More Refreshing Than Still appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Taplines: Saving Narragansett, New England’s Beloved Legacy Lager https://vinepair.com/taplines-podcast/saving-narragansett-legacy-lager/ Wed, 31 Jul 2024 11:30:19 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164909 Before craft beer, decades of consolidation, and even before Prohibition, every city had its own brewery — and odds are that brewery made a lager. But by the time repeal day rolled around on Dec. 5, 1933, several of those breweries had gone out of business, and those remaining would face brutal competition as heavyweights like Schlitz and Anheuser-Busch built massive breweries across the country and harnessed the power of advertising. The breweries that didn’t get acquired — even the ones that did, to some extent — mostly dwindled into irrelevance. These were dark times for the legacy lager.

The article Taplines: Saving Narragansett, New England’s Beloved Legacy Lager appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Before craft beer, decades of consolidation, and even before Prohibition, every city had its own brewery — and odds are that brewery made a lager. But by the time repeal day rolled around on Dec. 5, 1933, several of those breweries had gone out of business, and those remaining would face brutal competition as heavyweights like Schlitz and Anheuser-Busch built massive breweries across the country and harnessed the power of advertising. The breweries that didn’t get acquired — even the ones that did, to some extent — mostly dwindled into irrelevance. These were dark times for the legacy lager.

These days, the American beer landscape is dramatically different, and legacy lagers are having a bit of a moment. Today, we’re joined by the founder of Philadelphia’s Quaker City Mercantile, Steven Grasse, to discuss the revitalization of a brew that, at one point, looked down for the count, too: Narragansett.

After trading hands several times and closing its Rhode Island facility to contract brew, the Narragansett brand was eventually scooped up by a group of investors in 2005. With hands-on experience marketing beverage alcohol from creating Hendrick’s Gin and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, Grasse set about rebranding the flagship legacy lager and the rest of the company’s portfolio for a future befitting its storied past. This is the story of how that went down. Tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Watch on YouTube

The article Taplines: Saving Narragansett, New England’s Beloved Legacy Lager appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
‘Boneless’ Wings Can Contain Bones, Ohio Supreme Court Rules https://vinepair.com/booze-news/ohio-supreme-court-boneless-wings-with-bones-ruling/ Tue, 30 Jul 2024 19:30:37 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=164925 Finding a bone in a pile of boneless wings is a little like finding a worm in an apple. But in the rare, unfortunate case that it does occur, don’t expect to win a lawsuit over the debacle. On Thursday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 vote that a man was not entitled to compensation after he sued a restaurant, its food supplier, and a chicken farm after suffering injuries from swallowing a chicken bone lurking within one of his boneless wings. During a 2016 meal at Wings on Brookwood in Hamilton, Ohio.

The article ‘Boneless’ Wings Can Contain Bones, Ohio Supreme Court Rules appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Finding a bone in a pile of boneless wings is a little like finding a worm in an apple. But in the rare, unfortunate case that it does occur, don’t expect to win a lawsuit over the debacle. On Thursday, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 vote that a man was not entitled to compensation after he sued a restaurant, its food supplier, and a chicken farm after suffering injuries from swallowing a chicken bone lurking within one of his boneless wings.

During a 2016 meal at Wings on Brookwood in Hamilton, Ohio. Michael Berkheimer sat down with his wife and a few friends, and ordered his go-to: boneless wings with parmesan garlic sauce. According to the Ohio Supreme Court report, Berkheimer claimed that he cut each of his wings into two to three pieces before eating them, and on his second wing he felt “a piece of meat went down the wrong pipe.” He rushed to the restroom to try and cough it up, but was unsuccessful.

Over the next few days, Berkheimer developed a fever and began having trouble swallowing. He then went to the emergency room, where doctors discovered a thin “5 cm-long chicken bone” lodged in his esophagus. According to the report, Berkheimer claimed that the bone “tore his esophagus, causing a bacterial infection in his thoracic cavity and resulting in ongoing medical issues.”

Berkheimer filed a lawsuit, which eventually sparked a courtroom debate over what exactly constitutes a boneless wing: a piece of chicken meat that is indeed without bones, or a cooking style of preparing chicken. During the trial, a cook at Wings on Brookwood explained that the boneless wings in question are made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts made of white meat, unlike standard bone-in chicken wings. This prompted the court to refer to a case from California that hinged upon the foreign-natural test.

Even after the court determined that chicken bones are natural to chicken breasts, Berkheimer fought the court on this matter, claiming that the situation came down to whether or not he could have reasonably anticipated finding a bone in a food item labeled as “boneless.” The full 19-page report from the Ohio Supreme Court even goes so far as to break down multiple dictionary definitions of the word. In the end, it didn’t matter: the court concluded that the defendants were “not negligent in serving or supplying the boneless wing.”

The report goes on to say that “a diner reading ‘boneless wings’ on a menu would no more believe that the restaurant was warranting the absence of bones in the items than believe that the items were made from chicken wings, just as a person eating ‘chicken fingers’ would know that he had not been served fingers.”

According to the Associated Press, The National Chicken Council credits chain restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings with inventing boneless wings in 2003, so perhaps — unlike chicken fingers — the food is too young of a creation for the common consumer to have a solid grasp on what the term truly constitutes. But if we’re going by pure linguistics here, “boneless” does mean “without bones.”

The article ‘Boneless’ Wings Can Contain Bones, Ohio Supreme Court Rules appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Benriach Debuts 50-Year-Old Scotch for $25,000 https://vinepair.com/booze-news/benriach-50-year-old-scotch-whisky-launch/ Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:00:50 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=164922 Benriach Distillery, known for its rich and complex Speyside whiskies, launched its oldest and rarest expression to date on Monday. Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years, crafted by master blender Rachel Barrie, is an exclusive expression of aged Scotch with a whopping $25,000 price tag. “This is our art – a testament to the expertise in and commitment to extraordinary cask maturation at Benriach Distillery,” Barrie noted in a press release.

The article Benriach Debuts 50-Year-Old Scotch for $25,000 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Benriach Distillery, known for its rich and complex Speyside whiskies, launched its oldest and rarest expression to date on Monday. Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years, crafted by master blender Rachel Barrie, is an exclusive expression of aged Scotch with a whopping $25,000 price tag.

“This is our art – a testament to the expertise in and commitment to extraordinary cask maturation at Benriach Distillery,” Barrie noted in a press release. “Our ability to nurture flavor has been informed by our heritage in maturing an eclectic array of casks from across the world and we have a creative philosophy and exploratory approach towards whisky making. Over many decades, this has granted an expert understanding of what makes the exceptional cask.”

The whisky was pulled from just a single barrel, Bourbon cask 2383, which was originally filled with unpeated Benriach spirit on September 21, 1966. This cask was later handpicked for its exquisite character to be the first Benriach to be bottled at 50 years old. It’s the most exclusive offering from the distillery to date, only four bottles will be available in the U.S.

The Scotch was bottled at 44.5 percent ABV and according to the release, drinkers can expect “notes of sublime honeyed dates and delicate oak spices in harmony with the lingering finesse of apple, pear and traces of grapefruit.” It’s housed in a crystal decanter designed in Scotland by Glasstorm, and is presented in a box made by master craftsman John Galvin. Its design is inspired by the eclectic casks that fill Benriach’s warehouses, where the whisky has been aging for the last half a century.

The article Benriach Debuts 50-Year-Old Scotch for $25,000 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Draft Non-Alcoholic Beer Is Growing. So Are Questions About Its Safety. https://vinepair.com/articles/non-alcoholic-draft-beer-safety/ Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:00:57 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164815 If you’re like most drinkers, you’re likely starting to see a lot more non-alcoholic beer around. Last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported a jump of 32 percent in sales of non-alcoholic beer from a year earlier and an average of 31 percent growth over the previous four years, citing data from NielsenIQ. Although booze-free beer is most often found in cans, draft versions are starting to spread. Leading producer Athletic Brewing began selling its kegs to bars and restaurants in 2023, while also offering fresh-pulled pints at “pop-up taproom experiences” at its brewery in Milford, Conn.

The article Draft Non-Alcoholic Beer Is Growing. So Are Questions About Its Safety. appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

If you’re like most drinkers, you’re likely starting to see a lot more non-alcoholic beer around. Last fall, The Wall Street Journal reported a jump of 32 percent in sales of non-alcoholic beer from a year earlier and an average of 31 percent growth over the previous four years, citing data from NielsenIQ.

Although booze-free beer is most often found in cans, draft versions are starting to spread. Leading producer Athletic Brewing began selling its kegs to bars and restaurants in 2023, while also offering fresh-pulled pints at “pop-up taproom experiences” at its brewery in Milford, Conn. Small producers are following suit, serving their own NA beer in craft taprooms.

That’s a bit of good news for an industry that has gone through a tough couple of years, with overall beer sales dropping 5.1 percent last year, according to the Brewers Association (BA), an industry group for craft producers. But as non-alcoholic beer becomes more common, questions are surfacing about its safety on draft (or “draught,” as the BA and many in the industry prefer to spell it). In January, the BA tried to answer its own question with a report titled “Non-Alcohol Beer on Draught – Is It Safe?”

The TL;DR: a solid maybe.

An Unclear Picture

In its statement, the BA said there simply wasn’t enough evidence to understand the risks involved. Nor was there enough available “knowledge or experience” for it to be able to recommend best practices that could guarantee the safety of non-alcoholic beer served on draft.

While there isn’t enough information yet to say for sure, some facts are starting to emerge. The BA announcement came on the heels of a headline-grabbing study from researchers at Cornell University, “Survival of Foodborne Pathogens in Low and Nonalcoholic Craft Beer,” published in the Journal of Food Protection last December. As The New York Post, Newsweek, Men’s Journal, and other outlets quickly reported, that study found that common bacteria like E. coli and salmonella can actually survive — and thrive — in non-alcoholic beer. Since alcohol kills bacteria, non-alcoholic beer doesn’t have one of the key features that usually keeps regular beer safe, according to Randy Worobo, one of the scientists who worked on the study.

Although Worobo wasn’t exactly shocked by the results, he was surprised at how quickly the news got out.

“I did not expect it to get the splash it did, because we were just doing it to provide knowledge for the industry,” he says. “The media just ran with it.”

Sensational headlines get clicks, and most drinkers would willingly risk opening another browser tab for an article that claims beer is trying to kill you. But the reality is more nuanced, Worobo says. Yes, the study showed that E. coli and salmonella were shown to be able to grow at high rates — two log scales, in this case meaning 100x — in non-alcoholic beer. And while those two pathogens can be very dangerous for the young and the immunocompromised, in most cases they only lead to diarrhea and vomiting, not death.

In addition, there was some good news: At least one of the three bacteria studied did not create problems in non-alcoholic beer.

“Throughput is a real issue around draft beer, full stop, irrespective of whether it’s alcohol-free or conventional beer. The longer the beer is on tap, the more contaminated it potentially becomes.”

“Fortunately, in our study, listeria did not grow,” Worobo says. “There’s something, whether it be the pH or something else, that is actually killing it off listeria.”

But there were also indications of potential greater risks. The study tracked the growth of pathogens in non-alcoholic beer at various pH levels — effectively, how acidic the drink is, with low pH being more acidic than high. While the study included three bacteria that commonly cause food-borne pathogens, it did not include Clostridium botulinum, since that pathogen has very stringent requirements for researchers, Worobo notes, including certification as a Level 3 biohazard laboratory, one step higher than the Cornell lab’s Level 2 rating. However, the scientists did study the environment that is preferred by Clostridium botulinum — around 4.6 and 4.8 pH.

The results: Other pathogens clearly survived in non-alcoholic beer at the pH levels favored by botulism, which indicates that Clostridium botulinum could potentially show up in non-alcoholic beer under certain conditions, such as anaerobic storage at a temperature above 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

“That one kills you,” Worobo says. “I mean, it’s the most potent toxin on Earth.”

New Pathways for Contamination

Scary as that might sound, a possible danger is far from an actual threat, and it’s not like the news is filled with stories of folks who died after a few near beers on tap. But moving from cans to draft brings in a number of new pathways for contamination, says David Quain, the author of an earlier paper cited by the Cornell researchers, “The Enhanced Susceptibility of Alcohol-Free and Low-Alcohol beers to Microbiological Spoilage: Implications for Draught Dispense,” published by the Journal of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling in 2021.

“One of the issues with draft beer of course is hygiene,” Quain says. “There is always a background level of microbes in draft beer. And that’s perfectly fine, because they are low levels.”

Those levels only get really risky when they are allowed to increase. And one of the risk factors for microbial growth is time.

“The problem with alcohol-free beer is it will spoil significantly more readily than conventional beer, because of the lack of alcohol, and because of the high levels of sugars.”

“Throughput is a real issue around draft beer, full stop, irrespective of whether it’s alcohol-free or conventional beer,” he says. “The longer the beer is on tap, the more contaminated it potentially becomes.”

Another risk comes from complex and often unsanitary draft systems, both in the U.K. and the U.S. Regular line cleaning can help keep beer safe to drink, but it’s not always something bar owners and employees love to do.

“Line cleaning is a pain,” he says. “It’s a tedious, frustrating, messy activity. But it is so critical.”

Chris McClellan has been posting a regular reminder to “clean your damn draught lines” on social media for so long, he’s forgotten when he started. An Advanced Cicerone and the founder of The Draught Shop, he says that there is a real gap in knowledge about draft quality here in the U.S.

“I post that because it is a message that needs to be heard,” he says. “This is probably my 13th or 14th year.”

Many bars, pubs, and even breweries have real sanitation issues, from aging beer lines to dirty foam-on-beer detectors, or FOBs.

“I mean, I’ve seen inches of biofilm inside of FOBs. I’ve taken apart couplers and looked into the plungers inside of traditional faucets, and I’ve seen nothing but black mold and yeast growth,” he says. “You break open the trunk line and you realize that it’s molding and mildewy, because it hasn’t been replaced in 20 years.”

“There’s not a lot of information out there. There are possibilities down the road that could be very viable. But in the short term, that work simply hasn’t been done.”

That certainly sounds gross, but the alcohol, pH level, and other aspects of traditional beer are generally enough to keep it safe, if possibly sour and off-flavored. Draft non-alcoholic beer might not have the same luck.

“The problem with alcohol-free beer is it will spoil significantly more readily than conventional beer, because of the lack of alcohol, and because of the high levels of sugars,” Quain says.

The current situation has created a balancing act: Brewers need to be made aware of the potential risks, but no one wants to create a panic. Quain says he’s deeply afraid of the potential “pathogens in non-alcoholic beer” making its way into the U.K. tabloids. But as Worobo notes, the last thing the faltering brewing industry needs is an actual beer contamination story.

“This is honestly why we did the research, just to bring it to the attention of the brewers that are making non-alcoholic beer,” he says. “They’ve taken those intrinsic factors and modified them, and now it supports the growth of certain food-borne pathogens.”

More Information Coming Soon

Looking forward, Quain suggests that potential dangers could be overcome by using special standalone systems for draft non-alcoholic beer, instead of sharing the same systems as traditional kegs, as well as smaller keg formats, which would reduce the amount of time on draft. He credits the BA for its leadership in addressing the issue, and for recommending craft brewers stick to small packages — meaning cans and bottles, not draft — when it comes to non-alcoholic beer.

Chuck Skypeck, the BA’s technical brewing projects director, says that another piece of the draft NA puzzle is pasteurization, though most of the research on non-alcoholic beer and pasteurization has been done by industrial breweries, which generally keep what they’ve learned to themselves. Preservatives might also be a solution at some point.

“There’s not a lot of information out there,” Skypeck says. “There are possibilities down the road that could be very viable. But in the short term, that work simply hasn’t been done.”

To increase understanding, the BA is funding an upcoming study at Oregon State University to follow up on the research from Cornell.

“More research is needed by the industry for how non-alcoholic beer will behave on draft, how it’s going to behave with pathogens, and the potential efficacy of different preservatives,” Skypeck says.

At Athletic Brewing, director of global QA and compliance Zoe Riccio cites pasteurization, vendor management, routine site inspections, process validation, and end-to-end tracing essential parts of the safety picture for draft non-alcoholic beer.

“Establishing proper food safety and quality protocols is paramount,” she says in a written statement to VinePair. “We’re excited to be pioneering non-alcoholic draft beer in the U.S. and abroad, and firmly believe that anyone producing non-alcoholic beer should establish robust food safety and operational plans.”

While draft is growing, pasteurized cans still account for “the overwhelming majority” of Athletic’s sales.

“Although we believe that more bars and restaurants will look to serve non-alcoholic beer on draft over time, in general, most on-premise operators are not ready to dedicate even one of their draft lines to non-alcoholic beer,” she says. “We expect the adoption of non-alcoholic draft beer to continue to be an uphill climb for several years.”

That might give the industry time to improve its hygiene practices. McClellan and Skypeck point to the complex web of overlapping state and federal regulations, as well as the way beer has been sold in the U.S. since Prohibition. In the three-tiered system, both regular and non-alcoholic beer suffer from a situation whereby the people who serve the beer on draft usually aren’t the same folks who make it.

“A box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch is going to taste the same everywhere. But beer is different,” McClellan says. “Draft beer is dependent on the delivery mechanism and on the dispensing system. It requires everybody to participate. And if you don’t participate, then you don’t get a good result.”

The article Draft Non-Alcoholic Beer Is Growing. So Are Questions About Its Safety. appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
We Asked 7 Sommeliers: What’s the Most Overrated Red Wine? https://vinepair.com/articles/wa-sommeliers-most-overrated-red-wine/ Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:30:34 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164814 A red wine is the sum of several important factors. Terroir, grape varietal, weather, and the vintner’s skill conspire to create a sumptuous beverage that shares a color but varies wildly elsewhere. This diversity makes drinking red wine fun, and any pour of something new and unfamiliar can double as a mini-adventure filled with enticing flavor possibilities. Of course, wine is highly subjective. As you get more comfortable knowing what reds do and don’t please your palate, you’re bound to encounter a popular or critically acclaimed red that leaves you cold.

The article We Asked 7 Sommeliers: What’s the Most Overrated Red Wine? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

A red wine is the sum of several important factors. Terroir, grape varietal, weather, and the vintner’s skill conspire to create a sumptuous beverage that shares a color but varies wildly elsewhere. This diversity makes drinking red wine fun, and any pour of something new and unfamiliar can double as a mini-adventure filled with enticing flavor possibilities.

Of course, wine is highly subjective. As you get more comfortable knowing what reds do and don’t please your palate, you’re bound to encounter a popular or critically acclaimed red that leaves you cold. You’re not alone — wine professionals know this feeling, too. But which reds don’t live up to the hype in their eyes? We asked seven sommeliers to find out which red wines, from the classic to the culty, get more buzz than they deserve.

The most overrated red wines, according to sommeliers:

  • Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cabernet Sauvignon under $20
  • Listán Negro wines from the Canary Islands
  • Beaujolais wines
  • Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Cabernet Sauvignons
  • Wines from famous wine appellations

“Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon seems less competitive in terms of value today. The price often outweighs the quality, making it hard to find a reasonably priced Napa Cab for by-the-glass programs. Additionally, with the Old World’s warmer vintages producing riper Cabernets, there are now more high-quality choices available. This shift provides enthusiasts with a wider range of excellent Cabernet options to consider.” —Drea Boulanger, executive wine director, Spiegelworld, Las Vegas

“Cabernet Sauvignons under $20. When grabbing a bottle of affordable red, a common mistake is to go [straight] to Cabernet Sauvignon. Budget Cabernets do not have the finesse in winemaking to handle the grape’s innate structure. The tannins and alcohol are commonly unbalanced, leaving heat on the nose and bitterness on the palate. Due to barrel prices, It is also a trend [for these producers] to use oak additives like oak chips and fake oak flavoring. This results in a sickly sweet, not-quite-right vanilla aroma. Buyers should look to other regions for budget reds such as the Grenache-based blends from the Languedoc or Portuguese red blends.” —Jonny Thompson, bartender and Level 2 sommelier, sap sua, Denver

“I assume it’s a failing of mine, but I’m baffled as to the popularity of certain red wines from the Canary Islands amongst wine professionals. I was tasting a Listán Negro [varietal] wine from one of the more ‘cult’ producers with some fellow somms last year and while all of them were cooing over it, I felt it was one of the most unpleasant things I’d drunk all year. It had such intense sulfurous qualities that went far beyond the pleasing ‘struck match’ notes of reductive Burgundies. I tasted multiple bottles, including with some long breathing time, and I consistently couldn’t get my head around what was supposed to be the appeal, though I was assured that this was characteristic of the style rather than a fault.” —Gareth Rees, beverage director, Ilili, NYC

“This is more of a lament, [but] as a winemaker who came of age in the era of hyper-ripe, high-alcohol, oak-driven reds, I always looked to the lower-alcohol, fruity, dry reds from Europe for inspiration. I’m delighted that lighter reds other than Pinot Noir are now back in fashion, but unfortunately our Earth has significantly warmed a great deal over the last three decades, making it increasingly hard in many wine regions to make traditional, delicate wines. This is especially the case with my favorite, Beaujolais. So many crus Beaujolais today are now displaying big, jammy, dried fruit characteristics that make them taste more like brawny Rhône reds than the floral, peppery wines I remember.” —Sean O’Keefe, winemaker, Mari Vineyards, Traverse City, Mich.

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most overrated red wines, according to sommeliers.

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine that you see everywhere, from high-end steakhouses to home wine cellars and everywhere in between. Because of great marketing, their name definitely goes hand-in-hand in great red wine conversations, but when you actually try the wine, it leaves a lot to be desired. Depending on vintage and vineyard site, this brand can run you between $50 [and] $150 or more retail. To me, especially when it comes to California Cabernets, there are more interesting options [at that price range] that blow Caymus out of the competition.” —Bruce Martin Polack, general manager/beverage director, The Regular, Denver

“Many people assume that if a red wine does not meet the standard of a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, then it is less than desirable. What we aren’t told enough is that there are also several bad examples of Cab Sauvs out there as well: overripe, over-oaked, over-synthesized, and over-the-top science experiments. I feel there are so many wonderful wines out there from so many less popular regions that may not receive a second look because of this false perception of ‘good red wine’ that has been drilled in our heads. Subscribing to this theory, you miss the finesse of a Chinon, the pleasant acidity of a German Spätburgunder, and the brilliant surprise of a Michigan Blaufränkisch. When variety is the spice of life, why stick with one grape?” —Brian Lillie, vice president of hospitality operations and distribution, Chateau Chantal Winery, Traverse City, Mich.

“It’s easy for some people to be seduced by the red wines of renowned appellations like Burgundy, Barolo, and Napa Valley. However, these regions often become dominated by big money and exclusivity, driving prices to exorbitant highs. The focus shifts from the wine itself to the associated status, overshadowing the factors that initially made these regions great. Instead, consider exploring smaller appellations or producers who operate outside the established system. Remember, it was the dedication of small-scale winegrowers that laid the foundation for the now-famous wine regions. By seeking out producers who prioritize transparency and a genuine connection to their terroir and culture, you’re more likely to discover hidden gems — wines that are a snapshot of a time and place all while remaining affordable and accessible.” —Austin Bridges, wine director, Nostrana/Enoteca Nostrana, Portland, Ore.

*Image retrieved from pathdoc via stock.adobe.com

The article We Asked 7 Sommeliers: What’s the Most Overrated Red Wine? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
You’re Probably Shaking Your Cocktails for Too Long https://vinepair.com/articles/over-shaking-cocktails-explainer/ Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164813 We’ve all been there: You’re hanging at a friend’s place, and someone decides to make a round of drinks for everyone. They dust off the tin, assemble the ingredients, and get to shaking. Then, the limp-wristed, 30-second maraca jam commences. The cocktails come out, and they’re decent — but they would have been miles better if they had changed up their form just a bit.

The article You’re Probably Shaking Your Cocktails for Too Long appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

We’ve all been there: You’re hanging at a friend’s place, and someone decides to make a round of drinks for everyone. They dust off the tin, assemble the ingredients, and get to shaking. Then, the limp-wristed, 30-second maraca jam commences. The cocktails come out, and they’re decent — but they would have been miles better if they had changed up their form just a bit.

With all the fat-washing, newfangled tinctures, clarification, and other derivative elements of molecular gastronomy that have crossed over to the cocktail world, we often lose sight of the more foundational elements of making a good drink. Exhibit A: shaking, and doing it with adequate force and for a reasonable amount of time. Admittedly, shaking a cocktail for too long is better than not shaking it for long enough, but you can have substantially better cocktails — and not throw your shoulder out — if you follow a few tips.

To fully understand the pitfalls of over-shaking, we consulted with Daniel O’Grady, general manager of NYC cocktail bar Lullaby.

How Long Should You Shake a Cocktail For?

When shaking a cocktail, you’re simultaneously accomplishing four goals: aeration, mixing, chilling, and dilution. It’s not really possible to over-mix or over-chill a drink, and too much aeration is hard to pull off manually with nothing other than a shaker tin. Over-dilution, though, is a common issue many home bartenders encounter, whether or not they realize it.

“The second ice hits the liquid, a timer starts,” O’Grady says. “The timer is gonna keep ticking until the cocktail is removed from the ice.” With that sense of urgency in mind, timing your shake and not getting too carried away are paramount.

“The key is to just shake really hard,” O’Grady says. “If you’re shaking appropriately hard, then you shouldn’t need to shake for longer than 10 or 12 seconds. If you’re shaking less than that, you’re probably not aerating, diluting, mixing, and chilling [the cocktail] enough.”

Then again, if you’re shaking longer than that, the risk of over-diluting the cocktail creeps in. “That’s why you shake hard,” O’Grady says. “You want to dilute, aerate, mix, and chill before that ice is touching the liquid for too long.”

While shaking with maximum force is ideal, O’Grady points out one crucial caveat, and that’s not to shake too hard right in the first few seconds.

“You don’t want to shake it immediately so hard or all of your ice will end up cracked, and then you’re just shaking this cocktail-ice slurry,” he says. You’ll want to temper the ice by sort of winding up to a faster-paced shake. “Once the ice and the liquid are at a similar temperature, that’s when you give it all you got,” O’Grady says.

And just as there’s nothing to be gained from a half-assed shake, there’s no upside to letting a drink sit in a shaker for any longer than it needs to. “The second you crack that tin, the temperature in the tin is going to rapidly trend towards room temp,” O’Grady says. “Then, the cocktail is gonna start to dilute.” Ultimately, don’t get distracted. Just make the cocktail.

How to Shake Different Cocktails

Whether a cocktail is served up, on the rocks, or with a lengthener like club soda will dictate exactly how long you’ll want to shake it for. The 10-to-12-second time frame is a good rule of thumb, but there are exceptions.

“If it’s a cocktail that’s served up, like a Daiquiri, you should shake that for about 10 seconds because it’s not gonna achieve any extra dilution [in the glass],” O’Grady says. “Something that’s gonna be served on the rocks — probably shake it for a tiny bit less. And a cocktail that’s gonna be lengthened with some kind of soda, shake it for even less.” It all comes down to adequate dilution.

Regardless of the drink, always, always shake hard, but not so fast that the ice isn’t moving all the way from one side of the shaker to the other. “That becomes especially important with egg white cocktails,” O’Grady says. “You want that ice to punch through the solids and mix it.”

If we’re going to get really technical here, there are a few different shaking styles that call for varying quantities of ice. But for the casual home bartender with a freezer stocked with standard ice cube trays, O’Grady recommends taking the smaller half of a Boston shaker and filling it with just enough ice to where a few cubes are sticking out above the rim. “That’s how it’s often measured in bars and that’s a useful way of measuring it at home.” Now that that’s settled, time to go forth and shake.

The article You’re Probably Shaking Your Cocktails for Too Long appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The VinePair Podcast: Why Is So Much Drinks Education Branded? https://vinepair.com/articles/vp-pod-branded-drinks-education/ Tue, 30 Jul 2024 11:00:45 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164806 At bartending conferences, spirits brands will often give pseudo-educational presentations that feature statistics and sales data specific to their own brands. And more often than not, said data gives the audience a skewed representation of that spirits category at large and fails to look at trends through a broader lens. For example, proclaiming that “tequila is the go-to spirit for most consumers” isn’t totally invalid, but it does disregard the fact that vodka is still the best-selling spirit in the country.

The article The VinePair Podcast: Why Is So Much Drinks Education Branded? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

At bartending conferences, spirits brands will often give pseudo-educational presentations that feature statistics and sales data specific to their own brands. And more often than not, said data gives the audience a skewed representation of that spirits category at large and fails to look at trends through a broader lens. For example, proclaiming that “tequila is the go-to spirit for most consumers” isn’t totally invalid, but it does disregard the fact that vodka is still the best-selling spirit in the country.

A branded cocktail masterclass is one thing, but industry pros should probably take brand-centric lectures about entire spirits categories with a grain of salt — especially when they make no mention of any other brands competing in the same space.

On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach ponder why so much educational content and conference presentations are sponsored and shaped by drinks brands. The benefit is obvious for those brands, but it rarely gives a clear and complete picture of the topic or category. Is it really just about underwriting the costs, or is there more at play? Tune in for more.

Joanna is drinking: Las Jaras “Waves”
Zach is drinking: Antica Fratta Franciacorta
Adam is drinking: Robert Mondavi “I Block” Sauvignon Blanc

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The article The VinePair Podcast: Why Is So Much Drinks Education Branded? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Izzy Tulloch’s Sparkling Whiskey Sour Is in Pursuit of ‘The Perfect Berry’ https://vinepair.com/articles/izzy-tullochs-whiskey-sour-the-perfect-berry/ Tue, 30 Jul 2024 10:30:53 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164818 When Izzy Tulloch was young, her father would return home from the produce market, bushels of berries in his arms, and sit with her. Together they would examine the little gems of fruit and sample each one’s sweetness, searching for the perfect berry. Inspired by this summertime memory, it’s no surprise that fresh blackberries take center stage in Tulloch’s sparkling and inventive riff on the classic Whiskey Sour. Tulloch, head bartender at an eclectic and charming bar in the Soho neighborhood of New York City, brings a vibrant energy to her conceptual cocktail creations.

The article Izzy Tulloch’s Sparkling Whiskey Sour Is in Pursuit of ‘The Perfect Berry’ appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

When Izzy Tulloch was young, her father would return home from the produce market, bushels of berries in his arms, and sit with her. Together they would examine the little gems of fruit and sample each one’s sweetness, searching for the perfect berry. Inspired by this summertime memory, it’s no surprise that fresh blackberries take center stage in Tulloch’s sparkling and inventive riff on the classic Whiskey Sour.

Tulloch, head bartender at an eclectic and charming bar in the Soho neighborhood of New York City, brings a vibrant energy to her conceptual cocktail creations. “Honestly, my brain is kind of all over the place,” she says. The process starts with anything that piques her interest: in-season produce, scenes from movies, memories of meals past, nostalgic scents.

“Once that happens, I try to build from there,” Tulloch explains. “Sometimes, it comes together really quickly, but most times, I get really frustrated and walk away from it for a while. Eventually, I’ll come back to it and try to be a little kinder to myself — and kinder to the drink.”

When selecting spirits for her creations, quality is paramount. It’s a philosophy that was critical at her first job at a pizzeria, a job where she fell in love with the service industry. Izzy says that selecting the best ingredient for each component results in a better outcome. It’s what makes Evan Williams Bourbon, specifically the 1783 Small Batch, a no-brainer addition to her take on a Whiskey Sour, “The Perfect Berry.”

The Anatomy of a Sour

Traditionally, a Whiskey Sour consists of bourbon, lemon, simple syrup, and an optional egg white. According to Yesterday’s America, the drink’s roots lie in 1700s-era seafaring, during which sailors would combine citrus with dark spirits like bourbon to stave off scurvy (yum!). When the sailors returned to the city, the drink gained popularity and went through several iterations before officially appearing in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 book, “The Bartender’s Guide.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Tulloch says a good Whiskey Sour showcases “quality whiskey, fresh lemon, and a proper simple syrup.” The recipe for the Classic Evan Sour is much the same: Simply garnish with a juicy slice of orange and a bright red maraschino cherry. For Tulloch, it’s timeless: “At 90 proof, Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch has enough backbone to support the classic recipe and enough character to really make it stand out,” she says.

Quality Whiskey, Quality Cocktail

The eponymous Evan Williams founded Kentucky’s first commercial distillery in 1783. The very same time-honored methods of distillation from that time — including fermenting with Kentucky limestone water and aging in new charred oak barrels — are used to this day to craft Evan Williams, making it one of the world’s best-selling whiskeys.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch is named after that founding year and is Tulloch’s choice for The Perfect Berry. It’s a strong-bodied 90 proof bourbon with a honeyed oak taste. An indulgent nose of vanilla and sautéed butter is balanced by a lean, off-dry finish.

These smooth, extra-aged flavors are great on their own and at home in a Whiskey Sour or any of your favorite bourbon cocktails. 1783 Small Batch has been recognized widely for this versatility, winning Gold at the 2024 John Barleycorn Awards, Double Gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Consumers’ Choice at the Sip Awards from 2019-2024.

Making The Perfect Berry

“I really wanted to use blackberries,” Tulloch says, “and I kept dreaming of a blackberry corn tart. Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch has notes of vanilla, sweet corn, and brown butter, which lends itself perfectly to this rich, Spritzy, pastry-inspired take on a Whiskey Sour.”

The ingredients are evocative of summer indulgences — think barbecues, poolside lounging, or just a relaxing afternoon in the AC. For Tulloch, these memories, like the ones with her father, are personal.

“Summer always meant berries when I was growing up. I can picture my grandma eating blackberries from her garden and handing them to me and my cousins,” she says. “My dad worked at Hunts Point Market forever and just knew everything there was to know about produce.”

The Perfect Berry leans into these memories, highlighting the blackberry with a homemade syrup and, thanks to the addition of crème de pêche, conjuring images of picnic-worthy desserts, all supported by 1783 Small Batch’s more gourmand flavors.

Summertime in a Glass

The vibrantly sweet blackberry syrup combines with oaky bourbon and bright lemon juice, nimbly balancing rich and tart flavors, while the crème de pêche introduces a smooth complexity. A topping of Champagne elevates the flavor profile into something sophisticated, bubbly, and light. The garnishes — a slice of lemon and a bouquet of mint — invite a fresh, botanical aroma that enhances each sip.

Ultimately, Tulloch set out to create a cocktail that “sparks some happy, shared moments for the people drinking it. I’m creating it to bring other people joy and to find joy in its creation.”

The Perfect Berry Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ ounces Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch
  • ¼ ounce crème de pêche
  • ¾ ounce blackberry syrup*
  • ½ ounce lemon juice
  • 5 large mint leaves
  • 2 ounces Champagne or other dry sparkling wine
  • Garnish: Mint bouquet and lemon wheel

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients except Champagne to a shaker with ice.
  2. Shake and strain into a wine glass over ice.
  3. Top with Champagne and stir to incorporate.
  4. Garnish with a mint bouquet and blackberry.

*Blackberry Syrup Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 150 grams blackberries
  • 200 grams granulated sugar
  • 50 grams water

Directions:

  1. Add berries and sugar to a pot and mix.
  2. Add water and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is fully dissolved.
  3. Strain out solids.

This article is sponsored by Evan Williams Bourbon.

The article Izzy Tulloch’s Sparkling Whiskey Sour Is in Pursuit of ‘The Perfect Berry’ appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Better Together: Why Craft Breweries Are Sharing Taprooms and Brewing Systems https://vinepair.com/articles/craft-breweries-sharing-taprooms-brewing-systems/ Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:00:36 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164745 Since founding Primitive Beer in Longmont, Colo., in 2017, Brandon and Lisa Boldt have worn every conceivable hat. The spontaneous-fermentation specialists handle brewing, blending, bottling, sales, marketing, and staffing their taproom — all while parenting a young daughter. “Our work-life balance has been terrible,” Brandon Boldt says, adding that the family-run brewery has no outside employees. As the couple planned to have another child, they weighed their options for continuing production of lambic-style beer. “We were wasting resources, both temporally as well as fiscally, running a tasting room,” Boldt says.

The article Better Together: Why Craft Breweries Are Sharing Taprooms and Brewing Systems appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Since founding Primitive Beer in Longmont, Colo., in 2017, Brandon and Lisa Boldt have worn every conceivable hat. The spontaneous-fermentation specialists handle brewing, blending, bottling, sales, marketing, and staffing their taproom — all while parenting a young daughter.

“Our work-life balance has been terrible,” Brandon Boldt says, adding that the family-run brewery has no outside employees. As the couple planned to have another child, they weighed their options for continuing production of lambic-style beer. “We were wasting resources, both temporally as well as fiscally, running a tasting room,” Boldt says.

Last November, the couple shuttered their Longmont operation and relocated to New Image Brewing’s production facility in Wheat Ridge, Colo. Primitive shares New Image’s brewing equipment, stores its barrels inside the building, and hosts a monthly pop-up for bottle sales and serving beer.

“I now have a semblance of a life,” Boldt says. “The hope is that sharing that space can be mutually beneficial.” (New Image also produces beer for TRVE Brewing, which shut down its production facility earlier this year.)

Craft breweries bloomed, and boomed, by providing drinkers with unique tastes and senses of place. Upstart breweries filled warehouses and former factories with gleaming brew kettles, proof that beer was made right here, by friendly neighborhood folks, not like those commodity lagers made elsewhere anonymously. As demand for craft beer spiked throughout the 2010s, breweries expanded to slake drinkers’ seemingly endless thirst for IPAs.

“We all just ramped up production and bought tanks,” says Kieran Farrell, an owner and director of operations of Gun Hill Brewing, which opened in New York City in 2014. “In hindsight it was a mistake.”

As demand for craft beer ebbs while the costs of doing business increase, breweries are overhauling their business models by offloading production equipment, closing locations, and sharing production equipment, ingredient orders, and even sales and marketing duties with fellow breweries.

Sharing Brewing Equipment and Resources Can Boost the Bottom Line

Building a brewery is not for the faint of funds. As an alternative, fledgling brands can embrace contract brewing, enlisting another brewery to bring beers to cold, fizzy reality on its own equipment.

Brewers choosing that path often faced beer-geek wrath, especially during the 2010s boom that brought brew kettles to cities far and wide. “Contract brewing was demonized,” says Teo Hunter, a cofounder of Crowns & Hops, a Black-owned brewery in Inglewood, Calif., that began in 2019.

“It’s deeper than just us having a contract brewing relationship. We’re able to collectively understand that opportunity and chart a course toward combined success.”

But in such a capital-intensive industry, contract brewing still proved the best path to entry. Hunter and fellow founder Beny Ashburn centered Crowns & Hops on culture, aligning the brewery with hip-hop and HBCUs, inviting drinkers of color to enjoy an IPA. “That was our very best opportunity for success in an industry that was really struggling with diversity,” Hunter says.

According to the National Black Brewers Association, America still only counts 86 Black-owned breweries, including just 12 with their own production facilities. Access to means of production remains a challenge. This spring, Crowns & Hops banded together with fellow Black-owned brewery Full Circle Brewing in Fresno, Calif., to form the Circle of Crowns Beverage Group. The alliance streamlines operations and lets the breweries strategize together and share strengths.

“It’s deeper than just us having a contract brewing relationship,” Hunter says. “We’re able to collectively understand that opportunity and chart a course toward combined success.”

Matt Malloy understands sharing resources better than most brewery owners. He was previously head of marketing at Zipcar, the car-sharing network, and later cofounded Boston’s Dorchester Brewing. Dorchester began in 2016 as a contract brewery, making beer for brands such as Evil Twin, and it buys bulk ingredients to help partner breweries achieve greater economies of scale. (Dorchester now produces its own beers, too.)

Many partner breweries work with Dorchester to produce high-volume beers, reserving smaller-batch experiments for taprooms. “It’s a hybrid approach,” says Malloy, the CEO.

Last December, Dorchester merged with Aeronaut Brewing of Somerville, Mass., to create the Tasty Liquid Alliance. Aeronaut will phase out its production facility and consolidate manufacturing at Dorchester (it will still produce small-batch beers in Somerville), and the TLA umbrella is big enough to welcome additional breweries or beverage companies.

“At the end of the day, we are a multi-legged stool,” Malloy says. “We have to get clever in this space.”

One challenge breweries face is excess capacity. They can brew more beer than they make, leaving expensive equipment underutilized. During a presentation at this year’s Craft Brewers Conference, Bart Watson, the chief economist for the Brewers Association, announced that craft breweries nationwide only use about half their potential production capacity, a problem compounded by declining growth.

Selling equipment and rightsizing production is a smart move at the moment. This year, Gun Hill shut down production in the Bronx and began making its beers at Vosburgh Brewing in Elizaville, N.Y., where Farrell is also an owner and director of operations. Gun Hill brewed 30-barrel batches in the Bronx. At Vosburgh, it produces 10-barrel batches to supply key accounts and seek smart growth.

“We’re going to brew what we need and keep our distribution tight,” Farrell says.

In particular, small regional and midsize breweries that might produce between 5,000 and 25,000 barrels per year are caught in the middle of a difficult market. “As things become more challenging, we need to be more efficient,” says Kevin DeLange, the co-owner of Dry Dock Brewing, which opened in Aurora, Colo., in 2005, and sits in that numerical middle ground.

After talking to friends at fellow regional Great Divide Brewing, which opened in Denver in 1994, “we realized that both of our facilities had enough capacity to make all the beer that we both needed,” Delange says, adding that the breweries share a Colorado distributor.

“We wouldn’t have access to 50 percent of the people walking through the door, but we’d be shouldering 100 percent of the cost.”

Because Great Divide had a newer packaging line, Dry Dock closed its facility last year and relocated production to Denver. (Some Dry Dock staffers moved over to Great Divide’s facility.) Now the sales team sells both brands, shipped on the same trucks, Dry Dock’s Apricot Blonde sitting beside Great Divide’s Titan IPA.

Freed from the daily demands of running a production facility, DeLange has been getting back into brewing and recipe development and working in the Brew Hut, the homebrew shop where Dry Dock began.

“As we got bigger and bigger, I was in meetings all the time, so now I can talk to customers again,” he says. “It’s been such a joy.”

Co-Branded Taprooms Can Bring in New Customers

Beyond infrastructure, sharing a taproom can help brands court new customers. In Seattle, Bale Breaker Brewing and Yonder Cider have a co-branded space where IPAs and dry ciders are served side by side and in mixed flights. Collaborating with a brewery helps “introduce cider to a bigger group,” Yonder founder Caitlin Braam has said.

Last year, Lost Abbey entered an alternating proprietorship to produce beer at Mother Earth Brew Co.’s facility in Vista, Calif. The breweries then teamed up on a combined taproom, sharing buildout costs for the space that opened in March. “It made a lot of sense because we’re already roommates,” says Mother Earth partner and director of marketing Kamron Khannakhjavani.

“We try to do one new beer every week now, and we have the tank space to achieve that.”

A pessimist might feel that the breweries are also sharing a customer base, “but the advantages far outweigh any disadvantages,” Khannakhjavani says. A Lost Abbey fan might be inclined to try a Mother Earth beer, and vice versa. “We wouldn’t have access to 50 percent of the people walking through the door, but we’d be shouldering 100 percent of the cost.”

The biggest obstacle is that the government requires each brewery to have separate point-of-sale systems. Taproom signage prepares people to open multiple tabs, and customers have been accepting. The proof is in the receipts: Since opening in March, the breweries have paid off the initial taproom investment. “You can’t ask for more than that,” Khannakhjavani says.

In life and in business, cohabitating can be problematic. Zac Ross started Marlowe Artisanal Ales in 2019 while working as head brewer at Twelve Percent Beer Project, a contract brewer and distributor in North Haven, Conn. “I felt I was struggling for tank space,” says Ross, who decided to open his own brewery in Nyack, N.Y., in 2022.

But the space, which formerly housed another brewery, did not work out. In 2023, Ross pivoted to Mamaroneck, N.Y., taking over the Decadent Ales space and partnering with Barclay Brewing. The breweries also created a collaborative brand, New York Craft Coalition, that doubled as the business name.

“We found people to be more confused than enthused,” Ross says, adding that decorating the taproom was tricky. “It’s difficult to put up one brand’s artwork when you have two brands under the same roof.”

In April, Marlowe Artisanal Ales took over New York Craft Coalition and overhauled the space. Now the taproom, restaurant, and beers are all beneath the Marlowe banner, no constraints. “We try to do one new beer every week now, and we have the tank space to achieve that,” Ross says.

The days of easy money in craft beer are as long gone as lines for fresh 4-packs. Surviving and thriving requires constant adaptations — THC drinks! Hop waters! — and sharing resources, as well as a realization that owning a brew kettle or retail space isn’t all-important.

Relinquishing the Longmont location gives Primitive Beer’s Boldt and his wife time and space to assess as the brewing industry evolves to meet drinkers’ restless desires. “It’ll be exciting to watch, but not feel like we have to follow in anyone else’s footsteps or feel the pressures of those changing trends,” he says.

The article Better Together: Why Craft Breweries Are Sharing Taprooms and Brewing Systems appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
America’s Most Iconic Regional Hot Dog Styles [MAP] https://vinepair.com/articles/regional-hot-dog-styles-us-map/ Mon, 29 Jul 2024 12:30:15 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164666 Nothing screams “America” quite like a hot dog. In the summer months, U.S. citizens take down an impressive 7 billion franks, which breaks down to about 818 every single second, as revealed by data from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC). Yes, the U.S. has an official council for hot dogs and sausages — and it has some serious rules regarding how they should be enjoyed, from the plate they’re served on to a ban on ketchup if you’re over 18.

The article America’s Most Iconic Regional Hot Dog Styles [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Nothing screams “America” quite like a hot dog. In the summer months, U.S. citizens take down an impressive 7 billion franks, which breaks down to about 818 every single second, as revealed by data from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC). Yes, the U.S. has an official council for hot dogs and sausages — and it has some serious rules regarding how they should be enjoyed, from the plate they’re served on to a ban on ketchup if you’re over 18.

Despite what the NHDSC might say, dozens of hot dog styles exist across the country, dressed with anything from sauteed peppers and onions to spicy chili. Some regional styles, like Georgia’s scrambled dog, see its sausage link chopped into tiny pieces before it’s placed on a bun while others, like Massachusetts’s famed Fenway frank, are boiled and grilled before they’re served.

Check out our map and comprehensive guide to America’s most iconic regional hot dog styles below.

America’s Most Iconic Regional Hot Dog Styles [MAP]

Alaska: Reindeer Dog

Originally from Anchorage, the Reindeer Dog is one of Alaska’s most popular street foods. The dish starts with a blended sausage (made with reindeer meat and either pork or beef) that’s stuffed into a steamed bun. Typically, the meat is then topped with Coca-Cola-glazed onions, ketchup, mustard, and relish.

Arizona: Sonoran Hot Dog

First whipped up at the University of Sonora in Hermosillo, Mexico, the Sonoran hot dog is a beloved hangover staple across the Southwestern state. The bacon-wrapped hot dog is placed into a bolillo roll before the whole thing is slathered with both raw and grilled onions, pinto beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, mayonnaise, guacamole, and green salsa.

California: Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog

There are dozens of dog variations served in the Golden State, but one of the most popular is the bacon-wrapped hot dog served at food carts around Los Angeles and San Francisco. In Southern California, the dogs are normally tucked into a bolillo roll with heaping piles of sauteed peppers and onions. Some purveyors in the City of Angels also offer beans, pico de gallo, jalapeño sauce, ketchup, and mustard as optional toppings. Up in San Fran, peppers and onions also make an appearance, though mayonnaise is the preferred condiment.

Colorado: Denver Dog

While Colorado may be more well known culinarily for its Rocky Mountain Oysters, the state also has a hot dog to call its own. Most frequently found in its namesake city, the Denver dog is served with green chile sauce, red onions, jalapeños, and sour cream on a standard bun.

Georgia: The Scrambled Dog

On a list filled with unusual preparations, there is perhaps none as strange as Georgia’s scrambled dog. Rumored to have been created in Columbus, this frankfurter is chopped into bite-size pieces and submerged beneath a sea of chili, pickles, diced onions, and oyster crackers, with some diners also choosing to add cheese, relish, or sour cream to the bun. Given the messiness of the dish, it’s typically served on a plate rather than in hand-held form and consumed with a fork and knife.

Hawaii: Puka Dog

The Puka Dog gets its name from the Hawaiian bread bun it’s served in, which is baked with a tube-shaped hole down the center to house what’s typically a Polish-style sausage. The whole thing is dressed with tropical fruit-based sauces or relishes typically made from mango, pineapple, or coconut.

Illinois: Chicago-Style Hot Dog

When it comes to iconic dogs, perhaps none is as adored as the Chicago-style hot dog, which dates back to the Great Depression. An all-beef sausage on a poppy seed bun serves as the foundation for chopped white onion, sweet pickle relish, tomato slices, pickled peppers, and a dill pickle spear before a squirt of yellow mustard and a sprinkle of celery salt complete the build.

Maine: Red Snapper Hot Dog

Nicknamed for the encased sausage’s vibrant red coloring and the “snap” noise it makes when it’s bitten into, the red snapper hot dog is a Maine delicacy. The beef-and-pork hot dog is served on a toasted New England-style bun that is split from the top instead of the side, just like the buns used to serve the state’s iconic lobster rolls.

Massachusetts: Fenway Frank

Despite being named for and most often served at the Boston Red Sox’s stadium, Fenway franks can be made anywhere, anytime. The hot dogs are boiled and grilled, which helps the sausage retain some of its juiciness and provides it with its distinct char. Just like the red snapper, Fenway Franks are served on New England-style buns before they’re topped with relish and mustard.

Michigan: Coney Dog

While the name of this variation may conjure up images of New York’s beachside attraction, the Coney Dog is actually most popular in Michigan, specifically in the Detroit area. Most often served by Greek immigrants in the Motor City, the name of the sandwich is believed to come from the days of Ellis Island, when the Greeks would pass through New York City, potentially visiting Coney Island while they were there. To make it, an all-beef frankfurter gets tucked into a steamed bun and topped with meat chili, diced white onions, and yellow mustard.

New Jersey: Italian Hot Dog

Also called a Newark-style hot dog, New Jersey’s most famous frankfurter is crunchy, tangy, slightly spicy, and entirely delicious. Served on a pizza bread roll sliced down the middle, the spicy sausage link gets buried beneath shallow-fried peppers, onions, and diced potatoes.

New York: New York Dog

Served at carts on almost every street in the city, the New York dog is almost as synonymous with the Big Apple as Broadway and bodegas. Most often served as a beef sausage dressed with sauerkraut or steamed onions with spicy brown mustard, numerous versions of the New York dog exist, so tourists and locals alike can opt for whatever toppings they desire.

North Carolina: Carolina-Style

Given the Carolinas’ reputation for serving some of the best barbecue in the country, it’s no surprise that North Carolina’s hot dog style brings BBQ into the fold: The frank is fixed up with chili, white onions, creamy coleslaw, and mustard. While any brand of hot dog can be used as the base, some argue that for it to be a true Carolina-style dog, Carolina Packers Bright Leaf Frankfurters are a must.

Ohio: Cincinnati Chili Dogs and the Polish Boy

Two types of regional hot dogs dominate in Ohio, one for each of the state’s major cities. In Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Chili Dog reigns, also nicknamed a Coney or a Cheese Coney. The hot dog, which is served in a standard bun, is piled high with a meaty, mildly spicy chili and yellow onion with a smattering of cheddar cheese. Over in Cleveland, the Polish Boy is the preferred style, which sees french fries, coleslaw, and barbecue sauce layered atop a kielbasa in a roll.

Pennsylvania: The Texas Tommy

While the name may suggest Southern origins, the Texas Tommy was actually created in Pottstown, Pa., sometime in the 1950s. The hot dog is first split down the middle and stuffed with cheddar cheese before it’s wrapped in bacon and cooked. Once prepared, the meat and cheese concoction is laid atop a standard bun with whatever condiments diners choose.

Rhode Island: New York System

Named after the type of establishments whipping them up, the New York System is made with a veal, beef, and pork sausage dog that’s topped with a chili meat sauce, raw onions, mustard, and celery salt.

Virginia: Norfolk Dog

This dog is rumored to have been created in the 1930s by local George Bacalis, who served natural-skin hot dogs from his shop in Norfolk. Bacalis dumped a helping of chili, onions, and mustard on each of his hot dogs and the style took off from there, with several of his former employees opening up shops of their own — each with its own chili recipe to slather on the frankfurters.

Washington: Seattle Dog

Most often served from roadside food carts, the Seattle Dog is nestled into a cream cheese-slathered bun and topped with grilled onions. According to the NHDSC, chopped jalapeños and a drizzle of sriracha are also common toppings.

Washington, D.C.: Half-Smoke

The half-smoke hot dog is exactly what the name suggests: a sausage that is smoked until it’s halfway done before it’s laid onto a grill to finish cooking. The half-smoked, half-grilled frankfurter is then typically served on a bun dressed with chili, diced onions, cheese, and mustard.

West Virginia: Slaw Dog

While North Carolina argues the Carolina-style hot dog is their state’s most iconic frank, the style is widely believed to have originated in West Virginia, where it’s called the slaw dog. Hot dogs are piled high with chili (which locals call hot dog sauce), coleslaw, and yellow mustard.

*Image retrieved from Mikhaylovskiy via stock.adobe.com

The article America’s Most Iconic Regional Hot Dog Styles [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The History of the World’s Most Epic Food Fight: La Tomatina https://vinepair.com/cocktail-chatter/la-tomatina-food-fight-history/ Mon, 29 Jul 2024 12:00:35 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164665 This article is part of our Cocktail Chatter series, where we dive into the wild, weird, and wondrous corners of history to share over a cocktail and impress your friends. Despite the world’s general familiarity with the concept of a “food fight,” we almost never see them take place in real life. But on some occasions, the food fight transcends Disney Channel Original movies and coming-of-age high school flicks and enters reality in a controlled environment. There’s Italy’s Carnival of Ivrea, a.k.a. the Battle of the Oranges. There’s Spain’s Haro Wine Festival, which entails an early-morning, purple stain-laden wine fight.

The article The History of the World’s Most Epic Food Fight: La Tomatina appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

This article is part of our Cocktail Chatter series, where we dive into the wild, weird, and wondrous corners of history to share over a cocktail and impress your friends.

Despite the world’s general familiarity with the concept of a “food fight,” we almost never see them take place in real life. But on some occasions, the food fight transcends Disney Channel Original movies and coming-of-age high school flicks and enters reality in a controlled environment. There’s Italy’s Carnival of Ivrea, a.k.a. the Battle of the Oranges. There’s Spain’s Haro Wine Festival, which entails an early-morning, purple stain-laden wine fight. But the biggest and arguably most infamous of them all is La Tomatina, a tomato-fueled brawl that goes down in Buñol, Spain every August.

During La Tomatina, Buñol’s population more than doubles for a day as tourists travel from all corners of the globe to pelt each other with everyone’s favorite summertime crop. But what is now an internationally renowned hodgepodge of produce-flinging started off by utter circumstance.

A Festival Gone Awry

La Tomatina’s origins harken back to August 1945. Buñol was hosting its Giants and Big-Heads figures parade to honor the martyred religious figure San Fermín when a group of youngsters showed up to stir up some mischief. Allegedly, as the parade made its way through the town square, a young attendee’s energy overwhelmed one of the participants, causing his large head mask to fall off. This sent the participant into a fit of rage. Parade attendees flocked to a nearby fruit stand, raided it, and began hurling tomatoes at each other until law enforcement officials eventually broke up the madness.

The Slow Burn of Tradition

At the following year’s festivities, a band of people engaged in another tomato fight, but this time they brought their produce from home. Yet again, local forces interfered and halted the antics. The food fight must have been pretty fun, though, as the unofficial event repeated itself and garnered more participants each year, quickly growing beyond the 1,000-person mark.

Of course, dark ages are mandatory if you want a renaissance. In the early 1950s, the then-prime minister of Spain, Francisco Franco, banned La Tomatina due to its lack of religious significance. Many people disregarded the ban and were promptly arrested once the tomato tossing commenced. The tomato advocates soon realized that fighting fire with tomatoes wasn’t the answer, so they resorted to peaceful protest.

Let Them Throw Tomatoes

This brings us to La Tomatina’s saving grace: the tomato funeral of 1957. Residents of Buñol marched through the streets carrying a coffin containing a large tomato, accompanied by a band playing traditional Spanish funeral songs. Presumably touched by the heartfelt display of tomato admiration, the Spanish government decided to lift the ban and make La Tomatina an official festival.

Over the next 26 years, La Tomatina’s attendance grew steadily, but its fame soared to new heights when news broadcaster Javier Basilio famously aired a snippet about the festival in 1983. Having reached TV screens all over Spain, more people were made aware of the existence of La Tomatina, and soon, word got out to the rest of the world.

In 2002, Spain’s Ministry of Tourism declared the festival a “Fiesta of International Tourist Interest.” Ten years later, the festival attracted roughly 40,000 attendees, earning it the Guinness World Records title of “largest annual food fight” the following year. Ever since, the festival has become a ticketed event with a max capacity of 20,000 participants, which is probably for the best.

For those who do decide to make the pilgrimage to Buñol, know that literally tons of tomatoes are provided and the whole shebang typically lasts about an hour. When the tomato-slinging stops, fire trucks come in to hose down the streets. You will be covered head-to-toe in tomato pulp. You will be down 15 euros. And you will be happy you experienced it. Viva La Tomatina!

*Image retrieved from flydime via Wikimedia Commons

The article The History of the World’s Most Epic Food Fight: La Tomatina appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
A Slice of Life: How Upside Launched a Fresh Era for New York-Style Pizza https://vinepair.com/articles/upside-pizza-and-coppola-wine/ Mon, 29 Jul 2024 10:30:13 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164675 What makes New York “New York”? Unreliable subways, window air conditioners, questionable smells, glitzy Art Deco buildings, yellow taxis — sure, all that tracks. But there’s one aspect of the city you can’t get anywhere else, no matter what anyone might claim: an authentic New York slice. Frankly, it’s inimitable. The crust is thin, crispy, foldable. The sauce is applied with restraint, and the fresh mozzarella is the pinnacle of ooey-gooey. Whether enjoyed spontaneously (“Wanna grab a slice?”) or in the late-night, neon-fueled hours, pizza is about as New York as it gets.

The article A Slice of Life: How Upside Launched a Fresh Era for New York-Style Pizza appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

What makes New York “New York”? Unreliable subways, window air conditioners, questionable smells, glitzy Art Deco buildings, yellow taxis — sure, all that tracks. But there’s one aspect of the city you can’t get anywhere else, no matter what anyone might claim: an authentic New York slice.

Frankly, it’s inimitable. The crust is thin, crispy, foldable. The sauce is applied with restraint, and the fresh mozzarella is the pinnacle of ooey-gooey. Whether enjoyed spontaneously (“Wanna grab a slice?”) or in the late-night, neon-fueled hours, pizza is about as New York as it gets. And though it’s impossible to replicate, it’s got plenty of room for experimentation, which is exactly what Noam Grossman, co-founder and CEO of Upside Pizza and residential pizzaiolo rule breaker, aims to do.

Noam Grossman
Noam Grossman

With the help of Brooklyn natives and owners Eli and Oren Halali — of New Yorker-approved 2 Bros. Pizza fame — Upside is redefining the New York slice, one ingredient at a time. 

Lofty Goals

Born in Englewood, N.J., Grossman grew up in restaurants. From high-end farm-to-table eateries to fast-casual joints, he accumulated a wealth of experience, all of which was funneled into his true passion: pizza.

“I love everything about pizza,” Grossman says. “It’s a very nostalgic food.” When the opportunity arose to work with the Halali brothers, he jumped at the chance. “2 Bros. is synonymous with New York City. We already knew they made the best dollar-slice. We came together to make the best slice, period.”

Coppola

Defining the New York Slice

To understand the achievement that is the New York-style slice, we have to look back at the early 1900s when Italian immigrants brought over the Neapolitan pizza, a simple combination of basic dough, ripe tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, fresh basil, and olive oil.

This blueprint was adjusted in 1905 when Gennaro Lombardi opened America’s first pizzeria in Manhattan’s Little Italy neighborhood. The simple raw-tomato-and-salt sauce was swapped for one made with cooked tomatoes laden with herbs; discs of fresh mozzarella were exchanged for grated, low-moisture mozzarella; toppings proliferated.

Coppola
For Grossman, a New York-style slice starts with a circular pie with a good char on the bottom. “There’s a nice bit of crust that you can hold on to like a handle,” he adds. “Thin, crispy, coming off a round pie — I think that should be everyone’s definition. Beyond that, it’s open to interpretation.”

Don’t Mind If I Dough

Every Upside pie begins with sourdough made using only natural fermentation — a rarity in the slice game. For the uninitiated, that means that instead of buying commercial yeast to let the dough leaven and rise, Upside feeds a simple sourdough starter comprised of just flour and water.  “The starter we use is probably 7 years old at this point,” Grossman adds.

Coppola
In addition to making the pizza more digestible thanks to its lower gluten content, the dough packs an added dose of flavor: “If I offered you a slice of sourdough or a piece of white bread, I think we both know which one you would choose,” he says.

Ingredients and Integrity

At Upside, every ingredient matters. The kitchen crew stretches the mozzarella from curd five to six times a week. Locally sourced products are integrated whenever possible; Grossman is on a first-name basis with his Sungold tomato farmer, who visits Upside frequently. While this dedication to locality is admirable in its own right, it’s even more impressive considering the volume at which Upside operates. 

Coppola
“We’re selling tens of thousands of slices of pizza a week,” Grossman says. “It’s not an easy thing to do, even when you’re doing a more controlled operation. When you take it to this scale, it becomes a challenge in and of itself.”

Even with the added stresses that come with dedication to uncompromising quality — more expensive, tricky logistics — it’s not up for debate. “Standards are not something I’ve ever been willing to sacrifice,” he says. “I would imagine that 99 percent of the slices in the city are less expensive to make than mine. We stay priced at $4, which is very reasonable. And it’s not something I’m ever going to change to create more of a margin.” 

‘Cold Wine, Hot Pizza’

A commitment to high-caliber ingredients and affordability is an attribute Upside shares with Francis Ford Coppola Winery, which sources its grapes from the best vineyards across California. Like Grossman, the winery prides itself on its connection with farmers. To date, it has nurtured long-standing relationships with over 150 grape growers. 

When it comes to pizza and wine pairings, Grossman’s philosophy is simple: “Cold wine, hot pizza.” More specifically, Grossman recommends a slice of Upside’s White Wine Lemon Cream (WWLC) alongside a glass of Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection Chardonnay. Sautéed mushrooms, cream sauce, mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon zest, parsley, and black pepper unite to create an unexpected pie. 

Coppola
“This pizza could convert any mushroom hater. It’s just so balanced.” Grossman says. The acidity from the sauce is tempered by dairy. Mushrooms contribute earthy umami, and black pepper and parsley add brightness.

To unlock even more complex flavors, try it with a glass of Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection Chardonnay. Creamy vanilla, crème brûlée, and melon flavors enhance the WWLC’s richness without becoming overpowering. When enjoyed side by side, “eating becomes a moment,” Grossman says. “It becomes an experience.” 

Life’s Simple Pleasures

Coppola
Luxuriating in small moments is something Upside Pizza and Francis Ford Coppola have in common. When the legendary director set out to create the expansive winery, he envisioned a “wine wonderland” where visitors could “celebrate the love of life.”

And what better way to indulge in life’s simple pleasures than with a slice of hot pizza and a glass of cold wine?

Love pizza and wine? Check out Coppola’s “Perfect Your Pizza” competition for more.

This article is sponsored by Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

The article A Slice of Life: How Upside Launched a Fresh Era for New York-Style Pizza appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The 10 Most Popular Tequila Brands in the World for 2024 https://vinepair.com/articles/most-popular-tequila-brands-2024/ Sun, 28 Jul 2024 12:00:28 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164746 In the United States, there’s no liquor trendier than tequila. According to The Spirits Business (TSB), agave-based spirits overtook American whiskey value-wise in 2022 and surpassed it in terms of volume the next year. But despite the tequila category reporting several years of consistent double-digit growth, 2023’s sales figures indicate that things could be slowing down. As revealed by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS), tequila and mezcal sold 31.6 million cases combined last year — only a 5.7 percent volume increase year-over-year. Value grew as well, though only by 7.9 percent to reach a combined $6.5 billion.

The article The 10 Most Popular Tequila Brands in the World for 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

In the United States, there’s no liquor trendier than tequila. According to The Spirits Business (TSB), agave-based spirits overtook American whiskey value-wise in 2022 and surpassed it in terms of volume the next year. But despite the tequila category reporting several years of consistent double-digit growth, 2023’s sales figures indicate that things could be slowing down. As revealed by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS), tequila and mezcal sold 31.6 million cases combined last year — only a 5.7 percent volume increase year-over-year. Value grew as well, though only by 7.9 percent to reach a combined $6.5 billion. In such a flourishing category, it’s only natural that some brands continue to outperform others.

For the fifth year in a row, Jose Cuervo was the top-selling tequila brand worldwide, according to TSB’s recent Annual Brand Champions report. The Proximo Spirits-owned brand saw case sales increase by 3.3 percent year-over-year, swelling from 9.2 million in 2022 to 9.5 million in 2023. That’s over 6 million cases more than Don Julio, the second-best-selling brand, which reported 8.2 percent growth with 3.4 million cases sold in 2023.

While the No. 1 and No. 2 brands experienced a sales boost last year, the same could not be said for other large brands. Patrón saw its case sales fall by 8 percent, declining from 3.5 million in 2022 to 3.2 million in 2023. Diageo-owned Casamigos, famously founded by George Clooney, also reported a reduction last year with sales down 4.8 percent. Hornitos and El Jimador also reported losses of 6.6 and 8.8 percent, respectively.

Find out more about the world’s 10 most popular tequila brands below.

10. Olmeca Altos

Olmeca Altos is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

Founded by bartenders Henry Besant and Dre Masso, Olmeca Altos is beloved within the industry, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the world’s best-selling tequilas. Produced at Los Altos’ Destilería Colonial de Jalisco in partnership with Maestro Tequilero Jesús Hernandez, the lineup includes plata, reposado, and añejo. The brand enjoyed solid growth in 2023, with case sales increasing by 12.3 percent.

9. El Jimador

El Jimador is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

Established in 1994 and named for the farmers who harvest agave, El Jimador is produced from 100 percent Blue Weber agave from Jalisco’s lowlands. The brand produces silver, reposado, and añejo offerings, all distilled twice before they’re bottled at the estate.

8. Espolòn

Espolón is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

Distilled in Jalisco’s Los Altos region, Espolòn Tequila was founded in 1998 by master distiller Cirilo Oropeza. Now owned by the Campari Group, the lineup includes blanco, cristalino, reposado, and añejo expressions. Of all the brands on this list, Espolòn reported the largest growth margin in 2023, with sales soaring 18.1 percent year-over-year.

7. Hornitos

Hornitos is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

Hornitos was born in 1950 to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Crafted from 100 percent Blue Weber agave, Hornitos offers plata, reposado, añejo, cristalino, black barrel-aged, and lime-flavored expressions in addition to several ready-to-drink cocktails. While case sales increased steadily from 2019 to 2022, things took a turn last year for the Suntory Global Spirits-owned brand, with a 6.6 percent decrease year-over-year.

6. Gran Centenario

Gran Centenario is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

Packaged in eye-grabbing, artisanal glass bottles, Gran Centenario is the oldest tequila brand on this list with 167 years under its belt. The brand — which reported a sales increase of 2.5 percent last year — is currently owned by Proximo Spirits, which also controls category leader Jose Cuervo.

5. 1800 Tequila

1800 Tequila is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

1800 Tequila, which will turn 50 next year, is currently produced at La Rojeña Distillery, the oldest active distillery in Tequila. The brand produces a seemingly endless number of tequila and ready-to-serve expressions, which is likely a factor in its soaring popularity. Last year, case sales swelled by 9.6 percent to hit 2.8 million for the first time.

4. Casamigos

Casamigos is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

Casamigos is arguably the most well-known celebrity tequila on the market. Four years after its 2013 founding, Diageo purchased the brand for a whopping $1 billion, which only furthered its success. It now offers blanco, reposado, cristalino, añejo, and jalapeño-flavored expressions in addition to a mezcal joven. Despite case sales growing by 1 million year-over-year from 2020 to 2022, things took a dip by 4.8 percent in 2023.

3. Patrón

Patrón is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

Ubiquitous on back bars around the globe, Patrón is one of the most famous tequila brands in the world. Still, its dominance could be weakening. Even with an impressive 3.2 million cases sold, the brand reported an 8 percent decrease in sales year-over-year for 2023. The tequila giant currently offers silver, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo bottlings, in addition to super-premium selections like El Cielo, El Alto, and the Gran Patrón line.

2. Don Julio

Don Julio is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

Founded in 1942 by tequila legend Don Julio González, the brand touts itself as the world’s first premium, luxury tequila. That reputation has been bolstered by the wildly popular and oft-mimicked Don Julio 1942, the category’s first true unicorn bottle. The Diageo-owned brand reported an 8.2 percent sales increase last year, with case sales hitting 3.4 million.

1. Jose Cuervo

Jose Cuervo is one of the best-selling tequila brands in the world.

It doesn’t seem like anything will be able to halt the powerhouse that is Jose Cuervo, which claimed the top spot on global sales rankings for the fifth consecutive year. Here in the U.S., the brand rose to prominence following the repeal of Prohibition, during which tequila was smuggled across the Mexican border. While undeniably linked with lower-end mixto varieties, Jose Cuervo does offer some traditional tequilas such as its plata, reposado, and añejo expressions, as well as the Reserva de la Familia collection.

*Image retrieved from monticellllo via stock.adobe.com

The article The 10 Most Popular Tequila Brands in the World for 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Divers Discover Over 100 Bottles of Champagne in 19th Century Shipwreck https://vinepair.com/booze-news/baltic-shipwreck-champagne-bottles/ Fri, 26 Jul 2024 15:46:02 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=164738 A team of Polish divers found a 19th century shipwreck in the Baltic sea packed with some precious cargo, including over 100 bottles of unopened Champagne. The discovery occurred during the Baltictech diving team’s recent trip to Sweden. The wreck appeared on the sonar detector about 20 nautical miles south of the island of Öland and seemed to be a fishing boat — a relatively unexciting find — but the team decided to check it out anyway.

The article Divers Discover Over 100 Bottles of Champagne in 19th Century Shipwreck appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

A team of Polish divers found a 19th century shipwreck in the Baltic sea packed with some precious cargo, including over 100 bottles of unopened Champagne.

The discovery occurred during the Baltictech diving team’s recent trip to Sweden. The wreck appeared on the sonar detector about 20 nautical miles south of the island of Öland and seemed to be a fishing boat — a relatively unexciting find — but the team decided to check it out anyway.

“We were already after one dive that day and at first there were doubts whether there would be anyone willing to go down,” Baltictech said in a statement on its website. “Marek Cacaj and Pawel Truszynski showed a lot of determination and said that they would do a quick dive and they had been gone for almost 2 hours, so we already knew that there was something very interesting on the bottom.”

What they encountered was a sailing ship in very good condition, brimming with bottles of Champagne and wine, baskets of mineral water, and porcelain. The mineral water was sealed in clay bottles with the brand name “Seltsers,” a German company that still exists today. This find gave the team a clue in determining the age of the ship — historians noted that due to the shape of the stamp on the waters, they can conclude the shipment was produced between 1850 and 1867.

“In those days, mineral water was treated almost like medicine and only found its way to royal tables,” the diving team stated, suggesting that the contents of the ship may have been headed to royal recipients.

As for the Champagne, previous shipwreck findings would suggest that the bottles might still be in good condition. Bottles recovered from 20th century shipwrecks have proven to be incredibly well-preserved due to the ideal temperatures, lack of oxygen, and pressure of the deep-sea. Champagne brands are evening replicating the ocean-aging process, including Veuve Clicquot’sCellar in the Sea” program.

Baltictech notified the Swedish regional authorities of its finding, and are working with underwater research teams to strategically explore the wreck in the future, so it might be a while before the bottles start popping.

The article Divers Discover Over 100 Bottles of Champagne in 19th Century Shipwreck appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Amburana Is Bourbon’s Hottest Barrel Finish. Is the Trend Already Over? https://vinepair.com/articles/amburana-bourbon-barrel-finish-trend/ Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:00:24 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164660 The world of American whiskey is one simultaneously dominated by both trends and tradition. From HAZMAT-level whiskey to single barrel and single rickhouse bourbons, there’s seemingly always something new for enthusiasts and collectors to pine over. One of the biggest buzzwords to rise in the industry over the past few years: amburana. Much like Japanese mizunara before it, this exotic barrel quickly went from an obscure wood used solely in South America to barrel-age cachaça to being one of the most desired barrel finishes in whiskey. The wood’s rise to prominence has made it a contentious topic around enthusiast circles.

The article Amburana Is Bourbon’s Hottest Barrel Finish. Is the Trend Already Over? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

The world of American whiskey is one simultaneously dominated by both trends and tradition. From HAZMAT-level whiskey to single barrel and single rickhouse bourbons, there’s seemingly always something new for enthusiasts and collectors to pine over. One of the biggest buzzwords to rise in the industry over the past few years: amburana. Much like Japanese mizunara before it, this exotic barrel quickly went from an obscure wood used solely in South America to barrel-age cachaça to being one of the most desired barrel finishes in whiskey.

The wood’s rise to prominence has made it a contentious topic around enthusiast circles. Some aficionados can’t get enough of it, while others are immediately turned off by the distinctive flavors and aromas the wood imparts. But love it or hate it, few aficionados fully understand where amburana comes from, what it actually does to a whiskey — and most of all, whether it’s here to stay or fade into obscurity.

Strong Start

Amburana may be new to whiskey, but the wood has been used to barrel-age spirits for generations. The tree is native to South America, with the highest concentration of growth in Brazil. In the spirit world, it was first widely used to age cachaça.

“Amburana is the second most popular wood for aging cachaça, after oak, which is Brazil’s favorite wood for their national spirit,” says Luke McKinley, marketing director at Novo Fogo cachaça. The wood imparts an extremely distinct flavor profile in a spirit — once you’ve tried it, it’s intensely recognizable, even when just a small amount is used in a blend.

“Based out of all of the finished whiskeys I’ve had, it’s definitely the single most identifiable finish,” explains whiskey writer and critic Mike Frey. Frey has reviewed around 800 different whiskeys on Reddit’s /r/bourbon community and his own website, Bourbon Culture. Whiskeys aged with amburana have a strong, cinnamon-forward baking spice note that is distinctly different from the spice aromas normally found in whiskey — think cinnamon rolls, gingerbread, or carrot cake. Less flattering descriptions like potpourri and perfume are also sometimes used to describe the wood.

Amburana Rising

Amburana first hit American whiskey through WhistlePig’s Old World Cask Finish Rye Bespoke Finish series, which first hit shelves in spring 2019. The next major amburana-finished bottle was Starlight Distillery’s Carl T. Huber Cigar Batch rye in December 2021. For the Indiana distillery, amburana was a familiar profile that showed promise in the whiskey world.

“Cachaça was my gateway into that amburana,” explains Starlight’s co-master distiller, seventh-generation winemaker, and third-generation distiller Christian Huber. “Our family was into brandy, rum, stuff like that, [but] I really liked what it imparted.”

According to data collected by independent statisticians Whiskey Decision, the amburana phenomenon was in full swing after Starlight’s Cigar Batch. 2022 saw the first major jump in amburana-finished releases with popular non-distilling producers Rare Character and NuLu joining the fray. In 2023, the amount of new amburana-finished whiskeys increased a staggering 215 percent, with at least 28 confirmed releases in the calendar year. More high-profile brands like Barrell Craft Spirits threw their hats into the ring and were joined by smaller craft distilleries like Rabbit Hole and RD One.

But just as the wood seemed poised to take over the whiskey world, concerns that its reign might be short-lived began to arise.

A Wood’s Worth

American whiskey producers quickly discovered that amburana isn’t the easiest wood to work with. Amburana has a few unique properties that cause barrel maturation to work a bit differently than American or European oak. The wood contains chemical compounds like vanillin, similar to oak, but it’s also uniquely rich in coumarin, an organic compound found in many plants including tonka bean.

“From our experience working with casks made from amburana, the flavors contributed and the speed at which they can be perceived is unlike most other barrels used in the whiskey maturation process.”

“This rich, mucky vanilla-adjacent compound makes amburana beloved for perfumes and also for cachaça aging,” McKinley explains.

Full amburana barrels are also significantly more expensive than oak and can cost producers up to twice as much as a standard new or used barrel. To add to that, the structure of the wood is quite different from the French and American oak most whiskey producers are familiar with.

“It’s is a little less dense than oak and more porous, so it’s prone to leakage,” says Matt Thomas of barrel distributor Northeast Barrel Company. The more porous nature of the wood can lead to more evaporation of the spirit over time as well. The biggest issue for producers, though, is how potent the wood is.

“I have never had a barrel come to our rickhouse already having such an intense aroma, which is certainly an interesting place to start,” says Sienna Jevremov, head distiller and blender at Widow Jane Distillery. Widow Jane’s first amburana-finished whiskey is expected to be released later this year. Because of this potency, the wood can quickly overpower a whiskey.

“From our experience working with casks made from amburana, the flavors contributed and the speed at which they can be perceived is unlike most other barrels used in the whiskey maturation process,” explains Tripp Stimson, chief whiskey scientist for Barrell Craft Spirits.

“A lot of people tried these barrels, and it’s such a strong wood, and they might have not really liked the flavor with how powerful it is.”

The finishing process, which routinely lasts months or even years, can take just days with amburana. To ensure the whiskey isn’t completely overpowered by it’s distinct flavor profile, producers need to be vigilant.

“For our initial release of our amburana Founder’s Collection, we finished the spirit in our amburana barrels for just a few weeks, tasting thieved samples every week and even daily toward the end of the process,” explains Rabbit Hole Distillery founder Kaveh Zamanian.

To both cut production costs and to temper that intense impact, producers sometimes eschew using full barrels in favor of using amburana staves, spirals, or chips. But even though using staves or spirals cuts down on waste and saves money, that approach is controversial and seen as a shortcut among whiskey traditionalists.

“Amburana gets a little dicey for me; it blurs the line between finished and flavored whiskey,” explains Seth Benhaim, founder of Broken Barrel Whiskey and Badwater Brands. “The point of finishing a whiskey is to further age, further rest. If you were to tell me, ‘Hey, here’s the whiskey, I just dumped whole cinnamon sticks into it,’ then partner, you’ve got a flavored whiskey.”

The Boiling Point

After the explosion of amburana-finished whiskeys in 2023, the once red-hot market appears to be cooling. From tracking Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) filings and release announcements, Whiskey Decision found that there are only a handful of new releases slated for release in 2024 — quite the decline from the previous two years of meteoric growth. The interest in the wood itself from producers seems to have leveled off, as well. Without disclosing sales figures, Northeast Barrel Company reports a decrease in interest from producers.

“[The trend] is pretty much done now,” Taylor says. “A lot of people tried these barrels, and it’s such a strong wood, and they might have not really liked the flavor with how powerful it is.”

“Every moderate to high-level enthusiast has experienced [the wood] numerous times, and I think they’ve already made the decision on if they like that profile or not.”

According to IWSR drinks market analysis, the entire spirits industry saw a 2 percent decline in sales volume in 2023, which would explain a dip in new amburana finishes this year — but there appears to be much more to the story than just economics. Spend any time peeking around online whiskey communities and it becomes clear that amburana is polarizing: Some people love the Christmas-spice flavor profile, and just as many others are turned off by the potpourri aroma or see the wood as a gimmick used to get a quick and premium limited release to market.

“There’s no shortage of purists in whiskey,” Benhaim says. “They want things to be done the traditional way. They’re not into innovation. They’re not into secondary finishing, and amburana is kind of a niche hyper-finishing.”

A bigger issue? Amburana’s mystique may have simply subsided, and whiskey drinkers now know where they stand on its appeal.

“Every moderate to high-level enthusiast has experienced [the wood] numerous times, and I think they’ve already made the decision on if they like that profile or not,” Frey explains. “There are people that really do like it, and they’re going to continue to buy it. But I think people just know to stay away from it if they don’t like it.”

Although amburana’s peak seems to have already passed, the unique wood is likely going to find a permanent place next to mizunara in the arsenal of exotic finishes for whiskey distillers. Some distilleries, like RD One, have already added a permanent amburana-finished bourbon to their portfolios, while Starlight’s Cigar Batch will continue to be an annual release. And despite the vocal detractors, there is still a very devoted contingent of enthusiasts who can’t get enough of amburana-finished whiskey.

As the use of the wood settles down to a more stable rate, the producers that continue to work with the wood and become more familiar with it will presumably continue to improve their aging and blending techniques.

“I don’t think we have tapped all the potential yet,” Jevremov says, “and I am excited to see what comes.”

The article Amburana Is Bourbon’s Hottest Barrel Finish. Is the Trend Already Over? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The Rosita https://vinepair.com/cocktail-recipe/rosita/ Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:30:33 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=cocktail-recipe&p=164664 The article The Rosita appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

The article The Rosita appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The VinePair Podcast: It’s OK if ‘The Bear’ Doesn’t Care About Wine https://vinepair.com/articles/vp-podcast-the-bear-wine-coverage/ Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:00:12 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164662 While the majority of wine reporters are up in arms about the lack of wine featured on Hulu’s hit show “The Bear,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach don’t really see the issue. For one, the joy and excitement of wine doesn’t tend to carry over to the TV screen. More often than not, all you’re seeing is someone pulling a cork and pouring wine into a glass. Also, it’s not as if there haven’t been plenty of other shows that have heavily featured wine, for better or worse.

The article The VinePair Podcast: It’s OK if ‘The Bear’ Doesn’t Care About Wine appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

While the majority of wine reporters are up in arms about the lack of wine featured on Hulu’s hit show “The Bear,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach don’t really see the issue. For one, the joy and excitement of wine doesn’t tend to carry over to the TV screen. More often than not, all you’re seeing is someone pulling a cork and pouring wine into a glass. Also, it’s not as if there haven’t been plenty of other shows that have heavily featured wine, for better or worse.

Even when wine does make it onto a TV show, wine media are quick to get nitpicky over minor details like the drinker not holding their glass correctly. Perhaps the wine industry should just take wins where it can instead of trying to have its cake and eat it, too.

On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach dissect the press’s criticisms of wine on television, and make a case for why TV shows have no obligation to feature wine in the first place. Tune in for more.

Zach is reading: Why Is the U.S. Wine Industry Ignoring Central American and the Caribbean?
Adam is reading: Why Are We So Obsessed With the NBA’s Wine Aficionados?
Joanna is reading: The History, Controversy, and Cultural Significance of Mixed Guinness Drinks

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The article The VinePair Podcast: It’s OK if ‘The Bear’ Doesn’t Care About Wine appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The Cocktail College Podcast: The (Re)Sazerac https://vinepair.com/cocktail-college/the-resazerac/ Fri, 26 Jul 2024 11:30:57 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164663 “Cocktail College” is brought to you by George Dickel. Let me tell you a little story, listener. From the very beginning, as one of the oldest distilleries in Tennessee, George Dickel was determined to do things differently — rethink American whiskey using fresh spring water as well as tried-and-true distillation techniques. And here’s why I’m excited to partner with Dickel today: Whether you’re talking Tennessee whiskey or Bourbon, Dickel actually puts both of those different types of spirits out there. You can argue the differences between yourselves.

The article The Cocktail College Podcast: The (Re)Sazerac appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

“Cocktail College” is brought to you by George Dickel. Let me tell you a little story, listener. From the very beginning, as one of the oldest distilleries in Tennessee, George Dickel was determined to do things differently — rethink American whiskey using fresh spring water as well as tried-and-true distillation techniques. And here’s why I’m excited to partner with Dickel today: Whether you’re talking Tennessee whiskey or Bourbon, Dickel actually puts both of those different types of spirits out there. You can argue the differences between yourselves. And, when it comes to sipping, we’re talking high age statements with some of the best value you can find in American whiskey. Seriously, we’ve been fans here at VinePair for years. We’ve championed Dickel for years, which is why it’s so awesome to be partnering today. But this is a cocktail podcast, so let’s talk about mixing options. I like to turn to the Dickel Bourbon, which feels just at home in those classic cocktails that we always cover here, as well as those modern classics we like to get into as well. Listener, head to www.georgedickel.com/recipes to get inspired and start mixing with our old pal, George Dickel. Cheers.

Often described as America’s first cocktail, the Sazerac is the official cocktail of New Orleans, which one could argue is the nation’s unofficial drinking capital. All of which is to say, the concoction is both a singular icon and among the crown jewels of U.S. drinks history. Maybe it’s due to that status that you seldom see folks tinkering with the Sazerac’s preparation. In a world of White Negronis, Black Manhattans, and Oaxaca Old Fashioneds, the Sazerac remains an almost holy, untouchable creation — but not here at “Cocktail College.”

Today, we’re welcoming back bartender and author Sother Teague to reconsider exactly how a Sazerac should be served. We’ll also discuss what is perhaps the only well-known modern riff on this drink, which Teague and his team have been serving at Amor y Amargo for more than a decade. It’s Abraham Overholt, Antoine Amédée Peychaud, Angostura, absinthe, atomizers, aromatics, an amari arms race, and it’s all right here on the “Cocktail College” podcast. Tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Sother Teague’s Sazerac Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 heavy bar spoon 2:1 Demerara or Petit Canne simple syrup
  • 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
  • 2 ounces 100-proof rye whiskey, such as Rittenhouse
  • Garnish: lemon twist and absinthe

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass.
  2. Add one cracked Kold Draft cube then fill with ice.
  3. Stir until well chilled and diluted.
  4. Pull a heavy rocks glass from the freezer.
  5. Spray one pump of water and then two pumps of absinthe from atomizers.
  6. Strain chilled Sazerac into the glass and garnish with an expressed lemon peel.

Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

Follow us on Instagram:

VinePair
Tim McKirdy
Sother Teague
Amor y Amargo
Gus’s

*Image retrieved from smspsy via stock.adobe.com

The article The Cocktail College Podcast: The (Re)Sazerac appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Stella, Sapporo, Peroni, and the Shifting Calculus on ‘Imported’ Beer https://vinepair.com/articles/hop-take-imported-beer-shift/ Fri, 26 Jul 2024 04:01:51 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164661 Bamboozles abound in the American supermarket. The fish counter is a vector of misinformation. The snack aisle is a hotbed of shrink- and skimp-flation. You are shopping for stories first, and products second. Sometimes they sync up! Other times, you are getting had. Virtually every commodity in the modern grocery store is “mediated by marketers,” as Benjamin Lorr, author of “The Secret Life of Groceries,” told me in a 2021 interview about his excellent five-year investigation into the powerful retail channel.

The article Stella, Sapporo, Peroni, and the Shifting Calculus on ‘Imported’ Beer appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Bamboozles abound in the American supermarket. The fish counter is a vector of misinformation. The snack aisle is a hotbed of shrink- and skimp-flation. You are shopping for stories first, and products second. Sometimes they sync up! Other times, you are getting had.

Virtually every commodity in the modern grocery store is “mediated by marketers,” as Benjamin Lorr, author of “The Secret Life of Groceries,” told me in a 2021 interview about his excellent five-year investigation into the powerful retail channel. “The more you can get away from that, the better off we are [as consumers.] The problem is, there aren’t easy ways of getting away from that that maintain a lot of the other ‘virtues’ of global sourcing” — low prices thanks to cheap labor, chief among them.

With imported beer, the inverse is true. Imports — particularly those from Western Europe, with their green glass bottles and can’t-miss-it foil neck labels — impressed drinkers with the romance of centuries-long brewing traditions and visions of continental glamor, and started stealing share from American brewers’ higher-priced “super-premium” segment when they arrived on the scene in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Imports were “the main beneficiaries” of American drinkers’ “heightened demand for high-priced beer” in the ‘90s as the economy boomed, according to “The U.S. Brewing Industry,” a widely cited 2009 reference book by Victor J. and Carol Horton Tremblay. In 2000, only “microbrewers” commanded a higher average price per case than imports, and on a much smaller base. Two decades later, that dynamic largely holds.

This was “premiumization” before the industry had a buzzword for it. Choosing brands like Beck’s (Germany), Löwenbräu (ditto), and above all, Heineken (Holland) “bespoke sophistication, worldliness, and appreciation for ‘the finer things,’” wrote Maureen Ogle in “Ambitious Brew,” a vital history of the American beer business. (For much more on this Europhilic halo effect, check out my two-part Taplines episode with Philip Van Munching, the third-generation American importer of Heineken.) The higher prices imports typically commanded were inextricable with the places they came from and the age-old legacies they’d built there — and, of course, gobs of marketing to hammer those unimpeachable credentials.

For decades, macrobrewers have been trying to pull off with import beers an alchemy roughly opposite to the one many consumer packaged-goods products are engaged in. The goal is to brew foreign beer brands in American facilities without shedding the prestige from whence they came — or the attendant price points. Until fairly recently, this was considered by many to be a CPG bamboozle of “false-advertising” proportions. Anheuser-Busch famously demanded the Federal Trade Commission investigate Miller Brewing Company in 1977 for selling domestically produced Löwenbräu under misleadingly Teutonic branding; four decades later, descendant firm Anheuser-Busch InBev would go on to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by Beck’s drinkers for similar allegations.

None of this stemmed the tide of imports-that-aren’t. If anything, it’s picked up over the past few years, for reasons laid out by longtime beer journalist Joshua M. Bernstein for this very publication late last year. It’s not a pure margin capture: Domestically brewing, say, Sapporo (which the Japanese conglomerate now does here in Richmond, Va.) allows for fresher beer, more nimble portfolio adjustments, and so on. Sapporo’s onshoring effort, an impetus of its 2022 acquisition of Stone Brewing Company (and its 2017 acquisition of Anchor Brewing Co., workers of that in-flux firm told Hop Take last summer) followed ABI’s own announcement in 2021 that it would brew Stella Artois for this market in four of its U.S. breweries. Earlier this year, Molson Coors announced it would do the same with Italy’s Peroni starting this summer at the firm’s Albany, Ga., facility.

“We’ve spent the last few months working closely with Peroni’s talented master brewers” to ensure quality control, said chief supply chain officer Brian Erhardt in a company blog post in late May. “By brewing Peroni at home, we can ensure consumers can get fresh, great-tasting Peroni at even more of their favorite restaurants, bars, shops and events across the country.”

The bit about the benefits of “brewing Peroni at home” stands out for two reasons. First, Peroni’s home is Italy, where its popular Nastro Azzurro lager has been brewed since 1963. (The brewery has been turning out beer since 1846.) Maybe Erhardt meant the home of MC, which is headquartered in Chicago, or that of the intended audience for its corporate blog, which, as far as I can tell, is me and a bunch of distributors thirsty for those sweet, sweet Happy Thursday updates. Who knows! (MC did not respond to a request for an interview.)

Second is the absence of even a whisper about “capturing efficiencies,” or “tapping into synergies” or any of the other standard corporate euphemisms for “making more money.” The closest anybody comes is chief marketing officer Sofia Colucci, who says by producing Peroni in Georgia, MC will be “positioned to fully unlock its potential” in the U.S. Even to investors, the margin benefits of “onshoring” production of the Italian brand remain an abstraction, though maybe they don’t care: A Hop Take review of the past four quarters’ worth of MC earnings call transcripts indicates Peroni was discussed just once, and briefly. Maybe it’ll bear more mention in this current quarter’s call, which will be the first since the firm announced the move.

It might. After all, nothing warms an analyst’s heart like “driving meaningful margin improvements,” and whatever else this gambit may accomplish — make no mistake, that’s the ultimate goal. A 2023 report by Rabobank spelled out the opportunity in great detail. Downward margin pressure from energy, shipping, and packaging costs have been especially harsh on European imports, some 60 percent of which arrive on U.S. shores in heavier, more expensive glass bottles. Domestically producing imports offers compelling operational solutions to all those problems, and insulates the brands from disruptions due to trade wars, extreme weather events, and the like. “In this context, moving production from Europe to the U.S.,” wrote co-authors Francois Sonneville and Jim Watson, “has obvious advantages.”

(Mexican imports are the exception that proves this rule. Mexico offers a far cheaper labor market that American brewers can easily access thanks to free-trade agreements and the country’s northerly land border with the U.S. Lo, Constellation Brands has invested in plants that take in American grains and churn out Mexican lager headed for American shelves.)

The disadvantages are limited, from a business perspective, at least. Some European firms, like Guinness and Heineken, might actually forfeit operational efficiencies in their home breweries by shifting volume closer to the American beer drinker. Those two, like Constellation, lack the sort of domestic brewing capacity of the bigs, so they’d be looking at an acquisition à la Sapporo. (Or Asahi, or Kirin; we talked earlier this year about how and why Japanese brewers have been aggressively coming to America as of late.)

But consumer backlash? Pfff. Not no mo’. Sonneville and Watson note that ABI’s stateside Stella shift, unlike its Beck’s gaffe, “was well communicated, highlighting the Belgian recipe, sustainability, and US employment aspects.” Its sales tracked Heineken’s almost exactly in the year before and after the move. “[T]the consumer appears fairly indifferent to (or uninformed of) the shift to production in the US.”

In other words, you either don’t care, or don’t know, but either way, it ain’t hurting sales. Is that a bamboozle, or just business as usual? I’ll let you decide for yourself. Remember: “Both” is always an option.

🤯 Hop-ocalypse Now

Forgetting about China? In THIS economy? Couldn’t be Hop Take. We’ve discussed the potential opportunities for American craft breweries to shore up sagging domestic sales by exploring exports to the Chinese market. It’s consistently a top-five foreign market for this country’s pioneering artisanal brews, as tracked by the Brewers Association. Still, while young, urbane Chinese drinkers may want American craft beer, the country doesn’t want for beer in general. American craft brewers shipped a cumulative ~14,000 hectoliters across the Pacific in 2022, a drop in the pint glass against the 359,080,000 hls Chinese beer-makers, led by China Resources Snow Breweries and Beijing Yanjing Beer Group (the world’s third- and ninth-largest producers by volume), pumped out in 2023, according to a recent global review from the German hop trader BarthHaas. So, y’know, make sure you really emphasize the “small, independent” angle in any marketing materials you plan to translate into Mandarin, craft brewers!

📈 Ups…

Cleveland’s venerable Great Lakes Brewing Co. is expanding into New England after 36 years holding it down in the MidwestAt-the-brewery pint prices are trailing overall inflation a bit, per BA analysis of Arryved and Bureau of Labor Statistics data…

📉 …and downs

At this point, Twisted Tea is providing Boston Beer Co.’s only meaningful growth… Americans’ booming thirst for Mexican lager has sent the country’s beer exports skyrocketing 175 percent in the past decade, straining an already scarce water supplyBud Light ran third in NielsenIQ-tracked off-premise dollar sales behind Michelob Ultra and Modelo Especial in the four weeks through July 6… Global hop production was up 11.5 percent even as global beer production was down 0.9 percent in 2023, per BarthHaas

The article Stella, Sapporo, Peroni, and the Shifting Calculus on ‘Imported’ Beer appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Chain Restaurant Cocktails: The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageously Boozy https://vinepair.com/articles/chain-restaurant-mixology/ Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:00:39 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164644 After placing a footed glass filled with frothy, pink liquid atop a thick marble bar, the bartender gently pours something glittery and purple over my drink from a tiny pitcher. Like sorcery, the shimmering liquid — made from butterfly pea flower tea — cascades down in swirling wisps of mauve and indigo like a Bali sunset. This isn’t a trendy craft cocktail bar with mustachioed mixologists and $30 cocktails. I’m having a drink at the Red Lobster in Times Square.

The article Chain Restaurant Cocktails: The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageously Boozy appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

After placing a footed glass filled with frothy, pink liquid atop a thick marble bar, the bartender gently pours something glittery and purple over my drink from a tiny pitcher. Like sorcery, the shimmering liquid — made from butterfly pea flower tea — cascades down in swirling wisps of mauve and indigo like a Bali sunset. This isn’t a trendy craft cocktail bar with mustachioed mixologists and $30 cocktails. I’m having a drink at the Red Lobster in Times Square. The cocktail, called “Under the Purple Sea,” looks much better than it tastes — somewhere between an alcohol-spiked Pacific Cooler Capri Sun and Sour Patch Kids watermelon candy. Luckily, I came in with low expectations, so the flamboyant presentation more than made up for the drink’s uninspiring flavor.

Chain restaurant bars aren’t exactly known for their mixological prowess, but as consumers become more cocktail savvy, some corporate restaurant brands have been quietly raising their game. Late last year, I had an exemplary Espresso Martini at a Cheesecake Factory in Queens, which came in a voluptuous 8-ounce Martini glass with a head of foam like a freshly drawn Guinness. After canvassing several popular corporate chains like Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. over the past several months, I can say with confidence that, while some bars show signs of improvement, chain restaurant mixology remains a mixed bag.

The Glory Days of TGI Fridays

Despite the ignominious state of many chain restaurant bar programs, it would be irresponsible to ignore the foundational role that the original TGI Fridays, founded in New York City by Alan Stillman in 1965, played in the cocktail revolution. “In the early days, TGI Fridays was an incubator of bartending skill and discipline during a period when bartending was considered a dead end,” wrote Robert Simonson in his book, “A Proper Drink: The Untold Story of How a Band of Bartenders Saved The Civilized Drinking World.” To become a bartender at Fridays back then, employees had to commit over 400 cocktail recipes to memory and pass a comprehensive written exam. Flair bartending, popularized by the 1988 movie “Cocktail,” also emanated from behind the bars of TGI Fridays.

“When I worked at TGI Fridays in London, we did six weeks of one-on-one training,” says Philip Duff, the founder of Old Duff Genever who worked as a bartender and staff trainer in various locations of TGI Fridays in the British capital between 1992 and 1994. He credits the company’s meticulous training regimen with helping to kickstart the cocktail renaissance in the U.K. and cultivating a generation of well-trained bartenders. The structure that these systems provided also helped shape his career as a consultant for bars and liquor brands. However, Duff readily admits that the chain is no longer a reliable source for craft cocktails. “Fridays used to be the cocktail bar,” Duff says. “Now it’s following trends instead of setting them.”

A recent visit to a Fridays near Madison Square Garden in Manhattan proved him right. There, I sampled a new summer cocktail called the “Lavender Fields Lemon Drop Martini.” It’s a basic sour recipe, made with Skyy Vodka, lemon juice, and lavender syrup. The cocktail itself wasn’t nearly as satisfying as my banter with the quick-witted bartender, who seemed like she’d been shaking drinks for as long as I’ve been alive. The lavender flavor was overpowering, like a blast of Glade air freshener, but the drink was palatable and neatly presented in a coupe with a twist of lemon.

The Lavender Fields Lemon Drop Martini at TGI Friday’s.
The Lavender Fields Lemon Drop Martini at TGI Friday’s. Credit: Adam Reiner

“Every cocktail at TGI Fridays is too sweet,” says Izzy Tulloch, the head bartender at Milady’s in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. “Ask for a plate of lemon or lime wedges, and you can pretty much balance anything that hits your table.” Tulloch admits that most chain restaurant bars today are mid, but she still believes there’s a time and place to enjoy them. “Applebee’s has dollar Margaritas sometimes. You don’t need to know more than that,” she says. “They’re bad, but they’re a dollar, and you can get half-priced apps and have yourself a time.”

Chain Cocktails Hit Different

Some bartenders have a soft spot for chain restaurants because they’ve had firsthand experience working in them. “I worked in a Chili’s in high school,” says Sarah Morrissey, the bar manager of the recently reopened Le Veau d’Or on New York’s Upper East Side. “I used to watch the daytime bartender make vats of Margarita mix from powder and water. For some reason, I still think the Presidente Margarita is incredible. It’s the ‘fajita’ of their cocktail list.”

To achieve scale, chain restaurant bars need to be streamlined for speed and consistency. Signature cocktails are designed to taste the same across hundreds of locations, so ingredients are often prefabricated and laced with sugar and preservatives. Many chains also limit their cocktail menus to familiar classics like Cosmopolitans and Margaritas because customer loyalty is earned through predictability, not inventiveness.

But as bar consumers become more educated about cocktails and spirits, chain restaurants are showing signs of leveling up their beverage programs. While some still feel stuck in the ‘90s, others are evolving to meet the moment. I doubt that Cheesecake Factory would’ve offered a drink called the Aperol Spritz Martini (the classic Venetian aperitivo in Martini form) on its menu 10 years ago, as it does today. Trendier cocktails like the Paloma and Mojito have also been popping up on more chain restaurant menus recently.

The Patrón Dragonfruit Margarita at Longhorn Steakhouse.
The Patrón Dragonfruit Margarita at Longhorn Steakhouse. Credit: Adam Reiner

When I ordered the Patrón Dragon Fruit Margarita at Longhorn Steakhouse (Olive Garden’s carnivorous sibling), the cheerful bartender presented me with a branded cocktail shaker the size of a Stanley tumbler filled to the brim with pulpy, magenta liquid. After replenishing my salt-rimmed glass several times, I would estimate that the shaker contained the equivalent of three normal-sized cocktails. Even if the Patrón tequila was indiscernible in the drink, the three-for-one value proposition (only $13.49) more than compensated.

Strong Drinks Mixed With Nostalgia

Blue drinks have also become a staple of modern chain-restaurant bars. At Texas Roadhouse, I accepted the bartender’s invitation to add an “island kicker” to the Kenny’s Cooler. The test-tube-like vile of coconut rum and peach schnapps comes propped upright in the cocktail, whose color is uncomfortably close to window washer fluid. The entire drink menu at Texas Roadhouse seems designed to coax guests into the reckless decision to add kickers to already weapons-grade cocktails. Red Lobster also offers Blue Dream Sangria with St-Germain, blue curaçao, Moscato, white cranberry juice, and lemon-lime soda. I didn’t have the courage to order one, but the gentleman down the bar from me seemed to be enjoying his. If I hadn’t seen the menu, I might have easily mistaken his drink for Gatorade Glacier Freeze.

The Italian Rum Punch at Olive Garden.
The Italian Rum Punch at Olive Garden. Credit: Adam Reiner

Drink-wise, Olive Garden is curiously uncomfortable with its own allegedly Italian heritage. Despite the wealth of iconic national cocktails, like the Negroni and Aperol Spritz, Olive Garden eschews Italian classics. Instead, it offers fruity chain-washed concoctions like the Italian Rum Punch, which is about as Italian as something you’d be served in the Italy pavilion at Epcot Center. The cloying cocktail comes in a pint glass and tastes like the bartender drained 15 unfrozen freeze pops into a glass of ice with a few ounces of bottom-shelf rum. “Olive Garden is for Martinis,” says Tulloch. “Don’t get crazy, just a Dirty Martini with gin or vodka.”

The Rum Forest Rum at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
The Rum Forest Rum at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Credit: Adam Reiner

If you fancy something tropical, you’d be better off with the Rum Forest Rum from Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which is served in a collectible pilsner glass (included with your purchase), and made with a blend of reputable rums like Myers and Don Q. The addition of grenadine and pineapple juice evokes the flavors of a cheap plastic cup Mai Tai at a touristy beachside bar in Waikiki. The Castaway Cocktail at Outback Steakhouse is also respectable, even if its recipe (Cruzan Passion Fruit Rum, Malibu Coconut Rum, Absolut Mandarin, blood orange sour, and pineapple) is a shameless vehicle for product placement. The drink tasted vaguely like SweeTarts dissolved in coconut milk, but I still preferred it to the Olive Garden version.

As much as some chain restaurant bars have improved, their bar programs are still held back by bureaucratic systems that prize efficiency over quality. Duff isn’t optimistic that the glory days of TGI Fridays will ever be restored. “The potato skins still taste the same. The sweet-and-sour mix is fine,” he says. “But people’s tastes have changed. A cocktail that was acceptable in 1995 is not acceptable today.”

Aside from nostalgia, the primary appeal of chain restaurant bars remains consistency. Bartenders like Tulloch still see value in the chain restaurant bar experience, as long as people go into it with the right mindset. “Don’t take yourself or the restaurant too seriously,” she says, “and it might be the best night of your life.”

The article Chain Restaurant Cocktails: The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageously Boozy appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
12 French Wines That Will Transport You to Paris for the Olympics https://vinepair.com/articles/wines-to-drink-during-paris-olympics/ Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:30:06 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164638 The much-anticipated summer Olympics are kicking off in Paris this week and, given the host city, there’s almost as much discourse around the event’s food and wine as the games themselves. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Paris provides unrivaled access to some of the world’s greatest wines at relatively attractive prices, a jaw-dropping selection of cult bottles that are near-impossible to find stateside, and a wide swath of casual, quaffable — but still remarkably high-quality — bistrot-style wines.

The article 12 French Wines That Will Transport You to Paris for the Olympics appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

The much-anticipated summer Olympics are kicking off in Paris this week and, given the host city, there’s almost as much discourse around the event’s food and wine as the games themselves.

That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Paris provides unrivaled access to some of the world’s greatest wines at relatively attractive prices, a jaw-dropping selection of cult bottles that are near-impossible to find stateside, and a wide swath of casual, quaffable — but still remarkably high-quality — bistrot-style wines. While hordes will descend upon the city to partake in the festivities (eating and drinking included), in reality, most will enjoy the global event from the comfort of their own couches.

So how can you replicate what’s arguably one of the world’s best wine-drinking destinations at home? While you could go through great lengths to buy the prestigious or difficult-to-find wines that line the walls of the “caves” in Paris, there are many fun, adventurous wines to explore that are also a bit easier on the wallet. Rather than a powerful Bordeaux, esteemed Meursault, or Hermitage, these wines come from regions that fuel everyday drinking, like the Loire Valley, Beaujolais, and the Roussillon.

This list reflects what you might find featured as a by-the-glass pour at a local Parisian bar, or what drinkers might pop in the city’s vibrant natural wine scene. Instead of bold and age-worthy, these are easy-drinking, young wines meant to be enjoyed now. They typically offer high acidity and are low in tannin and alcohol — which is important for a long, tension-filled 19 days of games. Often food-friendly, these wines can accompany many French staples like oysters, fresh chèvre covered in herbs, or a heaping plate of steak au poivre. Many can also be easily enjoyed on their own.

Whether you plan to whip out the French cookbooks or just fashion some simple snacks, here are 12 French wines to drink while watching this year’s games.

Domaine Le Roc des Anges L’Effet Papillon Blanc 2022

Domaine Le Roc des Anges L'Effet Papillon Blanc 2022 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

Run by Majorie and Stéphane Gallet, Domaine Le Roc des Anges is a nearly 100-acre estate located in Roussillon’s Côtes Catalanes region, positioned at the foothills of the Pyrenees. This bottle is a blend of Macabeu and Grenache Blanc, two grapes common in the area. Though these varieties are known for producing fatty, unctuous wines, this bottling still retains a great deal of freshness. It has an aromatic nose of apricots, tropical fruit, and white flowers, and the palate offers a great balance between round fruit flavors and a bright acidity. Like many wines from the Roussillon, this bottle offers great value.

Price: $14
Buy This Wine

Château le Payral Bergerac Blanc 2022

Château le Payral Bergerac Blanc 2022 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

Bergerac is an appellation in South West France on the outskirts of Bordeaux. Though the wines are often overshadowed by those of its more prestigious neighbor, they are typically made in a similar style, and at a more approachable price. Like the whites of Bordeaux, this wine is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. This bottle, from the small, family-run Château le Payral, offers notes of lime, tart green apples, and lemon oil with refreshing acidity.

Price: $15
Buy This Wine

Domaine de Courbissac Notre Terre Rosé 2023

Domaine de Courbissac Notre Terre Rosé 2023 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

A blend of 90 percent Grenache (from the estate’s 90-year-old vineyards) and 10 percent Mourvèdre, the result is a concentrated and aromatic rosé with notes of strawberries, peaches, and white flowers. On the palate, it offers great minerality and zippy acidity.

Price: $20
Buy This Wine

Château du Petit Thouars L’Épée Chinon 2019

Château Petit Thouars L'Épée Chinon 2019 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

Built in the early 1500’s, Château du Petit Thouars is an over 370-acre estate in the Loire Valley’s Chinon appellation. Today, it’s run by Sébastien du Petit Thouars, the 12th generation to occupy the property since his ancestors purchased it in 1636. The L’Épée bottling is made from the estate’s oldest Cabernet Franc vines and shows a classic expression of the variety when grown in the Loire. The nose is balanced between fruit and earth, with notes of tart strawberries, cherries, and red plum matched by an equal expression of forest floor, bell pepper, and wild herbs.

Price: $23
Buy This Wine

Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre & Maine ‘Clisson’ 2020

Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre & Maine ‘Clisson’ 2020 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

Most wine lovers know Muscadet as a crisp and simple budget wine from the oceanfront town of Nantes in the Loire Valley. But over the past decade, the region has been upping its game, with an increased focus on quality, aging, and site-specific wines. In line with this, the region has introduced 10 “crus” that can be included on the label to denote the specific area the wine came from. This bottle from renowned producer Domaine de la Pépière comes from the Clisson cru, an area that benefits from its distinct granite soils. The result is a mineral-driven wine with great energy and intensity.

Price: $25
Buy This Wine

Rémi Sédès Samplemousse Rosé 2023

Rémi Sédès Samplemousse Rosé 2023 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

Rémi Sédès is a young winemaker based in Ancenis, a small, off-the-beaten path appellation of the Loire Valley. Sédès focuses on Gamay in many forms, including this delightful rosé. A darker color than what we might expect from a French style, this wine showcases a more juicy, fruit-forward profile that’s bursting with vibrant citrus notes. This is the ultimate crowd-pleasing rosé that is sure to go fast.

Price: $25
Buy This Wine

Jo Landron Atmosphères Extra Brut NV

Jo Landron Atmosphères Extra Brut NV is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

For any watch parties, it’s important to have some bubbles on hand for when (or if) your nation wins a gold medal. While Champagne is always a great option, this traditional method sparkling from Jo Landron in the Loire is a worthy, affordable alternative. It offers notes of green apple, citrus, and white peaches with hints of honeysuckle and herbs. The palate brings persistent bubbles, bright minerality, and refreshing acidity.

Price: $26
Buy This Wine

Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly Vieilles Vignes 2022

Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly Vieilles Vignes 2022 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

Of course a staple of any Parisian brasserie in 2024 is Beaujolais. This relatively affordable, easy-to-love red wine has exploded in popularity over the past decade, and with good reason. These medium-bodied, juicy reds are wonderfully fruit-forward, but don’t lack complexity — especially in bottles from the 10 Beaujolais crus. This example from the Brouilly cru is a classic expression of the region with notes of cherries, raspberries, blackberries, earth, spices, and smoke.

Average price: $27
Buy This Wine

Domaine Milan ‘Reynard Rebels’ Rouge NV

Domaine Milan 'Reynard Rebels' Rouge NV is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

Located in the south of France, Domaine Milan dates back to 1955. Today, winemaker Théophile Milan has slowly been taking the reins of the renowned estate from his father Henri, making deliciously easy-drinking wines. A fun, chillable blend of Merlot and Carignan from across several vintages, this fruit-forward wine brings notes of juicy red cherries and strawberries with a hint of spice. Bright acidity and barely perceivable tannins make it perfect to chill down and enjoy on its own or accompany a charcuterie plate.

Average price: $28
Buy This Wine

La Famille Mosse Chenin Blanc 2022

La Famille Mosse Chenin Blanc 2022 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

To really channel the Parisian wine bar, check out anything from the Mosse portfolio. Wines from this Loire Valley-based producer dominate lists across the city. While they make great rosé and Cabernet Franc as well, Famille Mosse produces a set of seriously expressive and balanced wines from the Chenin Blanc grape, showcasing its rich character while still remaining easy-drinking.

Price: $32
Buy This Wine

Tissot Crémant du Jura Extra Brut NV

Tissot Crémant du Jura Extra Brut NV is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

Wines from France’s Jura region are undoubtedly some of the most popular in Paris’s natural wine bars. And although you won’t be able to find bottles from the more obscure, sought-after producers stateside, wines from the powerhouse producer Bénédicte et Stéphane Tissot are typically easier to snag. This Crémant du Jura is opulent with deep notes of brioche, vanilla, cream, and green apples. Another stellar Champagne alternative for the games.

Price: $34
Buy This Wine

Domaine de l’Enclos ‘Beauroy’ Premier Cru Chablis 2020

Domaine de l'Enclos ‘Beauroy’ Premier Cru Chablis 2020 is one of the best French wines to drink during the Olympics.

While it might be best to avoid the hyper-expensive bottles of Burgundy for rowdy watch parties, a little Chablis never hurt anybody. Brothers Romain and Damien Bouchard founded Domaine de l’Enclos in 2016 in the heart of the appellation, comprising just over 70 acres of organically farmed vines. This premier cru bottling from the steep, sloping Beauroy area is wonderfully fresh and lean with notes of lemon, forest pine, white flowers, and minerals.

Price: $44
Buy This Wine

*Image retrieved from Romain P19 via stock.adobe.com

The article 12 French Wines That Will Transport You to Paris for the Olympics appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Wine 101: Italy Part I: Sicily and Rome’s Surroundings https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-sicily-and-romes-surroundings/ Thu, 25 Jul 2024 11:30:01 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164636 In the 3rd century, when Hannibal and his war elephants crossed the Alps and into Italy, his army was amazed by how much land was under vine. According to reports from that expedition, there were vines spanning from the northern tip of the Po Valley all the way to the coast of the Adriatic Sea. But how did this happen? Well, that brings us back to our friends the Phoenicians and the Greeks, along with their first encounters with the Etruscans on the Italian peninsula. What came next was the largest explosion of wine culture in the ancient world.

The article Wine 101: Italy Part I: Sicily and Rome’s Surroundings appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

In the 3rd century, when Hannibal and his war elephants crossed the Alps and into Italy, his army was amazed by how much land was under vine. According to reports from that expedition, there were vines spanning from the northern tip of the Po Valley all the way to the coast of the Adriatic Sea. But how did this happen? Well, that brings us back to our friends the Phoenicians and the Greeks, along with their first encounters with the Etruscans on the Italian peninsula. What came next was the largest explosion of wine culture in the ancient world.

As we discussed in our last series, the Greek Empire went through a period of Ottoman rule, and lost stamina in the development of its wine culture. In Italy, on the other hand, winemaking flourished with nothing to slow it down. Even today, given the vastness of the Roman Empire, we’re still excavating ancient sites and learning more about Italy’s devotion to wine through the ages.

On this episode of “Wine 101,” we’re kicking off a series that’s near and dear to Keith’s heart, and it’s all about the grapevine’s journey in the peninsula we know today as Italy. Tune in for more.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Follow Keith on Instagram @VinePairKeith. Rate and review this podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. It really helps get the word out there.

“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. Big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme song. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.

*Image retrieved from michelangeloop via stock.adobe.com

The article Wine 101: Italy Part I: Sicily and Rome’s Surroundings appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Explosion at Jose Cuervo Distillery Leaves 6 Dead, 2 Injured https://vinepair.com/booze-news/jose-cuervo-distillery-explosion/ Wed, 24 Jul 2024 18:45:01 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=164605 On late Tuesday afternoon, a tragic explosion at Jose Cuervo’s La Rojeña distillery in Tequila, Mexico, killed six people and injured two others, “The New York Times” reports. The next morning, a fire broke out at the distillery, though it’s currently unclear whether anyone was inside the distillery at the time, according to the publication “El Mexicano.” Surveillance footage shared by the Times shows that around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a burst of flames erupted from La Rojeña distillery, catapulting what appears to be a large metal tank into the air.

The article Explosion at Jose Cuervo Distillery Leaves 6 Dead, 2 Injured appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

On late Tuesday afternoon, a tragic explosion at Jose Cuervo’s La Rojeña distillery in Tequila, Mexico, killed six people and injured two others, “The New York Times” reports. The next morning, a fire broke out at the distillery, though it’s currently unclear whether anyone was inside the distillery at the time, according to the publication “El Mexicano.”

Surveillance footage shared by the Times shows that around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a burst of flames erupted from La Rojeña distillery, catapulting what appears to be a large metal tank into the air. According to Jalisco authorities, the cause of the initial fire remains unknown, but it caused a boiler to explode and set four 60,000-gallon tanks ablaze.

The explosion killed at least five distillery workers and injured two others, one critically, the Jalisco Civil Protection Unit (JCPU) said in a statement. A more recent social media post from the JCPU reports that responders discovered a “lifeless person” inside a retention pit while cleaning up the wreckage from Tuesday’s fire. “With this discovery, there are 6 people dead as a result of the incident that occurred at the tequila company,” José Cuervo said in a statement to El Mexicano.

The initial blast prompted evacuations, and a team of over 40 firefighters and civil protection officials reportedly arrived at the scene to control the fire and clean up debris. As of Tuesday night, the initial fire had been contained, and the mayor of Tequila lifted a temporary stay-at-home order.

On Wednesday morning, a fire ignited in the distillery’s storage area, according to El Mexicano, possibly due to embers from the night before. Luckily, officials and responders were quick to extinguish it.

Jalisco’s La Rojeña distillery was founded in 1812, shortly after the Jose Cuervo brand was established. It’s the oldest active distillery in all of Latin America, and Casa Cuervo — which encompasses Jose Cuervo and several other brands — is the largest tequila-producer in the world. Currently, Casa Cuervo falls under the umbrella of parent beverage company Becle, which is owned by the Beckmann family.

The article Explosion at Jose Cuervo Distillery Leaves 6 Dead, 2 Injured appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Novel Cordials and Mindful Mixology With Kitty Bernardo of NYC’s Paradise Lost https://vinepair.com/articles/techniques-cordials-mindful-mixology-kitty-bernardo/ Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:00:54 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164537 Walk through the nondescript door marked only with a creepy green glyph on Second Avenue in New York’s East Village and you’ll encounter the greatest entryway in modern bar history. Immediately, you’re bathed in neon and surrounded by foliage, drawn to the glowing letters “PARADISE LOST” like a thirsty mosquito to a bug zapper. Pass one more door and you’re trapped in uber-kitsch tropical hell (think: “Jaws” meets “Hellraiser.”) I’ve spent hours in this bar and every visit I notice something new and delightful artfully staple-gunned to the walls or ceiling.

The article Novel Cordials and Mindful Mixology With Kitty Bernardo of NYC’s Paradise Lost appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Walk through the nondescript door marked only with a creepy green glyph on Second Avenue in New York’s East Village and you’ll encounter the greatest entryway in modern bar history. Immediately, you’re bathed in neon and surrounded by foliage, drawn to the glowing letters “PARADISE LOST” like a thirsty mosquito to a bug zapper. Pass one more door and you’re trapped in uber-kitsch tropical hell (think: “Jaws” meets “Hellraiser.”) I’ve spent hours in this bar and every visit I notice something new and delightful artfully staple-gunned to the walls or ceiling. This joyful, spooky collage would be enough to keep me coming back again and again — the drinks could be an afterthought and I would still sing its praises. Fortunately for all of us, the drinks happen to be not only phenomenal, but thoughtful as well.

Along with Sunken Harbor Club, Paradise Lost represents the new generation of tropical bars in New York that take a novel approach to the category and dive deep into what’s possible in a tiki-style cocktail. In addition to utilizing unexpected ingredients and classic flavors with unique methodologies, Paradise Lost isn’t shy about contending with tiki’s past.

Tiki bars rose to prominence after World War II to cater to American GIs who served in the Pacific Theater and developed a taste for tropical flavors. Rather than celebrate individual Pacific Island culture and heritage, these bars created tiki culture — an amalgam of reality and fantasy that promotes outlandish, and often offensive, stereotypes. European and American imperialism, with their thirst for fruit, spices, sugar cane, and labor, were devastating throughout the Pacific, and the classic tiki bar can be a painful reminder for children of these cultures.

Kitty Bernardo uses their role as bar manager at Paradise Lost to instigate bold conversations around these cultural truths, and share their own complex identity through delicious cocktails. The mindfulness on display in their drinks extends to each and every component, including a thoughtful cordial that rethinks an ingredient common in the tropical lexicon.

Drinks for Thought

Under the gaping maw of a life-size great white shark model, Kitty explains that the past few years led them on a journey toward intentionality when working on cocktails. Every drink they put on a menu needs to take up that space for a reason, and the considerations are myriad. “The cost of goods, the raw materials, the labor that was put into everything — especially on the back end, like the rum, the agriculture, everything,” Kitty explains.

Their concern is not just for the liquid in the glass, but the lives affected before it arrived here, as well as the statement it can make about their own first-generation-immigrant, Filipino-American, non-binary identity. Kitty’s latest creation for Paradise Lost’s menu, “Attack of the Banantulas,” exemplifies these ideals.

The mindfulness on display in Kitty Bernardo's cocktails extends to each and every component, including a thoughtful cordial.
Credit: Jeff Brown

The drink’s inspiration comes from banana ketchup, the tomato ketchup simulacrum invented by Filipino food scientist Maria Y. Orosa during World War II to satisfy the palates of American GIs stationed in the Philippines. It builds on tomato ketchup’s sweet-sour combo with the addition of ginger, alliums, cloves, and other tropical spices. The flavor profile is “a sensory memory that I want to bring to the forefront,” Kitty says.

From experience, I know that weaving together savory flavors into drinks can be difficult — just look at my failed attempt to make a “Garden Salad” after chatting with Moe and Juliette from Schmuck. Kitty threads this needle thanks to careful ingredient selection.

The boozy portion of Banantulas contains two white rums, including Paranubes, a funky pure cane juice distillate from Oaxaca; amontillado sherry; and banana liqueur. The choice to use Mexican rum and sherry together was purposeful, not just because the nuttiness of amontillado balances the vegetal rum beautifully, but because it gives Kitty an opportunity to tell a colonial story that mirrors their own experience.

The mindfulness on display in Kitty Bernardo's cocktails extends to each and every component, including a thoughtful cordial.
Credit: Jeff Brown

Mexico shares a history of Spanish conquest with the Philippines so putting these two culturally specific ingredients in a drink that’s representative of a distinctly Filipino flavor profile gives Kitty an opportunity to engage with guests about the history of all three cultures.

The drink also includes ginger syrup, cinnamon syrup, passion fruit, and lime. Savory notes are handled by Kitty’s own formulation of allium tincture — a combination of raw onion and garlic macerated in Everclear that mimics the Filipino vinegar-based dipping sauce Suka — but the crucial component that ties everything together is an innovative banana cordial.

Use the Whole Fruit

The cordial was borne out of R&D collaboration between Ray Sakover, beverage director and partner at Paradise Lost, and Chris Stanley, the brilliant prep mind responsible for the hundreds of sub-ingredients used at the Dead Rabbit. “What they landed on was something that mimics the technique of a traditional oleo saccharum but adding in more of the flavor and mindfulness of using the entire fruit,” Kitty explains.

In practice, the banana cordial starts as two separate oleos. Equal parts by weight banana flesh and sugar are sealed in one Ziploc bag, while equal parts washed, sliced banana peels, and sugar are sealed in another. Both bags are agitated and left at room temp for a day. “After 24 hours you’ll have an oleo from the skins and a syrup from the flesh,” Kitty says.

The syrups are strained together, and the combination is dosed with lactic acid and malt vinegar. The extended maceration in sugar dials up the overripe candied banana flavor so adding acid brings back the fresh, bright flavor of a banana, with just a touch of green remaining.

Kitty gave me the opportunity to sample the syrup on its own and it was like tasting a banana at every stage of ripeness all at once, with an earthy, slightly tannic funk from the peels. It took my strongest willpower to not steal it to spoon over ice cream or make banana Daiquiris at home.

The mindfulness on display in Kitty Bernardo's cocktails extends to each and every component, including a thoughtful cordial.
Credit: Jeff Brown

This type of whole-fruit-driven, zero-waste cordial has been a running theme throughout Kitty’s career. During their tenure at Sunday in Brooklyn, Kitty made the bar’s redeemed fruit cordial — a way to reuse citrus that had been peeled or cut for garnish. At many bars these fruit remains would be headed for the garbage can. “You can take any citrus, cut it into smaller pieces, and massage it with an equal weight of white sugar,” Kitty explains. The flesh, juice, and oils released from the peels hydrate the sugar. The final product is a syrup redolent of citrus oil and shelf-stable for weeks in the fridge. Through minimal work and a little mindfulness, something that’s typically discarded is transformed into a value-added product. It’s delicious, good for the bottom line of the bar, and good for the planet.

Mindfulness at Home

I decided to try my hand at this mindful approach using a summer staple that always generates a ton of volume in my compost bin: watermelon. The addition of vinegar in the banana cordial inspired me to pickle the watermelon rind, yielding something delicious to snack on as well as spiced pickling liquid to add complexity to a watermelon syrup. The trial was a wild success. I ended up with a refreshing Margarita variation perfect for the doldrums of summer. The watermelon rind pickle recipe is adapted from Alton Brown’s recipe to include more cocktail-friendly spices and a slight bump in sweetness.

Watermelon Rind Pickles

Kitty Bernardo's Watermelon Rind Pickles recipe
Credit: Jack Schramm

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bite-size watermelon rind pieces (rind should be peeled and the pink flesh should be sliced away so only white remains)
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 star anise pods
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (more if you prefer heat)
  • 15 coriander seeds, crushed

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients except rind to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Carefully add rind pieces. Return to a boil and hold for 1 minute.
  3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  4. Add entire contents to a canning jar and seal.
  5. Sit at room temperature for an additional 90 minutes. Move to the fridge and store refrigerated for up to a month.

Pickled Watermelon Syrup

Kitty Bernardo's Pickled Watermelon Syrup recipe.
Credit: Jack Schramm

Ingredients

  • 200 grams ripe watermelon flesh
  • 200 grams white sugar
  • Watermelon pickling liquid

Directions

  1. Add watermelon and sugar to a plastic bag.
  2. Squeeze/squish/agitate and let sit at room temperature until the sugar is hydrated.
  3. Strain through fine mesh.
  4. Add 20 percent of the weight of the strained watermelon syrup in pickling liquid. (For instance, if you made 200 grams of strained syrup, add 40 grams of pickling liquid).
  5. Stir to combine and store in a resealable container in the fridge.

Pickled Watermelon Margarita

Kitty Bernardo's Pickled Watermelon Margarita recipe.
Credit: Jack Schramm

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces additive-free blanco tequila (I used Cascahuín)
  • ¾ ounce pickled watermelon syrup
  • ¾ ounce lime juice
  • 5 drops 20 percent saline solution or tiny pinch salt
  • Garnish: watermelon rind pickle

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients except rind to a shaking tin.
  2. Fill with ice and shake until chilled.
  3. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
  4. Garnish with watermelon rind pickle.

The article Novel Cordials and Mindful Mixology With Kitty Bernardo of NYC’s Paradise Lost appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The Highest-Rated Deli in Major U.S. Cities, According to Yelp [MAP] https://vinepair.com/articles/highest-rated-deli-us-cities-map/ Wed, 24 Jul 2024 12:30:16 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164536 A deli isn’t just a place to get a sandwich without breaking the bank. For many, the deli is a lifestyle: a place to build community, get a good meal made by someone who probably knows their order verbatim, and maybe get yelled at by said person, especially if they’re in New York. With thousands of delis in the U.S. representing dozens of cultures, we decided to nail down the highest-rated in every major city.

The article The Highest-Rated Deli in Major U.S. Cities, According to Yelp [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

A deli isn’t just a place to get a sandwich without breaking the bank. For many, the deli is a lifestyle: a place to build community, get a good meal made by someone who probably knows their order verbatim, and maybe get yelled at by said person, especially if they’re in New York.

With thousands of delis in the U.S. representing dozens of cultures, we decided to nail down the highest-rated in every major city. To determine which quick-serves are the best, we headed to Yelp and sorted each city’s results by highest-rated, solely including establishments with over 400 reviews and at least four stars. We also had to make some judgment calls: Some restaurants serve up deli-style sandwiches, but only those strictly offering order-at-the-counter service can truly be considered delis in our eyes.

While the majority of these beloved spots serve up classics like Italian subs, pastrami on rye, and chicken salad, others built their reputations on wrapping up some of the best bánh mìs, burritos, and gyros stateside.

Interested in finding out if your favorite spot is the highest-rated in your neighborhood? Keep reading to discover the most popular deli in every major U.S. city and its Yelp rating.

The Highest-Rated Deli in Major U.S. Cities, According to Yelp [MAP]

The Most Popular Deli in Every City

  • Atlanta, Georgia: Jerusalem Bakery & Restaurant (4.4)
  • Austin, Texas: Little Deli & Pizzeria (4.6)
  • Boston, Massachusetts: Sam LaGrassa’s (4.5)
  • Charlotte, North Carolina: Le’s Sandwiches & Cafe (4.6)
  • Chicago, Illinois: J.P. Graziano Grocery (4.6)
  • Columbus, Ohio: Brown Bag Deli (4.3)
  • Dallas, Texas: Jimmy’s Food Store (4.7)
  • Denver, Colorado: Leven Deli (4.6)
  • Detroit, Michigan: Ernie’s Market (4.8)
  • Houston, Texas: Little Matt’s (4.6)
  • Indianapolis, Indiana: Goose The Market (4.6)
  • Kansas City, Missouri: Longboards Wraps & Bowls (4.5)
  • Las Vegas, Nevada: Karved (4.7)
  • Los Angeles, California: Mike’s Deli (4.5)
  • Miami, Florida: Franky’s Deli Warehouse (4.9)
  • Nashville, Tennessee: Big Al’s Deli (4.8)
  • New Orleans, Louisiana: Stein’s Market and Deli (4.4)
  • New York, New York: Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s Deli (4.7)
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The Loaded Bowl (4.6)
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Hershel’s East Side Deli (4.4)
  • Phoenix, Arizona: Frank’s New York Style Deli (4.8)
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: DiAnoia’s Eatery (4.4)
  • San Francisco, California: Limoncello (4.8)
  • Seattle, Washington: Valhalla Sandwiches (4.7)
  • Washington, D.C.: A Litteri (4.5)

*Image retrieved from Pixel-Shot via stock.adobe.com

The article The Highest-Rated Deli in Major U.S. Cities, According to Yelp [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
6 of the Best White Wines From Greece https://vinepair.com/good-wine-reviews/best-white-wine-from-greece/ Wed, 24 Jul 2024 12:00:24 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164535 Winemaking in Greece goes back thousands of years. But although Greek wines were little more than a footnote for much of the 20th century — largely defined by an era of cheap, overly resinated Retsinas — Greece may be enjoying a golden age of wine, thanks to modern techniques, vastly improved production, and an emphasis on artisanal winemaking. If you haven’t dipped into Greece recently, you’re missing out on some memorable wines made from a range of indigenous grapes not seen elsewhere.

The article 6 of the Best White Wines From Greece appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Winemaking in Greece goes back thousands of years. But although Greek wines were little more than a footnote for much of the 20th century — largely defined by an era of cheap, overly resinated Retsinas — Greece may be enjoying a golden age of wine, thanks to modern techniques, vastly improved production, and an emphasis on artisanal winemaking.

If you haven’t dipped into Greece recently, you’re missing out on some memorable wines made from a range of indigenous grapes not seen elsewhere.

From north to south, including the islands, Greece is a wine-producing country, and it’s a shame that the wines don’t get more attention in stores and in restaurants — except, of course, those that specialize in Greek food.

Molyvos, a top Greek restaurant in New York, for example, boasts around 750 choices on its all-Greek wine list. By contrast Eleven Madison Park, one of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, has a mere four Greek wines, all of them white, on its 230-page wine list. Most others have a smattering of Greek wines at best.

But instead of a Pinot Noir from California or Burgundy, why not try a Xinamavro with a few years of age? If you like fresh white wines like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, Assyrtiko and Moschofilero are worth considering. And that only scratches the surface.

So why isn’t there more buzz about Greek wines among Americans? I put the question to Kamal Kouiri, the longtime wine director and a managing partner in Molyvos.

“The problem with Greek wines,” he says, “is people go to Greece. They have a fantastic time. They have this emotional connection with the country and the people and the food. And it’s almost like they don’t pay attention to the wine. And they say, ‘Oh, give us your house wine.’” They’re served wine that’s “made in the backyard,” as Kouiri describes it — ordinary wine that’s nothing to write home about.

He adds that “even though they remember the sun and the water and the food and the people, they say, ‘eh, the wine was OK,’ because they didn’t focus on it.”

Other obstacles include unfamiliar and hard-to-pronounce grapes and a reluctance by restaurants and retailers to put in the work required to sell them, preferring to focus on wines people know. “They don’t want to bother,” Kouiri says. “They want the easy way.”

The result is that people overlook wines that offer depth and value and the chance to experience memorable bottles from off the beaten path — including such areas as Macedonia in the north, Attica in central Greece, Peloponnese in the south, or the Aegean Islands and Crete.

While Greece is often thought of as a hot-climate region, “Greek wine is still widely misunderstood,” Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson note in the “World Atlas of Wine.” “Far from being too hot and dry to produce good-quality wine, most of Greece (like much of Italy) is mountainous and infertile,” conditions that can produce excellent wines. They add that “most Greek wine regions would actually qualify by most measures as cool climate.”

And a sampling of the wines, both red and white, bears that out. They are generally high in balancing acidity and have moderate levels of alcohol, which make them a pleasure to drink.

In this week’s column, I focus on some of the whites, which, as a category, are more familiar to Americans than the reds. They are crisp, mineral-driven, go with a variety of foods and offer excellent values. As with most white wines, their complexity reveals itself as they warm up a bit, so don’t serve them too cold.

Here are six top white wines from Greece to try:

Douloufakis Winery Vidiano 2022

Douloufakis Winery Vidiano 2022 is one of the best white wines from Greece.

This exceptional wine from Crete, Greece’s largest island located in the extreme south, is made from the Vidiano grape, which is native to the island. Ripe stone fruit flavors along with orange, pineapple, almond, and honey notes are framed by a distinct minerality that brings a pleasing texture. A luscious wine made without oak. The grape was mostly used in white blends until recently.

Price: $20
Buy This Wine

Ousyra Winery Serifiotiko 2023

Ousyra Winery Serifiotiko 2023 is one of the best white wines from Greece.

From the island of Syros in the Cycladic island chain (Mykonos is the best-known island), this wine is made from rare, indigenous Serifiotiko grapes grown on 80-year-old ungrafted vines. If you like very dry white wines, you should consider this one. Herb and flower notes dominate, with subtle green apple, lime, and white pepper. There’s a chalky minerality on the finish. It’s not a quaffing wine, but one to sip, savor, and enjoy gradually.

Price: $28
Buy This Wine

Spyros Hatziyiannis Assyrtiko Santorini 2022

Spyros Hatziyiannis Assyrtiko Santorini 2022 is one of the best white wines from Greece.

A classic Assyrtiko from Santorini showing Meyer lemon and herbs with hints of honey, pineapple, and sea salt. It’s a bit enclosed at first but opens up beautifully as it warms up. It’s framed by a chalky minerality.

Price: $27
Buy This Wine

Domaine Skouras Moscofilero 2022

Domaine Skouras Moscofilero 2022 is one of the best white wines from Greece.

From Peloponnese in the southern part of the mainland, this wine is made from the Moscofilero (or Moschofilero) grape. It’s fruit-driven with orange, green apple, and honeysuckle notes. Not overly complex, but easy to drink and delicious on its own. A perfect wine to keep in your cooler on the beach, whether here or in Greece.

Price: $17
Buy This Wine

Domaine Papagiannakos Assyrtiko 2023

Domaine Papagiannakos Assyrtiko 2023 is one of the best white wines from Greece.

An exquisite young Assyrtiko from Attica in central Greece. Grown in a non-irrigated vineyard with limestone soil, the wine is fresh and full-bodied with concentrated citrus fruit, especially Meyer lemon and orange, with secondary notes of almond and herbs. There’s a nice mineral texture on the long finish. Also worth trying: the winery’s dry and aromatic Savatiano.

Price: $22
Buy This Wine

Gai’a Assyrtiko Santorini ‘Thalassitis’ 2022

Gai’a Assyrtiko Santorini ‘Thalassitis’ 2022 is one of the best white wines from Greece.

Made from ungrafted old vines that grow in Santorini’s volcanic soils, this is one of the great white wines of Greece. Made without oak, it shows a waxy richness with aromas and flavors of honeysuckle and orange and hints of strawberry, ginger, and white pepper on the palate. An age-worthy wine to savor sip by sip as it opens up, revealing its complexity and beauty.

Price: $43
Buy This Wine

Next up: The red wines of Greece

The article 6 of the Best White Wines From Greece appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
These Tequila-Inspired Perfumes Bring Agave Spirits Into the Luxury Fragrance Space https://vinepair.com/booze-news/maison-solis-tequila-fragrance-line-launch/ Wed, 24 Jul 2024 11:30:34 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=164543 There’s a dizzying number of tequilas on the market but only one brand is making a case for Mexico’s flagship spirit as a fragrance. On Wednesday, luxury lifestyle brand Maison Solís made its first foray into the eau de parfum space with a line of three tequila-inspired scents: Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo. Spirits industry veteran Joseph D. Solís sought to dissect and rebuild the essence of the agave spirit with the help of African American fragrance consultant and sommelier-turned-perfumer Ethan Turner.

The article These Tequila-Inspired Perfumes Bring Agave Spirits Into the Luxury Fragrance Space appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

There’s a dizzying number of tequilas on the market but only one brand is making a case for Mexico’s flagship spirit as a fragrance. On Wednesday, luxury lifestyle brand Maison Solís made its first foray into the eau de parfum space with a line of three tequila-inspired scents: Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo.

Spirits industry veteran Joseph D. Solís sought to dissect and rebuild the essence of the agave spirit with the help of African American fragrance consultant and sommelier-turned-perfumer Ethan Turner. The release comes just a few months after the January launch of the Maison Solís brand, which debuted with a line of luxury barware essentials handcrafted and painted by a fourth-generation family of coppersmiths in Michoacan, Mexico. Inspired by the cultural significance of agave and its transformative journey into tequila, the new fragrances pay homage to Solís’s Mexican-Filipino heritage and 25 years in the beverage industry.

“Filipinos played a big part in the development of agave spirits,” Solís says. “The Filipinos taught Mexicans distilling and techniques through Tuba and other indigenous spirits, which then became tequila, mezcal, etc.”

Even before he embarked on a career in spirits, Solís saw scent as a way to explore different parts of the world without having to get on a plane. “As a child, with humble beginnings, fragrance always served as an escape for me,” Solís says. “I remember working as a teenager and saving up my money to buy department store fragrances; one spray would transport me to another place.”

Now, Solís is giving others a means to escape to the homeland of agave spirits through the senses. Sight and feel come with his bar tools, scent arrives in the form of the fragrance line, and taste? Well, that’s whatever you decide is in your glass.

As Solís tells us, that final part — tequila — has largely morphed into something that’s straying further and farther away from its ancestral roots. “In the wine, spirits, and cocktail space, I think that Mexican ingredients that are holistic to the culture have been appropriated,” Solís says. “When you have all these different traditional flavors that are now being mass produced without acknowledging the source, heritage, story, and rituals around them, those stories aren’t being told.”

In crafting the three core expressions, Solís and Turner went to great lengths to ensure the fragrances didn’t just smell like three different tequilas. “I think the most challenging aspect of this fragrance line was finding a great balance between creating an agave expression that was true to the nature of the three different representations of tequila, while still aiming to make it a parfum,” Turner tells VinePair. “With Blanco we wanted the fresh, earthy, yet light fruit and floral balance that we see in a blanco tequila, but marrying that to a perfume meant getting creative. The same can be said with the deeper honeyed and smokey scents found in reposado and añejo expressions.”

Of course, the process did begin with a number of different tequilas as points of reference. “I took 12 of my favorite tequilas in the world, broke them down with [Turner], and built them back up in the form of a scent,” Solís says. One of those tequilas, a Cognac-aged expression from Excellia Tequila, was a crucial point of inspiration for the project.

After six months of R&D, and a meticulous 25 rounds of trial and error for the Añejo expression, the brand settled on three fragrances, and now plans to launch a different line of “scent stories” annually. Each of this year’s expressions arrives in a 30-milliliter bottle. The Blanco retails for $110, and features a depth of aromas from coconut and cedar to Cognac, lime, and bergamot. The Reposado comes in at a slightly higher price point of $120. It strives to capture more whiskey barrel-adjacent notes, with scents of caramel, teakwood, and cinnamon. Finally, the Añejo retails for $140, and leans heavily into scented expressions of leather, vanilla, and aged rhum.

For those who want to get a small taste of everything in the collection, the brand also offers a Discovery Set, which features a 5-milliliter bottle of each eau de parfum for $60 MSRP.

The article These Tequila-Inspired Perfumes Bring Agave Spirits Into the Luxury Fragrance Space appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
Why Are We So Obsessed With the NBA’s Wine Aficionados? https://vinepair.com/articles/nba-wine-aficionado-obsession/ Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:00:32 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164491 In June, as the Boston Celtics celebrated a record-breaking 18th title with a triumph over the Dallas Mavericks, the obligatory locker room Champagne drenching served as cover photo for many media outlets. A combination of Moët & Chandon — featured via its coveted role as the NBA’s official Champagne — and others soaked the revelers as plays were recounted and the Larry O’Brien trophy made its rounds. While such scenes are common in just about any sport, the NBA has received copious coverage in the press for its fine-wine fever in recent years.

The article Why Are We So Obsessed With the NBA’s Wine Aficionados? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

In June, as the Boston Celtics celebrated a record-breaking 18th title with a triumph over the Dallas Mavericks, the obligatory locker room Champagne drenching served as cover photo for many media outlets. A combination of Moët & Chandon — featured via its coveted role as the NBA’s official Champagne — and others soaked the revelers as plays were recounted and the Larry O’Brien trophy made its rounds.

While such scenes are common in just about any sport, the NBA has received copious coverage in the press for its fine-wine fever in recent years. Its aficionados and vintners have graced the pages of just about every wine or sports publication in some way or another. There’s no denying the obvious take: The NBA is obsessed with wine.

But by panning out to view the phenomenon from a level removed, another curious trend pops into the frame: the press’s obsession with covering the topic.

Sports journalist Baxter Holmes sent the story global with his seminal 2018 work for ESPN, “The NBA’s Secret Wine Society.” Over the past decade, photos of LeBron sipping Opus One courtside, the “Banana Boat Crew” wine toast, stories of Gregg Popovich’s legendary team wine dinners, and detailed accounts of who drinks what and why, have bubbled up relentlessly.

At first glance, it makes perfect sense. The NBA is a popular global brand, and stories detailing anything regarding the league no doubt provide a healthy share of interest and clicks. Give the people what they want — it’s business. Yet aside from the obvious, shouldn’t we be asking why, sociologically, this is such a hot ongoing story?

What is it about this pairing that piques the interest of even those who are not particularly into basketball or wine? And frankly, should we be doing a little soul-searching to consider whether or not there’s an underlying racial token element at play?

It’s a hot potato to be sure, but it’s certainly worth a dive into these murky depths. And as it turns out, our obsession with the NBA’s wine culture appears to have several layers to it.

The Right Player for the Hard Questions

Arguably no other player has a more complete view of the intersection between the league, its players, the wine industry, and society in general than the current president of the players union, CJ McCollum.

During his nine prolific years as featured sharpshooter for the Portland Trail Blazers, and via an introduction from wife Elise, McCollum developed an abiding passion for wine — particularly the adjacent Willamette Valley and its synonymous Pinot Noir. Despite a 2022 trade that landed the veteran guard with the New Orleans Pelicans, the McCollums had quite literally already put down roots in Oregon. A hands-on partnership with renowned producer Adelsheim, branded McCollum Heritage 91, was quickly followed by the couple’s acquisition and planting of a vineyard in the prestigious Yamhill-Carlton AVA. “For me, I don’t put my name on things unless I’m involved in it,” McCollum says.

“I think it surprises people that a lot of Black athletes are entering into this realm that has historically not been diverse. It shifts the narrative of Black athletes moving toward a predominantly white sector.”

Abundantly qualified, and holding a degree in journalism to boot, McCollum addresses the greater topic with ease and matter-of-fact honesty.

For starters, he says, there’s the negative stereotype of athletes in general — a zombie-like cliche forever following most professional physical competitors. And despite some progress, the tired universal image of gruff pros chugging cheap beer or pounding vodka shots in the club during the wee hours continues to pervade the public consciousness.

“I think we rarely get the benefit of the doubt regarding intellectual things,” McCollum says. And by nature, fine wine is a beverage of notoriously elitist intellect. “[By some] we’re viewed as gladiators,” he adds. “Entertain us, and that’s it.”

Tack on to that the wine world’s stubborn history of sexism and overwhelming whiteness, and it becomes clear that there’s a fine line to be walked between genuinely proactive socioeconomic inclusivity and tokenist novelty — especially in connection with a league comprised of over 70 percent Black players, by far the highest percentage of any major sport.

“I think it surprises people that a lot of Black athletes are entering into this realm that has historically not been diverse,” McCollum says. “It shifts the narrative of Black athletes moving toward a predominantly white sector.”

But despite the acknowledgement that these still-pervasive stereotypes continue to buoy the story in certain ways, McCollum believes that the overall conversation surrounding the NBA’s Black wine aficionados and professionals has a largely positive effect, and his personal wine journey thus far has been actively embraced. “Many people have been very helpful,” he says. “My wife and I are excited to be a part of the wine community. They have welcomed us with open arms.”

Star Power, Wine, and the Perfect Sport

From a structural level, the sport of basketball stands alone in many critically important ways. “There’s nothing that compares to the NBA,” says Ray Lalonde, television and radio sports business analyst and former director and group manager for NBA Europe. “As a sport, it has the most natural advantages. It’s just more accessible. It’s easy to build stars.”

“The NBA has become a 12-month-a year-publicity machine. I think the NBA has just done a much better job of that than baseball or American football.”

Paradoxically, the NFL is a far bigger draw for outright popularity in the U.S. with over 41 percent of the population recently declaring American football their favorite sport to watch, while basketball and baseball lag far behind, essentially tied around 10 percent.

Yet as a publicity star-maker, football is deficient in many ways. Hefty pads and unwieldy helmets cover bodies and faces. The action evolves slowly. Scoring can be infrequent. And the 22 players occupying the field on any given play might as well be in a different area code than the fans in the stadium. Outside of quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs, there’s very little opportunity for regular, individual displays of charisma and interaction with fans.

Likewise, the other two major team sports, baseball and hockey, have their own disadvantages in that regard. They find themselves either too slow, too sporadic, too chaotic, or too anonymous to consistently convey a competitively infectious cult of personality to the fans and across airwaves. And while soccer has made major strides in North America — and continues to be the most worshiped sport internationally — it has yet to find a seat at the table with the “Big Four” in the U.S. and Canada.

Then there’s basketball. As a vehicle for stars and their personalities and lifestyles, the NBA is damn near perfect.

With the fans literally seated on the court, the cameras catching every subtle expression, and the exciting action constant and high-scoring, the opportunities to capitalize on individual celebrity are limitless. “There’s something about NBA culture as a collective culture made up of a league of stars,” Lalonde says.

Add to that an approachable, deftly skillful league front office, and it’s no wonder Jackson Family Wines — perhaps the most highly regarded major wine company in the states — this year courted them for a featured partnership with its Kendall-Jackson brand. “The NBA has become a 12- month-a-year publicity machine,” says Michael Denzel, former managing director for NBA Asia. “I think the NBA has just done a much better job of that than baseball or American football.”

Wine’s Long Road Toward Inclusivity

Of course, there’s no harm in enjoying a shared intellectual passion with sports stars. Who wouldn’t want to partake in some wine shoptalk over a fine bottle with a celebrated player like McCollum? But besides the outright structure of the sport, it’s still important to consider why we find these intersections so enthralling. Is it because they’re a star, or because we as a society view them as an outlier novelty in some way or another?

Don’t get me wrong, by all means us wine professionals should make a point to be more proactively inclusive. While things have gotten better bit by bit, wine remains an industry and community in desperate need of less gatekeeping. It’s long past time to invite in those who have traditionally been excluded.

The NBA and its aficionados can most assuredly play a role in that inclusivity. The industry stars of both basketball and wine have much to offer one another. As long as the wine business follows through with proper intention, this long overdue collaboration will benefit both worlds. And ironically, the point at which we encounter more NBA pros positioned as wine critics and expert sources — with fewer stories about the baller bottles they’re drinking and “secret societies” — will be the clearest signal we’ve arrived.

The article Why Are We So Obsessed With the NBA’s Wine Aficionados? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
We Asked 14 Bartenders: What’s the Most Overrated Tequila Cocktail? (2024) https://vinepair.com/articles/wa-bartenders-most-overrated-tequila-cocktail-2024/ Tue, 23 Jul 2024 12:30:06 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164492 Tequila can be magic in a cocktail. The earthy, herbaceous qualities of a blanco add subtle bite to refreshing poolside drink; the barrel influence on an aged reposado or añejo makes for perfect riffs on traditional bourbon builds. This chameleon-like versatility makes tequila an intriguing base for drinks beyond the Margarita, and there are plenty of bangers to consider. There are also some tequila cocktails that, in the eyes of bartenders, have a little less bang. They have no problem making them for guests when they’re ordered, of course.

The article We Asked 14 Bartenders: What’s the Most Overrated Tequila Cocktail? (2024) appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Tequila can be magic in a cocktail. The earthy, herbaceous qualities of a blanco add subtle bite to refreshing poolside drink; the barrel influence on an aged reposado or añejo makes for perfect riffs on traditional bourbon builds. This chameleon-like versatility makes tequila an intriguing base for drinks beyond the Margarita, and there are plenty of bangers to consider.

There are also some tequila cocktails that, in the eyes of bartenders, have a little less bang. They have no problem making them for guests when they’re ordered, of course. They just don’t sign off on their popularity, especially since that order may come at the expense of another agave-based drink they wish patrons would order more frequently.

So, what tequila cocktails are considered overrated in the bartending community? We asked 14 industry pros to find out.

The most overrated tequila cocktails, according to bartenders:

  • Top-shelf Margaritas
  • Tequila Sunrise
  • Ranch Water
  • Batanga
  • Tequila shots with lime
  • Any tequila cocktail claiming to be “better” than a Margarita
  • Mexican Martini
  • Tequila Espresso Martini

Top-shelf Margaritas is one of the most overrated tequila cocktails, according to bartenders.

“I think top-shelf Margaritas are incredibly overrated. The classic Margarita is a worldwide staple: a boozy limeade tickling all the taste buds, only requiring the robustness and natural sugar from the bottom-shelf tequila. Expensive tequila, which is specifically curated to enjoy at room temperature, is not required for this classic to be delicious.” —Shane Mastroine, bartender/bar manager, Table 45, Cleveland

The Tequila Sunrise is one of the most overrated tequila cocktails, according to bartenders.

“The most overrated tequila cocktail is a Tequila Sunrise. The traditional way this cocktail is made is essentially as a pour-and-serve-style drink, which can be fantastic in its simplicity. But I believe a good agave spirit deserves more dignity than to be shrouded in so much sugar and acid. A Tequila Sunrise often just tastes [like] orange juice, and lacks any real complexity or nuance. If a guest orders this cocktail and is willing to be persuaded, I will often nudge them in the direction of a Mexican Firing Squad, which contains some of the same components but is put together in a way that complements the tequila rather than masking it.” —Sarah Kornegay, bar supervisor, The Katharine Brasserie & Bar, Winston-Salem, N.C.

The Ranch Water is one of the most overrated tequila cocktails, according to bartenders.

“My Texas friends will hate me for this, but the Ranch Water is, in my opinion, the most overrated tequila cocktail. The reasoning behind this is not because the Ranch Water isn’t wonderful; it’s light, refreshing, and delicious, especially on a hot summer day. But let’s be honest — it’s just a tequila and soda with lime juice. You can tell me it is different because it’s made with Topo Chico, but that is still carbonated water. If we as bartenders eye-roll the Cape Cod and Cuba Libre as 1:1s with the addition of lime, the same lack of reverence should be paid to the Ranch Water.” —Charles Friedrichs, beverage director, The Jones Assembly, Oklahoma City

The Batanga is one of the most overrated tequila cocktails, according to bartenders.

“I know I will get some heat for this hot take, but a Batanga just isn’t that great of a cocktail unless you were drinking it at the bar that invented it, La Capilla. A tequila and Coke with a squeeze of lime just doesn’t have the same appeal in the U.S. I know some bartenders are saying this should be the drink of the summer, but for me, it’s not.” —Erin Hayes, bar & beverage consultant/co-founder, Black Lagoon Pop-Up.

“For me, an overrated tequila ‘drink’ would be a shot with a lime. Most likely, you aren’t drinking [high-quality] tequila, and you’ll feel like you-know-what the next day.” —Rob Giancarlo, owner, Cry Baby Gallery, Toronto

“Tequila is an incredibly versatile and complex spirit that punches up the ingredients around it, and the Tequila Sunrise allows none of that. It’s a muddy drink whose only payoff is the visual effect, which also makes for a supremely unbalanced drink. Instead, drink a Margarita or anything else!” —Annie Graham, bartender, The Garrison, Seattle

“The top-shelf Margarita has overstayed its welcome. Too many times I’ve seen guests taking liberties with agave spirits and thinking expensive means better. Sometimes, [the Margarita] is viewed as a ‘Mr. Potato Head’ cocktail in which substituting certain spirits will make a superior drink. That is just not the case. If the bar you’re sitting in has fresh lime juice, chances are they have a solid classic Margarita. Drink that instead!” —Charlie Alvarado, director of operations, Good For a Few, Oklahoma City 

“Ranch Water is overrated. It’s basically a Tequila Soda with lime. I’d much rather drink tequila straight and enjoy it for what it is.” —Ricky Ramirez, owner, The Mothership, Milwaukee

“I’m a massive tequila fan. It’s definitely my go-to spirit for cocktails, so initially this was a tough call — until I remembered the Tequila Sunrise. Honestly, I haven’t made one in the last 15 years of my bartending career, and for good reason. I’m so glad that folks are no longer hiding the ‘taste of alcohol’ in an overly sugary, orange juice-drowned drink that I’m sure people drank solely because it looked nice.” —Kelsey Ramage, sustainability educator and cocktail consultant/co-founder, Black Lagoon Pop-Up.

“Anything that claims to be ‘better than’ or ‘the next’ Margarita is immediately overrated and simply branded as such for the clicks. Drinks are made the better when they don’t try to stake their claim wearing someone else’s shoes.” —Joshua Gandee, host, no proof podcast

The Mexican Martini is one of the most overrated tequila cocktails, according to bartenders.

“I am not a huge fan of the Mexican Martini. It’s a cross between a Margarita and a Dirty Martini; basically just a Margarita with brine. Why do people need to mess with perfection? How salty does one drink need to be?” —Alex Barbatsis, cocktail consultant, Bees & Bats Beverage, Chicago

The Tequila Espresso Martini is one of the most overrated tequila cocktails, according to bartenders.

“A lot of the tequila cocktails that have found their way into the classic canon deserve their place. But a tequila cocktail trend I’m seeing that I find tremendously overrated is the tequila Espresso Martini. I’ve been a big hater of the Espresso Martini and its variations, but I’ve come around to the OG version recently — which is why every time I see a new [riff on] Espresso Martini, it never lives up to the hype. I imagine the tequila version won’t be remembered fondly.” —Christian Favier, beverage manager, The Ordinary, Charleston, S.C. 

“Ranch Water. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great beverage. But the rebrand of tequila, soda, and lime reminds me of when someone orders a Cape Cod instead of a Vodka Cran.”—Alex Jump, founder of Focus on Health

“The most overrated tequila cocktail is the extra-extra spicy, burn-my-mouth-off-and-set-it-on-fire Margarita. The beauty of a well-balanced Margarita is that you can still get all of the flavor of the tequila along with the other flavor notes. What is the point of adding so much heat to a cocktail that you obliterate any semblance of flavor from the other ingredients? It seems silly to me, and I keep having to make these. Please stop.” —Greg Kong, beverage director, Nomad Tea Parlour, NYC

The article We Asked 14 Bartenders: What’s the Most Overrated Tequila Cocktail? (2024) appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The VinePair Podcast: Does Generational Pandering Still Work? https://vinepair.com/articles/vp-podcast-generational-pandering/ Tue, 23 Jul 2024 11:30:50 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164493 People are statistically the most reckless with their money between the ages of 21 and 45, so that’s naturally the most attractive age bracket for advertisers. But it’s also a wide enough gap that marketers have to consider whether they’re going to try and target those on the younger end of the spectrum versus the older. Drinkers over 40 are still proving to be the bread and butter of established wine-producing regions like Napa and Bordeaux. Those in their 30s are just starting to fine-tune what they like and don’t like. And Gen Z?

The article The VinePair Podcast: Does Generational Pandering Still Work? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

People are statistically the most reckless with their money between the ages of 21 and 45, so that’s naturally the most attractive age bracket for advertisers. But it’s also a wide enough gap that marketers have to consider whether they’re going to try and target those on the younger end of the spectrum versus the older.

Drinkers over 40 are still proving to be the bread and butter of established wine-producing regions like Napa and Bordeaux. Those in their 30s are just starting to fine-tune what they like and don’t like. And Gen Z? Well, most of them are so new to drinking that even they don’t know what they want. That said, as Gen Z moves more into the forefront of drinks culture, brands throughout the industry are trying to craft products and pitches that they think will resonate.

On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether or not that kind of generational pandering actually works, and whether it makes sense to target the youngest section of legal-age drinkers potentially at the expense of more stable, established demographics. Tune in for more.

Zach is drinking: Last Word, but with rum
Joanna is drinking: Martini Duo from Press Club
Adam is drinking: Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Rouge

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

The article The VinePair Podcast: Does Generational Pandering Still Work? appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
These Are The Top 20 Beer Producing Countries In The World (2024) https://vinepair.com/booze-news/top-20-beer-producing-countries-2024/ Mon, 22 Jul 2024 20:35:07 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=164478 While the idea may be virtually impossible to confirm, beer is suspected to be the oldest alcoholic drink in history. And even if it’s not, it remains the most universal: today, beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage worldwide, and is the second-most popular beverage in general, ranking second only to tea. Table Of Contents What country produces the most beer? The top 20 beer-producing countries in the world More about the top 20 beer-producing countries There are over one hundred distinct styles of brewing beer, and many nations have become world-renowned for their variations on the brew.

The article These Are The Top 20 Beer Producing Countries In The World (2024) appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

While the idea may be virtually impossible to confirm, beer is suspected to be the oldest alcoholic drink in history. And even if it’s not, it remains the most universal: today, beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage worldwide, and is the second-most popular beverage in general, ranking second only to tea.

There are over one hundred distinct styles of brewing beer, and many nations have become world-renowned for their variations on the brew. For example, Belgium is known for the witbier, a traditional Belgian wheat beer, while the United Kingdom is more popular for its lagers. While specific regions are known for certain styles of beer production, brewers across the globe produce a variety of styles to keep up with demand.

What country produces the most beer?

According to BarthHaas, a German hop trader accounting for 30 percent of the market share, China was the world’s top producer of beer in 2023, followed by the United States and Brazil, respectively.

Read on to discover which countries produced the most beer in 2023.

The Top 20 Beer-Producing Countries in the World

Ranking Country Output Volume (hL)
1 China 359,080,000
2 The United States 193,033,000
3 Brazil 148,907,000
4 Mexico 142,410,000
5 Germany 84,885,000
6 Russia 83,400,000
7 Japan 45,317,000
8 Spain 41,300,000
9 Poland 35,800,000
10 South Africa 35,100,000
11 The United Kingdom 34,196,000
12 Vietnam 31,000,000
13 India 29,335,000
14 Colombia 27,948,000
15 Belgium 23,000,000
16 The Netherlands 22,358,000
17 France 21,600,000
18 Thailand 21,050,000
19 Canada 20,819,000
20 Argentina 20,639,000

More about the world’s biggest beer-producing countries

China

Chinese archeologists estimate that beer was first produced in China approximately 7,000 to 9,000 years ago using rice as the grain of choice, while modern brewing using barley and hops did not start until the early 1900s. Today, China produces more beer than any other country in the world with annual production increasing by roughly three to five percent per year. The Chinese beer market is now dominated by seven large brewery groups, most of which have paired with large foreign brewers in order to improve their access to new techniques and new markets. In 2023, China produced 359.08 million hectoliters of beer, which is equivalent to approximately 301 million barrels.

United States

Americans love beer –– that much is no secret. These days, American beer production is dominated by AB InBev — which produces recognizable bottles like Budweiser — as well as Molson Coors, the company behind Blue Moon, Coors Light, and Miller Lite. Craft beer is also extremely popular in the U.S., and the number of craft breweries increased exponentially over the course of the last 10 years. However, beer production in the U.S. has dropped in terms of hectoliters, from 204.5 million hectoliters of beer in 2022 to 193.03 million in 2023.

Brazil

The importance of the beer sector for the Brazilian economy is increasing rapidly and in 2019, the Sectorial Chamber for Beer was created by the Brazilian Ministry for Livestock Farming and Supply to support the industry. Thanks to the increasingly globalized world we live in, Brazilians have had the ability to experience new brands and tastes from international beer producers, which has in turn skyrocketed the country’s beer production industry. In 1999, Brazil had just 33 micro-breweries — by 2019, this number had increased to 1,209. In 2023, Brazil produced 148.9 million hectoliters of beer, which is equivalent to about 124 million barrels.

Mexico

It’s alleged that Mexico’s first brewery opened in 1544. Mexico is the largest beer exporter in the world, and almost half of every beer made in the country is exported internationally. Notably, Mexican beer brand Modelo surpassed Bud Light in U.S. retail sales in 2022. The country’s production is continuing to expand, rising from 126.9 million hectoliters in 2020 to 142 million hectoliters in 2023.

Germany

Germany undeniably has one of the oldest continuous brewing cultures in the world, and has been the leader in beer production in the European Union for years. It’s no shock that German beers are so renowned, especially with annual celebrations like Oktoberfest and Springfest bringing millions of beer lovers in from around the world. Today, Germany produces about 20 percent of all beers in the EU, with pilsner and wheat beers being the most popular. While it retained the top spot in Europe, Germany’s production decreased from 87,811,000 hectoliters in 2022 to 84,885,000 in 2023.

Germany is a leader in beer production by country.
Credit: Rawf8 – stock.adobe.com

Russia

After vodka, beer is the second most popular drink in Russia, and is often the beverage of choice for many Russians during the summer months. In Russia, beer is categorized differently than how we are used to seeing it in the U.S.: rather than categorizing beers based on their type, Russians categorize their beers according to the colors present (light, red, semi-dark, or dark). The country produced 83.4 million hectoliters of beer in 2023, the equivalent of over 69 million barrels.

Japan

Beer’s big break in Japan didn’t arrive until the late 1800s, when an American opened The Japan Brewery in Yokohama in 1869 to primarily sell beer to foreign travelers on business. Throughout the remainder of the 1800s, other Japanese-owned breweries opened, and by the 1900s, domestic beer production was well underway. Today, Japan’s beer culture includes brews ranging from craft beers to low-malt beers, called happo-shu, which are very popular in the country. Happo-shu is unique to Japan due to its low-malt levels (usually 25 percent or less), which is an important factor when it comes to the cost of the beverage. Japanese beer taxes are about $2.50 per liter, causing an ordinary six-pack to cost upwards of $15. However, happo-shu can contain up to 65 percent malt before being reclassified as a beer, meaning its cost point is much more affordable with a six-pack costing around $8. In 2023, Japan produced over 45 million hectoliters of beer, the equivalent of over 38 million barrels.

Spain

Early evidence of beer production in Spain was uncovered by archeologists who found traces of malt and beer still adhered to grinding stones in a cave in Barcelona. A key driver of Spain’s beer industry is an uptick in interest in craft beer. Behind Germany, Spain is the largest producer of craft beer in the European Union. Furthermore, Spain’s success in the beer production industry may come from the fact that over 90 percent of all beers consumed in Spain were produced domestically, making it increasingly challenging for foreign producers to infiltrate the Spanish market. Spain jumped up from No. 10 on the list in 2020 to No. 8 in 2022, showing the growth of the category. In 2023, the country produced 41.3 million hectoliters of beer.

Poland

Poland was the second-largest producer of beer in the EU until it dropped behind Spain in 2022. Nevertheless, beer is still a large part of the culture in Poland, and in 2023, it jumped from No. 10 to No. 9 on the list for worldwide production. As director of the Union of Brewing Industry Employers Browary Polskie Bartłomiej Moryzycki states: “Poland has gone through a beer revolution, transforming from a vodka country to a beer country.” Today, there are over 310 breweries in the country, and the industry as a whole sustains over 9,000 jobs nation-wide. In 2023, the Polish produced 35.8 million hectoliters of beer, amounting to over 30 million barrels.

South Africa

Beer production in South Africa is largely dominated by South African Breweries (SAB), a subsidiary of AB InBev, which accounts for roughly 88 percent of beer produced in the country. While SAB maintains an almost complete monopoly over the nation’s beer production, the craft beer market has taken off in recent years with 220 craft breweries now open. In 2023, brewers in South Africa produced 35.1 million hectoliters of beer, up from its 33.75 in 2022.

The United Kingdom

Widely considered to be one of the top brewing and drinking nations, the United Kingdom has remained steadfast in its traditional production of beer. The classic pub is, unsurprisingly, behind the success of its beer industry. And while London is an obvious city of note for its historic pubs and trendy craft brewers, it’s not exclusive in its claim: Derby and Sheffield now duel it out for the right to claim their city has the most beers on tap, and Edinburgh’s craft brewing sector is on the rise. In 2023, the United Kingdom produced 35.8 million hectoliters of beer, a small decrease from the 37.8 produced in 2022.

The U.K. is a leader in beer production by country.
Credit: ACOBA – stock.adobe.com

Vietnam

According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Population and Social Affairs, the second-most popular alcoholic drink of choice in Vietnam is beer. From 2005 to 2019, the Vietnamese beer market has nearly tripled in terms of the average volume produced annually. Sabeco and Habeco, two of Vietnam’s leading beer producers, account for over 50 percent of the beer industry’s market share, dominating in both the affordable and mid-end sectors. The country slowed production in 2023 with 31 million hectoliters compared to 2022’s 39 million hectoliters.

India

After India drastically dropped its production in 2020 due to the pandemic, it’s been working its way back up the rankings on this list. While all countries saw a slowdown in manufacturing in 2020, India’s brewing industry was hit particularly hard due to intermittent bans on brewing. While the country’s output was down to 14 million hectoliters in 2020, the production has recovered and continues to increase beyond pre-pandemic levels, brewing 25.5 million hectoliters in 2022 and 29.3 hectoliters in 2023.

Colombia

Colombian beer is known for its refreshing nature, which can be necessary after a hot day in the sun. Two of the most popular beer producers in the country are Aguila and Bavaria, the Colombian subsidiary of AB InBev. In 2023, the country produced over 27.9 million hectoliters of beer, amounting to over 23 million barrels.

Belgium

While Belgium may rank 15th in terms of beer production, the country brews 10 times more beer per citizen than the global average. Furthermore, Belgium excels in producing beers that are diverse and versatile. Over two-thirds of Belgian beers are eligible for exports, which allows for many small and independent brewers to do quite well in the country. Belgium produced 23 million hectoliters of beer in 2023, equivalent to 19 million barrels.

The Netherlands

The most popular beer produced in the Netherlands is undeniably Heineken. The pilsner is exported to countries worldwide and its iconic green bottle has become a hallmark of Dutch brewing. Pilsner as a whole accounts for over 90 percent of all beer sold in the Netherlands, but craft brewing has brought more attention to no fewer than 60 distinct styles. The country produced over 22 million hectoliters of beer in 2023, jumping above France in the rankings.

France

When one thinks of alcohol and France, wine from famous regions like Bordeaux and Champagne likely come to mind first. Still, beer is both consumed and appreciated nationwide, especially in northern regions like Nord-Pas de Calais and Alsace that border Belgium and Germany. Nord-Pas de Calais is popular for producing a diverse selection of specialty beers, more so than any other French brewer. French beers are typically lower in alcohol content than beers produced in other countries, and they tend to favor malt flavors. France produced 21.6 million hectoliters of beer in 2023 (a decrease from 22 million in 2022) and dropped one spot in the rankings.

Thailand

Beer production in Thailand is dominated by two family-owned corporate giants: Boonrawd Brewery and Thaibev, which together claim over 90 percent of the market share. To protect these beverage giants, the Thai government passed legislation in 1950 that prevents homebrewing, which also stipulates that beer can only be made in factories producing over one million liters per year. The country produced over 21 million hectoliters of beer in 2023, a decrease from 22.4 million in 2022.

Canada

Beer brewing in Canada began with the first settlers and traders in New France, who made it for necessity, not leisurely drinking. At this time, milk and water in the area were unsafe to drink, as they were filled with dangerous microorganisms and bacteria that often made settlers sick. However, the long boiling time involved in brewing beer killed off the bacteria, leaving behind something potable. Today, beer in Canada is no longer produced out of necessity, and the beer industry is dominated by Labatt and Molson. Canada saw a major decrease in production after 2020, brewing 20.6 million hectoliters of beer in 2022 and 20.8 in 2023.

Argentina

Argentina inched its way onto the top 20 list this year, swiping the last spot from last year’s 20th-ranking beer producer, the Czech Republic. The country, mostly known for its easy-drinking lager brand Quilmes, saw a slight increase in production, rising from 20.4 million hectoliters in 2022 to over 20.6 million in 2023. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic dropped just under the 20 million mark in 2023, losing their spot on the list.

The article These Are The Top 20 Beer Producing Countries In The World (2024) appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The 40 Biggest Beer Companies in the World in 2024 https://vinepair.com/booze-news/40-biggest-beer-producers-2024/ Mon, 22 Jul 2024 18:40:19 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?post_type=boozenews&p=164467 Despite shifts in its production and consumption, beer remains the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world, and companies from all over the world lead the industry. According to data published by German hop trader BarthHass, the world’s top 40 brewers produced 1,623.77 million hectoliters of beer in 2023, accounting for 86.2 percent of all beer brewed across the globe — a 1.9 percent decrease year-over-year. Anheuser Busch InBev brewed more beer than any other producer, cornering a 26.9 percent share of the world’s beer production.

The article The 40 Biggest Beer Companies in the World in 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Despite shifts in its production and consumption, beer remains the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world, and companies from all over the world lead the industry.

According to data published by German hop trader BarthHass, the world’s top 40 brewers produced 1,623.77 million hectoliters of beer in 2023, accounting for 86.2 percent of all beer brewed across the globe — a 1.9 percent decrease year-over-year.

Anheuser Busch InBev brewed more beer than any other producer, cornering a 26.9 percent share of the world’s beer production. Despite that number being down by about 0.5 percent year-over-year, ABInBev still brewed more than twice the amount of beer than the world’s No. 2 producer, Heineken. Last year, the European beer giant brewed 242.60 million hectoliters, claiming a 12.9-percent share of the market. Rounding out the top three is China Res. Snow Breweries with a 5.9-percent share and 111.51 million hectoliters brewed.

Germany was, once again, the most heavily represented country in the top 40 list with six breweries represented including Radeberger Gruppe, Oettinger Gruppe, Paulaner Gruppe, TCB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Krombacher Gruppe, and Bitburger Braugruppe. China (China Res. Snow Breweries, Tsingtao Brewery Group, Yanjing, and Pearl River) and Japan (Asahi Group, Kirin, Suntory, and Sapporo) weren’t far behind, with each country claiming four of the top 40 companies.

Check out the rest of the world’s largest beer companies by output in million hectoliters below.

# Company Country Million hl
1 AB InBev Belgium 505.90
2 Heineken Netherlands 242.60
3 China Res. Snow Breweries China 111.51
4 Carlsberg Denmark 101.00
5 Molson Coors USA / Canada 83.77
6 Tsingtao Brewery Group China 74.10
7 Asahi Group Japan 65.00
8 BGI / Group Castel France 42.70
9 Yanjing China 39.42
10 Efes Group Turkey 35.70
11 Constellation Brands USA 34.40
12 Diageo (Guinness) Ireland 24.66
13 Kirin Japan 23.51
14 Grupo Petrópolis Brazil 21.00
15 San Miguel Corporation Philippines 17.83
16 Grupo Mahou – San Miguel Spain 16.20
17 CCU Chile 16.06
18 Pearl River China 14.03
19 Singha Corporation Thailand 13.99
20 Saigon Beverage Corp. (SABECO) Vietnam 13.00
21 Damm Spain 12.70
22 Radeberger Gruppe Germany 10.80
23 Suntory Japan 8.65
24 Sapporo Japan 8.06
25 Oettinger Gruppe Germany 7.50
26 Swinkels Family Brewers Netherlands 7.49
27 Beer Thai (Chang) Thailand 6.94
28 Paulaner Gruppe Germany 6.34
29 HiteJinro South Korea 5.98
30 TCB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH Germany 5.80
31 Krombacher Gruppe  Germany 5.74
32 Bitburger Braugruppe Germany 5.69
33 Olvi Group Finland 5.30
34 Estrella de Galicia  Spain 5.03
35 Royal Unibrew Denmark 4.90
36 Polar  Venezuela 4.30
37 Financière ACP France 4.11
38 Moscow Brewing Company Russia 4.10
39 Martens Belgium 4.01
40 Obolon Ukraine 3.96

 

The article The 40 Biggest Beer Companies in the World in 2024 appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The History, Controversy, and Cultural Significance of Mixed Guinness Drinks https://vinepair.com/articles/guinness-cocktails-history/ Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:00:34 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164455 “No on both levels” “That looks Nawty” “Am I going to look stupid trying this? Cause I gotta give it a go! 😅” “JesusFuckingChrist” Those four comments were typed in response to a Brit’s Instagram post showing “The Badger,” a drink brought to life like Frankenstein’s monster by mixing Guinness with Smirnoff Ice — in the U.K., a premixed, non-malt vodka drink sold in 700-milliliter servings. The pour is striking with the instantly recognizable black stout sitting atop the opaque vodka “alcopop,” creating an optical illusion like a beer barcode.

The article The History, Controversy, and Cultural Significance of Mixed Guinness Drinks appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

“No on both levels”
“That looks Nawty”
“Am I going to look stupid trying this? Cause I gotta give it a go! 😅”
“JesusFuckingChrist”

Those four comments were typed in response to a Brit’s Instagram post showing “The Badger,” a drink brought to life like Frankenstein’s monster by mixing Guinness with Smirnoff Ice — in the U.K., a premixed, non-malt vodka drink sold in 700-milliliter servings.

The pour is striking with the instantly recognizable black stout sitting atop the opaque vodka “alcopop,” creating an optical illusion like a beer barcode. Further searches on social media reveal other fabulous viral creations in the U.K., such as Gonsters (Guinness and energy drink Monster), Irn-Bru Guinness (the stout mixed with the vibrant orange-hued Scottish soda), and Guinness and WKD Blue (another vodka-based alcopop).

Mixing beer with soft drinks is a controversial subject given the reverence for certain brands. This is especially true of Guinness, and these adaptations seem cheekily created to sow social media division.

There’s also the topic of the “mixers,” which could charitably be described as “acquired” tastes when drunk on their own. Unmixed WKD, for example, whisks me back to the sticky-floored nightclubs of provincial English towns, so let’s just say Guinness is doing a lot of heavy lifting to make this concoction even approach palatable.

It’s no coincidence that these striking drinks are proliferating online right now, between their striking appearances and the general Guinness discourse that persists on social media. But it is worth noting there’s actually a rich heritage of mixing the stout and that it has a lot of characteristics that make it ideal for beer cocktails.

Guinness, in fact, is a beer that some experts say has an unfounded reputation as a novelty cocktail ingredient, and when added to the right drink — and in the right way — can garner a lot of likes without stoking controversy.

Sweet Like Chocolate

In the days before their marketing became seriously expensive and imbued in a nostalgic bucolic Irishness, the makers of Guinness used to publicize mixing it in cocktails. This was a trend around the 1980s which saw U.K. posters advertising the versatility of the drink (along with problematic language of the time, such as the term “Black and Tan”).

“I’m unsure if [mixing] was encouraged in Ireland mind you,” says semi-anonymous Ireland-based beer writer and blogger Liam K. “I doubt it was. From the 1990s, ‘we’ became a little too precious about Guinness.”

It’s fair to debate whether the current crop of Guinness mixes can be considered bonafide cocktails. “This isn’t a proper blend by my book,” Liam K says. “It’s two separate drinks, just in one glass!”

“That’s not to make the association that women ‘need to drink sweet things.’ But it’s one way for women to get into the space of beer by trying a Guinness and black[currant] and then eventually trying it without it.”

He’s all for mixing Guinness when done well but prefers to use bottled Guinness over widget beer cans or draft kegs in pubs for logistic reasons, such as lower carbonation. “Bottled Guinness has a different bite, of course,” he adds.

When I press-gang Gaurav Khanna, the publican at the desi pub Gladstone in south London, into mixing numerous Guinness with soft drinks, he at first struggles with wastage caused by the stout’s carbonation. After a few pints mixed with Irn-Bru and some Gonsters, though, he nailed it. (At the end of the session we had to negotiate hard over my tab because we lost count of the amount of Guinness that was “tasted,” drunk or discarded.)

Natalya Watson is a beer sommelier, an Advanced Cicerone, and founder of the Virtual Beer School, and her Irish grandmother, Margaret, would order a Guinness and blackcurrant cordial. I meet her at an Irish-themed bar in London’s financial district — the City — where Guinness is churned out (and sold at a high price) to various besuited men. Despite my reticence, the bar staff are fine with adding cordial to our stouts to the point where it must be a common occurrence.

The sweetness of the blackcurrant takes the edge off the primary Guinness malt taste and mingles nicely with the bitterness — so much so that there really wasn’t any need for the drinkers next to us to scowl when they saw our tampered pints.

“This drink depends on whether you have a sweet tooth,” Watson says. “I definitely do.”

Regular Guinness is bitter, a taste Watson believes is hidden by the nitro pour, especially compared to an IPA or beers that take on bitterness from hops. She also claims that mixing it makes the space more inclusive and Guinness more accessible.

“That’s not to make the association that women ‘need to drink sweet things,’” she says. “But it’s one way for women to get into the space of beer by trying a Guinness and black[currant] and then eventually trying it without it.”

Dark Days of Empire

Women weren’t the only previously excluded group who were drawn to mixed Guinness drinks as a gateway into pubs. A lot of the Caribbean diaspora that started arriving on British shores after the Second World War to rebuild the country — the so-called Windrush generation — would often ask for a splash of Tia Maria to be added.

In a south-east London pub, Jamaican-born retired engineer Talbot Murray, aged 81, tells me this was his first drink at the Atlantic, Brixton in the mid-1960s, showing how far back this cultural phenomena stretches.

“You’d have a little bottle of [liqueur],” he says. “You’d add it and [it would] kill the bitterness.”

Watson believes that mixing Guinness in this way is similar to how people get into coffee — trying sweet caramel lattes before “graduating” to espressos and “appreciating the nuances.”

 “The Guinness in the right proportions gave a chocolate flavor and an alcohol warmth.”

Even in highly traditional places, such as Irish bars in Northern Ireland, the drink can be tweaked. Watson mentions a bar in Bangor, a seaside city in County Down, called Featly’s that mixes aged and fresh Guinness together. “They pour the room temperature keg first so it can settle, then top up with the colder keg,” she explains.

Mixing It Up

Mixing Guinness with Guinness is one thing but what if the revered stout were mixed with another revered beer?

Belgian brewery Timmermans has mixed lambics with Guinness for a few years, creating the ultimate luxury beer cocktail. A world away from Gonsters and Badgers — and even aged and unaged stout — Belgium beer is a UNESCO protected product and Timmermans has a cult-like following.

Thomas Vandelanotte, head brewer at Belgium’s John Martin Brewery, makers of Timmermans, started experimenting with mixing Guinness five years ago. His early R&D efforts involved young, old, and fruit lambics — specifically krieks that used whole cherries at 400 grams per liter.

The cherries used in these beers were sour with a slight citrusy and almond flavor, as they were aged without their pips removed. “We quickly noticed that when we used that beer together with [Guinness] Export Stout the result was phenomenal,” Vandelanotte says. “The Guinness in the right proportions gave a chocolate flavor and an alcohol warmth.”

“The cherries then came into play and you had like a cherry chocolate pie, which is later overtaken by a coffee flavor,” he adds. “It’s 40 seconds of flavor in your mouth.”

The mixed drink also radically altered the iconic color of the stout’s head, creating a brown-pink hue.

Vandelanotte used smaller barrels to store the beer to add an oaky touch. It took a few attempts to perfect and was a painstaking process with taste-tests in Belgium and in Ireland. The first successful batch was brewed five years ago and packaged on a small run of about 4,000 750-milliliter bottles. It proved a hit with drinkers that prompted immediate calls from Guinness to repeat the exercise.

For those without access to Timmermans’ Lambic & Stout, home hacks abound. I’ve found the best pairing for Guinness is a drink that won’t overwhelm the stout. Using something sweet, but not sickly sweet, produces great results — a cherry beer is ideal. I also feel that the heritage of the Windrush generation — my parents were born in the then Malay Peninsula — lives on in this drink and how we tweak it.

But if you’re looking for social media clout then throw all that out of the window, mix your Guinness with cold baked beans and sit back and watch the interactions.

Just don’t send me the resulting video.

The article The History, Controversy, and Cultural Significance of Mixed Guinness Drinks appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
The Price of a Coffee in Every State [MAP] https://vinepair.com/articles/price-of-coffee-state-map/ Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:30:55 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164452 For many people, a hearty cup (or pot) of coffee is a necessary part of their daily routine. And while prices at the local bodega, artisanal café, or Starbucks drive-thru might have been negligible a few years ago, a flurry of economic factors (read: inflation, supply chain issues) has made that morning coffee shop-stop seem more like an indulgence than a necessity. Still, Americans will always need that caffeine boost to get through the day, so spending more on a cup of joe is the new reality — and it’s just going to get worse.

The article The Price of a Coffee in Every State [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

For many people, a hearty cup (or pot) of coffee is a necessary part of their daily routine. And while prices at the local bodega, artisanal café, or Starbucks drive-thru might have been negligible a few years ago, a flurry of economic factors (read: inflation, supply chain issues) has made that morning coffee shop-stop seem more like an indulgence than a necessity. Still, Americans will always need that caffeine boost to get through the day, so spending more on a cup of joe is the new reality — and it’s just going to get worse.

But some states’ coffee prices are more extreme than others, so payment service platform Toast aggregated data from shops across the U.S. to uncover where the stuff costs the most. It found that the average price of a cup of hot coffee — just plain coffee, no fancy oat milk or cold brew here — can range anywhere from $2.12 to $4.98 across the nation. So, which states will put a grande-sized hole in your wallet and which are a refuge for the massively caffeinated?

It turns out the most expensive state to grab some morning brew in is far and away Hawaii with an average $4.98 a cup, which can likely be attributed to the distance the beans have to travel to make it to the islands. Up next is California ($3.88) and Washington ($3.69), two states that are notoriously picky about their bean quality. For those looking for a cheaper pour, Nebraska boasts the lowest price per cup by a solid margin at $2.12.

Want to see where your state stands? Check out the map below for the price of a cup of coffee in every state, according to Toast.

The Price of a Coffee in Every State 

The Price of a Coffee in Every State 

State Price of Coffee
Hawaii  $4.98
California  $3.88
Washington $3.69
Arizona $3.51
Massachusetts  $3.49
Colorado $3.43
Utah $3.40
Florida $3.38
Vermont $3.32
Connecticut $3.31
New Jersey $3.31
New Mexico $3.31
Alaska $3.27
Louisiana  $3.26
Maryland $3.25
New York $3.24
Nevada $3.23
Oregon $3.21
South Carolina $3.17
New Hampshire $3.13
Rhode Island $3.13
Maine $3.08
Virginia $3.08
Illinois  $3.07
Kentucky $3.03
Georgia $3.02
Texas $2.99
Delaware $2.97
Idaho $2.94
North Carolina $2.94
Pennsylvania  $2.94
Tennessee  $2.91
Oklahoma $2.90
Minnesota $2.89
Wyoming $2.89
Missouri  $2.88
Alabama $2.86
Arkansas $2.86
Michigan $2.83
Ohio $2.79
Indiana $2.78
Mississippi $2.77
Wisconsin $2.76
Iowa $2.70
South Dakota $2.66
West Virginia $2.65
North Dakota $2.64
Kansas $2.59
Montana $2.56
Nebraska  $2.12

Image retrieved from Jakub Dziubak via Unsplash.com

The article The Price of a Coffee in Every State [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.

]]>
How to Tell If Your Spirits and Liqueurs Are Expired https://vinepair.com/articles/how-to-tell-spirits-are-expired-explainer/ Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:00:29 +0000 https://vinepair.com/?p=164451 Unless you’re shaking up cocktails on the regular, your open spirit bottles probably sit on your bar cart for months or even years on end. It could be the bottle of Cognac you bought for baking that you never got around to finishing, the whiskey you only pour for guests, or that Licor 43 you purchased to make a round of Carajillos. While it’s true that booze has a longer shelf life compared to other foodstuffs, contrary to popular belief, it can still go bad.

The article How to Tell If Your Spirits and Liqueurs Are Expired appeared first on VinePair.

]]>

Unless you’re shaking up cocktails on the regular, your open spirit bottles probably sit on your bar cart for months or even years on end. It could be the bottle of Cognac you bought for baking that you never got around to finishing, the whiskey you only pour for guests, or that Licor 43 you purchased to make a round of Carajillos. While it’s true that booze has a longer shelf life compared to other foodstuffs, contrary to popular belief, it can still go bad.

But how can you tell if the spirits and liqueurs you’ve got hanging around are still consumable? And beyond them being safe to drink, how will you know if the product has started to lose its je ne sais quoi? To find out, VinePair consulted Brian Tasch, spirits content and education coordinator at Skurnik Wines & Spirits.

How long does it take for spirits to expire?

Technically, spirits don’t expire. Before they’re opened, distilled liquids including vodka, whiskey, tequila, and the like will remain stable indefinitely, as no oxygen can interact with the bottle’s contents. But once the cap has been cracked and oxygen hits the liquid, oxidation slowly begins. So while these spirits may not always degrade to the point where they’re unsafe to consume, they will lose their luster the longer they sit on your bar cart. As Tasch explains, it’s more likely that the spirit will smell much less perfumed, with both aromatics and nuances on the palate falling flat. Luckily, drinkers won’t have to worry about this until one to two years after opening.

“As spirits sit open, you can expect some flavor changes over time as the spirit oxidizes and more air enters the bottle,” he says. “But in theory, distilled spirits are one of the truly shelf-stable, non-perishable food products in the entire world.”

Even so, several other factors can impact a spirit’s lifespan. In general, liquors flavored with additives and high sugar contents will degrade much faster than their additive- and sugar-free counterparts, as these volatile ingredients interact with oxygen much differently than pure alcohol, especially when kept at room temperature.

One of the main visual clues that your bottle has passed its prime is the presence of sediment or cloudy-looking liquid, as these may indicate the presence of bacteria.

“If you notice either of these things in your bottle, give it a good shake,” Tasch says. “If it dissipates, you’re in the clear. If it doesn’t, then you may have some sort of mold, or something of the like, in your bottle and you won’t want to drink it.”

Beyond these visual cues, if you crack open a bottle that’s been sitting for a few years and notice it doesn’t smell as punchy as you were expecting and tastes fairly muted, your spirit is likely out of date. While drinking it likely won’t harm you physically, who wants to sip the crappier version of something distillers put effort into developing? If you find yourself in this boat, it’s probably best to head to your nearest bottle shop for a re-up.

When do liqueurs expire?

Liqueurs (which usually fall under 30 percent ABV) spoil much faster than spirits, and have a general shelf life of six to 12 months. But just like their distilled counterparts, how fast liqueurs expire depends on the ingredients and their freshness.

“For fruit liqueurs, like orange and grapefruit, expiration dates really depend on if the producer used fresh juice in the mix,” Tasch explains. “While brands like Giffard, which uses a concentrate, might be solid for a year [or] two, others like Combier, which use fresh juice, spoil much faster. You can actually see it oxidize over time, so you’ll want to do a taste test before adding it to your cocktail.”

When it comes to herbal liqueurs like amaro and Chartreuse, you won’t necessarily have to worry about the liquid being unsafe to drink after this six- to 12-month mark, but you absolutely shouldn’t expect it to taste the same if it’s been sitting unsealed for years.

“The flavors will get a little flabbier and most of the higher-toned aromatics will dissipate over time, with citrus and floral notes burning off,” Tasch says. “At this point, you’ll start picking up more base root notes, and the liqueur will probably taste much more earthy and bitter.”

Dairy-based liqueurs are a whole other story. Given that they’re produced with a perishable product, cream liqueurs will always be stamped with an expiration date approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, according to Tasch, this date more than likely reflects a sell-by date, so you should instead identify where your bottle came from and track changes over time before determining if it’s safe to consume.

The easiest way to tell if your bottle of Baileys or RumChata is still above board is if it passes the smell test. Dairy can be funky, but if the bottle’s contents smell sour or otherwise rancid, toss it immediately. “No matter how blasted your palate is from drinking things like overproof rum or Fernet, your nose will never lie,” Tasch argues. “You’ll immediately know when something is legitimately off.”

There are also visual cues to look out for. Despite being relatively stabilized with alcohol, the dairy in these types of liqueurs will still curdle, so if you spy any lumps, it’s time to dump them. Luckily, the majority of dairy-based liqueurs on the market are chock full of additives and preservatives designed to elongate shelf life, but Tasch says it’s still best to enjoy before the one-year mark.

“If you don’t know or trust a product’s sourcing or production, I wouldn’t mess with anything that’s been open for a year,” he explains. “After a year, especially if it hasn’t been stored properly, it’s not even worth messing with.”

How to Elongate the Shelf Life of Spirits and Liqueurs

When it comes to preventing your spirits from spoiling too quickly, Tasch says the best thing to do is keep them away from the sun. “The sun is the natural enemy of all organic matter. It will wash colors out and accelerate oxidation, especially for products that have any sort of sediment or perishable ingredients in the bottle.”

Sunlight will also increase the rate of decay and bacterial growth within your bottle, so it’s best to keep any spirits and liqueurs away from the rays. Additionally, it’s best to keep your booze in a cooler area of your house as lower temperatures will help preserve the liquid.

It’s also important to keep your bottles clean. Tasch advises wiping the mouth of your bottle and its lid after every use, especially for syrupy liqueurs like Maraschino, Campari, and Aperol.

“If you’re not cleaning your bottles, you’ll start noticing crystallization of sugar along the threads and under the cap,” he says. “Over time, these crystals act as a nucleation point for mold, which can make them expire much faster.”

While these are good tips to keep in mind, eventually your spirits and liqueurs will start to turn. When that day comes, trust your senses to let you know if your bottle is still worth it.

*Image retrieved from Lais via stock.adobe.com

The article How to Tell If Your Spirits and Liqueurs Are Expired appeared first on VinePair.

]]>