Rinomato Aperitivo. This is an aperitivo-style bittersweet liqueur that falls somewhere in between Campari and Aperol. While today’s Negroni-obsessed cocktail culture is increasingly embracing bittersweet flavors, I know there are plenty of people who’ve yet to develop a palate for the bitter viscous intensity of Campari, and while Aperol is absolutely delicious,…
Baijiu, part 2. This is the follow up to my previous Baijiu post about the unique Chinese spirit that’s actually the most consumed spirit in the world. Highly recommend checking out that post first if you’re new to baijiu. Baijiu can be *extremely* funky, and what contributes to its flavor…
Mellow Corn Kentucky Straight Corn Whiskey. At under $13 with that super old-school label, this bottle is quite the eye-catcher. I was a bit scared and definitely skeptical when I first saw it, but after hearing some great things, figured I had nothing to lose (well, $13) and picked some…
Falcon Spirits Botanica Barrel Finished Gin. This is a fascinating and super unique take on a barrel-aged gin. Unlike distilleries that are barrel-aging their standard gin offerings, Falcon Spirits is taking a completely different approach, using a vastly different formulation for the gin in the barrel-aged expression that aims to…
Kissing a Stranger Brandy from Belgrove Distillery. HOLY CRAP, guys. I’m sure some may have had those crazy wild nights guided by the name of this bottle, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt as disturbed as I did when I found out what was in this bottle. This is the…
Geijer Spirits California Fernet. Fernet is often synonymously used to refer to Fernet Branca, but fernet is actually an entire category of spirit, and there’s quite the variation within the group (fernet is the product type, while Branca is the distillery name). Fernet is a sub-category of amaro, which is…
Highland Park Magnus Whisky. My intro to Highland Park was actually an event celebrating the launch of this single malt entry-level whisky, where they brought along an actual Viking Ship and proudly celebrated their Orkney Viking heritage. The whisky is lightly smoky from local Orcadian peat (which adds a different…
Alkermes. Ok it’s not Campari, but it IS a red Italian liqueur. I had never heard of Alkermes til my visit to Florence earlier this year. Designated as a traditional product of Tuscany, Alkermes/alchermes is a liqueur with ANCIENT origins. The recipe for this current version from Santa Maria Novella dates…
Don Ciccio & Figli Cinque Aperitivo. Negroni Week is in full swing…are you maybe out of Campari, tired of Campari, can’t stand Campari? Well, let’s about about other Bitters. American-made Don Ciccio & Figli Cinque is a reddish liqueur highlighting bitter orange and gentian, an obvious alternative to Campari/Aperol. Compared to…
The Walter Collective Vodka. Vodka is kinda known as that “ugly duckling” in the spirits/craft cocktail world, given that its legal designation requires distillation up to 95% alcohol by volume. Distillation is the process of separating alcohol molecules from the rest of the fermented substance, and distilling to such a…
Honest John Coffee + Cherry bitters. Bitters are the ‘spices’ of the cocktail world, with the ability to completely transform a drink. Our body’s detection of bitter substances impact not just our sense of taste, but also trigger activity in other organs involved in the digestion process; hence, bitters were…
Fernet Francisco, Manzanilla edition. This is the 2nd iteration of the growingly-popular Bay Area-made fernet. Fernet, the bracingly bitter, minty, and herbaceous liqueur and sub-class of traditional bittersweet Italian amaro, has developed quite the strong identity with San Francisco as an adopted child of its hipster culture. San Francisco alone accounts…
Falcon Spirits Botanica Spiritvs gin. I recently visited Falcon Spirits and had an incredible time talking with the founder and master distiller, Farid. With what started as a passion project, Farid’s passion for the art of craft distilling and experimentation radiates in everything he produces. That, combined with his deep…
Amaro Nonino Quintessentia. This is an Italian amaro (traditional bittersweet liqueur) that is quite popular in modern craft cocktail culture, perhaps most notably in its use in the Paper Plane. The base spirit of this liqueur is a unique variant of grappa, a spirit made from pomace (the leftover remains…
Baijiu, part 1. Bai jiu is Chinese for “white alcohol” and was the first alcohol I ever tasted (a chopstick dipped in it as a celebratory gesture when I was a toddler). The taste haunted me for decades, until last week, when I spent some time in Beijing and rediscovered…
El Dorado 15. This post is loooong overdue. When I began my rum journey last year, it pretty much kickstarted with my first rum love – El Dorado 12, which was also my first *ever* rum bottle talk. 50+ bottles of rum later, and I’ll admit, El Dorado is still…
Nonino Grappa. While some may be familiar with the Nonino Amaro Quintessentia, it’s a bit less noted that it’s an amaro (Italian bittersweet liqueur) made from a base of grappa. And that the Nonino company has been a family business specializing in grappa since the late 1800s. While grappa is…
Grander 8 Year Rum. This is a Spanish-style rum from the Central America country of Panama. Grander rum comes from the Ingenio San Carlos distillery (same place that produces Panama-Pacific rum) and is aged for 8 years before being bottled. Grander proudly promotes the lack of any added sugar or…
CH Distillery Rubin Bitter Grapefruit Aperitif. OMG I have found my bitter soulmate. So, this is a very bitter, very unique grapefruit liqueur/amaro made at a craft distillery in Chicago. I discovered this at a bar last month, and it absolutely blew my mind. I’ll say, this strong flavor is…
Diplomatico Planas. Diplomatico is most well known for their Reserva Exclusiva rum, which is often regarded as a higher end “sipping rum.” While that one does have its fan base, I really think the true treasures in their line actually lie in their other two rums, the Planas and the…
Mezcal Vago Elote. If you’re familiar with Mexican street food, you probably know that elote means corn (drool worthy Mexican street corn, omg). So, this here is a mezcal with the flavors of sweet toasted corn. Adding unique subtle flavors into mezcal during distillation is a practice traditionally reserved for…
Two James Johnny Smoking Gun Whiskey. So, Two James from Detroit produces one of my absolute FAVORITE desert-island-worthy rums (Doctor Bird), so I was super excited to pick up another one of their products. This is essentially a flavored whiskey, created as a fun and casual table whiskey specifically to…
Fidencio Clasico. I adore this mezcal so much. I got this bottle to replace my beloved Del Maguey Vida (which was my first mezcal), and it’s slowly stolen my heart as my go-to “cocktail mezcal.” Don’t get me wrong, Vida is great for cocktails as well, but Fidencio Clasico just…
Rhum JM XO. This here is a fantastic 6+ year aged agricole rhum, produced by the oldest active distillery on the island of Martinique (since 1790!). If you’re completely new to agricole rhums, you might want to first check out this post for more info. In short, “rhum” is just…