Rittenhouse Rye 100. This one is generally regarded as one the best affordable rye whiskies on the market, and so perfect for mixing, so go run out and grab a bottle! I first picked up a bottle when I was new to rye on the recommendation of pretty much every…
Damoiseau Blanc rhum agricole. This is a rum from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, and is abso-freaking-lutely fantastic. If you’ve ever thought that “white rum” is all the same, light in flavor and fit only for mixing with sugary juices, read on. What is this “rhum agricole” and how does…
Ron Zacapa Centenario Sistema Solera 23. This is one of the more popular ‘higher end’ rums that is pretty widely available on the market. It was my first ‘fancy’ rum and one that is often recommended to people venturing into rum and first entertaining the thought of rum as a sipper…
The famous Angostura aromatic bitters. For many, this may have been one of the first ‘fancier’ ingredients picked up when venturing into the world of “craft cocktails,” and for good reason, it’s a workhorse that will take your plain uninspired cocktail to new heights! You can think of bitters to…
Beefeater London Dry gin. I finally ran out of my Costco-sized Tanqueray (again…), and decided to switch it up this time and picked up a Costco-sized Beefeater (surprisingly cheaper than a smaller bottle less than half the size! <3Costco). This was actually my first time purchasing Beefeater and thumbs up! It’s lighter…
Campari. Although I’ve refrained from actually incorporating Campari in my Negroni variations this week, we obviously cannot go thru Negroni Week without talking about the famous Campari. Campari is an Italian bittersweet liqueur that is traditionally drank as an aperitif before dinner to open up the appetite, usually with water/ice…
Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth. There are two main classifications of vermouths (sweet and dry), with sweet vermouth being a key ingredient in the triad for the delicious Negroni. This is THE bottle that changed my entire conception of vermouth – it’s just that good. If you’ve ever had any negative…
pomegranate juice, sugar, orange flower water
Recipe 1 cup roughly chopped snap peas 1 cup London dry gin (I used Beefeaters) Combine and let sit for a couple hours. Strain the gin through a coffee filter and bottle. About Homemade snap pea infused gin, mmmmm. I first had a taste of snap pea flavors with gin…
Copper & Kings American Brandy. I’ve previously talked about all sorts of different brandies, from dry fruit brandies like Barack Pálinka to brandy liqueurs like Apricot liqueur to American applejack to European region-of-origin controlled Calvados and Cognac. But how about some good ole general “American brandy”? In this whole cocktail/craft beer&spirits…
Chambord. This is actually one of my favorite fruit liqueurs even though I don’t reach for it as often as I’d like. Chambord is a delicious French liqueur made with red and black raspberries, vanilla, citrus, honey, and cognac. It tastes quite jammy (in a good way), with rich vanilla…
Jameson Irish Whiskey. This is the bottle that needs no introduction – everyone knows Jameson. Maybe you’ve had great experiences with it and maybe you’ve had the worst, but it’s indisputable they’ve built quite the name and following for themselves as one of the largest and most popular whiskey producers…
Smith & Cross Jamaican rum. If you’re only familiar with rum in the context of bottles like Bacardi white, Captain Morgan spiced, Myers dark, etc, or even dabble in ‘higher end’ ones like the golden Zacapa, Diplomatico, or El Dorado lines, I think this is one rum that will *really*…
Recipe 1 cup fruit of choice (I used fresh blueberries) .75 cup sugar 1 cup vinegar (I used about 2/3 white wine vinegar, 1/3 fig-infused white balsamic) Cover the fruit in the sugar for a day or two until fruit has mostly liquified (you may need to gently mash it…
St. George Dry Rye Gin. Like all things produced by the lovely team at St. George Spirits in Alameda, CA, this gin is another unique high quality creation. Unlike most of the more mainstream gins on the market, this one is made from rye – yep, the same grain that goes…
Ancho Reyes Original. If you’re even mildly a fan of spicy cocktails or the smokiness of dried peppers, this is the perfect liqueur to pick up! I resisted for a while, convincing myself I didn’t need a spicy liqueur in my collection that would be too specialized to get broad usage,…
Pusser’s Gunpowder Strength Navy Rum. For hundreds of years dating back to the British colonization era, sailors in the British Royal Navy were given a daily ration of rum, at one point up to a cup a day! As modern technology advanced with more dangerous and complex weapons, the daily “tot”…
Laird’s Applejack. Laird’s is the oldest licensed distillery of applejack, a truly American spirit deeply rooted in the appletree-abundant colonial northeast. During a time when clean water was limited, early colonists turned to hard beverages, which were safer for consumption (well, in some ways).Apples were abundant in the area and thus…
Old Potrero 18th Century Style Spirit. Whiskey is a spirit that has doubtlessly been a significant symbol in American history, and if you were ever interested in the libations consumed by the American forefathers, pick up a bottle of this offering by Hotaling and Co! This spirit was created as…
Good ol’ Bulleit Bourbon. If you like bourbon in any form or fashion, chances are you’ve tried Bulleit at some point. It’s truly a classic and standard in mainstream bourbon and for good reason! It’s delicious, affordable, easy to find, and comes in an attractive recognizable oval bottle! It’s my…
Rothman and Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur. Let’s revisit “Apricot Brandy.” I recently posted about how apricot brandy can be super confusing as it can refer to two VERY different things: one is a dry (non-sweet) full 40% ABV spirit distilled from fresh apricots, and the other is a sweetened liqueur version…
RUM FIRE. Ok, this recent acquisition (which just became available in California!) may be one of my FAVORITE BOTTLES EVER in my whole collection – definitely one of the most unique and intense! This is a Jamaican overproof unaged white rum that is not for the faint of heart; it’s seriously…
Siembra Azul Blanco tequila. Happy Cinco De Mayo and #DrinkoDeMayo! While you’re enjoying your margaritas and tequila shots, here’s some info to hopefully help you find better and tastier tequila to drink. First, some basics: tequila is the spirit that is distilled from cooked agave plants. Agave nectar is about…
Zwack Pecsetes Barack Pálinka, aka Hungarian Apricot Brandy. This was one of my very first bottles of the non-standard stuff after starting out with my homebar. I saw a lot of recipes calling for “apricot brandy” and picked this up, not knowing much about it. Turns out, there are two…