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…
strawberry Campari, gin, sweet vermouth
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…
Easy instructions explaining how to make clarified milk punch
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…
bourbon, sugar, bitters
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…
applejack, yellow Chartreuse, Benedictine, bitters
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…
rum, brandy, orange, lemon, orgeat
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…
bourbon, banana, chocolate bitters
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…
mezcal, Drambuie, grapefruit bitters
rum, sweet vermouth, bitters
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…
mezcal, applejack, agave, orange bitters
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…
wine, brandy, orange, fruits
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…
agricole rum, lime, Angostura
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…
bourbon, Cynar, Aperol, Angostura
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…