Experience a Powerful Message Through the Wine and Whiskey in “The Last of Us”

Warning: This story contains spoilers.  If you haven’t contemplated Beaujolais lately, you’re not watching enough television. The wine is one of several drinks that gets screen time in The Last of Us, an HBO limited series. When they’re not fighting authoritarian corruption, gang violence or zombie-like creatures called “the infected,” characters in The Last of…

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Find Out the Astonishing Difference Between Bourbon and Scotch — You Won’t Believe What We Found!

Whiskey covers a wide range of categories, including two of the best-known: America’s bourbon and Scotland’s Scotch. While they’re both distillates made from grain and aged in oak, the similarities end there. In fact, they don’t even spell whiskey the same way: Americans use whiskey with an “e” (as we’ll continue to do so here, to…

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The Surprising Reason Why You Should Ditch 100% Agave for Mixto Tequila

As spirit sales have increased over the last few years, largely due to the growing consumption of high-end tequila and mezcal, there seems to be an idea among tequila aficionados that you should only drink bottles labeled 100% agave tequila. Tequila without that label—called mixtos—contains other forms of sugar, and there’s an assumption that it…

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Don’t Get Shell Shocked – Discover Why Oysters Are More Important Than Ever!

You can’t talk about this country’s waterways and coastal histories without oysters. The United States’ estuaries (where rivers meet the sea), such as Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound, were largely comprised of oyster reefs, which purified the water, gave habitat to other marine life and provided stability to shorelines.Just as important, they were one of…

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How the Wine Industry is Recovering After Cyclone Gabrielle…

New Zealand’s winegrowing regions are reeling in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. The storm drove heavy wind and rain across much of the North Island and down the east coast on February 12, killing at least 11 people and displacing thousands more. Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, New Zealand’s second and third largest wine-producing regions, were…

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Get Ready to Refresh and Recharge with the Top Rated Cold-Press Juicers!

The newest on-trend gadget for making killer cocktails isn’t a fancy shaker or blender. Tapping into a desire for working only with ingredients you can read on a label, and turning to whole foods whenever possible, it’s a cold-press juicer. “They preserve the nutrient value of fruits and vegetables while providing exceptional taste and texture,”…

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Transform Your Taste Buds with These Surprising Saké and Food Matches

When you think about saké, you may think about a Hibachi chef serving the drink from across the cooking surface or a small white ceramic bottle adorning a sushi spread. But, the way saké has become synonymous with these styles of eating is not at all what was originally intended. In fact, saké food pairings…

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Uncovering the Truth Behind Vodka: Does Where it Comes From Really Matter?

We’re accustomed to vodka producers touting the base ingredients used to make the spirit (single-vintage potatoes! upcycled whey!). They even boast the elaborate distillation and/or filtration methods used in pursuit of pristine quality. And increasingly, vodka-makers are emphasizing the water source used to make, dilute and “finish” their product. But, do these water sources make…

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Enjoy an Unexpected Twist to Your Bar Cart with Fernet

At the far side of a dimly lit bar, two bartenders share shots of an unknown brown liquid. They’re drinking fernet—most likely Fernet-Branca—and taking part in a well-known industry ritual often referred to as “the bartenders’ handshake.”This bitter Italian herbal spirit can be found on the shelf of almost any rickety watering hole or high-end…

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