All tastings reported in the Buying Guide are performed blind. Typically, products are tasted in peer-group flights of from 5-8 samples. Reviewers may know general information about a flight to provide context—vintage, variety or appellation—but never the producer or retail price of any given selection. When possible, products considered flawed or uncustomary are retasted. […]
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Irish beers and full-sized green-colored cocktails might be the first drinks that come to mind when you think of St. Patrick’s Day, but apparently, tastes are changing. According to data crunched by hospitality engagement platform Union, green tea shots were the top cocktail ordered at last year’s festivities. Is the sipper poised to sweep the…
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To become a great master blender, it takes a sharp nose, discerning palate and vast storehouse of knowledge, but if you ask Zacapa Rum’s Lorena Vásquez what helped her reach the pinnacle of her profession, she’ll add another requirement. “Children of a certain age are constantly asking why, why, why—about everything,” Vásquez says. “My mother…
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When you think of the perfect oyster wine pairing, your mind might immediately go to the standby: crisp white wine. Although you can’t go wrong with the classics—think Picpoul, Chablis and Champagne—more and more oyster bars and restaurants are pairing these briny, happy-hour favorites, whether fresh or cooked, with cocktails. The results can be revelatory. …
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Looking for a sweet and festive undertaking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Try homemade IPA ice cream. Much like brewing, making ice cream involves a bit of science and tact—but it’s nothing that the home chef can’t handle. Think of ice cream as a rich blank canvas to highlight the strong, hoppy flavor characteristic of…
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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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With spring around the corner, Easter is officially on the horizon, which means—much to the delight of the sugar-addled masses—the arrival of Cadbury Creme Eggs. The beloved seasonal candy, a chocolate egg-shaped confection with a yolk-like fondant center, went on to worldwide adoration after its introduction in the United Kingdom in 1963. Inevitably, the beloved…
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I love wine. I love whiskey, too. But a recent mega-tasting for Wine Enthusiast tested those affections: Some of the least palatable were wine-finished whiskeys. To be fair, as spirits reviewer for a wine magazine, I probably get more wine-finished samples than most. (“Finishing” here means matured whiskey is placed in a barrel that previously…
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All tastings reported in the Buying Guide are performed blind. Typically, products are tasted in peer-group flights of from 5-8 samples. Reviewers may know general information about a flight to provide context—vintage, variety or appellation—but never the producer or retail price of any given selection. When possible, products considered flawed or uncustomary are retasted. […]
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For centuries, winemaking was a male-dominated field. Today, women across the globe are changing that narrative and shaking up the industry, adding ever-more names to history’s list of important women in wine. Even in the face of obstacles that have some women in wine struggling to stay afloat, female change makers are fighting to make…
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