Going through our notes of good cocktails we sampled at Tales of the Cocktail led us to a couple we consumed at the Angostura Bitters U.S. Cocktail Challenge. After prior competitions whittled the contestants down to five bartenders, the finalists competed…
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One of the most anticipated events at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail was the Bare Knuckle Bar Fight, which pitted seven bars against in each other in a drinks slinging, no-holds-barred fight to the death. Sort of. It was…
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We’re in wrap-up mode following the 11th annual Tales of the Cocktail. And some of the biggest news from the festival happens each year at the Spirited Awards, in which trophies are presented in categories ranging from best bar and…
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Tales of the Cocktail just wrapped up, and we’re still recuperating from the haze of parties, seminars, tasting rooms and New Orleans in general. While nights consisted of events and some rather bacchanalian revelry, during the day we attended as…
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Tales of the Cocktail, that New Orleans-based festival celebrating all that’s good in the world of drinks, begins this Wednesday, July 17th. We’ll be on the front lines, attending seminars, attending parties and wandering around the Monteleone with Sazeracs in…
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Plenty of celebrities endorse spirits brands. Many of them endorse vodka brands. Dan Akroyd (Crystal Head) and Diddy (Circoc) come to mind. But none of that matters anymore. Because Dennis Rodman — jetsetting friend to North Korea and piercing aficionado…
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Vodka Distilled is a relatively new book from bartender, drinks consultant and self-titled “Modern Mixologist” Tony Abou-Ganim. Vodka holds an interesting place in the market. It remains the most consumed spirit — both stateside and abroad — while being generally…
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Tequila Tapatio has been a treasured tequila in Mexico for the past 75 years, but only recently became available in the United States. The blanco was released in early 2012, while the resposado and anejo expressions followed in early 2013….
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The mint julep is a classic cocktail that’s just perfect for summer. Typically comprised of nothing more than bourbon, sugar and mint, the refreshing combo is poured over crushed ice and served en masse everywhere from the Kentucky Derby to…
Read MoreKnob Creek has a good thing going for it with three successful and critically acclaimed whiskeys — a bourbon, a single barrel bourbon and a rye. So it came as a surprise when Knob Creek announced that a flavored whiskey, Knob…
Read MoreCarbonated cocktails took off in bars a couple years ago, and since then we’ve seen many great applications, including carbonated Americanos, Negronis, Palomas and many more. Anytime you directly carbonate a cocktail, rather than just topping it with soda water,…
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Big House Bourbon is a new whiskey that was launched in early 2013 by Underdog Spirits. Underdog is also behind Cupcake Vodka and Flipflop Rum, so… there’s that. Rather than producing the bourbon themselves, Big House is sourced from stocks…
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Woody Creek Distillers is a new distillery based in Colorado. After some construction, farming and producing spirits, they opened their 10,000 square foot facility in May. Woody Creek currently has one product on the market — their signature Potato Vodka…
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Yellow Rose Outlaw Bourbon hails from the small town of Pinehurst, TX. Yellow Rose Distilling is a new operation, with just a couple years under its belt, but its already put out small batches of blended whiskey and rye whiskey,…
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Top of the Hill Distillery is based in North Carolina and makes a vodka and white whiskey in addition to their newest offering: Piedmont Gin. The gin is distilled from organic Carolina wheat, and made in the style of New…
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One of the more spirited seminars we attended during this year’s Manhattan Cocktail Classic was on the subject of beer cocktails. Some people love them. Some people hate them. And most people are just curious as to where beer cocktails…
Read MoreCocktail Enthusiast spent the last few days roaming the tasting rooms, seminars and parties of the 2013 Manhattan Cocktail Classic. Below: some of our favorite finds — The MCC Gala kicked off on Friday night with plenty of revelry. There…
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Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey is a new product from the Louisville Distilling Company, maker’s of Angel’s Envy Bourbon. While the bourbon is finished in port casks, the rye whiskey is finished for 18 months in Caribbean rum casks before bottling….
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Dad’s Hat Rye Whiskey is a recently released offering out of Pennsylvania. Rye was a major Pennsylvania export prior to Prohibition, when the 18th amendment closed down many of the state’s distilleries. The guys behind Dad’s Hat, John Cooper and Herman…
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Bombay Sapphire East is a twist on the original Bombay Sapphire Gin. The main difference here is the addition of two more botanicals — Thai lemongrass and Vietnamese black peppercorns — to the 10 botanicals already present in Sapphire. The…
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