The Spirit World

The first time I met Rob Thomas of the band Matchbox Twenty, I wanted to punch him in the face. I was not yet 20 at the time, which means he was something like 26 or 27. That second single was all over both of the town’s two megawatt alterna-rock stations, and I just didn’t […]

Behind a nondescript, carelessly numbered door with a hidden bell off a grubby residential Lower East Side block lies the height of New York’s faux speakeasies.
Without use of a town car or yellow cab, or a divine LES loft, one must make use of at least two subways and a quarter inch of stiletto to […]

To help folks along with this month’s “Raiders of the Lost Cocktail”, I thought it only appropriate that I expand upon some details regarding this month’s challenge ingredient, Strega.
Italy appears to be a fount of diverse and wonderfully complex liqueurs. Some of them, such as Vermouth, Campari, and Galliano, are widely known if not commonly […]

If you look to see what the Icelandic word “reyka” means in English, a free online translator will tell you it means “smoky.” The bottle itself says it means “steam,” which is more appropriate since this 80 proof grain vodka is ultra smooth and almost tasteless.
These days, vodka seems to be mostly about appearances, […]

I attended a great seminar last week run by the Napa Valley Vintners Association and organised by the Institute of Masters of Wine. It was entitled Napa Valley terroir. Now terroir is something us European wine lovers are led to believe is an Old World concept shunned by some parts of the New World. This […]

On the way across Market Street, I tried on my friend’s new pair of Blue Blocker sunglasses. The air was pleasantly cool, as it always is in San Francisco around cocktail hour. The sky was clear and bright, for a welcome change. Nothing about the surroundings stood in need of embellishment.The shades, black plastic frames […]

So many secrets have been lost.
At the dawn of (cocktail) time, great masters (like Jerry Thomas and Harry Johnson) emerged. These giants of the earth were able to wrest secrets from the primordial elements (like gin and brandy and bitters and ice), and from them craft potions of eldritch potency. In their wisdom, these masters […]

For many, “Whisky” immediately brings to mind Scotch Whisky, and its often robust, smoky, peaty flavor. Like all other whiskies, Scotch is made from grains which have been fermented, and then distilled. But what sets Scotch apart from the others is that the heat it uses to halt the pre-fermentation germination process comes from peat […]

Let’s start with something fun. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a Carlton Draught, but I’m going have to try one after watching this commercial.
Robort Hess — bless him — has a new episode of The Cocktail Spirit out on The Small Screen Network. This week, the Mojito.
Yikes! It snuck up on me. The Kentucky […]

The impending publication of a yet another wine book has set me thinking of the similarities between wine and golf. Bear with me as there are similarities and I don’t think it’s just a personal view.
I’ve been a keen golfer all my life (well, I am a Scot) and have acquired quite a collection of […]