The Spirit World

The first thing most viewers notice about AMC’s Mad Men TV series is the faithful recreation of an early 1960s “white shoe” ad agency. The costumes, the hairstyles, and the furnishings all seek to immerse the audience in a far-off, but still modern time. For those of us who pay attention to such things, the […]

While sipping a sazerac one evening during this year’s Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, I noticed a fellow patron conferring with the bartender over an iPhone. I guessed that this person must surely be using the new Cocktails iPhone application to share the recipe of a drink he wanted to order. Now that’s […]

Artisan spirits are very much on the agenda for Tales of the Cocktail attendees. Distillers of hand-crafted, low-volume gins vodkas, liqueurs and other spirits rub shoulders here with innovative bartenders who value artisan spirits as ingredients in their original cocktail creations. You’ll even find distributors who are willing to work to get those products onto […]

Calling New Orleans a good place to hold a cocktail convention is a little like suggesting that the folks who make slot machine might want to meet up in Vegas. Can you say “duh?”
Here in the Big Easy, where go cups on Bourbon Street, and festive dining everywhere are  the rule, the sixth annual Tales […]

Malt Advocate’s John Hansell reports that Old Forester will release Repeal Bourbon, this fall, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition in the US.
Repeal is a new expression, which Hansell’s post quotes master blender Chris Morris as describing thus: “it is an Old Forester that has more of a robust aged character […]