The Spirit World

I attended the 5th annual American Distilling Institute conference earlier this month, and am happy to report that artisan distilling is thriving in the U.S. When my husband and I started our distillery four years ago, there were about 65 small distilleries in the U.S. Now there are 144 in operation and/or under construction. They […]

One of my friends is Swedish, and she often brings interesting things for me to try have made their way to the U.S. with her friends and family from Sweden. Her latest gift was a bottle of Carlshamn’s Swedish Flaggpunsch.
Finding Swedish Punsch
Some bloggers have written about Swedish Punsch because it is an essential ingredient in […]

I spend a lot of time in liquor stores. I mean a LOT of time, mostly in the liquor section (as opposed to wine). So I tend to notice when new things come into the Chicago market, and also when things go on sale or are discontinued. Its interesting to see how many products have […]

I spent a few days on the Alabama coast recently, and stumbled upon a whiskey that was new to me – Clyde May’s Conecuh Ridge Alabama Style Whiskey. Being the curious sort, I tried some and asked my friendly bartender about it.This was a whiskey with an interesting story. The bartender told me that it […]

I love gimlets. Only problem is, I’m not a big fan of Rose’s Lime Juice. Unfortunately, I’ve never found a good alternative to Rose’s, aside from using lime juice and simple syrup. Until now, that is. I recently cooked up a batch of homemade lime cordial, and it was fantastic. To make it, you may […]

Still wondering what to serve your guests, or looking for a sure-fire cocktail to please a crowd?  If you’re like me, your family is not quite as advanced as you are in the cocktail appreciation realm.  Here are a few vodka-based cocktail ideas that use favorite flavors of fall.  These are easy to make and […]