The Spirit World

Show date: Wednesday 15th July
Show  time: 15:00 UK Time
One of the world’s most versatile drinks, rum is also intrinsically linked with the history and culture of its origins in the Caribbean. The earliest references to sugarcane spirit production in the region date back to 1647, and through innovative techniques like oak barrel ageing, rum quickly […]

The BitterSweet Partnership, which has been set up by Coors Brewers aims to address and remove the gender imbalance that exists around beer consumption and targeting. 
The BitterSweet Partnership conducted research of over 2,000 women to get their thoughts and found that there are very real barriers and myths that exist around women and beer. They […]

Feast on this! Finally a Chianti I like that fits my artist picks (wines under $10) - Saggio Chianti. Times have changed. The former DOC classification was all about quantity but now it’s all about quality with the Chianti Classico DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) - the Italian wine classification for wines with […]

So, on the topic of mixing drinks, many people are realizing that big cubes work exceptionally well (harkening back to the bartender’s tools of old…you know, the icepick and whatnot). I’ve already mentioned the Tovolo trays in the past, but you may notice in the photograph above that one cube is infinitely more pleasing to […]

On December 5, 1933, citizens of the United States could once again legally consume alcohol. The 75th anniversary of the end of the 13- year  Prohibition era is a natural marketing opportunity for distillers, and an excuse to party for booze enthusiasts. Repeal Day festivities are planned throught the land, and some sprit-makers have produced […]

The Library Bar at The Lanesborough Hotel, London, has recently acquired the oldest known bottle of cognac in the world. Distilled in 1770, this single cask cognac is an important appendage to the bar’s Liquid History collection and dates back to:
- The birth year of Ludwig Van Beethoven and William Wordsworth
- The year that 14 year […]

Veev is a spirit made from Brazil’s National fruit, the Acai (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee) berry. The Acai is a packed with antioxidants, Omega3s, calcium, vitamin C & E and protein. The spirit also contains prickly pear and Acerola Cherry. I found Veev made from the Acai berry to be very refreshing and clean on the palette.  […]

On the last day of Tales of the Cocktail, we somehow found ourselves meandering around the lobby in the morning. We happened upon a tasting room for Noilly Prat vermouths, and decided to step inside. To be honest, it was the enticing buffet of fruit and pastries that got us in the room. Once we […]

It has long been known that white grape varieties stem from red grapes - but scientists have never been able to pin down exactly when or why the genetic change appeared. Until now.Australian scientists have discovered that around 3,000 years ago a genetic mutation occurred. The colour of grape skins is controlled by two genes, […]

Do you know your Chardonnay from your Chablis? Your Loire from your Mosel? If you don’t, or even if you do and want to increase your knowledge of wine at no cost, then check out the following three quizzes.
Test your general wine knowledge over at Tom Cannavan’s Wine Pages. There are 20 questions in each […]