The Spirit World

Most rum aficionados have heard of Chairman’s Reserve rum from St Lucia. This fabulous golden rum is now sold in most of the UK’s top cocktail bars, either for sipping with ice or as a key ingredient in many sensational cocktails (see recipes below).
Chairman’s Reserve is the first rum to carry the WIRSPA (West Indies […]

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 […]

Just as Heston Blumenthal popularised molecular gastronomy in food - Eben Freeman is doing it with drinks. 
Molecular mixology is the new avant-garde approach to drinks that mirrors the legendary techniques. Through reinventing, deconstructing and reconstructing familiar drinks then layering and intensifying the flavours.  
Bartenders across the globe are now offering their consumers a brand new drinking […]

Small Plates, Perfect Wines, a new cookbook from Andrews McMeel Publishing, featuring mouthwatering recipes and wine pairing tips, is now on bookstore shelves and available to order online.
Meze, tapas, antipasti, antojitos–no matter what you call them, small plates offer big flavor, and this is a style of dining and entertaining that has taken the country […]

Looking for a special libation for the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday? Then you might want to consider the newest offering of X-Rated Fusion Liqueur. It combines French vodka and blood oranges from Provence, along with mango and passion fruit juice from Brazil.
Looking for the perfect cocktail for Valentine’s Day? Try this one:
Tickled […]

I helped out at a trade event in London devoted to Sauternes and Barsac the other week. Entitled “Sweeties with Savouries” it set out to show how both Sauternes and Barsac can be drunk not only with the usual foie gras and desserts but also with all the courses of a complete meal. With courses […]

Love is in the air this month.  For those of you looking for a way to dress up your Valentine’s Day, consider the object of your affection —the one with the sparkling personality — as your inspiration.
Accordingly, pop open the sparkling wines and celebrate.
If Valentine’s Day is not your thing, there are plenty of other […]

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, people will be uncorking bottles of wine the world over.  After all, when you think romance, wine is never far behind.  In her book, The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide, author Leslie Sbrocco suggests “a deep red wine such as a sparkling Shiraz” as the perfect drink to celebrate the […]

Apparently I don’t get out much.  Until recently, I didn’t know that some restaurants charge as much as $250 per bottle for their corkage fee.  Excuse me, but that is insane.  As Lettie Teague in Food and Wine magazine asked recently, “What could you get for $250 that you couldn’t for, say, $25?”
The average cost […]

You cannot have a better match with a plate of salumi than with this wine. Chill it up a little bit, and start your engines. From the Grasparossa grape, I took a bottle over to a chef from Emilia-Romagna the other day. He has known me for years, but has rarely if ever acknowledged my presence in his world. When […]