http://thespiritworld.net Quenching your thirst with sips, nips and tipples. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:54:12 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en So summer is officially here and with it come the quintessential summer past times - long days in the park, balmy evenings in the garden and of course a nice tipple to get the party started. Summer is definitely the time of year to enjoy a cooling cocktail, but do ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/07/15/summer-cocktail-masterclass/ 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 ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/07/14/explore-the-delicious-and-varied-world-of-rum-with-a-webtv-show/ Over on Spittoon I've just posted some tasting notes on the value-packed Griffith Park sparkling wines. Both the pink and the white versions are excellent value for not-too-complicated fizz. Nicely frothy, not too dry, which means they make for excellent party wines. And excellent bases for cocktails, as these two recipes ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/07/09/cocktails-with-sparkle/ Snooth, the world’s largest wine site, has launched its Food & Wine pairings application for My Yahoo!, the most popular personalized start page with more than 40 million worldwide monthly visitors. My Yahoo! users are now able to peruse thousands of recipes from leading publications such as Food & Wine, Cooking Light, ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/07/08/snooths-food-and-wine-pairings/ Marco Pierre White last week crowned Ryan Chetiyawardana of Bramble in Edinburgh, Scotland the UK’s best bartender in the final of World Class 2009 – the Oscar’s of the bartending world. Held at the exclusive Kent House in London’s Knightsbridge, Ryan dazzled the judges by showcasing his exceptional mixology skills as ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/07/07/three-storm-flip/ Not long ago, I was trading emails with someone from Flor de Caña about the company's Nicaraguan rum. She sent me a recipe for what sounded like a delightful summer cocktail called the Flip Flop. Even more delightful, the recipe called for a Chamomile tea infusion. I agreed to give ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/07/05/the-rum-raspberry-cocktail/ Spend any time touring bourbon country, or reading its history, and you'll quickly learn that distilleries and brands, long-lived though they may be, do not operate under constant ownership. A brand with a historic tie to a distillery might move to another company, or a conglomerate might acquire or sell ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/06/29/eh-taylor-returns-to-buffalo-trace/ One of Australia's most renowned wine brands, Penfolds, is hosting a vertical tasting of Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz on 22nd June 2009 from Vinexpo in Bordeaux, France.  Lead by Chief Winemaker, Peter Gago, the same wines will be sampled simultaneously across the globe, via an interactive webcast. Six different vintages ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/06/20/wine-sampling-synched-in-live-world-web-wine-tasting/ According to the World Whiskies Awards, Highland Park 21 year old is the World's Best Single Malt. "An irresistible mix of dark grungey smoke and light sweet fruit. If you could barbeque a tin of Del Monte exotic fruits this is what it would taste like. Stunning." Dominic Roskrow "Big, fruity nose, ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/06/17/world%e2%80%99s-best-single-malt-highland-park-21-year-old/ New UK online wine retailer www.nakedwines.com has recruited its 20,000th new customer just 6 months after launching. Kevan Evans, from Fife, Scotland, signed-up to become a Naked Wine Angel, a scheme which allows customers to sponsor indivudal winemakers looking to break into the UK market. "Naked Wines is really rather different to ... http://thespiritworld.net/2009/06/15/naked-wines-captures-20000th-customer/