It is Masters final-round Sunday, 1980-something. I am still a young(ish) man who’s lived his entire life in Central or Western New York State, where winter’s cold jaws can take a bite out of life right through the end of April and into early May. (Raise your hand if you’re from around here and you … Continue reading Traditions, and where my cocktail journey began
Diversions
I Try This S**t so You Don’t Have to: Glow Coasters
Well, they sounded like a good idea ... I saw this product mentioned in a trade magazine article a couple of weeks ago, along with a very lovely photo, so I decided to try them. In some of my cocktail photos over the years, I've experimented with various approaches to up-lighting, and the premise is … Continue reading I Try This S**t so You Don’t Have to: Glow Coasters
That’s Bond. Bottled-in-Bond.
Happy birthday to this landmark legislation. Whenever you sip American whiskey and it doesn't smell or taste of creosote and iodine, raise your glass in a toast to Col. E.H. Taylor (later U.S. Senator E.H. Taylor) and his allies in the distilling industry for working with then-Secretary of the Treasury John G. Carlisle to protect … Continue reading That’s Bond. Bottled-in-Bond.
Nicholas Longworth: The “Father of the American Wine Industry”
I wrote this article as a guest post for “Wine, Wit, and Wisdom”—the official blog of the Society of Wine Educators—which published it on January 3, 2021. He was an unlikely character working with an unlikely grape in an unlikely location that would nevertheless become the cradle of American winemaking: The state of Ohio. Yes, … Continue reading Nicholas Longworth: The “Father of the American Wine Industry”
Armchair Travel: The Whisky Isles by Bike
If you're a Scotch whisky lover, you've heard about Islay (pronounced 'eye-luh') and Jura, and maybe you've been fortunate enough to visit there (I haven't, but that trip's on my bucket list). Here's a YouTube video from the Global Cycling Network of two cyclists seeing those islands up close and personal, gravel roads, mud, shaggy … Continue reading Armchair Travel: The Whisky Isles by Bike
The Libation Lounge 