I've never been one to jump on a bandwagon. (for one thing, I just keep falling off.) So now that the cool kids over at PUNCH have declared them passé, last week I started an infinity bottle. Not to create a house blend or as a mode of self-expression: the much more prosaic truth is that I realized I had a bunch of whiskey bottles with only a bit left in them, and I don't have a ton of shelf space. I did have a couple of old one-liter 86 Co. bottles on hand, though.  That first PUNCH link above led me to the Infinity Bottle app, well worth the $2-3 it costs, which lets you record what yo ..read more

After work last night, I was trying to get my daily 10,000 steps in, so I walked from the far West Side of Manhattan over to East 34th Street, then took the East River ferry to Astoria, Queens and walked home from there. It was cold - not the 9°F of this weekend, but the wind chill took the apparent temperature to around 20°F, especially over by the river and while I was on the water.  So when I got home, all I could think of was having a winter warmer, something with some oomph, which naturally led me to the Hot Buttered Rum. (Listening to the appropriate episode of ..read more

We're squarely in the middle of the holiday season, and I've got several festive drinks to consider. Whether you're hosting people for a party, want something rich to sip by the fire, or something crisp and light to accompany a feast, this selection will have you covered.  Are you throwing a party? You're going to be busy and running around anyway to take care of everything and make sure everyone is having a good time, and you likely won't have the bandwidth to take drink orders or shake up custom cocktails. There are two ways to handle the drinks while preserving your sanity as the host ..read more

I guess Facebook Meta is good for something after all, as it reminded me that I posted this 13 years ago today: Darcy O'Neil posted "The Imbiber's 100" -- a list of 100 beverages you should try before you die -- over at The Art of Drink, and I added up my score.  Since then, I've added nine more to my 2008 list (XO Cognac, Fernet-Branca, PX sherry, vintage Port, El Dorado 15, Soju, pulque, Cuban rum, and akvavit), bringing my total so far to 84. And I enjoyed all of the nine that I've added!  ..read more

As seen here earlier, I recently put together a trivia quiz all about brandy. Here are the next few questions, along with my discussion of the answers. As before, I've obscured the answers by putting them in white text on a white background; just highlight the area between the brackets to see what's there, and click on smaller images to embiggen them. 10.  The Spanish Brandy de Jerez is aged in oak sherry casks. The aging system involves filling bottles from the oldest of a range of casks, which are refilled with brandy from the next-oldest cask, which is refilled from the next-oldes ..read more

As seen here earlier, I recently put together a trivia quiz all about brandy. Here are the next few questions, along with my discussion of the answers. As before, I've obscured the answers by putting them in white text on a white background; just highlight the area between the brackets to see what's there, and click on smaller images to embiggen them. 7.  Slivovitz, Țuică, eau-de-vie de Quetsche, and Mirabelle brandies are made from what fruit? [PLUMS] Fruit eaux-de-vie are a big part of the brandy universe, though grape brandies tend to get most of the attention. Central a ..read more

As seen here yesterday, I recently put together a trivia quiz all about brandy. Here are the next few questions, along with my discussion of the answers. As before, I've obscured the answers by putting them in white text on a white background; just highlight the area between the brackets to see what's there, and click on smaller images to embiggen them. 4.  American apple brandy is often sold as “applejack”, which these days is a blend of apple brandy and neutral spirits. The largest producer is Laird & Company; the family-owned business claims to have produced spirits since 1698 ..read more

Similar to the rum (parts 1, 2, 3, 4) and gin (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) trivia quizzes I wrote for the world's best online trivia league in past years, I recently wrote a quiz on brandy. I figure readers might be interested in this, so I'll include the questions and my recap notes at the end. I've obscured the answers by putting them in white text on a white background; just highlight the area between the brackets to see what's there, and click on small pictures to embiggen them. Thanks to everyone - all 511 players! -- who took the quiz when it was on LearnedLeague last month, and it was especial ..read more

I haven't ventured out to very many liquor stores since the pandemic began - I certainly have a pretty good stash at home, and I haven't been doing much inessential travel, and only recently (and rarely) have I gone anywhere in Manhattan other than straight to the office and straight back home. (I did get to a VABC store on vacation, and managed to snag a couple extra bottles of Beefeater at the old 94 proof.)  I spent a recent weekend in Connecticut, and hit up both a friendly small liquor store with a nicely curated selection and a location of the behemoth chain Total Wine & More, w ..read more

Most summers, I try really hard to get my hands on some fresh sour cherries; I haunt the greenmarket and interrogate the farmers, trying to see when the season (which is about five minutes long) might commence. I lucked out a while back and got a ton of cherries (which ain't cheap!), and turned most of them into Maraschino cherries. But the rest I saved for Cherry Bounce, a very old liqueur. How old? Well, it was first mentioned in print in 1681: a definition given for "confused" is "any Hotch-potch; or any mingled drink; as punch, cherrybouncer, &c." Many more citations follow throughou ..read more