Liquid

Vine trails

Thor Iverson — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:49:00 GMT

Last issue I told a story involving serial killers’ caves, 10 centuries of cobwebs, spitting, and mistresses. And yet, when I sat down in front of the computer I had intended to write a column about wine travel. Apparently, I’m not the master of narrative focus. Let’s try again. “I’m going to wine country,” people say to me, just before they ask me to do a whole bunch of work gratis. They’re about to ask which wineries they should visit, and if I could recommend some interesting wines...

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Missed You

Sara Faith Alterman — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:03:00 GMT

The best drinks I tried — and didn’t write about — this year Besides gifts and cookies and awkward family arguments, the holiday season also tends to bring reflections. As the year draws to a close, my thoughts drift toward accomplishments I’ve made over the past 12 months, my mistakes, my regrets, my triumphs — and the cocktails I drank but never wrote about. (Shut up, it’s true.) Over the past year, I had the chance to try some truly unique drinks, and while many of them made it into...

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Twist: Dew it again

Erin Souza — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:55:00 GMT

Don’t get us wrong: we enjoy a fruity cocktail with a ridiculous name as much as the next girl. But when old man winter starts rearing his snow-covered head, it’s time to slowly sip a no¬nonsense drink that’ll warm us from the inside out. Which is why the re-emergence of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey’s classic crock is a well-timed and refreshing departure from all of the cucumber-basil-blackberry-bacon-infused liquors we’ve been drinking lately. The special bottle — based on the...

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Happy Accidents

Sara Faith Alterman — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:45:00 GMT

Sometimes a bar mistake can be a beautiful thing A little imagination and a willingness to experiment can transform a potential disaster into a culinary triumph. Need proof? How about famous “oops” moments such as chocolate-chip cookies, ice-cream cones, and the microwave? And plenty of classic cocktails were purportedly created when bartenders ran out of specific ingredients and made heat-of-the-moment substitutions. The mark of a seasoned beverage professional is the ability to think...

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’Tis The Season

Erin Souza — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:28:00 GMT

There’s nothing that can lift us out of an old-man-winter slump quite like the sight of this season’s gray-leather stacked-heel Chloé riding boots (hear that, Santa?). Well, that and a perfectly crafted — and much more wallet-friendly — glass of eggnog. There’s something about the decadently sweet drink that makes us want to cozy up on the couch and sip our way through the snowy nights. And now some local restaurants are celebrating by adding the cold-weather pick-me-up to their seasonal...

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Deliverance

Thor Iverson — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:41:00 GMT

Danger on the wine trail I expected to be arrested. Or fired at. Or set upon by dogs. I was driving down a semi-rural road at a speed that would have been mocked by passing toddlers, stopping every few dozen meters to peer at mailboxes, gates, and doorways. A few shouted imprecations came from behind closed shutters and I hurried along, unable to understand the words but quite clear on their meaning. The early days of my life of crime? Not quite. I was in Bourgueil, a peaceful wine-growing area...

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Northern Exposure

Sara Faith Alterman — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:51:00 GMT

Malden just might be a hotspot waiting to happen If you've lived in the Boston area for a reasonable amount of time, chances are pretty good that you’d never expect to hear the phrases “city of Malden” and “hotbed of über-cool nightlife” together in a sentence. Au contraire, my elitist urban friends. Like other communities that exist outside the invisible boundaries laid by snobbish Bostonians, Malden is an up-and-coming destination, thanks to a growing population of young professionals...

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Twist: 11.18.08

Erin Souza — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:22:00 GMT

The rum around Rum, for better or worse, has a sense of rebellion tied to it: pirates, buccaneers, revolutions, your first mixed drink — y’know, those sorts of things. The sweet and spicy flavors of darker rums often stir up memories of Caribbean vacations (or at least summers spent mixing amateur cocktails in the backyard). But Ron Zacapa 23 — a premium rum smooth enough to sip and strong enough to give you that warm-inside feeling — is proving that the islands aren’t the only place...

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Wines Without Borders

Thor Iverson — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:46:00 GMT

When it comes to certain regions and cuisines, versatile vino is key “Drink the wines of a region with the foods of that region.” It’s advice I’d been given in the newbie days of my oenophilia, and it had stuck with me. But here, in a restaurant in Oslo, it wasn’t so useful. The reindeer — thankfully absent a glowing red nose — on my plate had only three local alcoholic companions: mass-market beer, plus a pair of fiery aquavits. The beer might have been okay, but there was a 20-page wine list...

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Can't buy my love

Thor Iverson — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:49:00 GMT

The mystery of great wines that aren't on the shelves The Rhys 2006 Pinot Noir Swan Terrace, from the Santa Cruz Mountains, is as delicious a New World pinot as I’ve ever tasted. It tastes like tiny wild berries on a rocky promontory and smells like the deep forest, with beautiful balance and a long finish. It’s a really gorgeous wine. And you can’t buy it here. Just up the road from Rhys, Bob and Jim Varner are also making terrific wines. Their chardonnays, in...

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The Infusionist

Sara Faith Alterman — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:13:00 GMT

Behind the scenes with Robert Fathman Liquor infusions are running amok all over town. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, pork products — it seems no ingredient is too bizarre to steep in a vodka, rum, or bourbon bath to create a new liquid treat. The concept behind infusions is simple: coax the flavor characteristics out of your chosen ingredients by soaking them in booze for days, sometimes weeks, and giving the container a good shake every once in awhile. It’s not rocket science,...

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Tru story

Erin Souza — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:03:00 GMT

With the onslaught of earth-friendly and health-conscious organic products to the market, it’s becoming easier than ever to respect your mother Earth when shopping for everything from water bottles to faux-leather boots. In fact, green living is no longer a trend but a mainstream lifestyle. And thanks to Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Matthew, the husband-and-wife duo behind Modern Spirits, you can pick up some virtuous vodka for your dirty martinis. Sure, there are plenty of brands that allow you...

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Champagne Dreams

Erin Souza — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:22:00 GMT

If your knowledge of Champagne history only extends as far back as your last cocktail party, we can commiserate. Before getting our hands on Colby College assistant professor Tilar J. Mazzeo’s latest book, The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled it (HarperCollins Publishers, 2008; $25.95), all we really knew about famed Champagne house Veuve Clicquot was that we loved the pricy bubbly it produced. Mazzeo takes an in-depth look at the veuve (French for widow)...

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There Will Be Blood

Sara Faith Alterman — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:04:00 GMT

Bloody Mary variations are the perfect Halloween-season cocktails Death, guts, and gore are synonymous with Halloween, but although black-and-orange-hued martinis with eyeball garnishes do embody that special All Hallows kitsch, they’re unlikely to become menu mainstays (or even taste any good). The Bloody Mary, on the other hand, is one of those cocktail classics that can please any crowd, any time of the year. And a cocktail that shares its name with the gruesome heroine of a ghost...

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Sweet Dreams

Thor Iverson — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:40:00 GMT

The morning-after drink of shame There are choices we make that we’ll regret the next day. Choices made in the wee hours, after a long night of drinking, that have us wishing we could chew off an appendage come the stark light of morning. Choices so regrettable that they leave us guilt-ridden and, far too often, unexpectedly stricken with debilitating ailments. Of course, I’m talking about drinking sweet wines. What did you think I was talking about? Perhaps due to the cheap stuff your...

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