Booze News

• Top 10 New Boozey Products for May

Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve We all know whisky responds well to oak, but what about gin? London distillery Beefeater decided to experiment, ageing small batches in Jean de Lillet oak barrels. The result is Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve, a hand-crafted gin distilled in a tiny 19th century copper still used by Beefeater’s founder James Burrough, after which [...]

• 5 Drinks You Can Ruin By Shaking

“Shaken, not stirred,” is how James Bond orders his vodka martinis in the movies. The fact is, martinis, like many “spirit forward” cocktails, are designed to be stirred. Shaking gin (or vodka) and vermouth leads to a cloudy, aerated drink with little chunks of ice in it, not the smooth, silky nectar Bacchus intended. “Unlike [...]

• Bitters pack a delicious punch. Which are the best?

If you happen to have visited a cocktail bar recently, you might have noticed that the forest of spirits has been augmented by a sapling colony of much smaller bottles, often decorated with ornate, old-fashioned labels. These are cocktail bitters, customarily added in minute quantities – usually a drop or two – but making a [...]

• Better Living With Cocktails Made With Chemistry Tricks

When chef Michael White opens The Butterfly in New York in mid-June, the cocktail bar will pay homage to White’s native Wisconsin with a brandy old-fashioned, a favorite libation in the Badger State. Instead of muddling an orange with bitters, sugar and a cherry, however, Eben Freeman, head of bar operations for White’s Altamarea Group [...]

Carnivore Cocktails. Check It.

More and more bars now serve “cocktails for carnivores,” a.k.a. fleshy refreshers, a.k.a. alcoholic drinks containing meat. These vegan-repellers bring a whole new meaning to the term “bloody Mary.” 1. The Duck Duck Duck, served at Chicago’s Storefront Company: Chef Bryan Moscatello makes this poultry-ific pleaser with Monkey Shoulder scotch, kumquat syrup, Creole bitters and [...]

• Rupert Murdoch buys vineyard in LA. What’s next? The LA Times?

Rupert Murdoch, the founder and CEO of News Corporation is moving into the wine business, after purchasing a vineyard in Los Angeles. Murdoch, who Forbes magazine claims is worth US$11.2 billion, has bought the 16-acre Moraga Vineyards estate, which is located in the hills above Bel Air. Although the purchase price has not been revealed [...]

• So what wine SHOULD you drink with a fish sandwich or a bucket of KFC?

Food buffs will tell you that poached salmon and black truffles is lost without a chilled French chablis. But would they have a clue if you asked them which wine was best paired with a Big Mac and large fries? Motivated by the idea that every meal can be special, a team of experts has [...]

• Drinking diet mixers with alcohol could make you drunker

Diet drinks have soared in popularity. But a new study suggests drinking them as mixers could get you drunker and affect breath tests. Drinking alcohol with diet soft drinks could make you drunk quicker, a new study suggests. With more and more of the weight-conscious turning to low calorie foods and liquids, diet drinks have [...]

• 17-Year Cicadas Could Bring Swarm of New Cocktails

While some may view the coming onslaught of cicadas as a nuisance, others see it as a new opportunity to drink—creatively. Every 17 years, the Magicada Brood II cicadas swarm some portions of Maryland. Last seen in 1996, these black-bodied, red-eyed, orange-winged flying creatures are expected to begin emerging from their Rip Van Winkle-like slumber [...]

• Beyoncé racks up £17,000 ($26k) bar bill in London

Beyoncé blew £17,000 on booze at the Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street last Sunday to celebrate finishing the London leg of her tour. According to The Sun newspaper, the star shelled out the sum on drinks at the hotel’s Champagne bar following six nights performing at the capital’s 02 Arena. “Beyoncé wanted to say thanks [...]

• San Francisco Craft Spirits Carnival June 15/16

Come one, Come all, to the new San Francisco Craft Spirits Carnival to Try & Buy over 100 spirits brands of all tastes, shapes and sizes: Mescal, Absinthe, Whiskey, Bourbon, Vodka, Tequila, Grappa … too many to list. All tastings are included in price of admission. Enjoy an edgy Vaudville-style Carnival Spectacular – with a [...]

• Top 10 drinks tips for living to 100

When it comes to the secrets of living to 100, the life-giving properties of alcoholic drinks have featured in the top tips from many centenarians. There have been many health benefits associated with alcohol, when consumed in moderation, including battling lung cancer, lowering cholesterol and helping with arthritis. Recent celebrants include Helen Kimsey from Lincolnshire, who [...]

• Booze From Bee Larvae? Scandinavian Foodies Turn to Beer

The Scandinavian food revolution, driven by famed Copenhagen restaurant Noma and its use of unconventional foraged ingredients, is set to make its way to your beer glass. Danish brewer Carlsberg has a swanky new ally in the fight to capture the attention of well-heeled drinkers who are shifting away from beer for a variety of [...]

• WOW! POP! Research Sez Champagne Can ‘Help Improve Memory’

New research has suggested that three glasses of Champagne a week can help to improve your memory. Scientists at Reading University say that a regular dose of bubbles can help in the fight against brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Jeremy Spencer, a biochemistry professor who led the research, said: “Dementia probably starts in [...]

Thinking about going to Egypt? ‘Booze & bikinis ok’ sez tourism minister

Egypt’s tourism minister has declared that visitors who drink alcohol and wear bikinis are welcome in the country, after Muslim groups called for a ban to be imposed. Mr Hisham Zaazou is aiming to boost tourism to Egypt, where visitor numbers have dropped considerably following an uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Radical [...]