From the Latin aperire, meaning ‘to open’, an aperitif is any alcohol which excites your appetite before a meal. A staple of most European meals, aperitifs are light spirits with a clean, crisp taste. Anything too sweet, and your palate will be overwhelmed. Anything too strong, and your taste-buds will be sedated. An aperitif’s ideal ABV is between 16 […]
Author: Alex Radovan
Everything you need to know about brandy
You don’t need a leather armchair and a fireplace to enjoy a fine glass of brandy. All you need is the following knowledge: Brandy isn’t just distilled wine Though its name is a shortening of branded (or burnt) wine, brandy is any distilled and barrel-aged spirit derived from fruit juice. As with wine, grape juice is […]
Four big labels with fascinating stories
Often more entertaining than their contents are the stories in certain bottles. Each brand builds a story itself, and in the world of spirits those stories often span war, religion and royalty. Here are four brand stories to break out the next time you want to impress someone at the bar. Jägermeister Meaning “Hunt Master” in […]
Four Crazy Craft Beers
While the definition of craft beer remains contentious, it’s undeniable that small breweries are more able to experiment with exciting flavours. While some of these attempts to push the envelope are immediately spat out, others can make even the most seasoned beer drinkers’ taste-buds sing. Here are a few crazy (good) craft beers from the best of […]
The Rise of Australian Craft Vodka
While vodka is, by definition, flavourless, a new breed of craft distilleries are exploring the intricacies of this spirit. While the term ‘craft’ is loosely defined, organisations like the American Distilling Institute define craft distilleries as those with an output of less than 52’000 cases each year. Owing to an upsurge in popularity, these smaller distilleries […]
Three Premium Tequilas And What To Pair Them With:
Tequila isn’t just that swill to regret on a Monday morning. The rise of tequila bars, artisan brands and pairing lists are cementing the drink as a serious spirit. Sadly, the most common experience with tequila is as a glass of cheap yellow pain masked by lime and salt. Such tequilas use only 51% of the distilled agave […]
Is Irish Whiskey Making a Resurgence?
In 1835, Ireland boasted a peak ninety-three distilleries. In 2013, there were four. 2017 has seen that unfortunate four grow to a promising sixteen, as well as drinks giant Diageo’s reinvestment in Irish whiskey two years after dropping Bushmills. While this increase may represent the return of Ireland to its glory days of distillation, a few drops does not […]
Bottled in Bond…Do You Know What it Really Means?
To understand the term Bottled in Bond or BIB, you have to understand the way whiskey worked in the Wild West. In the old West and across the US in the 1800s, no law stood to protect imbibers from buying dodgy or dangerous alcohol. Sly saloon owners and snake-oil salesmen sold bottles of mixed booze browned with […]