Paystyle and Vanessa are in New Orleans this week for the annual cocktail fête of the year, Tales of the Cocktail--hands down the most important event in the world for cocktail heads, bar chefs, liquor companies, alcoholics, et...
I've traveled around most Central American countries over the past few years on surf trips and have tried pretty much all the local beers in each country I've visited. Right now I am in Panama and the...
I'm ashamed to say that I had not tried kome (short rice) shochu so often in Japan because I didn't have many occasions to try it. Truthfully, I did not care for it much anyway, since I was most into
Yoko and I tagged along with Sylvan of Peko Peko last week to forage for ume (Japanese plums aka Prunus mume). We had been planning this for weeks, going back and forth and patiently waiting for the perfect moment to pick the ume,...
Today, I'll introduce you to Satsuma Shiranami which used to be my go-to shochu in Japan. I would get home late from work, turn on the TV and settle down into my couch and have this shochu on the rocks. It relaxed...
Hello, I'm Washi. Nice to meet you! I moved to the U.S. in January 2010 from Tokyo. Sorry ladies, I'm married. Anyway, I have been drinking soooo much shochu for years, and I just wanna say, SHOCHU IS FANTASTIC! Huh? What...
In the past week there's been a lot of buzz in cocktail circles regarding the outcome of a legal dispute between Pusser's rum and Painkiller, a tiki bar in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It's a story that's led to a...
It feels good to return to normalcy (read proper hydration) now that the Manhattan Cocktail Classic (read Manhattan Hangover Classic) has concluded. For myself and the other Bar Fellows of this year's cocktail classic, normalcy took a bit longer...
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, and many of you will be sloshing down the compulsory Margaritas and tequila shots, which in no way would I want to stand in the way of. But if you're an adventurous drinker like I am...
Annual Sake Tasting & Lecture: Back to Basics! Tuesday, May 10 @ 6:30 pm Japan Society, NYC Every year, Japan Society hosts a sake lecture and tasting, inviting dozens of brewers from Japan. Over the years, we've covered so many topics on sake--from...
Being out of the country for nearly a month has a tendency to adjust a person's perspective of "home." Home has had various meanings and geographical locations in various moments in my life. Conceptually, it means numerous--and sometimes conflicting--things at...
When visiting Chicago for the first time last year, I of course had Intelligenstia Coffee as a must-go destination. Sure, they've got a super spiffy space in Venice (LA) now, but Intelligentsia originally hails from Chi-town, so I wanted to...
The Prohibition Era figures prominently in the collective imagination of the cocktail world. The aura and mystique surrounding that era still wields great influence on popular culture. The popularity of HBO's Boardwalk Empire is a perfect example of our still not fully reconciled...
“Floreant Agni” (May the Lambs Flourish) - Motto of the original Lambs theatre club The month of March is supposed to end like a Lamb but Mother Nature is not playing nice–it is still 30˚F outside! Nevertheless, this week’s cocktail captures winter’s...
There is nothing like an expertly crafted Old Fashioned-style cocktail to help you navigate the rapidly changing weather of late March. Since, it is not quite Gin Rickey weather and too warm for a Hot Toddy, a solid whiskey...
When selecting a mid-March cocktail for this article, I was tempted to go the easy route with a St. Patrick’s Day whiskey drink. Then this weekend, I had the fortune to dine at Magasin Wells (aka M.Wells), the critically acclaimed Québécois-American diner in...
A bar is a playground for grown-ups. A place where you can meet new playmates, taste the sweet nectar of intoxicating juices, take time off to enjoy life with your closest of pals, and on occasion enjoy the chance of entangling your reproduction organs in...
Step-by-step instructions on how to make Oolong Hai, or shochu iced tea.
If you are getting tired of using beer kits or following other peoples recipes and are ready to start creating your own beers, this post is for you. When I first moved out to San Francisco I started putting Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in...
"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?" "Certainly, monsieur." The barman seemed pleased with...
