I regretfully report that Anders, aka Skankynavia and Packaging Whore columnist, is on sabbatical for the next few weeks, and will be returning in mid-March. Sorry, Martians! I know you all adore his posts, but our resident SkankMaster will be hibernating for the rest of...
As you might expect after seeing my last post on Strong Beer Month, I went on quite a bender last week and tried out all six strong beers at Magnolia and five out of six at 21st Amendment. Last night, I had...
I am excited to continue with Part Two of my sake series this week on Japanify. In my first post titled Futsushu vs. Tokutei Meishoshu, I described the difference between ordinary and premium sakes. We are now ready to define the...
Before we had bars, we had places called taverns and saloons. And before we had Manhattans, Martinis, and other fancified cocktails, there was a drink which people simply referred to as a 'whiskey cocktail.' It was the early 19th century, and the term 'cocktail' referenced...
I had many opportunities during my first six months living in Japan to get really unpleasant hangovers from sake. This was mainly because I was living off a wage that made me think "Did I miss my stop and end...
Last week I wrote about the Hot Buttered Rum, and how it's a winter drink for when you're feeling festive (and when you've planned far enough ahead of time and made the essential spiced rum batter). Now that...
We're a couple weeks into 2011 and many of you are still hopeful about staying true to your resolutions. Although last year I did my best to aid you in detoxing from the holiday gluttony, this year my intentions aren't so...
2010 was an excellent year for beer! Here are my top five beer experiences of the year. Avec Les Bons Voeux (Brasserie Dupont) Avec Les Bons is French for, "With best wishes." This beer is a Saison (or...
Meet Paystyle-- a dashing, whip-smart, er, smartass from Brooklyn by way of Los Angeles. He's got dreams. Dreams of someday calling it quits as a lawyer (94 hour work weeks,...
We don't have that many traditions left in our royal kingdom of Denmark, and the European Union is certainly making a big effort trying to convert the entire countries of Europe into one gigantic, bland mess. The EU is just like throwing...
Photos by Mike Brandeberry and Kayoko Akabori. 'Tis true: there lives a kickass distillery named St. George Spirits, just east of San Francisco, right across the Bay Bridge, in a little town that bleeds into Oakland, called Alameda,...
After making my umeshu and bottling it up for indulgence in October, I became restless. I wanted to make more while I waited for three months. But this time I wanted to try another fruit. After discussing it...
Japanese mothers and grandmothers are hardcore. Every year they make their own liqueur and June is the month to start preparing. Starting in late May, supermarkets stock ume (Japanese plums) in bags of 1 kilogram which cost around 700-900...
Last week, Urban Sake's Timothy Sullivan was kind enough to invite me to his ongoing sake tasting course, "The Elements of Sake" at the Astor Wine and Liquor Shop's...
