Month: June 2008

Hello chums. The Plymouth gin distillery, it turns out, is just as beautiful as they say, but much smaller than I imagined. Just one big copper pot still makes all their gin, and they don't even need to run it full-time. Beyond the distillery tour, the building holds a restaurant and a cocktail bar, so…

This week I helped judge a Chartreuse cocktail competition- tough job! Bartenders love making cocktails with the stuff, and I love drinking said cocktails. With my fellow judges Johnny Raglin of Absinthe and Carlos Yturria of Bacar/Grand Pu Bah I think we were in complete agreement with our top choices. Joel Baker of Bourbon &…

In various editions of the Beverage Network’s magazines, I have the cover story on 10 Trendsetting Mixologists from across the country. I interviewed my picks at the Navan/Grand Marnier Mixology Summit this spring. This year’s batch of bartenders to watch have more in common than a penchant for inventing and shaking up tasty cocktails. They’re…

Speaking of absinthe, I just noticed that the story I wrote on the subject (or as I call it, the subject that keeps on paying) for Men’s Book San Francisco is online. Go here and forward to page 80. Labels: absinthe, camper_clips

Immediately after my press trip to Jerez to study sherry, I flew to Bordeaux to learn about G’Vine gin. As far as I know, G’Vine is the only gin made from grape spirit instead of grain spirit, which gives it a round, soft texture and a touch of sweetness. It also has a huge burst…