Author: Camper English
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Sherry Bodega Visit: Bodegas Sanchez Romate
In September 2010 I visited several sherry bodegas. Here are pictures and a few notes from Bodegas Sanchez Romate. (Our guide used a barrel as a chalkboard.) (Our host.) (The bodega is relatively small and sort of goth.) (We signed a barrel.) Not a touristy bodega- don’t do tours Fino has more oxidation than manzanilla…
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Cheers to Rudolph, Not the Reindeer
(Image courtesy of Cherry Heering.) In my latest blog post at FineCooking.com, I introduce the Blood and Sand. The cocktail was almost certainly created in honor of the 1922 silent movie of the same name, staring Rudolph Valentino. I've also written a long story about all the different ways bartenders are changing this drink, but…
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Tequila Distillery Visit: Herradura
In November I visited seven tequila distilleries in Mexico. Here are some pictures and notes from my visit to theHerradura distillery in the town of Amatitan. (Here they split the agave in two before baking.) (The magic of Herradura is that it ferments naturally- no yeast is added.) (Sleeping tequila.) Agave grows for 7-10 years…
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Sherry Bodega Visit: Bodegas Osborne
In September 2010 I visited several sherry bodegas. Here are pictures and a few notes from Bodegas Osborne. (The logo for Osborne is the silhouette of a bull. You see it all around.) (This is barrel with a clear end so you can see how flor (a layer of yeast) lives on top of the sherry. The…
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Tequila Distillery Visit: Jose Cuervo
In November I visited seven tequila distilleries in Mexico. Here are some pictures and notes from my visit to the Jose Cuervo distillery in the town of Tequila. (First we visited an agave field.) (The jimador harvested the agave plant to get the pina, or pineapple, center.) (I planted my own agave from the cuttings…
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Sherry Bodega Visit: Bodegas Grupo Estevez
In September 2010 I visited several sherry bodegas. Here are pictures and a few notes from Bodegas Grupo Estevez. (Sherry sleeping peacefully in the bodega.) (One of the warehouses is named for flamenco dancer Lola Flores.) (Horse stables and ring behind the bodegas. Jerez is home to flamenco, dancing horses, and sherry.) (The interior is…
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Tequila Distillery Visit: Cazadores and Corzo
In November I visited seven tequila distilleries in Mexico. Here are some pictures and notes from my visit to the Cazadores and Corzo distillery in the town of Arandas. (Autoclaves cook agave much faster than traditional brick/clay ovens.) (It's a huge operation here. The liquids travel in pipes through a tunnel beneath a road separating…
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Hot Buttered Fun
Hot Buttered Fun would be a good party band name, right? My latest post on FineCooking.com is up. It's a recipe for the Hot Buttered Anejo, which is a hot buttered tequila that I had one night when the brand Avion was pouring drinks at Elixir. Check it out here.
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Four Roses Bourbon Distillery Visit
This week I was in Kentucky for a quick visit to the Four Roses distillery. For some history on this brand, see this post a I wrote a few years ago. In short, Four Roses was only a bourbon in Japan for many years, and has recently come back to the US market. They use…