Author: Camper English

  • 10 Trendsetting Mixologists

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    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…

  • Absinthe in Men’s Book

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    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

  • Gin on the vine

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    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…

  • Tequila Terroir

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    Run screaming to your local newsstand to pick up the June issue of Wine & Spirits magazine, with the Top 100 Value Wines on the cover. Also on the cover is a mention of a story inside on Tequila Terroir, written by me. Hooray! My pal Jenn Farrington took the photos. Here’s the teaser: This…

  • Scotland Day Eight: Edinburgh and the castle

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    We had a nearly four hour drive from Speyside to Edinburgh for our last day on the trip, but it wasn’t drama-free by any means. Once again, the back door of the van popped open while we were going down the highway and two peoples’ luggage fell out. I watched as one tumbled behind our…

  • Scotland Day Seven: The real post

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    This was our final distillery day in Scotland, but it was a double-header. We started off the morning with a tour of the Glenlivet distillery. By this time distillery tours were old hat, so we just stopped off at the points that deviate from other brands. The we had lunch and a demo of an…

  • Scotland day seven: a quick note

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    Yesterday at Glenlivet and Strathisla were amazing, but I've no time or Internet with which to post. The picture is of my hotel from last night, at which we were at the bar in the garden until the wee hours of the morning.

  • The Bar Coat Hook Hall of Shame

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    5/1/08 update: Fish and Farm has a great homemade cocktail ingredient program, but alas, nowhere to hang your jacket at the bar. They’ve been added to the Hall of Shame. — Every bar top should have coat hooks beneath it. That way you don’t have to try to hang your jacket off your bar stool…

  • Scotland Day Six: Macallan and no bagpipes

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    I was on a roll there with two bagpipe days back to back, but alas, the trend didn’t continue. On our sixth distillery day, we drove from Inverness to Craigellachie. On the way there, we stopped in Elgin to visit Johnston’s cashmere center, a huge wool and cashmere factory where they sew scarves for Burberry,…

  • Scotland Day Five: Glenmorangie and the fancy hotel

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    Pipercount: 3! On the fifth day of our trip, we headed to the Glenmorangie distillery. They use the tallest stills in Scotland, as the original one was a former gin still. The taller the stills, the lighter the particles have to be to reach the top during distillation, and the resulting scotch has a lighter,…