Endangered Cocktails: LA PALOMA
LA PALOMA A recent trip to Mexico to learn about tequila introduced me to the joys of a simple, refreshing cocktail called La Paloma. If you find yourself sick of sipping Margaritas this Cinco de Mayo, we suggest you change it up. The drink was invented in the tiny town... Read More
LAGERS
I live in Lager Land. Here in Pennsylvania, Yuengling Lager is ubiquitous, which has created a beer landscape unlike any other in the country. It’s pretty much taken as given here that concern over Yuengling’s incredible growth – from under 2OO,OOO barrels in 1985 to 2 million in 2O1O –... Read More
Profile: SUZANNE SCHALOW and KATE BAKER
SUZANNE SCHALOW 4OKATE BAKER 41Co-owners, Craft Beer CellarBelmont, MA The Bay State’s craft brew craze is going – bacterial – and these gals are in the thick of it. The sisters in suds met as co-workers at the Lizard Lounge a decade ago, and struck up a coalition. They’d worked... Read More
The Wines of the Ribera del Duero
Their prices having converted Vega Sicilia and Pingus into theoretical wines for most of us should not put us off to the many affordable and fine wines of the Ribera del Duero (“banks of the Duero River”). Let’s see about this isolated region just east of Valladolid in north-central Spain,... Read More
MARTINE SAUNIER
Last January, Boston welcomed Martine Saunier with heaps of snow, freezing temperatures, and biting winds. She was a speaker at the 2O11 Boston Wine Expo. She lectured about her life and work as an importer of French wine. As she spoke, she guided the audience through a tasting of 9... Read More
YOUTH POTION’S DEMISE?
Has resveratrol’s reign as sovereign panacea abruptly ended? In early December GlaxoSmithKline PLC, the British pharmaceutical behemoth, announced it had given up on resveratrol research to extend life span because of ineffectiveness and adverse effects on the kidneys of subjects in a recent trial. Resveratrol (called SRT5O1 by Glaxo), the... Read More
THE RETAILER ROUNDUP
Massachusetts retailers have had a few tough years weathering the economic downturn and a state-imposed alcohol tax – all of which affected consumer spending. Luckily, 2O11 is starting out tax-free, and the economy seems to be slowly rebounding. So what does this mean for our business in the year ahead? ... Read More
TEQUILA
The economy may have been slow to rebound throughout the past 18 months, but gains for the tequila category have been strong and forceful, with high-end premium and super premium segments outpacing the pack. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, suppliers’ gross revenue for tequila grew... Read More
A FORTUNE WINDFALL FOR DIAGEO?
The breakup of Fortune Brands is shaping up to be a potential boon for Diageo. The drinks company is the most probable buyer of most of Fortune Brands’ Jim Beam spirits business, with Bacardi Ltd. as a bidding partner for the remainder, Liberum Capital analysts reported. “We expect Diageo to... Read More
RIP WAABI
The World Association of the Alcohol Beverage Industries, Inc.’s (WAABI) Board of Directors has voted to dissolve the 67-year-old volunteer group, citing declining membership and corporate support. At a February meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, the Board reviewed several options for stemming a dwindling cash reserve and roster of local chapters.... Read More