NEW BEERS FOR NEW SEASONS
Brewers have long embraced the changing consumer drinking patterns that accompany shifting weather patterns, helping fuel the demand for seasonal products. These beers often appear as little known styles, such as Kolsch or Helles, often rebranded by savvy breweries as Summer Ales. People usually associate the summer months with the... Read More
RIESLING
Spring is Riesling season par excellence. While I personally enjoy drinking Riesling year-round, from a commercial perspective this is the moment to focus on lighter styled, more delicate herb and floral scented versions, whether they feature discernible residual sugar or not, because of the strong link between Nature’s annual reawakening... Read More
ALPINE TREATS
I was surprised and delighted by the Alto Adige when I first visited twelve years ago. This beautiful alpine corner of Italy does not at all conform to one’s usual expectation of that delightful land, as registered by more southerly regions. Here are the picture-postcard peaks and valleys of the... Read More
SEEN & SIPPED AROUND THE GLOBE: TRENDS THAT ARE TAKING OFF
BARTENDER, I’D LIKE AN “APP-EALING” DRINKNext time a customer asks you for the ingredients in one of those fashionable pre-Prohibition era cocktails and you aren’t quite sure of the recipe, just turn to your iPhone. Much more discreet and all-encompassing than a battered Mr. Boston Bartender’s Guide, there are dozens... Read More
ADAM LANTHEAUME AND THE BOSTON SHAKER
They say the devil is in the details, but it’s commonly accepted that the details are what can transform the mundane into something heavenly. That said, Adam Lantheaume has become something of an Archangel Gabriel figure to the local cocktail scene, bringing good news – and good products – from... Read More
VODKA AGAINST THE GRAIN
As you’ve probably noticed, we LUPEC ladies don’t devote much time to the discussion of vodka cocktails. “It’s the predominant spirit on most cocktail lists,” you may be thinking, “so what gives? What do you broads have against vodka?” It’s not that we have anything against vodka, per se. We... Read More
VODKA
From the locally crafted to the iconic imports, vodka reigns as it’s poured. One conspicuous point of distinction has been that several so-called “value” brands have gotten more than their fifteen minutes of fame courtesy of the economy. Some consumers have traded down and have made the discovery that there’s... Read More
Brown-Forman
George Garvin Brown IV is being promoted to Executive Vice President of the Louisville-based spirits company. Brown’s new role is to lead planning on strategic and operational matters related to the board and the Brown family, which controls a majority of the company’s voting shares. In addition to his new... Read More
Pernod Ricard USA
The drinks company has appointed Steve Chasen as Director/On-Premise Trade Marketing and BJ Vorderer as Director/Off-Premise Trade Marketing. Chasen joins the company from Southern Wines & Spirits, New York, where he helped lead the PRUSA-dedicated team within SWS Metro NY. Prior to that, he served as Director/Sales & Marketing for... Read More
Anheuser-Busch InBev
August Busch IV is stepping down as a director at Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, ending the Busch family’s formal involvement in the brewing company that bears its name. He was the chief executive of Anheuser-Busch Cos. when the Budweiser maker was acquired by InBev in 2OO8. Busch, who had sought to... Read More