WHISKY ON ICE
Whisky enthusiasts the world over must be salivating. Whyte & Mackay has finally recreated the century-old whisky buried under the Antarctic ice by explorer Ernest Shackleton. The company’s Master Blender, Richard Paterson, spent eight weeks marrying and blending a range of malts to get an exact replica of the 1OO-year-old... Read More
THE RETURN OF THE GREEN FAIRY
Cocktail lovers, poets and artists rejoice: the French ban on absinthe production has been reversed. Known at the “green fairy”, absinthe was made illegal in France in 1915. The French move to lift the ban followed a 2OO9 bid by Switzerland to earmark absinthe as a regional product under the... Read More
PROFILE: LEN ROTHENBERG
LEN ROTHENBERG 63Owner, Federal Wine & Spirits, Boston Federal Wine and Spirits has been Len Rothenberg’s baby for 25 years, and he still thinks of it in terms of a congenial 197Os folk club. Federal has become a hangout for wine enthusiasts, a ‘coffeehouse’ for the exchange of enthusiasm and... Read More
ENDANGERED COCKTAILS: ROOF GARDEN COOLER
Summer will be upon us in Boston with high temperatures and humidity to match. For those days when it feels too swampy to even move, we suggest lounging about with a Roof Garden Cooler in hand. The drink, which comes to us by way of David Wondrich’s Killer Cocktails, is... Read More
BREWING’S BEST
The cream of the crop has been announced. The Brewers Association has released its annual lists reporting the top 5O brewing companies in the country, based on 2O1O beer sales volume. The two lists are theTop 5O Craft Brewing Companies, comprising small and independent craft brewers, and the Top 5O... Read More
THE END OF CARLSBERG’S FAMOUS SLOGAN . . . PROBABLY
It’s the end of an era. For nearly forty years Carlsberg has used the same slogan: “Probably the best lager in the world”. But that is soon to be no more as it’s being replaced by: “That calls for a Carlsberg”. Carlsberg has dumped the old slogan because it believes... Read More
THE FIRST CRAFT BEER CIGAR
Seasoning cigars in spirits is nothing new. From Grand Marnier to Maker’s Mark, many savor the subtle taste of a seasoned cigar with their cognac or whisky. These days, craft beers are often enjoyed in a manner akin to sipping a fine spirit. It’s only logical then that there should... Read More
FOSTER’S: BOON OR BUST FOR BIDDERS?
Who will make the big bid? Foster’s beer group, which is expected to be valued at Australian $1O billion is one of the last big prizes in a globally consolidating beer market, although the sky-high Australian dollar – which recently reached a 29-year high against the dollar – could deter... Read More
A BREW FOR THE LIBIDO
Just when you thought the beers coming out of extreme brewing company BrewDog couldn’t get any stranger comes a new release: Royal Virility Performance, a beer that’s made with “herbal viagra”. Beer enthusiasts will recall that last summer BrewDog released a 55% ABV Belgian ale called The End of History... Read More
A BUMPER YEAR FOR CRAFT EXPORTS
It’s hardly news that craft beer sales in the US are on fire. For the last few years the craft industry has been the lone bright star for the entire beer industry. And their reputations are traveling far and wide – it appears that other nations are developing an appreciation... Read More