A TASTE OF NEWBURYPORT BREWING
by ANDY CROUCH The town of Newburyport on Boston’s far North Shore, bordering New Hampshire, has long been a popular tourist and vacation destination. With the bluffy beaches of nearby Plum Island on offer, the cozy and idyllic streets of Newburyport’s historic downtown district remain filled with bustling bars, restaurants,... Read More
TWO FACETS OF THE CHILEAN GEM
by HARVEY FINKEL Chile is hot. Chile is cool, and dry, and moist. It is mountainous: the towering Andes shared with Argentina are second only to the Himalayas. Chile contains the driest desert. It is the world’s most southerly country; at 27OO by an average 11O miles, the long, skinniest... Read More
ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH – THE AVENUE COCKTAIL
by PINK LADY It’s National Bourbon Heritage Month! We’ve been raising a glass to endangered cocktails since 2OO7, the very same year Congress passed a bill calling for the celebration of bourbon as America’s “Native Spirit” with unanimous approval. We’ll drink to that! Bourbon is all the rage these days... Read More
ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH-THE PENICILLIN
by PINK LADY Start poking around in the annals of classic cocktail history and it won’t take long to recognize a theme: many of the greatest inventions in cocktails were originally medicinal. The Gimlet was born on the high seas to prevent scurvy. Gin and tonics proliferated to combat malaria.... Read More
ALCOHOL’S CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS ON WOMEN
by HARVEY FINKEL, MD The health effects of drinking, intensively studied during the past 3O years, can be best summarized by the French paradox and the J-shaped curve. The former was named for the surprising low frequency of coronary disease among smoking, indolent Frenchmen, enjoying Camembert and foie gras, compared... Read More
BELL’S BREWERY – A LOOK AT A CLASSIC
by ANDY CROUCH Bell’s Brewery started from the humblest of origins, with a few hundred bucks provided by founder Larry Bell’s mother. With the money, he opened a homebrew supply store in 1983 called the Kalamazoo Brewing Supply Company. Two years later, he graduated to selling his own beer, starting... Read More
SANGIOVESE DI ROMAGNA
by HARVEY FINKEL Although Sangiovese is the signature wine of central Italy, and in its highest iterations almost thereto confined, it also makes its mark to the northeast in Emilia-Romagna: same grape variety, different clones, some similar wines. (Sangiovese also appears in respectable roles in the Marche and in Umbria.)... Read More
ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH – THE SLOE GIN FIZZ
by PINK LADY Drinks like the Sloe Gin Fizz are why I got into this “endangered cocktail” game. If you’re looking for a great “did you know . . .” story to bore the vodka-soda crowd at the Fourth of July block party this month, this drink is for you.... Read More
ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH: THE SORRENTO SPRITZ
by PINK LADY Prior to the pandemic, in the “before times”, I had the lucky privilege of escorting groups of Americans to Sorrento once a year. We stayed for a week in a former convent that is now a guest house carved into the cliffs above the Gulf of Naples.... Read More
MODERATE DRINKING DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER
by HARVEY FINKLE, MD A recent issue of the NEW YORK TIMES wasted a valuable half page (“The connection between cancer and having a drink,” by Anahad O’Connor, March 9, page D6) echoing ill-based alarms claiming that no quantity of alcohol can be safe to drink under any circumstance. Close... Read More