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Scientific evidence has been accruing for nearly half a century supporting the healthfulness of wine in moderate doses. Initially, population (epidemiologic) studies endorsed folk experience. Then ethyl alcohol, contained in common with other beverages, was deemed to supply a major share of the health benefits. But both strengthening some of... Read More

Since the late ’9Os “martinis” have been all the rage.  Dirty Martini, Apple-tini, Choco-tini, Pomegranate-tini – this trend of mixing up a beverage and slapping “tini” on its suffix is the reason a proper martini is one of the most endangered cocktails of all.  For the uninitiated, the earliest recipes... Read More

The spring tends to be one of the beer industry’s less celebrated times. With the focus squarely on the quantity-over-quality twin holidays of St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo, the character of the beers sold takes a back seat to chasing big sales targets. Overshadowed by these commercial giants,... Read More

Marty Siegal, the owner of Marty’s in Newtonville, has been working in liquor retail for 44 years. (“We’ll make that from when I turned 21, let’s keep this legal,” he told me, adding that he got married that same year.) The family’s liquor business dates from 1948, when Marty’s grandfather... Read More

If you’ve been in this industry awhile, you’ve likely been served a drink by Alexei Beratis.  From behind the bar to behind the scene of some of Boston’s hottest bars and restaurants, Beratis now divides his time between beverage consulting(he owns Of the Spirits Beverage Consulting) and running the newly... Read More

We LUPEC ladies love agave spirits – and few things beat a good margarita.  Every once in a while, though, it’s nice to have your tequila strong and stirred. The Rosita is a perfect solution.  Made with tequila, Campari, sweet and dry vermouth, it’s an aperitif reminiscent of the Negroni... Read More

SANTORINI Now a much desired destination and source of estimable wines, Santorini is defined by volcanic and seismic upheavals. What is today a small archipelago among Greece’s Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea are remnants of the rim of an enormous ancient volcano surrounding the submerged former caldera, eight by... Read More

Winter doldrums got you down?Can’t cope with the T anymore?Getting through a romantic break-up?Wondering what do drink after you’ve sent in your anonymous gripe?The Boilermaker, of course. A series of in-depth interviews with John Gertsen of Drink yielded the following: “I believe that all of the earliest saloon drinking was... Read More

SANDY BLOCK, MW The Sassicaia story is well known. Italy’s original, and in many ways still most emblematic, “Super Tuscan,” the wine’s very existence has probably had more indirect impact in elevating the country’s image internationally than any other. It was the first sustained attempt to create a world-class wine... Read More