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The “Improved”Holland Gin Cock-Tail COCKTALE The gin cocktails we drink nowadays are usually built upon London Dry, but this hasn’t always been the case. The predominant gin of the 19th century barroom was a Dutch creation distilled from maltwinecalled Genever (“juniper” in Dutch) after its most distinctive botanical. This was... Read More

American Straight Whiskey in 2OO9, reminds me of craft beer.It’s getting more attention than ever; you find bourbon articles everywhere, and even appreciative mention of rye whiskey, a category that was tiny and forgotten five years ago – it’s still tiny, but not forgotten. Like craft beer, more and more... Read More

If there’s any city in this country brimming with iconic American images, figures and monuments, Boston tops the list. And when it comes to cities that are easily commemorated, you need one of iconic standing. The spirit (if you will) of a city is what the folks at Absolut Vodka... Read More

Hawke’s Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, is not only one of the oldest winegrowing areas in that country, dating back to the mid-18OOs, but also one of the largest, extending from 11O miles along the Pacific coastline to at least 45 miles inland. There, cultivatable... Read More

The Cecchi family has been making and selling wine in Tuscany for more than a century, now in Umbria, too. I enjoyed a recent visit and tasting with Andrea Cecchi, who shares the fourth generation with his older brother, Cesare. Andrea, who holds a master of enology degree, is in... Read More

Matt Steinberg is a rare breed in the beer business, an individual who understands the intricate details of how to both brew and sell beer. Derived from entrepreneurial stock – his father, Barry, founded Direct Tire and Auto – Matt understands the artistic and economic sides of the business and... Read More

Though LUPEC Boston ladies are egalitarian imbibers, rye whiskey holds a special place in our hearts,largely because the spirit itself was endangered for a good chunk of the last century. COCKTALE  Rye was the preferred spirit of colonial America, innovated by Scots-Irish immigrantswho brought the grain with them to the... Read More

DOUG & JENNIFER RAMLER  BOTH 38Chef & Manager/OwnersCape Sea Grille Harwich Port MA When Jennifer and Doug Ramler bought the Cape Sea Grille in 2OO2, the outgoing owners had run it since 1994; before that it’d been Café Elizabeth, The Smith House and The Talbot House, going back to 194O. ... Read More

Image is all important in the wine business. Unless there are positive identifications with a country or region some of its wines may be of outstanding quality, but consumers and critics alike remain indifferent. What’s interesting is how often the emergence of a regional industry from obscurity is associated with... Read More