Desmond Payne has done it again. Following on the success of Beefeater 24, Payne’s modern take on the iconic Beefeater London Dry Gin, the Master Distiller has unveiled a limited-release, seasonal gin: the Beefeater Summer Edition. I first encountered the Summer Edition this past spring at the Gin Symposium, when Payne and Plymouth Gin Master…
Read MoreWith its ancient distilling methods and complex, earthy flavor profile, mezcal has captured the hearts and palates of a growing number of admirers with every sip. Founded in 2007 and now available in the U.S., Ilegal Mezcal was introduced last month to an eager group of mezcal enthusiasts at Las Perlas.
Read MoreBy any standard, Bill Samuels Jr. has done a remarkable job of carrying on his parents’ legacy during his 35-year tenure as President of Maker’s Mark. Not long after Samuels assumed the company’s reins in 1975, Maker’s Mark experienced double digit growth for the first time. Under his leadership, the brand expanded beyond its home…
Read MoreMany spirits enthusiasts are on a never-ending quest for a brand that not only becomes a go-to bottle, but one that also embodies a personal concept of distilled perfection. However, few have the ambition or resources to actually create that spirit. Ken Austin, a former executive at Seagram and founding member of Marquis Jet, has…
Read MoreEngland may not be able to produce a decent World Cup goalkeeper, but after centuries of brewing it certainly knows its beer. Introduced in 1927, Newcastle Brown Ale is a relative youngster compared to other English beers, debuting to acclaim and expanding since then to its current global standing. Craft beer aficionados may not clamor…
Read MoreA few years ago, Master Distiller Desmond Payne was given a task that must have seemed at once exhilarating and daunting: take the legendary Beefeater London Dry Gin and create a new, super premium gin for the modern global cocktail culture. Payne had to keep Beefeater’s original nine botanicals, the botanicals had to steep for…
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With a limit of just nine attendees, Stories from Behind the Bar: PDT was one of the first seminars to sell out almost immediately after online tickets went on sale. Since its opening in 2007, Please Don’t Tell (PDT) has garnered acclaim for its classically-inspired seasonal cocktails: at the Tales of the Cocktail 2009 Spirited Awards, PDT was named World’s Best Cocktail Bar and Managing Partner Jim Meehan was named American Bartender of the Year.
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Of the dozens of events that took place during the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, the Three Hour Tour was arguably the most eagerly anticipated. All 242 tickets for the booze cruise quickly sold out, and no matter how desperate your plea or generous your bribe, if you didn’t have a ticket, you were up the Hudson without a paddle.
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Most people would be content to be recognized as an internationally renowned artist, with pieces housed in the permanent collections of LACMA and the Guggenheim. But Ron Cooper, Founder and President of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, isn’t most people.
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