A Wild Turkey Celebration of National Bourbon Heritage Month

This weekend has been an especially memorable one for Wild Turkey, thanks to Friday’s induction of Associate Distiller Eddie Russell into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. The prestigious honor is part of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which concludes its six-day celebration of America’s Native Spirit today. Even if you didn’t make it to Bardstown…

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Say Aloha to Kōloa Kauai Dark Rum

Of all of the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is perhaps the most fitting place for the Kōloa Rum Company to call home. Captain James Cook (commanding the HMS Resolution) and the HMS Discovery first landed on the Hawaiian Islands at Waimea, Kauai in 1778; in the holds of both ships were barrels of rum. Hawaii’s first sugar plantation was founded in Kōloa, Kauai in 1835, and small batch rum was said to be produced from the very first harvest, which took place in 1837. It’s from this Kauai town that Kōloa Rum gets its name.

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Classic Cocktails and Barstool Wisdom from Old Man Drinks

“I’m gonna die some day, so I may as well drink.” ~Dick, 80, factory worker The above quote is one of dozens of pearls of wisdom found in Old Man Drinks: Recipes, Advice, and Barstool Wisdom, a nifty new book by Robert Schnakenberg (The Encyclopedia Shatnerica, Christopher Walken A-Z). Old Man Drinks is a cocktail…

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Ready for Departure with Tequila Avión Silver

After tasting through the three expressions of the excellent Tequila Avión range at a recent sneak preview, I was looking forward to taking the newly-launched ultra premium brand for a few spins at home. Just in time for National Tequila Day, the Booze Fairy delivered a review bottle of Tequila Avión Silver. Tequila Avión is…

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Have Bitters, Will Travel: The Bitter Truth Traveler’s Set

From their origins as medicinal products, bitters became an integral part of the Golden Age of cocktails, providing drinks with flavor, depth and complexity. Prohibition devastated the bitters industry; only a few brands survived and many disappeared, never to return. Thanks to the ongoing cocktail renaissance, bitters have clawed their way from the brink and…

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Cocktails Go Dutch with Bols Genever

With the Netherlands reaching the World Cup final for the first time since 1978, the genever is sure to be flowing this Sunday, and mixologists and cocktail enthusiasts alike will be reaching for Bols Genever. Founded in 1575 by the Lucas Bols family, Bols Distilleries is the leading producer of genever, aka Holland Gin or…

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The Spirit of the Season: Beefeater Summer Edition Gin

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…

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Power to The People’s Cocktail at Drago Centro

Depending on where you were in Los Angeles last Wednesday, you weren’t very far from a great cocktail event, whether it was the Whiskey Social at Wilshire on the Westside or a three-course tequila pairing dinner at Malo in Silver Lake. But for sheer variety of cocktails to choose from, it was hard to beat…

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