Category: Pairings

Residents of the United States drank 7.8 billion gallons of booze in 2023, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). That same year — the latest of NIAAA’s available data — considerable slides in wine and beer consumption predicated a nearly 15 million-gallon dip in total alcohol consumption in the United States. Spirits was the only category to record growth, up 2.6 percent year-over-year to 734.2

When ordering a classic cocktail, drinkers can anticipate how the beverage will likely taste. But as more craft cocktail bars open and drink programs lean into bespoke recipes, predicting the flavor of an unfamiliar menu item becomes a bit more difficult. Rather than relying on previous experiences with well-established concoctions like the Negroni or Old Fashioned, drinkers must consider the ingredients in each drink and imagine how they might taste

Tequila has been enjoying somewhat of a heyday in the U.S. of late. In addition to the long-established legacy brands, the tequila category is rife with young companies leveraging celebrities and influencers to get noticed. While LALO Tequila is a relatively new producer, its founders have made a concerted effort to do the opposite and set out to make quality juice without any of the bells and whistles. Eduardo Gonzàlez

Since the 1970s, the rolling hills of vineyards — particularly those on the West Coast — have been hotspots for wine tourism. Now, wine country outings remain popular, but they’re beginning to look a bit different. What was once the most alluring aspect of tasting rooms — the vineyards themselves — appears to now be the least important component of visiting a winery. Instead, visitors prioritize spending time at wineries’

Generations are more or less made up. They’re a social construct, much like “time” and “the rule of law.” That doesn’t mean cultural norms aren’t shifting, and it certainly hasn’t stopped the beverage-alcohol industry from collectively freaking the hell out about it. But from Zoomer to Boomer and beyond, this generation stuff is kinda squishy. Seasons, on the other hand, are pretty real. In the United States, winter tends to