There is a lot to unpack about rum. It has a complicated history marred by colonialism. It can be made from sugar cane or molasses. It can taste light and sweet or funky and vegetal depending on where it’s coming from and whether it’s spelled with an “h.” There’s a perpetual push to move the category past its lowbrow image of a good-time party drink. These elements tend to scatter
Much like Americans, Europeans love beer. From the green, rolling hills of Ireland to the jagged Alps, beer has been a vital part of the continent’s culture for centuries. But not all of Europe’s beer cultures look the same. Regional beer styles around Europe came about for a number of reasons. For one, early brewmasters worked with local ingredients and the machinery available to them, in turn developing an area’s
Extolled as closer to humans than plants and waxed poetic at the end of the world, mushrooms are having a moment (and have been for years). From coffee alternatives to non-alcoholic spirits, functional properties around energy and cognitive function inspire their integration into countless beverages these days. Culturally, edible mushrooms capitalize on their seductive relation to health as much as danger, but when incorporated into an alcoholic beverage, mushrooms are
This is VinePair’s Booze News Weekly Roundup, where we gather the hottest headlines and product releases every Friday for a snapshot of what’s happening in the beverage alcohol industry. This week, we have the news on Brown-Forman’s CEO stepping down, updates on a record-early grape harvest in California, the industry’s latest product releases, and more. News to know: Brown-Forman president and chief executive officer Lawson Whiting announced on Monday that
Golden Rule, the latest project from Bay Area restaurant group Back Home Hospitality (best known for Che Fico), is a neighborhood spot at heart and a sports bar by virtue of its location. It’s part of Thrive City, the complex surrounding Chase Center where both the Golden State Warriors and Valkyries play basketball. When the group’s bar director Danielle Peters-Clossey started planning out the menu, she knew it needed to
In the wake of the recently released “Sauvy B” from Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits and famed winemaker Joel Gott, Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss whether wine-based RTDs, particularly those that proclaim their wine affiliations proudly, can serve as a bridge from RTDs to wine for younger drinkers. Will loving a Sauvignon Blanc-based canned spritz eventually convince someone to order a glass of wine at a restaurant, or pick up
For the past month, as the high drama of the World Cup has kept sports fans glued to their televisions and smartphone screens, politicos and news junkies have been enthralled by a much lower drama unfolding in Maine. With the battle for one of the state’s seats in the United States Senate well underway, a star player has been sent off the pitch. Now, one of the sides is scrambling
Whether world-renowned institutions with thorough cocktail programs or laid-back dives, bars have a knack for keeping patrons satiated with low-cost bites. But beyond the tried and true — say, a ramekin of salted nuts or a bowl of chips — the best bar snacks walk the line between a quick and easy bite and a full meal. Hot dogs fall in that sweet spot. They are relatively cheap, simple, and
Rickhouses are hard to miss on a whiskey distillery property. Sometimes called rackhouses, these tall, imposing buildings stand stoic and proud, almost sentient, as if they know the secrets lurking within the rows and columns of whiskey barrels tucked behind their walls. Old-school rickhouses look like vintage wood barns or stone buildings lifted from centuries past. Modern iterations resemble the love child of an office building and a greenhouse. Regardless
While some whiskeys, like bourbon, have requirements for how long and in what type of barrel they are aged, there’s a little more flexibility in how the products are finished. And today more than ever, industrious distillers around the world are experimenting with different cask finishes. Oak aging provides the spirit’s signature color and flavor notes like vanilla and baking spice. Cask-finishing lets distillers add secondary flavors that complement the