Category Archives: LIQUOR

Absinthe of ‘Alice’

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

Bernard Black (proprietor of Black Books) referred to it as ‘the drink that makes you want to kill yourself.’ Oscar Wilde claimed, ‘After the first glass of absinthe you see things as you wish they were…’, by which he may … Continue reading →

Posted in Absinthe | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Marketing To Minors: P. Diddy’s Hand Cîrocs My Cradle

Posted on January 14, 2013 by

First—with the exception of a couple of my kids who may tune in to see if their names get mentioned—we’re all adults here, so let’s suffer no fools and yank no chains:  We all know how the merry mass-mockery of … Continue reading →

Posted in LIQUOR, Vodka | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Sammy And Jack, Sammy and Jack; I’m Gonna Get Me Some Sammy And Jack

Posted on July 20, 2012 by

The  best part of covering celebrity wines is that you don’t actually have to taste them to finagle columns from them thousands of words long. And do you know why?  Because, my droogies, there’s no need to taste a celebrity … Continue reading →

Posted in CALIFORNIA, GENERAL, Napa, Rum | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Kassel Is Emasculated By An Empowerpuff Public Relations Morselette (And Brian Howlett)

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

Ever heard of a cocktail called a Mint Julep?  How about a Mai Tai? Yeah; me too, so why is the publicist from Empower Public Relations sending me emails listing them among ‘Five Cocktails You May Not Have Heard Of’? … Continue reading →

Posted in GENERAL, LIQUOR, Miscellaneous | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

You Side With The Angels—Me, I’ve Got Lincoln Henderson’s Back

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

The following review contains words like ‘penis’ and may not be suitable for adults. “For in the Resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in Heaven.”  – Matthew 22:30 As the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bourbon, LIQUOR | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Satan’s Vodka: Was Reagan Right About ‘The Evil Empire’?

Posted on February 12, 2012 by

Real men don’t drink vodka. How do I know this?  Primarily from the score.  Cold War = We won.  Communism vs. Capitalism = We won.  Space Race = We won.  Any James Bond novel = We won. I know, James … Continue reading →

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Beat The Muddles: Drinks from the Beatnik Generation

Posted on January 7, 2012 by

January 6, 2012 would have marked the 77th birthday of John ‘The Hipster of Joy Street’ Wieners, an influential lyric poet who was one of the lesser known writers of the Beat Generation. Like any self-respecting beatnik, Wieners was born … Continue reading →

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Wine, Women and Just Plain Wrong

Posted on November 21, 2011 by

I recently read a post by Huffington reporter Brooke Carey in which she got all full of herself because her boyfriend called her ‘more of a man than him’ when she ordered whiskey instead of what he’d asked for: Bud … Continue reading →

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Gold and Glory: Partida Tequila’s Personal Eldorado

Posted on October 24, 2011 by

Your garden variety Mexican-art-collecting, charity-focused California philanthropist  might resent  being compared to a predatory 15th century  Spanish Conquistador, but J. Gary Shansby is anything but boilerplate.  The San Francisco private equity investor, a 35-year veteran of consumer brand development for … Continue reading →

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The ‘I’ Generation: Everybody’s Favorite Letter

Posted on October 17, 2011 by

This is a rather odd piece, granted.  It involves an attempt by Siberian winemakers to produce Super Tuscans in a climate where it snows in July and the average temperature is minus forty. Not really.  It’s really about Moscow’s recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Vodka | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment