Drinks Wire

Excelsior 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon – Wine Wednesday

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As you know, we try to make Wine Wednesday’s fun and bring you interesting-yet-affordable wines for $10 and under. Our assignment is often challenging; it isn’t always easy to find wine at the $10 and under price point and end up drinking a fair amount of wine to bring you 52 Wine Wednesdays a year. This week’s pick is a familiar varietal from a relatively unfamiliar region.

This week’s Wine Wednesday is a Cabernet Sauvignon … Read more

Gitane – A Sherry Spectacular

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It’s not often that we offer a restaurant review on DOTW but this really isn’t a restaurant review, it’s more of a booze rave. We recently headed to Gitane in San Francisco to experience their cocktail menu. I have recently become interested in wine-based cocktails (and DOTW plans to bring you a new series on wine based cocktails soon) and we went out on a scouting mission. It’s actually not that easy to find cocktail … Read more

Fearing French Wine

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I will admit that French wine scares me. Even after all the wine classes I have taken, France remains the great unknown and it seems unknowable. But I also realize that if I am going to be remotely close to becoming a wine goddess, I will need to know France. I will have to embrace France.

It is this realization that spurs me to take two actions. First, I need to figure out my issues … Read more

Prohibition on PBS

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Ken Burns, the amazing documentarian who brings American history alive in his documentaries on such diverse subjects as the Statute of Liberty, the Civil War, baseball, jazz and the national parks, tackles Prohibition. In our opinion, Prohibition was one of the darkest periods in American history when patronizing moralists outlawed alcohol in a backlash against immigrants and the working class. The 18th amendment was only the second amendment that stripped Americans of their rights (I … Read more

Effen’s Art of Design SF Cocktail Contest

We recently attended Effen Vodka‘s Art of Design Cocktail Contest in SF and our very own Jonas Halpren was one of the three judges, along with USBG President, Dave Nepove, and Wine Fashoinista, Mary Orlin.

In a very cool space at the Terra Gallery in SOMA, Effen gathered 10 Bay Area mixologists from near and far. The mixologists were then paired into teams of two (not quite sure how the pairing occurred—secretly planned twosomes or … Read more

Wild Turkey 101 Proof Bourbon Review

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It’s the granddaddy of the Wild Turkeys, the Wild Turkey 101! Its big, bold and badass. When fern bars reigned supreme during the 1970s and 1980s, Wild Turkey was one of the few distilleries to continue bottling at 101 Proof. It refused to compromise and continued its proud tradition of making Bourbon for Bourbon aficionados. For some reason, I don’t see Wild Turkey being popular in fern bars anyway; it clashes with the white wine … Read more

Tomato Martini

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Tomatoes are in season! When you make bruschetta or pico de gallo, set aside a couple of tomatoes to make this crazy-delicious Martini.… Read more

Kirkland Premium Small Batch Bourbon, Aged 7 Years Review

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On a recent outing to Costco, we ran across a new item, the Kirkland Premium Small Batch Bourbon. You might be thinking, really, Costco is making bourbon now? Well, Costco isn’t really making bourbon; they sourced it from one of the distilleries and private labelled it. Given the price at $19.99, I was game to try it. My husband and brother-in-law drink bourbon like it was 1818 (it’s almost a water substitute at my place, … Read more

DIY Cocktail Onions

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Cocktail onions may seem like an outdated garnish. A lot of bars don’t even bother to stock them. However, when done right, they add a nice savory finish to a good stiff drink.

Of course, you can’t make a Gibson without them.

Check out this tasty and simple recipe.… Read more

Mandra Rossa 2008 Fiano – Wine Wednesday

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This week’s Wine Wednesday comes to us from one of my favorite wine regions in the world, Italy. And it’s made from an ancient and relatively obscure grape, the Fiano. While Fiano generally grows in Campagnia, these grapes were grown in Sicily. Who knew? For those of you who like big, luscious, fruit forward wine, Fiano is the wine for you. If Marilyn Monroe had been a wine, this is what she would be. Sexy, … Read more