Posting this because the same four questions keep coming up on Facebook and elsewhere: What distilleries should I go to? (There are only 6 on the island)What bottles should I bring back?Where should I buy rum?Where should I drink? Before getting to the answers to the above, if learning about Jamaican rums is your thing,... Continue Reading →
For spirited wonks, one of the great joys of travel is seeking out new and exotic bottled treasures and returning home with them in tow. It’s the thrill of the hunt – what will you find? Maybe it’s a bottle you never knew existed? Or perhaps it’s one you’ve stalked for years. For U.S. citizens,... Continue Reading →
If you’re a fan of Scotch single malt whisky, and really, why wouldn’t you be, a visit to the distilleries of Scotland increases your appreciation by an order of magnitude. Having recently completed a ten day trek through Speyside in the Scottish highlands, as well as the island of Islay, Mrs. Wonk and I agree... Continue Reading →
The framed letter on the wall reads: “Dear Sirs, TITANIC Referring to your shipment by this steamer, it is with great regret we have to inform you that the Titanic foundered at 2-20 a.m. 15th instant, after colliding with an iceberg, and is a total loss. Details of shipment are shown at foot. Yours faithfully,... Continue Reading →
One of the occupational hazards of Cocktail Wonkdom is an insatiable desire to find the next great bottle, the big score, the one you've only heard rumors of. After tapping out your local liquor stores and become bored (or frustrated) by ordering online, how do you feed the desire? The simple answer: Travel. The moment Mrs.... Continue Reading →
In October, 2014 Mrs. Wonk and I toured eight whiskey distilleries in the vicinity of Louisville, KY, and Nashville, TN. In a prior post, I described the common elements of these tours in detail, while this post focuses on the unique parts of our Barton 1792 Distillery visit. If you’re not familiar with the whiskey-making... Continue Reading →
Hybrid pot & column still, St. George Spirits Distillery visits are the Cocktail Wonk’s E-ticket ride. During my recent California visit it was a foregone conclusion that I’d visit the Lost Spirits distillery. However, on our last day, circumstances also allowed a stop at St. George Spirits and a quick visit to Forbidden Island. Without... Continue Reading →
California has a disproportionately large number of great Tiki bars, which isn't terribly surprising since Tiki originated in Southern California and the Bay Area during the latter half of the 1930s. Portland has one Tiki Bar of note (Hale Pele) and the Seattle area has Tacoma Cabana, but beyond those, Tiki is relegated to the... Continue Reading →
Beautiful cocktails at San Francisco's Beretta The San Francisco Bay area is a special place for me. I spent twenty of my first twenty-seven years there and always welcome going back, an opportunity afforded me during the recent VMworld conference in San Francisco. The city is a hotbed of world-class cocktail bars, easily in the... Continue Reading →
Deadhead Rum at the Kickoff party bar. TikiKon 2014, a celebration of all things Tiki, was held July 11-13 at the Red Lion Hotel in Vancouver WA, across the river from Portland OR where the precursor to TikiKon started over a decade ago. A previous post of mine covered the Iron TikiTender contest, while... Continue Reading →
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.
