INTRODUCTION TO STOUT BEERS Stout beers are those which are made with a very rich, dark blend of ingredients to create a thicker and more flavorful beer. They are usually dark brown or even black in appearance with a substantial head foam. Flavors commonly found in stout beers are very earthy, rich, and strong such … Read more
INTRODUCTION TO SOJU Soju is a famous Korean rice wine. It’s made exclusively in North and South Korea, with each region of the countries producing a unique flavor of wine. Surprisingly to many people, soju is the best selling spirit in the world, trumping the competition by more than double the sales. Many of those … Read more
INTRODUCTION TO PORTER BEERS Porters have often been compared against stout beers because of the similarities. While they are made of a lot of the same ingredients and might even use the same methods, porters have their own defining characteristics. The use of strong malts in porter makes it uniquely flavorful with a different set … Read more
INTRODUCTION TO PISCO Pisco is a pale brandy that’s produced in South America in specific regions of Peru and Chile. It has a very long history as the drink of choice for Spanish settlers in the continent. Since Spanish alcohol was very expensive to import, they began to brew their own strong brandies in the … Read more
OUZO: THE LOCAL GREEK SPIRIT Out of all the unique spirits around the world, Ouzo is one that takes on a life of its own depending on where it’s made. It can only be made in Greece and is usually brewed by very small local operations. There are only a few major distributors of Ouzo, … Read more
CHOOSING THE BEST LIQUEUR Liqueur is a sweet, sometimes syrupy alcohol composed of distilled spirits and flavor agents. A wide variety of things can be used to flavor liqueurs, many of which are naturally sweet or rich like berries, chocolate, or coffee. Many people will use liqueur for different purposes, so it’s important to choose … Read more
WHAT IS MEZCAL? Mezcal is a type Mexican hard liquor made from roasting, grinding, and distilling agave hearts. It’s a close cousin to Tequila, but the roasting and brewing processes are not the same so a different flavor is produced in the end. Many Mezcals have a very smoky quality with a lot of herbal … Read more
WHAT IS VERMOUTH? Vermouth takes a wine base and turns it into a new, highly aromatic drink fortified with a spirit. These wines can be white, red, rose, or amber. The tastes vary between particular brands, but the basic styles are usually either very dry or very sweet. Vermouth always has some sort of spice … Read more
SHERRY WORLDWIDE Sherry wines come from a southern region of Spain and are usually made with Palamino white grapes, although there are other grapes which can be used instead. They are fortified with neutral spirits in order to raise the alcohol content before being sold. There are a large range of Sherries made around the … Read more
WHAT IS MEAD? Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey. It can be flavored with a range of rich ingredients such as fruits, herbs, barks, spices, and more. Mead has not been a very popular drink for years, but recently more bottlers seem to be experimenting with making mead again, bringing it back … Read more
Armagnac is a type of brandy made in a certain region of France. It’s closely related to the similar, but better known brandy Cognac which is also made exclusively in France. Although there is a similar process to make these two brandies, the resulting difference is huge and noticeable. Armagnac usually hosts a lot of … Read more
Sake, the national liquor of Japan, has been world renowned for as long as anyone can remember. The clear liquor can be made from one of numerous (more than 80!) sake rice located around Japan. Although most would probably assume by its color that sake is made in the same fashion as wine, with a … Read more