Six Bitters to Have on Hand This Summer

by JBF Editors on August 20, 2012

During these most idle of summer days, we need a damn good reason to abandon our towels and mindless reading. A nicely mixed drink is one acceptable excuse. To ensure that our August libations are of the low-effort, high-reward variety, we turned to Brad Thomas Parsons—author of the JBF Award–winning Bitters: A Spirited History Of A Classic Cure-All With Cocktails, Recipes, And Formulas—for suggestions for unconventional bitters that will add instant pizazz to whatever we're sipping poolside. - The Editors

Bartenders love to describe bitters as the salt and pepper of the bar, but I like to think of them as an entire spice cabinet of liquid seasonings. They play a pivotal role in bringing balance to well-made cocktails, and every serious home bar should have three essential bitters on hand: Angostura, Peychaud’s, and an orange bitters. While this trio will allow you to craft a multitude of classic and... Read more >

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Spirited Artisans

by JBF Editors on May 22, 2012

After states lifted Prohibition-era distilling bans a few years ago, craft spirit producers started to crop up in cities all over America. Jamie Feldmar reports on the comeback of the urban distillery.

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Move over inner-city farmers, rooftop beekeepers, and backyard chickens. It’s time to meet the latest urban industry: moonshine.

Well, not exactly; it’s legal. In recent years, a growing number of craft spirit producers have been building aboveboard distilleries in city centers, eschewing wide-open spaces in exchange for the opportunity to connect directly with their customers. Inspired by the do-it-yourself philosophy of the local-food movement, they’re injecting that same spirit into, well, spirits.

During Prohibition (1920–1933), moonshiners illicitly distilled corn mash into low-grade liquor with a smell and taste so strong it’s a wonder anyone wanted to smuggle it at all. After the repeal it became... Read more >

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Outstanding Drinks Across America

by JBF Editors on April 18, 2012

The next time you want to wet your whistle in one of these cities, check out the following restaurants and watering holes—all semifinalists for the new JBF Award for Outstanding Bar Program—for classic cocktails as well as innovative tipples (and beer, too!).

1. The Zig Zag Café Seattle
COME HERE FOR: The extensive selection of whiskies, rums, and cachaças, plus a rotating menu of more than 20 cocktails, such as the Sarah Law.

2. Clyde Common Portland, OR
COME HERE FOR: A Barrel-Aged Negroni (a traditional gin negroni aged for 2 months in used whiskey barrels) or a Kingston Club.

3. Beretta San Francisco
COME HERE FOR: Handcrafted cocktails like the Kentucky... Read more >

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Wine Wisdom: Extreme Wines

by Anna Mowry on March 26, 2012

When we dream of taking a jaunt to wine country, what usually springs to mind are idyllic scenes of graceful hills and orderly vines. But when Mother Nature has her say, the world of wine isn’t always so tidy and tranquil. Here are four examples of formidable winemaking, from harrowing harvests to plundering pests.

Vertiginous Vineyards

In areas of Germany’s Mosel region, Riesling vines are planted on 45-degree cliffs that loom over the river of the same name. Mechanical harvesting is impossible on such a dramatic incline, so workers have to strap on harnesses and rappel down the terraced slopes to gather grapes. But the tough landscape has its purpose: it provides the fruit with maximum exposure to the sun, essential for developing flavor and body in such a cool climate.

Hints of Lava

Steep vineyards are of lesser concern to vintners on... Read more >

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