Monthly Archives: July 2009

What part of Funaguchi Kikusui Ichibanshibori Nama Genshu Honjōzō don’t you understand?

I’ve had this picture on my phone for some time. I bought this sake a few months ago at the very charming Sakaya in the East Village and I’ve been waiting to gather some background information on it. The opportunity … Continue reading

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Filed under Sake

Gin-o-matic

Throughout beverage history technology has brought many new and improved ways to imbibe; bottled wine (rather than clay pots), wide-mouth beer cans, and of course the wine glass on a rope.  Unfortunately, sometimes technology moves in reverse.  For example, back … Continue reading

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Filed under Spirits

Think Wine Spectator will cover it?

More plausible than keeping hearts young or preventing extensive brain damage following a stroke, red wine may increase women’s libido! Doctors at the University of Florence studied 800 women, aged 18-50, and split them into 3 groups; those who regularly … Continue reading

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Filed under Alcohol in the News, Wine

Thirsty heavy metal hitmakers

I came across something that shows even bad boys with big hair enjoy wine from time to time. “Me and My Wine” was on Def Leppard’s second album, High N’ Dry, which was released in the U.S. in 1984. Seems … Continue reading

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Filed under Alcohol in Music, Videos

If Homer Simpson drank wine

Tocai or Tocai Friulano is an old Friulian name for Sauvignonasse, a widely planted white varietal in northeastern Italy. It’s a productive, late-budding varietal that produces a light-bodied wine with floral and almond notes best consumed in its youth. In … Continue reading

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For you tough guys

Yup, a brass knuckle wine opener.  I’ve seen a lot of commentary about this online – Samurai sommelier jokes, gang members who don’t like beer – but, I can’t seem to find a place to buy one. Jonathan Sabine designed … Continue reading

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Filed under Gadgets

Playing second fiddle

Instead of heading north of Bordeaux, we’ll head south-east to a drier, warmer climate where there’s a long, rich history of local consumption of spirits made by individual producers rather than major brands.  We’ve covered Cognac so now we’re going … Continue reading

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Filed under Lessons, Spirits

A shot at the bar?

A lot of things pair well with drinking – watching sports, eating peanuts/pizza/burgers/pretty much anything, dancing – but handguns?  Really?  Two states, Tennessee and Arizona, have recently passed legislation making it ok to carry a concealed weapon into a bar.  … Continue reading

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Filed under Alcohol in the News, Videos

Thirsty for etymology

Alcohol comes from the Arabic alko’hl, which translates to finely divided – a reference to the separation that occurs during distillation.  While not everyone may have been drinking it (poor things), they were using it for medicinal and perfume-making purposes. … Continue reading

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Filed under Lessons

Hold the sausage, pass the beer

I tried a mustard beer last night with my dinner at JoeDoe.  It hails from the Regenboog Brewery in Belgium (Brouwerij De Regenboog or Brouwerij ‘t Smisje in Dutch).  Specifically, the brewery’s located in the West Flanders municipality of Assebroek, … Continue reading

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Filed under Beer