Obligatory disclaimer: This post is based on a media event held by the Lunchpad, so portions are sized down and it was all free to me. The Lunchpad has been holding court in Hayes Valley’s Noir Lounge for about three years now, transforming the posh, gothic nightlife space into . . . a posh, gothic
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Obligatory disclaimer: The Azzurre Spirits I’m about to review for you were provided to me for sampling. Vodka and gin made with apples, grapes, and sugar cane instead of potato or corn or wheat? Why go against the grain, so to speak? Because Azzurre Spirits founder Dan Pettit found the liquor industry trend toward numerous
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Last week, I posted Part 1 of this two-part series on the most memorable wines from the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC), based in Lodi. I also participated in the Livermore Valley pre-excursion, so those wines crop up here. And they crop up on Instagram, where I first posted this picture from our Concannon dinner:
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  Recently, I was invited by Justin of the Grapevine Consulting to come and check out Coastal Spirits distillery and their new Gin Farallon.  Pretty much everything about Coastal Spirits is new; Brad Plummer launched his first spirit, Vodka Farallon, last September. It’s already picked up a medal from the American Distilling Institute and is
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Since I moved to the Bay Area two years ago, I’ve heard countless admonitions that I hadn’t been to St. George Spirits (2601 Monarch St., Alameda Point), one of the first craft distilleries in the US. Even more recently, that’s shifted to countless admonitions to check out Faction Brewing, housed next door, as beer appeals
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I was thrilled to again judge a Fire in the Triangle battle, having judged my first last year when NC Competition Dining premiered in the Research Triangle. If you love food and live in the area, then you simply must make next year’s series—it’s too late for this year’s. All the battles have been sold
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Back in the fall, I spent a few days at TOPO Distillery’s facilities as part of the Terra VITA Sustainable Classroom. It was a strange sort of torture being so close to their organic, 99.6% local (more on that later) array of spirits that includes white whiskey, vodka, and gin. So I asked Esteban McMahan,
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Covington Sweet Potato Vodka Snow Hill, NC 40% ABV With a slogan like “the best yam vodka on Earth,” Covington gets out of my gate with a head start. If you are not a pun enthusiast, that may translate to a 10-second penalty. It’s made in North Carolina and thus qualifies as a local spirit
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Effen Vodka 80 Proof Wheat Vodka from Holland Who can resist a name like that? Not me! I’m tasting this vodka chilled because I can’t contemplate drinking warm vodka by itself, even though warm beverages have better flavor profiles (see how much I’ve learned in the 5 years I’ve been doing this blog?). So my
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Saketini Shiki Sushi Southwest Durham Website $8 This is a very simple martini, consisting of vodka and Gekkeikan nigori sake, which is the creamy type for those of you not up on your sake terminology. Frankly, there’s no need to have a martini this simple; you might as well drink vodka or sake on their
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