#vodka-tasting

#vodka-tasting

"Our study confirmed that in an environment of loud noise, our sense of taste is compromised. Interestingly, this was specific to sweet and umami tastes, with sweet taste inhibited and umami taste significantly enhanced," Robin Dando, one of the study's authors, told the Cornell Chronicle after the study came out.

Kina Lillet was still being made according to the original recipe that it launched with in the late 1800s - fruit liqueur, wine, and quinine.

The Old Fashioned may be the most quintessential après-ski cocktail of them all. It's warm, satisfying, and perfectly suited for lingering conversations with friends gathered around a roaring fireplace. With each sip, the drink subtly evolves as the ice slowly melts-an ever-changing experience in a single glass. Holding one immediately sets you apart, in the best way, from the beer-and-wine crowd at an après party.

The U.S. spirits landscape has evolved far beyond the recognition of simply being the birthplace of bourbon. In recent years, we've seen a transformation in both the quality and individuality that the country's craft distilleries have been able to produce. While previous decades were dominated by the big-name distilleries, far more awards are going to craft distillers who have mastered the art of producing high-quality whiskeys, rums, gins, and more.

Boston Beer posted Q3 revenue of $537.5 million, down 11.2% year-over-year, while expanding gross margin to 50.8%.

One trend I'd happily see fade away in 2026 is the obsession with overly complicated, garnish-heavy cocktails that prioritize spectacle over balance. There's nothing wrong with a drink that looks beautiful, but when the garnish becomes the entire point of the drink, it often means the cocktail itself is an afterthought.

As a professional bartender with years of behind-the-bar experience, I've tasted, mixed, and served my fair share of spirits - from obscure craft distilleries to globally recognized icons. Over time, I've noticed a recurring pattern: certain brands achieve fame, hype, or luxury pricing that their actual liquid rarely justifies. That's what I mean by "overrated." For the purposes of this article, an overrated brand is one that is sought-after, valued, or frequently discussed, yet, in terms of aroma, flavor, or overall drinking experience, fails to live up to its popularity, demand, or price point.

There is no environment more hostile to our senses than an airplane. In her book, Naglich explains how the recycled, stale cabin air dries out our noses and mouths, effectively muting our taste receptors. This means nothing tastes the way it should at 35,000 feet, so the cocktail you're making needs to be packed with flavorful components, otherwise it won't taste like much of anything.

"I wouldn't say the bramble is the only way to enjoy contemporary gin, but it's absolutely one of the most flattering cocktails to highlight the category," says Justin Lavenue, co-owner of Austin's famed cocktail bar The Roosevelt Room. "Contemporary gins, which tend to lean away from heavy juniper and more toward citrus, floral, root, and herbaceous notes, shine in cocktails where those subtleties have room to breathe. Unlike many other gin-based classics, the bramble gives them exactly that platform."

The following is a roundup and ranking of a whopping 19 different bottles, and if I'm being honest, ranking them was no easy task. All of the below are either single-pour spirits or spirits that can easily be mellowed out with a cream liqueur addition (such is the case with some of the espresso/coffee/chocolate liqueurs below). So, when ranking them, I relied heavily on personal preference.

just before we collectively stumbled into this shitty timeline marred by "fake news" and idiot fascism, a journalist did that thing that journalism used to do: hold power to account. In this case, the power was Big Bay Leaf, and the reporter was Kelly Conaboy, writing for the Awl on a "vast bay leaf conspiracy" that-then as now-cons well-meaning home cooks into buying weird leaves that taste and smell like "nothing."