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Ingredients & Formulations

Chilies

A chilled drink of something hot: To create a paradoxical product use chili heat in a drink designed to be served cold. Careful selection of which chili pepper to use and how to process it can rein in heat...

Juniper

Just as juniper trees stay the test of time and can live to be hundreds of years old, juniper berries have been an enduring flavor in the repertoire of distillers through the centuries. Liquids present challenges to archaeologists, as they...

Aquatic Botanicals

Many renowned spirits attach their pedigree to their water source, from Jack Daniel’s using Cave Spring Hollow’s limestone-filtered water to contrasts between whiskeys: Speyside distilleries in the Spey River watershed and the Lakes Distillery distilling the River Derwent having...

The Fixative Effect

A bartender serves up an ice-cold Martini. (If it helps you visualize the scene, let’s say it’s a 7:2 ratio, served up with a twist. Stirred, naturally.) The customer chose a bright, citrus-forward gin. She takes in the beautiful...

Spice up your rum

Spiced rum is the beach in a bottle, a dash of pirate in a cocktail, or a sophisticated and eminently palatable spirit to sip. With this wealth of guises it is no surprise that spiced rum is increasingly popular....

The Rise of American Amaro

Amaro has a larger stateside presence than ever before. Not only are we importing a greater array of amari from Italy, American craft producers have also been trying their hands at making domestic expressions. From coast to coast there...

American Fernet is Here

Flash back a quick decade and fernet was among the most niche of all drinks, passionately beloved by a tiny, dedicated contingent largely consisting of bartenders and only the most dedicated imbibers. Since then, as all things amaro have...

Fortified Wines, Overview and History

Fortified wines are wines that have had their alcohol content increased beyond the percentage possible from fermentation by the addition of high-proof spirits (usually, but not always, brandy). The major types of fortified wines (port, sherry and madeira) all...

Classic Rye Rides High

From the end of Prohibition in 1933, rye whiskies were in steady decline, with 150,000 cases of sold in the United States compared with 14.7 million cases of bourbon in 2006. It was the reemergence of cocktail culture in...

Clairin

In the world of distillation, there are a number of spirits that have a reputation for being rustic, unrefined and raw. Examples include crude fruit or cane spirits often known generically as aguardiente or aguardente in Spain, Portugal and...