Top 10 LA Bars
Described as “100 cities in search of a city,” sprawling Los Angeles really is dozens of cities spread across over a massive 4700 square miles. Growing up nearby in Orange County until we moved to New Jersey/NYC area —...
Bubble Cap Award: Todd Leopold of Leopold Bros.
Big drops of rain hit the sidewalk along the path from the gate to the main door of Leopold Bros. distillery in Denver. The smell of spring rain fills the air. Todd Leopold greets me outside the building in...
America’s First Sweet Potato Vodka
If I had to guess, I’d say 42-year-old David Souza III is a gambling man. Not because he dropped out of college to be a successful entrepreneur in the Las Vegas restaurant and club promotions industries, but because one...
Interview with Duke’s Spirited Cocktails
In 2016, a very special bar opened in downtown Healdsburg from three Spoonbar (https://spoonbar.com) alums: Laura Sanfilippo, Tara Heffernon and Steven Maduro. Since its initial days when Wine Country bartending pioneer Scott Beattie first helmed Spoonbar’s bar, cocktails in...
Interview with Felix Cohen, Bar Manager at Every Cloud
Felix Cohen is a much-needed figure in the London bar world, though web development is his “other” career. As the owner of the tiny, charming Every Cloud (everycloudbar.com) bar in London’s Hackney neighborhood (in our top bars feature, pg....
Frey Ranch Shows the Importance of Long-Term Thinking
Colby Frey knows a thing or two about adversity. His family has been farming in western Nevada for 165 years, 10 years before the territory became a state. The Freys have weathered droughts, depressions, dust storms and numerous other...
New Life for Old Barrels
The story of a whiskey barrel starts in a familiar place: In the cellars and warehouses of cooperages, where lengths of wooden staves are attach around circular barrelheads at each end before being banded together with metal, belt-like hoops...
New Release Roundup for November 2020
My bottle review column (last month’s edition here) is less about tasting notes and more about what is unique, new or trending in spirits alongside my ratings (on a 1–5 rating scale). Now more than ever, small-batch distillers and...
Cultural Fusion at Archie Rose
Archie Rose Distilling Co. is set amidst factories and urban renewal projects in Sydney, Australia. The distillery focuses on customer experience, passion for design and collaboration, and esteem for craft spirits. Founder Will Edwards is excited about his latest...
