On The Road We drank bourbon at every lounge in the Atlanta airport As a seasoned travelers, we are well-acquainted with the pleasures of the airport lounge. It offers a respite from the masses, a dedicated bathroom, a smattering of (usually mediocre) snacks, and a bevy of alcoholic drinks to enjoy between gates.
Cocktails Happy Whiskey Sour Day! The foundation of a sour is simple: spirit, sweet, and citrus. A delightful quaff that delivers a little punch from the booze, a little sweet from sugar, and a heavy dose of zest from citrus.
Banter Testing the Total Wine Traveller Whiskey Old Fashioned As your dedicated and fearless Cocktail Editor, I sacrificed my tastebuds and gastrointestinal peace to test how bad this drink is.
Banter Sustainability at Wilderness Trail Distillery I’ve been to dozens of bourbon distilleries, and I can confidently say that Wilderness Trail is truly built differently. Everything they do is underpinned by expertise and near fanaticism for science.
Banter Whiskey Glassware 101: Beginner's Guide When it comes to tasting whiskey - and any spirit, for that matter - there is a wide array of shapes to choose from, each promising to be “the best.” This guide overviews the most common glassware types for drinking whiskey.
Mezcal Review State of the Margarita with Ilegal Mezcal Reposado Many of us are haunted by that one alcohol we had a terrible evening with years back. For me, it's tequila. I do enjoy a Margarita, but beyond that, I can't stomach the agave liquor.
American Whiskey Reviews Lodestar American Whiskey Review The blend of high rye and single malt whiskey yields a mild burnt sugar sweetness complemented by the toastiness of the malt. The finish leaves a delightful tingle, both from the proof and the high rye mashbill.
Bourbon Whiskey Reviews I.W. Harper Cabernet Cask Reserve Bourbon Review Too often secondary finishes are used to cover up mediocre juice and can leave an unbalanced sweetness with an unpleasant finish. This is not the case with the Cab Cask Reserve, and, to me, it tastes like a better-balanced, more nuanced Angel's Envy Port Finish.
North American Whiskey Review Fraser & Thompson Whiskey Review The bottle tag states, "It's going to be strange liking whiskey," but I already like whiskey, and I don't like this one. It doesn’t bring anything new to the market, and adding 8% Kentucky bourbon to the 92% Canadian whisky does not add any dimension.
Banter Inaugural Bourbon & Banter Summit Recap We recently wrapped our first annual Bourbon & Banter Community Summit held in Louisville, Kentucky. We were thrilled to be able to mix and mingle with our community members from across the country IRL. If you’re curious what it’s like to be a member of our community, here are a few highlights.
Flavored Whiskey Reviews Jefferson's Pumpkin Patch Bourbon Review I really don’t think you can go wrong with this bottle. Whether you’re embracing your inner white girl or are just one of those adults who is way too into Halloween, this bottle is not to be missed. If you can snag a bottle, definitely do it!
Banter Brie Hayden: Bottle Artist Extraordinaire And then the big break came with her second piece, which launched her to the next level artistically. In 2020, her piece caught the eye of a partner with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Teremana Tequila, who commissioned her to draw the celeb's tequila bottle to be given as a gift for his birthday.
Rum Reviews Angostura 7-Year-Old Rum Review Angostura doesn't just make bitters; they are also a robust rum distillery. The Angostura 7-year-old rum is a great pour for those who are rum-curious or want to experience a bourbon cocktail in a fresh way.
Banter The Truth About Crab Trapper Whiskey Since I’m always up for an adventure, of course, I wanted to try Crab Trapper Whiskey when offered a sample. It’s a 4-year-old bourbon steeped with 90 pounds of green crabs and seasoned with spices reminiscent of a low-country boil. Crazy, right? But I was up for it.
Cocktails In Defense of the Espresso Martini Every year, it seems another cocktail is the target of inexplicable ire and intense kvetching by both the press and certain bartenders. In 2019, the Aperol Spritz found a laser sight on itself, being called “not a good drink” by the New York Times.
Cocktails Holiday Spice Old Fashioned Recipe This time of year, I am frequently asked for holiday cocktail recipes. Though I have dozens of ideas, I love to come back to a simple twist on my all time favorite cocktail, the Old Fashioned.
Banter Buffalo Trace 2021 George T. Stagg Non-Release Review Every year, I wait longingly for the release of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, praying to snag just one bottle. This set of five ultra premium, highly prized whiskeys from Buffalo Trace garners a wild-eyed, cash-throwing frenzy from bourbon collectors and flippers alike.
Cocktails The Ultimate Guide to the Old Fashioned Cocktail If you know any whiskey cocktail, it should be the Old Fashioned. Made well, the simple marriage of whiskey, sugar, and bitters yields one of the most delightful cocktails you will ever enjoy. Made poorly, it will undoubtedly sour you on the drink, and for some, whiskey cocktails in general.
Bottled Cocktails Cask & Kettle Hard Coffee Cocktails Review The folks at Cask & Kettle are self-proclaimed “hot drink and cocktail lovers.” This affinity led them to create 5 flavors of pre-mixed cocktail pods that only require adding water.
Rye Whiskey Reviews Blue Run Golden Rye Whiskey Review This is Blue Run’s inaugural rye release schedule to debut on September 6, 2021 – a sourced Kentucky straight rye whiskey. I found this rye to have a super cool funk on the palate with a very heavy note of sorghum sugar, which has a distinct earthy, sweet flavor.
Cocktails Tip Top Proper Cocktails Old Fashioned: Your New Favorite Inflight Drink I recently took my first post-quarantine flight and, as a former frequent traveler, I had so missed the ritual of snagging a cocktail mid-flight to signal the true end of the day or the beginning of vacation.
Cocktails The Ranch Water Cocktail: The Original Hard Seltzer Love them or hate them, hard seltzers are here to stay. For me, I enjoy a Truly or 12 on a hot day: they are the perfect poolside drink, fantastically portable for your boat-drinking needs, and are always a crowd pleaser. But where did this phenomenon come from?
Cocktails Kentucky Campfire Old Fashioned Cocktail My best advice about cocktails is to view the classics not as a recipe, but as a formula. This is especially true of my favorite cocktail: the Old Fashioned.
Cocktails Tamworth Distilling Skiklubben Aquavit Review & Cocktail The folks at Tamworth Distilling live for turning notions of what goes into a distilled spirit upside down.
Cocktails Coole Swan Irish Cream Liqueur Review + Cocktail As a kid, I would always sneak a little sip from my parent’s glass of Bailey’s whenever it made an appearance.
