The back bar
This is my back bar. Each entry says what a spirit is, which cocktails it belongs in, how to buy it and where the popular stories go wrong.
whiskey · distillation
Corn or rye in the mash, new charred oak around it, and a federal rulebook that says nothing about Kentucky. How the two American whiskeys are made, what the labels promise, and where each belongs in a glass.
6 min read · 8 sources
liqueur · botanicals
Herbal secrets from Fecamp and the Chartreuse mountains, orange liqueurs from curacao to Cointreau, marasca cherries, Danish cherry liqueur and coffee. The sweet modifiers that give classic cocktails their second voice.
7 min read · 10 sources
brandy · distillation
Two countries, two legal definitions, one name. How Peruvian and Chilean pisco are made and categorized, why the dispute exists, and why the Pisco Sour and the Chilcano belong on any serious menu.
6 min read · 9 sources
wine · carbonation
Champagne, prosecco and cava on one side, sherry, port and madeira on the other. What makes each what it is, how to store an open bottle, and why the French 75, the Aperol Spritz and the sherry cobbler are wine drinks first.
7 min read · 17 sources