My whisky epiphany; Or, the day I put the most expensive thing in my mouth – ever.

April may be the cruelest month, but for those of us wishing the weather could nudge from arctice to Tampa temperate, March isn’t far behind.
But it’s perfect Scotch whisky weather.
Of course, it also doesn’t hurt when your drinking buddy is Dalmore whisky’s master blender Richard Paterson. He recently invited me to join him for a lesson in whisky appreciation at the Capital Grille at Tampa’s International Plaza. And if ever you’re as preposterously lucky as I was to be asked to taste whisky (or hell, tepid bath water) with him, go. Don’t walk, run.
Happening upon a guy with his charm, passion for teaching and encyclopedic whisky wisdom is about as likely as discovering Sean Connery has Yoda’s Jedi powers.
Which is probably why after sitting down with Richard – and sniffing, swirling, swallowing and curiously if deliberately slinging small amounts to the carpeted floor – a handful of world-class single-malt whiskies I had what I can only describe as an epiphany. Read the rest of this entry »









When you think of Italian wines, the first that usually come to mind are the reds: Super Tuscans, Chianti Classico, Brunello, Barolo. Italian whites bring to mind light wines made from pinot grigio and trebbiano.
The fame of wines from South America grows like a wild fire. Argentina and Chile have made such incredible headway into the wine world that it’s now uncommon to find someone who doesn’t know about Argentine malbec or Chilean carmenére. Even as recently as three years ago that would have been the reverse, eyes glassing over at the mention of wine from either of these countries.
Blame it on the chilly weather, but I’ve got Scotch whisky on the brain. Or liver.
The classification of wines as old world or new world can be a helpful distinction. France, Spain, Italy and other European countries are home to old world wines. They may taste like leather, tobacco, minerals or earth. New world wines are found around the globe, coming from areas like Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and — within the United States — California, Washington and Oregon. New world wines are often described as fruit forward or jammy.
I’m going to talk about making Valentine’s Day cocktails, so if you can’t stomach the notion that a drink can be both pink and good, this won’t be for you.
I had a flash of inspiration while perusing the aisles at a liquor store, debating on what to bring to a friend’s upcoming party. There are countless flavored liquors available now days, from passionfruit to pomegranate and even sweet tea-flavored, but many of them are marked up in price simply due to their fancy additions. Why not just infuse some myself with fresh ingredients?
Finding a bar that fits your taste and atmosphere preferences, with friendly bartenders who care you are there, is not always the easiest thing. It is, however, as significant as finding the right hair salon and stylist. (Ladies, you know what I mean.)
Having a beer with dinner isn’t such an unusual idea, but what about designing an entire meal around a collection of brews? Not many people know what goes into planning, organizing, and executing a beer dinner – or even the general idea behind beer dinners. It’s where you skip food and have beer for dinner instead, right? Not really.
In the farmhouse-laden, French-speaking regions of Belgium, a special sort of ale was traditionally brewed during winter and preserved until the warm weather of summer. Meaning season, saison is a brew characterized by the earthy, rustic essence of the countryside areas where the style originates. These top fermenting ales are unfiltered, achieve carbonation through bottle conditioning, and are at their best when served at around 50 degrees.

This time of year, short days give way to early darkness, the weather turns cold, and an endless train of familiar Christmas tunes begins blaring out of audio orifices in every public space. The restlessness and exasperation build, but do not despair — adult beverages are nearby to help maintain a festive mood. Winter seasonal brews can take many forms, everything from pie spicy malt bombs to bitter smoky stouts and boozy slick high ABV monster brews. No matter where your style preferences lean, you’re in luck; a slew of great holiday beers are available in the Tampa Bay area, each with a unique personality and holiday cheer-making potential.
The wine of choice for special celebrations, including New Year’s Eve, is anything that sparkles. There’s just something about seeing those little bubbles moving from the bottom to the top of a flute that puts people in a festive mood. Even better, sparkling wines are delicious and pair beautifully with a variety of popular holiday foods.
The first phase of the
It is true that the holiday season is a time for fellowship and sharing.
Looking for a gift for the oenophile on your shopping list? Here’s a selection — $2.99 and up — that’s sure to please the most discriminating wine lover.

It is known throughout the land – I am flamboyantly enraptured with every single beer produced by
As my friends continue to prove unable to handle their liquor, this hopes to become a series of helpful hints and amusing anecdotes which more experienced party-goers can use to ridicule friends who ill-advisedly drink beyond their means. It also sets up some pretty good photography. Here’s hoping they’ll still hang out with me.
With the holidays approaching, the glorious bounty that is winter seasonal beer begins to descend upon the shelves of local bottle shops. One of my favorite seasonal offerings is the Petrus Key to Heaven gift pack, which features 6 unique brews from Belgian brewery
I challenge you to find a more suitable, adult-appropriate companion for a well assembled burger than a flavorful brew. But not every beer has the power to bring out the best in every burger — some matches are just better than others. Thankfully,
The
According to beer judging guidelines, brown ales should be a celebration of sweet dark grain. English style browns exhibit a heavier, dominant malt character with very little hops presence, while American browns tend to balance malt and hops flavors, sometimes with a modest degree of citrusy bitterness. Alcohol content of both types is usually moderate, somewhere between 3% and 5% ABV.
If you didn’t know, Creative Loafing recently relocated its offices from Howard Ave. to Ybor, and staffers are psyched. No disrespect intended to SoHo, but our new digs are an easy walk from coffee, alcohol, food and music, not to mention the ample natural light and old-Florida brick architecture. It’s like waking up from a black-and-white dream.
Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale — Brewed in Portland, Maine by
California will soon be host to the world’s smallest wine appellation, or legally designated wine region. The U.S. is already home to the largest appellation in the world, the ever-popular Upper Mississippi River Valley American Viticultural Area, which covers almost 30,000 square miles spread across four states, approved earlier this year by the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Maybe they’re going for a Guinness Book of World Records spot?
This time of year is ripe for ghosts, ghouls and scary tales, but don’t let witches brew distract you from great inexpensive wines. Halloween screams for some scary and spooktacular vino, and one of my all time favorites to drink on Halloween night is
Sierra Nevada 2009 Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Ale
Not really sure how cult classics are born, but the ones who get it right seem to rocket to success quickly. Some have equally cult winemakers to aid them in their assent — Helen Turley (Colgin, Bryant Family), Heidi Barrett (Screaming Eagle) — but others have fabulously gorgeous wines which sell themselves. Bodega Achaval Ferrer, a ten-year-old winery in Argentina’s Mendoza region, is the latter.
Many articles try to correlate personalities with purchases: cars, pets, and clothes. Just for fun I’m going to correlate a person’s sexual personality with the type of wine they drink.
(click button for feed)
(follow us on Facebook)
(follow us on Twitter)