Blogs : Wine and Drinks

Finding Religion at the Great American Beer Festival

Beer and religion. Upon first look, it may seem as if they don’t have much in common (beyond, of course, the drunkard’s prayer: “God, I need a beer”). After all, in most churches, it’s wine that lubricates the services, not the sudsy stuff.

But USA Today hit last weekend’s Great American Beer Festival and noticed a trend: More and more brewers are using religious iconography to market their beers, perhaps a nod to the “legacy of beer-brewing monks.” From Texas’s Saint Arnold Brewery to California’s The Lost Abbey, from Russian River’s Damnation to He’Brew (the Chosen Beer) by Shmaltz, brewers aren’t afraid to inject a little religion into their marketing.

People seem to be responding. According to Saint Arnold’s Brock Wagner, “Some of our regulars say going on our brewery tour is going to church.”

And why not? As the article reminds us, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” noted Ben Franklin (possibly apocryphally).

Posted by Miriam Wolf | 0 comments
Tagged with: beer, usa today, wine and drinks, media, religion, great american beer festival, the lost abbey, brock wagner, russian river brewing company, he'brew, st arnold brewery

Pick Your Favorite Behind the Bar

Roxanne and I recently met with Yuri Kato, publisher of Cocktail Times, who was in town promoting the 2008 Marie Brizard Cocktail Challenge. The idea of the competition is pretty simple: The 20 best bartenders (as defined by Marie Brizard, who hand-selected the competitors) from the East and West coasts were tasked with creating two cocktails relying on the line of Marie Brizard liqueurs as the main ingredients. The winners from each coast will later fly out to France to compete internationally.

There is a twist in this year’s competition though—for the first time ever, Marie Brizard is opening up voting to the public, so anyone with access to the Interwebs can vote for his or her favorite bartender online. Though the crowd’s favorite is not guaranteed a spot in France (that’s decided at a face-off judged by some industry experts), that person does get the Hospitality Award and a fancy home bartending kit. Voting is going on now and should last a few more weeks.

Since we met up with Yuri at Elixir, we were able to try the cocktails being entered by San Francisco bartenders Jackie Patterson, formerly of Orson, and H. Joseph Ehrmann of Elixir. One of our favorites that night was from Ehrmann, who put together a spicy and smoky drink that would work well at a fall or winter get-together:

Smoked Anise
1/2 ounce Marie Brizard Anisette
2 ounces Sobieski vodka
1/8 ounce Laphroaig 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients and fill with ice. Stir well for 15 seconds and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a floating star anise.

Posted by Michele Foley | 1 comment
Tagged with: marie brizard cocktail challenge, cocktail times, yuri kato, elixir, orson, jackie patterson, mixology, bartenders, cocktails, wine and drinks, h joseph ehrmann

Tailor's Bartender Shares the Recipe for His Bubblegum Cocktail

We’ve previously discussed bartender Eben Freeman of New York City’s Tailor restaurant and his sprightly and evocative Bazooka bubblegum cocktail.

Now Freeman has kicked down the formula for making the libation at home. His recipe on Epicurious details how to infuse your own bubblegum vodka—any recipe that starts with the instruction “In large airtight container, combine bubblegum and vodka” is a winner in our book.

Of course, you don’t have to follow a fancy-pants recipe to make your own deliciously inventive cocktails—booze and creativity seem to go hand in hand.

And if you’re looking for something to pair with your bubblegum-infused vodka, the Accidental Hedonist may have found a sweet, sweet mixer.

Posted by Miriam Wolf | 1 comment
Tagged with: media, wine and drinks, tailor, bazooka, eben freeman, diy, accidental hedonist, bubblegum cocktail, epicurious

Que Syrah, Sarah?

It’s not doing well in San Francisco but appears to be popular in Texas. Interestingly, it seems to be selling well in Berkeley. We’re talking about Palin Syrah, an organic wine from Chile that happens to share a name with vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Ever since Fox News ran a story on the wine claiming it had been “unofficially blackballed” in San Francisco, people have been debating its merits.

Drinkhacker says it’s “dusty and tight, and tastes very ‘young.’” Meanwhile, Chowhounds have been having a little fun with the wine, too.

Posted by Traci Vogel | 1 comment
Tagged with: syrah, vice president, politics, san francisco, media, wine and drinks, san francisco chronicle, san jose mercury news, drinkhacker, fox news, sarah palin, palin syrah