Pouring Out Paradise

By Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Check out this recent article from Yachting Magazine that gives us a nice look into Martinique's rich culture of Rhum Agricole. “The best rum in the world comes from Martinique,” Laurent Assier de Pompignan insists. The silver-haired connoisseur is Martinique’s largest importer of fine wines, Champagnes and spirits, and he assures me there’s no need to ...

Asheville Bar Girl: Exploring Rum and Rhum at Storm

By Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Eva Kovacs (aka Asheville Bar Girl) enjoys exploring Asheville’s cocktail scene and learning about its drinks and venues, both old and new. She posts photos and news of her adventures on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as @avlbargirl. In her new series of online stories with Xpress, she promises to sample hearty whiskeys and tall fruity ...

Raising Cane

By Friday, June 7, 2013

By Amanda Schuster It begins with a stalk of sugarcane. Cane, the foundation of all rum production, has ancient roots in Asia’s Indus Valley and honorable mentions in early history. Even Alexander the Great marveled at the “grass that gives honey without bees.” In the 8th century, sugar cane migrated west into Spain via the Moors and ...

How Old is That Bourbon?

By Friday, October 26, 2012

I’m always amazed at how wrong the so-called conventional wisdom can be. But it’s never more wrong than when it comes to booze. Certain ridiculous notions are stubbornly accepted as truth. Vodka doesn’t give you hangovers! Beer before liquor, never sicker; liquor before beer, never fear! But when it comes to fine spirits, these two irritate ...

How to Make Beloved’s The Henry

By Monday, October 22, 2012

Henry's not old enough to drink yet. But his dad, a friend of the guys behind Beloved in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, likes his spirits straight. So the Greenpoint bar looked to the Manhattan to toast baby Henry. "I love Manhattan variations," says Beloved bar manager Rene Hidalgo. "It's a simple approach that has a lot of room ...