One of the best holidays of the year is upon us! Every Seventeenth of March my residence is painstakingly converted into Ó Buachalla's Drunken Moose Pub in celebration of everyone's favorite patron saint of Ireland. [Sincerest apologies to those loyal patrons whose favorite patron saint of Ireland is Brigit of Kildare or Saint Columba]. Saint Patrick is honored in style with food, fellowship, Irish drinking songs, and a modicum of frivolity. Party on...
Read moreMusings by the Snifter: An Autumn Whiskey Primer
Autumn has arrived. Welcomed brisk morning air, fall colors, flavors and smells. Unwelcomed pumpkin spice lattes, leaf peepers and premature Christmas paraphernalia at Costco. But the best of all: whiskey, the illustrious beverage of my noble Scotch-Irish heritage. Smoky, caramel, dried fruit flavors and alcohol that warms the palate encapsulates the quintessential autumn beverage. As autumn descends, this post ensures that you are primed and ready for whiskey season.
Whiskey is more than just a tasty inebriating beverage; it is an elicitation of time, place and people. Place evidenced by terroir, climate and agriculture. Distillers use and adapt to what is around them. People influence the final product through economic considerations, cultural traditions, and distilling practices that impart exclusive flavors. This autumn whiskey primer presents a narrative of whiskey and its famous regions in this context. Hopefully, it has you reaching for a glass …
Read moreIndependence Day Musings: Cheers to You, Mr. Jefferson
A celebration of America’s independence is again at hand. Insert excessive patriotism here. In today's current political maelstrom, however, many long for more sensible and dignified [pre-Twitter] days. So let's take it all the way back to the Revolution. In honor of Independence Day, I offer a Founding Fathers retrospective. Join, or die...
Pour yourself a glass of claret and ponder this: with which Founding Father would you most want to spend an evening? Tough choice; the Founding Fathers were an impressive bunch. I will give you a clue regarding my answer: he was quite the wine aficionado (of course I would choose the wino).
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