Wine & Drink

Browse Categories
Bordeaux Deals
Bordeaux Deals
Five great Bordeaux reds that won't hurt your wallet
Flaming Cocktails
Flaming Cocktails
Learn how to flambé cocktails for showstopping libations

The Feed

Dec 18, 2012
Professor Fritz Briem Grodziskie Beer
by Joshua M. Bernstein

From SAVEUR Issue #153

Made with smoked wheat malt and a heap of hops, Professor Fritz Briem Grodziskie beer is the perfect complement to sausages and barbecue. Grodziskie, a robust old Prussian style of beer, fell out of fashion a few decades ago, but thanks to beer maker and historian Professor Fritz Briem, it's back and more delicious than ever. Woodsy with a sour twang backed by a bitter jolt, his version is one lip-smacking brew.

Professor Fritz Briem Piwo Grodziskie smoked beer, $7.99 for a 16-oz. bottle at Ultimate Wine Shop; 866/668-2800

Dec 18, 2012
Beach Plum Gin Liqueur
by Hugh Merwin

From SAVEUR Issue #153

Long Island's violet blue beach plums are an unyielding bunch—they remain bitter even after they're simmered in boiling sugar for jam, which is how they're usually eaten. But local distiller Greenhook Ginsmiths has found a way to tame the wild fruit. This cousin of sloe gin—England's time-honored buckthorn berry liqueur—is made by steeping beach plums in a bath of gin and cane sugar. The result is a balanced sweet-tart infusion that I mix with grapefruit juice, Angostura bitters, and soda for a newfangled fizz.

Greenhook Ginsmiths Beach Plum Gin Liqueur, $48.99 for a 750-mL bottle at Drink Up NY; 800/658-8149

Dec 14, 2012
Searching for Harvey Wallbanger
by Robert Simonson
Searching for Harvey Wallbanger Credit: Helen Rosner

The Harvey Wallbanger has one of the most memorable names in cocktail history—and one of the worst reputations. A mix of vodka, orange juice and Galliano, it was one of the preeminent drinks of the 1970s, a decade recognized by drink historians as the Death Valley of cocktail eras: a time of sloppy, foolish drinks made with sour mix and other risible shortcuts to flavor, christened with silly monikers like Mudslide and Freddie Fudpucker. Keep reading »

Dec 7, 2012
Friday Cocktail: Red Nose Punch
by Eliza Martin

In one of my favorite childhood memories, I curl up in my mother's lap as the characters from the movie White Christmas dance and sing merrily on the TV screen. My mother holds her night cap in one hand while the other softly scratches my five-year-old head. The warm aroma of her habitual mix of bourbon and cranberry juice wafts from the glass tumbler, which reflects the soft living room light, making me feel completely at ease.

Now an adult, my love for bourbon is inescapable. When throwing a holiday party, I have to include it in my beverage offerings—ideally with something fruity and bold yet sweet and mellow that balances the bourbon and can satisfy a range of tastes. So when I found this punch recipe, I couldn't have been more delighted. Keep reading »

Cranberry punch Credit: Helen Rosner
Dec 4, 2012
Learning to Love Eggnog
by Tim Mazurek

Being married to a food writer has its challenges: there are always dirty dishes to be done, daily trips to the grocery store, and you definitely do not get your fair share of kitchen time. My husband, Bryan, solved this last problem by carving out his niche as our resident cocktail expert. It works out well: nobody mixes better drinks, and I never have to worry about what we'll drink when we entertain. It especially comes in handy during the holidays, when he serves his famous eggnog to the endless delight of our friends.
Keep reading »

Bryan's Eggnog Credit: Tim Mazurek
Nov 30, 2012
Friday Cocktails: Poinsettia Punch
by Maria Yagoda
poinsettia punch

As I listened to mixologist Frank Cisneros explain punch's complex historical background, I admit: I was a bit surprised. I had formerly—and naively—associated punch with fluorescent-colored Kool-Aid and prom in the 80's. But Poinsettia Punch, a warmly-spiced gin concoction developed by Cisneros for New York city bar Gin Palace, is hardly fluorescent and only modestly sweet. Keep reading »

Drink This Now: Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Grand Cru Rangen de Thann 2008
Nov 28, 2012
Drink This Now: Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Grand Cru Rangen de Thann 2008
by Sarah Bray

With most of my friends and family falling into the "white wine only" camp, finding crisp wines for warm-weather is simple, but the transition to winter-appropriate bottles can difficult. When it's cold outside, I'm not longer looking for a refreshing drink; rather, I want to sip something rich and warming. This year, my solution is a rich, full-bodied pinot gris from Alsace: Zind-Humbrecht's Pinot Gris Grand Cru is a mouthful, both in name and in flavor. The producer is certified biodynamic, and the grapes are grown atop volcanic soils, providing a bright, mineral backbone to the wine. With its round, ripe nose that hints of honey and walnut dust, a sip will richly coat your mouth, its sweetness brightened by a slight sensation of effervescence. Keep reading »

Nov 26, 2012
Rock and Rye: Good Medicine
by Kara Newman
Rock and Rye Credit: Todd Coleman

From SAVEUR Issue #151
"Have you tried Rock and Rye?" The question was posed to me not by a bartender, but by my teetotaling mother-in-law. When she was a girl, she recalled, the rock candy-sweetened rye whiskey was a cure for the sniffles. "My mother would spoon it into hot tea," she said.

Intrigued, I called on New York distiller and spirits historian Allen Katz, who, I discovered, has been working on his own version. It's difficult to pinpoint the sweet, citrusy cordial's exact origin, he explained, but by most accounts it was popularized in America's early saloons, where bartenders added rock candy, or rock candy syrup, to smooth out the spicy bite of a young rye. Keep reading »

Nov 21, 2012
Festive Fall Cocktails to Serve a Crowd

Whether you're throwing an autumn get together or looking for something to serve with Thanksgiving appetizers, a cocktail that showcases fall ingredients and flavors is sure to be a hit. To avoid playing bartender all evening, you need a drink that can be mixed in large batches and served in a festive punch bowl or pitcher. From chilled cider punch to warm bourbon-spiked chai, here are several seasonal libations to serve a crowd. See the recipes »

Chilled Cider Punch Credit: MacKenzie Smith
Nov 16, 2012
Friday Cocktails: Pumpkin Mulled Wine
by Felicia Campbell
Pumpkin Mulled Wine Credit: Anna Stockwell

Earlier this fall, SAVEUR kitchen director Kellie Evans and I ended up at a James Beard House dinner featuring "New England Mexican" food from Massachusetts restaurant The Painted Burro. The food was great, but for me, the most memorable of the localized Latin flavors was in the drink: a pumpkin sangria. Normally, the very word "sangria" makes me tense, dredging up memories of syrupy sweet concoctions masking bad wine, crowned with sad pieces of bobbing fruit, or at best, a fruity, decidedly summery wine blend. But this pumpkin sangria was a refreshing revelation, one that made me re-think the seasonality of fruited wine. Keep reading »