What I'm Drinking Tonight

Black Saint Peter. I generally find zinfandels a bit light in body - I like a drink I can sink my teeth into. But this one is very smooth and tasty.

Giesta Dao. I know nothing about Portuguese wine, but I like this one.

A shot of Tullamore Dew. Pretty good, but I like Jamieson's better.

Rittenhouse straight rye. I think I prefer bourbon, but I'm not going to give this away.

Lirac. I hadn't heard of this before, but it's a nice Rhone wine.

For afternoon drinking, I'm quite partial to Rose Conjou Emperor. I don't suppose my mother would approve, but I like it.

Yesterday, the temperature in Brooklyn actually was in the 70s - makes a change from the snow forecasts. Being thirsty in the afternoon, I went into a bodega looking for a drink, and found Hubert's Blood Orange Lemonade. I don't drink much soda these days, but I'm glad I tried this one - it tasted great. You could taste both the orange and the lemon, and it had enough sugar and stevia in it to not make you pucker up without being too sweet. Awesome.

Since I've been drinking rose tea, I thought I'd give rose lemonade a chance.

Definitely a step away from ... well, anything I've ever drunk. Not unpleasant, but I don't think I'll be drinking it regularly. I am intrigued by the idea of mixing it with gin.

Cuvée du Vatican Réserve de l'Abbé Côtes du Rhône 2016. OK, I already admitted I'm a sucker for Cotes du Rhone, but this one is definitely above average, even within the Rhone wines. Super smooth, positively silky. Adorable.

Pieve di Spaltenna - Chianti Classico

Another nice wine that strikes me as a bit light-weight, but is smooth and tasty.

Cabalié. I'd never heard of this, but is super-smooth, rich, sweeter than I usually drink but very agreeable.

The Ocean Howler, except I'm drinking the 2017 vintage, not the 2016. The 2016 seems to get uniformly great reviews, while the 2017 doesn't get any reviews, good or bad. I have to say, I'm not that impressed. Not that there's anything exactly wrong with it. I just find it kind of undistinguished.

Pillastro Selezione d’Oro. I like primitivo in general, I think, and this one is top notch. Velvety smooth, with a lot of flavor notes that keep calling you back for another sip.

Luponic Distortion from our local brewery, Firestone Walker.

I was given some of this and was disappointed when I saw "IPA" on the label. I don't like IPA beers. My wife will now and then will buy me a sixer of a new beer to try, and I have asked her to to never buy anything that says "IPA" on it. It mostly gets thrown out or given to the handyman.

This is a different IPA animal. I really like this stuff. And they change it every 90 days with the introduction of a new selection of hops.

I have written to them and asked where they got the name. I can't find it used anywhere else.

Well, I got my answer.

Quote :

Hi Howard,

The name Luponic Distortion is a twist on the word Lupulin, which is the oil found on the glands of hops. This beer is a rotating blend or "distortion" of hops and thus Luponic Distortion was born! We're so glad you enjoy the beer!

Thank You,

Jemma Wilson // Communications Manager
Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Baronesa de Vilar. Another Portuguese. This one's claim to fame is that it gets aged for 12 months in old oak casks. I have to say, this one went onto my favorites list after the first sip. Excellent.

This shit is seriously addictive. I keep it in the freezer, so when it pours it's fairly thick and syrupy. I pour it over ice which keeps it thick. It's like drinking honeysuckle nectar.

Butler Hill pinot noir. This one doesn't make the cut, for me. It is very smooth, with some bite that doesn't promise agita later, so I can understand if some people really like this and put it on their favorites list. But there's something about the flavor that I just don't like all that much. I'll finish the bottle, but I won't order it again.

The Full Fifteen by an Australian producer, McPherson. Very nice, but the interesting part is that I got the sparkling version. I've never had sparkling red wine before. Not pink, a real full, dark red, but with bubbles. I'm trying to decide if the still version would be better.

Pillastro primitivo negroamaro 2015. Right up there as one of my favorite wines.

I will drink nothing which I cannot pronounce.

Chateau Troussas. Trying a wine you've never heard of is not unusual - there's thousands of them. But usually, you go on the web and there's all sorts of critical and ordinary drinker reviews. Laithwaites sent me this one that seems to be something of a dark horse. Actually, I like it. I don't know that I would pay a premium price for it, but it is smooth and very drinkable. Perhaps not as complex as the wines I really like.

Allagash White.

My wife saw a four-pack of this in the store and bought it for me. She bought it because the beer is mentioned in a series of novels which has a main  character who is a private detective named Charlie Parker. And she knows how much I love Bird.

The first half bottle was disappointing. Then I read the drinking instructions on the bottle (yes, the beer comes with instructions) to get the full pleasure of the coriander, the Curaçao orange peel and the yeast. Turns out to be a very pleasant beer.

So, what are the instructions? What brings out coriander, orange peel & yeast -- drinking in a sauna?