The winter beer season is upon us! Those strong, hearty, sometimes insanely hoppy, darker ales that will keep you warm during the frozen months. Seasonal beers are as old as brewing itself and legend has it that those crazy monks brewed special holiday beers to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Well, the tradition continues and there are a bunch of excellent examples out there for you to try. Here are some of my favorites…
Ladies and gentlemen, a martini’s primary ingredient is gin. If this is a revelation for you, please start taking notes. It is not a Russian concoction or some sort of frou-frou cocktail served in a weird-looking glass. A martini is comprised of 3 parts gin, 2 parts sex appeal, 1/2 part decades of tradition and maybe a bit of vermouth depending on your taste. Throw in an olive or 3 for color. There is no vodka in a “martini”… (more…)
I’m almost a month late on this but the Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson passed away in his home on Aug 30th.
In the world of beer, Michael Jackson was a legend. He was one of the first people to bring the word beer into the same discourse of wine and single-malt scotch.
(more…)
Becherovka is new to me. It is a Czech, herbal-based liqueur that apparently has been around since the early 19th century. It claims to aid digestion.
My girlfriend received it as a gift from her sister’s neighbor(s) who apparently down the stuff like iced tea. Its supposed to be served ice cold and is in the same class of booze as Jagermeister, Absinthe or more potent Schnapps varieties. It’s 76 proof. Here’s the Wiki on it.
I sampled it the first night she brought it home and it is very similar to Jagermeister. It has some sweeter honey notes, very pronounced cinnamon and even a bit of nutmeg. Even though that sounds lovely, I can’t say that I enjoyed it too much. It started clean but finished very harsh and I was barely able to finish the glass (shot; sipped).
But I will say this: it cleared my stomach ache right up! Next time I eat too much or mix too many funky foods together, I’m going straight to the Becherovka because it did the trick. Like my gf’s brother-in-law said: “It tastes like medicine, it oughta work like medicine!” (paraphrasing :))
Have you ever had some of this interesting Czech export? Please share any stories that you can, uh… remember
