Cocktails, Spirits, Science, and... kind of a lot about Ice.
The website host/software I have been using for this site since about 2008 is suddenly shutting down with barely any notice. I will attempt to transfer much of the content under a different provider, but I expect a lot of problems with it- broken links, missing images, messy. My message...
I’ve added more dates to the calendar for my SF Bar and Cocktail History Tours. I’m doing the tour every Saturday. Can’t make a Saturday afternoon? I can do private tours most anytime- reach out. On the tour, which begins in San Francisco’s Financial District and end in North Beach,...
Here are new cocktails and spirits books being released in September 2025. To see all the New Drink Books of 2025, visit this link. Savory and Sweet Shrubs: Tart Mixers for Delicious Cocktails and Mocktails Amazon Bookshop American Whiskey Master Class: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Bourbon, Rye, and Other...
I was trolling the dollar store for things to freeze into ice cubes, as I do, and found these large fluorescent ants. I froze them into ice cubes using my Clearly Frozen tray. Then I shined a blacklight on them. They look awesome, even better in a glass with a...
I wrote a story for the SFStandard about elderflower liqueur making a huge comeback. It was so popular when the brand St. Germain first launched in 2007 that it was given the nickname “bartender’s ketchup.” It’s so back, but now bartenders are using a wide range of products. Read the...
I was browsing in the dollar store for stuff to freeze into ice cubes, as I do, and found a bag of party favor rings. They’re made for kids and so can only fit about halfway up my pinky finger, but it’s proof of concept. To freeze the rings into...
My fellow drink writer Liza Weisstuch wrote a story about seltzer and the specific affinity that the jewish people of NYC have for it. The story includes some quotes from me, as I covered the medicinal history of spas and the soda fountain in my book Doctors and Distillers. The...
There’s a new exhibit at the Transamerica Pyramid from a time capsule buried 50 years ago. I checked it out. The building was completed in 1972- the time capsule is from 1974. Before that, from 1853-1959, it was the Montgomery Block that hosted the Bank Exchange Saloon. The Bank Exchange...
My latest piece for Food & Wine is "How a Bottled Water Goes Social Media Viral and the Real Differences Between Them" Read it here.
My latest story for Food & Wine is an explainer about “super juice.” Read it here.