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Located around 30 minutes south of Indianapolis, Mallow Run Winery has been gaining a lot of notice lately, and the quality of their offerings over the last several years has shown great promise, especially in their estate, sparkling, and rosé offerings. Our tasting panel recently had the chance to taste their non-vintage Estate Rosé, which is a great addition to their dry lineup. An 100% Estate-grown blend of Chambourcin, Chancellor and Corot Noir grapes, this is light salmo

Alchermes is an ancient class of spirits, going back to at least 700 AD, and is most likely of Tuscan origin (or perhaps it came to Tuscany via the Middle East). Like most ancient alcoholic concoctions, it was marketed as medicine, with medieval texts extensively discussing its therapeutic use for heart problems. Made with neutral spirits infused with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and other bold spices, its name comes from Kermes, a bright red insect that also gives the booze its

Take full advantage of citrus season by making a fifth of intensely flavored orange bourbon. This is perfect for being served neat or on the rocks on a cold winter day. It will keep for months on the counter (but it wont last that long!). 1 cup sugar 2 pinches of salt 1 orange (navel is traditional, but experiment with Cara Cara or blood orange if you desire) 1 bottle (750ml) of rye whiskey (we use Dickel) Combine sugar with one cup water in a pan, simmer until reduced some

At their best, meads are a sublime blend of honey, alcohol, acidity, tannins, and sweetness. While heavily fruited and high ABV meads are capturing a lot of attention right now, don’t overlook a good traditional mead where the only star is the honey and the craft of the meadmaker. That brings us to a helpful tip when you visit any meadery, brewery, or winery-sample the lighter styles, be it traditional meads, pilsners or dry whites, as that is where pure skill and craft often

In just five years, Minnesota’s Tattersall Distillery has created an impressive lineup of spirits, from aquavit to grapefruit crema to blueberry liqueur. Our tasting panel recently tasted Tattersall’s Sour Cherry Liqueur. While obviously exhibiting a different flavor profile than more orthodox sweet cherry liqueurs like Peter Heering, this bottle should certainly have a place in your bar cart. The nose is light, with reductive Montmorency cherry notes, backed by vanilla and a

Come for the Lake Seneca ambience, taste the other wines, but stay for the Rieslings at Hermann J. Wiemer. Nearly everything this winery produces is fantastic, but the success this Finger Lakes winery has had with their signature grape is nothing short of extraordinary. We recently tasted the 2018 vintage, which more than lives up to Wiemer's standard. Medium straw in the glass, the nose is full of orange blossom, lime, and honey. Light body, with bracing acidity that is full

This is the time of year we really start to miss New Orleans. Chicory coffee and beignets are wonderful, but only in the Crescent City. It is also the time of year we start to look at boozy boosters to coffee. Kahlua is the brand leader, but somewhat simple. Well worth the extra price is St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur. In the glass it looks just like coffee…and immediately fills the surrounding air with the smell of coffee. We say that like it is something to note instead of

The 2019 Blaufränkisch from Maryland’s Old Westminster Vineyard states the following on the back label: carbonic fermentation, aged for twelve months in neutral oak barrels, unfined and unfiltered, and no sulfites added. That’s a lot going on from this low-intervention winery, and a sort of semi-natural wine. Couple that with our mission of discussing unheralded varieties in an unheralded region, we were curious to dive right in and see what was inside the bottle. Deep purple

The best part of January is the plethora of citrus you can find at the grocery. One of our favorites is kumquat. The little fruits can be eaten whole (yes, even the peel!) and they perfectly infuse alcohol. You can use vodka for this recipe, but you should really take it up a notch by adding the botanicals found in a London gin. Add an ounce to a glass of bubbly, serve with tonic or club soda, or use in any cocktail you would use citrus vodka. This recipe requires no boili

Alpine spirits seem to having their moment these days, and they are perfect for winter. This Austrian walnut liqueur from Haus Alpenz is one of the best Alpine spirits we have tried. Walnut aroma is evident from the first pour. Nose of walnuts, caramel, mulled spices. Smooth walnut and vanilla up front, chocolate, pie spice, clove, allspice on the mid-palate, anise, mint, tannins, and burnt sugar on the long lingering smooth finish. Medium body, more boozy than sweet, great b

We are not sure exactly when and where Blaufränkisch first appeared, but it is likely to be the Middle Ages in the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. First named in 1875, it goes by Lemberger in Germany and Kekfrancos in Hungary. Brought to America by German immigrants, it has struggled to find a market under the Lemberger name due to sharing a name with the strong smelling cheese, though several wineries still call it that (especially in Pennsylvania). Blaufränkisch is the parent