Tag: What To Know About
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Armagnac: What To Know
The past decade has witnessed a quiet revolution for chronically overlooked spirits. In the world of agave, the intricate charm of mezcal has rocketed into the international spotlight, with drinkers discovering its smoky appeal en masse. When it comes to whiskey, rye has stepped outside of bourbon’s shadow, with its spicy bite finally getting the…
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Cognac: What To Know
Sip a glass of cognac, and you’ll understand why the French say it’s made from l’eau de vie (“the water of life”). Produced from white grapes grown across the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments of western France, cognac is a protected category of brandy that must meet the requirements of the appellation d’origine contrôllée (AOC) in…
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Vermouth: What To Know
Vermouth is the all-too-often unsung hero of the cocktail world, having been relegated to “best supporting actor” status for years. Despite beloved classic drinks, from the Martini to the Negroni, being nowhere without vermouth’s herbal well-rounded depth, only recently has the aperitif started to see a resurgence in individualized popularity. It’s time for vermouth to step off the…
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Absinthe: What To Know
Banned for almost a century, unjustly accused to be responsible for hallucinogen effects, today absinthe has been reborn and gained recognition worldwide.
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Mezcal: What To Know
You might know mezcal as tequila’s smoky cousin, but it is in fact an ancestor of the world’s most popular agave drink—and “smoky” only scratches the surface of a spirit which is as diverse as the country of Mexico itself. Like wine, each bottle reflects the unique terroir of the region where it was distilled,…
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Tequila: What To Know
Whether you know it as a salt-and-lime-chased shot, the backbone of a Margarita, or a sipper to rival the finest scotch, one thing is for certain: Not all tequila is created equal.
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Lesser-Known Agave Spirits: What To Know
The agave plant is a source of much more than tequila. In fact, the first recorded agave beverage predates the currently popular spirit by thousands of years. As far back as 1000 CE, the Aztecs fermented the sap of the agave plant, called aguamiel, to produce, quite literally, a nectar of the gods: The plant…
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Tequila Versus Mezcal: What To Know
“All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.” It’s a statement that gets tossed around a lot, and it is, in spirit, true: Mezcal is any liquor distilled from agave, a succulent plant native to the Americas, and tequila is made with the blue Weber agave species. But for the average drinker, it’s understandably confusing when a…
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Prosecco Versus Champagne: What to Know
Sparkling wines aren’t all alike. These are the key similarities and differences between these two main types.
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Brut Champagne: What to Know
You see the word ‘brut’ on many Champagne bottles, but what does it mean and what does it tell you about the contents?
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