This is the official ‘hate me’ post: Why organic/biodynamic/green wine is beyond dumb. Understand I have a great deal of sympathy with organic wineries. In general I find organically produced wines are much less likely to provoke allergies, and are often unique and tasty. However I’m impervious to environmental guilt. The entire green movement is… Continue reading The Idiocy of Green Wine
Author: james romanow
Gin & It
This was a popular European cocktail at the dawn of the jet-set era. Like most cocktails, it was gin based. (Smirnoff had yet to hit their stride, substituting for all white liquors.) Vermouth (wine and wormwood and other spices and sugar) and gin was the first martini. But there are huge varieties in vermouth. Cinzano… Continue reading Gin & It
Chinato, the Ur-Campari
If you ever drink vermouth, either on the rocks or in a cocktail, you’ve probably come across Campari. Unlike all the other vermouths, it is extremely bitter. You either like it or you don’t. The classic cocktail with it, is Gin and Campari, or a Negroni, gin, sweet red vermouth and campari in equal measure.… Continue reading Chinato, the Ur-Campari
The Perfect Cocktail
If you really want to make a cocktail (‘martini’ in the current parlance) that stands out, you’ve got to get away from gimmicky liquor (goldschlager anyone?) and alco-milkshakes. These appeal to the adolescent drinker with their undeveloped craving for sweets and fat. Hey when your bodyfat is under 15% this makes perfect sense. Those of… Continue reading The Perfect Cocktail
Uber Aubergine!
And what a ripasso! I don’t know if Masi is getting better; perhaps 2006 was an exceptional vintage; or maybe it was just the right meal and the right wine…