Food&Drink

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Bob Dylan’s New Bourbon Makes the Perfect Father’s Day Gift

Ford may be making controversy by going electric these days, but the man who first whipped people up over that sort of move is still very much around — and very much in the news. Bob Dylan’s whiskey brand, Heaven’s Door, has just added a new limited-edition bourbon to its lineup — and it also happens to be the brand’s first-ever collaboration.

Partnering with Irish whiskey brand Redbreast, Heaven’s Door’s newest offering is called the Master Blender’s Edition, and the name is very valid. It was a highly collaborative effort between the two distillery’s master blenders, Ryan Perry of Heaven’s Door and Billy Leighton of Redbreast, who spent over two years creating the final product. While Dylan was not directly involved in the whiskey-making process, the musician did have a hand in sampling over a dozen blends before approving the final pick.

“Mr. Dylan is a perfectionist and knows his whiskey,” Leighton said in a press release. “His engagement and enthusiasm for this collaboration made this project even more special.”

Courtesy

The Master Blender’s Edition takes Heaven’s Door’s 10-year-old straight bourbon whiskey and ages it for 15 months in retired casks that were used to age 12-Year Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. The 100-proof whiskey ends up developing sherry-like, dark fruit flavors that complement the bourbon’s original leathery and nutty notes.

Like the rest of Heaven’s Door’s whiskeys, the bottle that the Master Blender’s Edition comes in was designed by Dylan in his Black Buffalo Ironworks studio, while paying homage to the partnership with the addition of Redbreast’s Robin. The whiskey will be available at Reserve Bar, as well as select retailers. If you were struggling to find a Father’s Day gift, this could be it.

Price: $104

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May 20, 2021 / Comments Off

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The 10 Best Coffee Roasters Around the World

In the opening pages of Jordan Michelman and Zachary Carlsen’s The New Rules of Coffee, the cofounders of Sprudge write, “Drinking coffee is one of the most global things you do each day.”

The coffee plant, though exceptionally finicky and difficult to work with, grows across four continents, in at least 70 countries. After farming, harvesting and processing the bean, which is really a fruit, it’s bagged and sent to roasters around the world.

Still in their more natural greenish-grey hue, these beans arrive to roasters who take the seed of a cherry and turn it into one of the most-consumed beverages in the world. All carrying the official designation of specialty coffee roaster, the best of these roasters bring out of the bean few others can, and push coffee further for it.

Hailing from traditional coffee nations like Italy, New Zealand and Spain and the coffee world’s newer frontiers like Japan, South Korea and the UK, these are the places where the best bags of coffee are made.

The Barn

Located: Berlin, Germany
Founded: 2010
Coffee to Try: Gitwe

The Barn’s MO is fairly simple: source, roast and brew stupidly good coffee. Its dedication building bridges between the holy trinity of coffee is where it shines. Ralf Rüller’s four cafés and roastery are monuments to this.

The first step is acquiring the best beans possible; this means beans that they are of the highest quality (The Barn regularly sources from farms and farmers that have won the Cup of Excellence) and are grown using sustainable methods. The Barn also pays high prices for premium beans, which sounds like an obvious thing to do, but is rather rare in the coffee world at large (specialty coffee’s battle with the commodity coffee market is telling of this). It also “slow roasts” the beans it purveys, a practice that results in a bean that’s lightly roasted and carries as much of the bean’s terroir as possible.

Unlike most roasters and coffee makers, The Barn even goes as far as training its baristas in the vocabulary and methods of roasting as a means to better communicate with the roasting team. There’s a reason every interview Rüller has ever given contains at least one use of the word “uncompromising.”

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Coffee Supreme

Located: Wellington, New Zealand
Founded: 1993
Coffee to Try: Brazil Fazenda Capadocia

Carriers of the New Zealand specialty coffee flame, Coffee Supreme might be the most charming coffee company out there. It regularly wins awards for bag design, store design and is generally excellent at presenting its coffee. Then you drink the coffee.

Coffee Supreme is decades ahead of most roasters in the coffee world. Its been roasting beans since the ’90s, and it sources those beans from virtually every specialty region and sub-region out there. It’s also on the bleeding edge of coffee sustainability, a movement born out of a closer potential doomsday.

Its ever-rotating collection of coffees contains blends, single origins and a few season-specific Coffee Supreme exclusive limited roasts. The company even opened up a semi-concept shop that acts as the most well-curated coffee gear store on the planet. Coffee Supreme is the complete package.

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Seesaw Coffee

10-Best-Coffee-Roasters-Gear-Patrol-seesaw

Located: Shanghai, China
Founded: 2012

Just about every industry that makes things to be sold has, at some point, considered the idea of breaking into China and its unfathomably large potential. Coffee is no different. Rumblings from in-the-know coffee people like James Hoffmann and green-coffee buyers from all over have been talking about it for a while now, but the great Chinese coffee boom may finally be happening.

If specialty coffee adoption continues on a large-ish scale, China could become something of a unicorn in specialty coffee — a country that has the means to produce, roast, brew and consume great coffee, something few (if any) others can truly claim. Seesaw coffee is the foremost domestic buyer of specialty-grade coffee in China, as well as the biggest buyer of Yunnan-grown specialty-grade beans (the most specialty-focused growing region in the country). It has not yet sent its roasters or baristas to the world stage to compete, but its stature as one of the first truly good coffee companies in the biggest market in the world is a big deal. Seesaw’s coffee is currently available only in its cafés — Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Suzhou or Hangzhou.

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Switch Coffee

Located: Tokyo, Japan
Founded: 2013
Coffee to Try: Gathaithi

Switch Coffee is an unlikely addition to the list. It’s not a large-scale roaster, it operates out of a single café with a single Probat roaster and is headed by a single person. But Masahiro Onishi’s shop size belies its goodness.

Onishi studied roasting under Toshiyuki Ishiwata of Market Lane Coffee (another great Aussie roastery) and sourcing under Katsuhide Izaki of fellow Japanese specialty roaster Honey Coffee (who also happens to be a certified Cup of Excellence judge). René Redzepi himself adorned the wall of the shop with his signature as a stamp of excellence. All the technical merits and accolades utilized in the making of Switch’s Coffee are only half of what makes it one of the best, because it’s also one of the most relaxed, unabrasize high-end coffee roasters in the world.

A trip to the Meguro neighborhood’s prized roastery includes tasting each of Onishi’s roasts for the day before ordering, chatting with Onishi (it’s a fairly residential neighborhood, so no raised voices or blaring music) and enjoying a drink. And while Japan is home to a mountain of incredible roasters and coffee shops — the legendary Bear Pond, literally world-beating Tokado Coffee, the ones we’ve already named and a hundred more — few provide excellence in way this casual.

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180 Coffee

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Located: Seoul, South Korea
Founded: 2013
Coffee to Try: Signature Blend

South Korea went from a country drinking primarily instant coffee to one craving the best specialty coffee there is in just a few years. Put another way, the number of cafés in South Korea has grown nearly three times over in the last five years alone. This makes it one of, if not the, fastest emerging market in specialty coffee and coffee at large.

180 Coffee is the most lauded coffee roaster in a country without a great deal of coffee history, but its beans stack up with the best in the world. It is the only Korean roaster with two Korean coffee roasting titles (its founder, Lee Seung-jin was the first winner) and its placed highly on the world stage to boot.

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Right Side Coffee

Right-Side Coffee

Located: Castelldefels, Spain
Founded: 2012
Coffee to Try: Mensur’s Natural

Spain is and has been drenched in coffee for some time, just not much of it very good. Joaquín Parra’s Spanish coffee roasting instituion is named for the side of the brain that dictates “creativity and passion,” and Right Side Coffee’s beans exude that. Sourced and roasted by a coffee lifer, Parra is the son of green coffee importers, is a Spanish Roasting Championship winner and a frequent high-placer at the World Coffee Roasting Championships.

And though accolades and winning trophies is nice, what elevates Right Side is taking transparency in coffee sourcing to a new level. Under every bag of beans it sells on its site there’s an “information” tab. When opened, small essays on the specific farmers, lot features and lot history are doled out.

Weirdly, Right Side doesn’t have any cafés of its own, but it stocks plenty of specialty spots all over Spain.

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Gardelli Specialty Coffees

Gardelli

Located: Forlì, Italy
Founded: 2010
Coffee to Try: El Mirador Terra Nova

If there were a Michael Jordan of the coffee world, it would be Rubens Gardelli. By accolades, he’s the most successful competition roaster ever. He’s qualified for the most World Coffee Roasting Championships (four of five times), won the most recent one, won the Italian Coffee Roasting Championship four years running and somehow has also won multiple Brewer’s Cups in Italy and a World Brewer’s Cup. No roaster comes close to these achievements.

The coffees from Gardelli Specialty Coffees are all lightly roasted to allow the bean’s flavor to be determined more by the bean than the roast, and a rotating stock of bags are available for purchase online.

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Solberg & Hansen

Hometown: Oslo, Norway
Year Founded: 1879
Coffee to Try: Rwanda Tumba

In a world of youth, Solberg & Hansen is old. Founded 140 years ago, it is Norway’s first coffee roasting company and could very well be its best. Its roasting team is headed up by Simo Christidi, who’s one of five ever winners of the World Coffee Roasting Championship (2012) and holder of a slew of Norwegian and Nordic coffee roasting titles.

Its concept store in Oslo’s Mathallen specialty food court is a testament to this ethos. It is a coffee purist’s coffee shop — that is to say it’s a shop dedicated to showing off the power of coffee in its base form, so no milk or sweeteners are found on the premises. Its beans can be bought online as well (with the help of Google translate). (For what its worth, Solberg & Hansen is also affiliated with another legendary Norwegian coffee roaster, Tim Wendelboe.)

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Drop Coffee

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Located: Stockholm, Sweden
Founded: 2009
Coffee to Try: Los Andes

Joanna Alm and Stephen Leighton’s coffee company started as a small café that didn’t roast its own beans. A few years later it was a bonafide leader in the third wave coffee movement in Europe. Today, it’s regarded as one of the best coffee roasters in the world (only Gardelli Specialty Coffees has finished in the top five of the World Coffee Roasting Championships more often). Alm, the roasting arm of the team, has been named Sweden’s best coffee roasters four of the last five years. Its baristas have claimed several Swedish Barista Championship titles, there’s only one tiny café and yet the whole operation feels unnaturally welcoming.

Scrolling through Drop’s webshop feels more like flipping through a family photo album than shopping for coffee, and co-founder Joanna Alm’s kindness in interviews is pervasive. Refreshingly, Drop Coffee is as close to the top of the coffee world as anybody, and yet there isn’t a hint of classic coffee snootiness.

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Square Mile Coffee Roasters

Square Mile

Located: London, England
Founded: 2008
Coffee to Try: El Diamante

Square Mile was founded by specialty coffee veterans Anette Moldvaer and James Hoffmann with a singular goal: make London famous for coffee.

Among exacting execution, sustainable practices, various awards and titles and a staff that’s basically the UK coffee all-star team, Square Mile is especially remarkable in an area that others aren’t always so great at: sourcing specialty beans from up-and-coming regions. In the span of a week at the end of October 2018, the East London outpost debuted specialty-grade beans from China and Myanmar, both origins you won’t find on the menu at more than a few roasters worldwide.

The company’s bags are available online and rotated very quickly.

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May 18, 2021 / Comments Off

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New (and Affordable) Houseplant Gear from Target, and 6 Other New Home Releases

Welcome to Window Shopping, a weekly exercise in lusting over home products we want in our homes right the hell now. This week: new plant gear from Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond launches an in-house brand and more.

Hilton Carter x Target

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Hilton Carter, a plant enthusiast, interior designer and author, partnered with Target on a collection all things green and green related. The collection includes everything from live plants to faux plants, planters to garden accessories. While the live plants are only available in stores, everything else is available online with prices starting at $5. Some of our favorites include a propagation stand, a faux cactus and garden shears.

Price: $5+

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Floyd Outdoor Furniture

Floyd

Floyd is already one of our favorite online furniture stores (its sofa and shelving system are particularly add-to-cart worthy). Now the Detroit-based brand is doing outdoor furniture, and it’s a winning collection. The brightly colored line consists of a bench ($375), stackable chairs ($265) and two tables — one square ($525) and one rectangular ($845) . The powder-coated aluminum is long-lasting and meant to withstand years and years of outdoor hangs and inclement weather.

Price: $265+

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Bed, Bath & Beyond Simply Essential

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Bed, Bath & Beyond is really leaning into its name with its new in-house brand, Simply Essentials, which focuses on low-priced, high-quality goods for the bed, the bath and, well, beyond. Everything Simply Essential makes everything a person could possibly need for their home from sheets to cookware. Nothing is more than $200 and some stuff is in the single-digit price range. It’s so affordable you might not even care about using BB&B’s infamous 20-percent-off coupons.

Price: $1+

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Fellow Clara French Press

Fellow

Fellow released its version of a French press earlier this month, and it’s about as Fellow as it gets. From the matte black construction to the thoughtful details, it promises to make a better cup of French press coffee. It has an ultra-fine mesh filter to reduce the muddiness of your coffee, an agitation stick to help with coffee extraction and a non-stick coating to help with cleanup. The only hesitation about getting one may be its price: $99 for matte black or $129 for matte black with walnut accents.

Price: $99+

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Vermicular Frying Pan

Vermicular

Japanese cookware brand Vermicular released an enamel-coated cast-iron frying pan that’s a lightweight option to heavy, clunky cast-iron pans. A lid is not included and costs $40 extra. The smaller 9.4-inch frying pan weigh just 2.3 pounds; the larger 10.2-inch frying pan weighs just 2.4 pounds. Vermicular touts its pans’ ability to quickly evaporate water and retain its heat. The only downside to the pan is its handle — while it looks nice, it has a low heat resistance and therefore the pan cannot be used in the oven.

Price: $155+

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Osma Pro

Osma

The whole shtick around cold brew is that it takes a long time to make, and the result is a fairly lackluster cup of low-acidity coffee. Osma’s new countertop brewer, the Osma Pro, can supposedly make cold brew coffee in just 90 seconds. Just add ice, water and coffee and the Osma Pro essentially recirculates the water through the grounds to get a three-ounce espresso shot or 12-ounce cold brew in less time than it takes to explain exactly what’s going on.

Price: $695

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Umamicart AAPI Heritage Month Recipe Kits

Umamicart

Umamicart, launched earlier this year, easily became one of our favorite online grocery stores for offering a bountiful selection of Asian groceries. Part of the appeal was how approachable the grocery store whether or not you were familiar with select ingredients. With its recipe kits, Umamicart made it easy for shoppers to quickly add to cart all the things they needed to make specific Asian dishes. To celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Month, Umamicart expanded its recipe kit selection and is donating proceeds to Send Chinatown Love and Heart of Dinner, both of which are organizations helping Asian Americans in New York City’s Chinatown amid a rise of anti-Asian hate crimes. Recipes include shio tonkotsu chashu ramen, braised pork belly and okonomiyaki, as well as two recipes made in collaboration with 886 and Wing Hing, two New York City restaurants, which developed a Taiwanese sausage fried rice and baby shrimp fried rice, respectively.

Price: $18+

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May 18, 2021 / Comments Off

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The 13 Best Bottles of Gin You Can Buy in 2021

Gin gets a bad rap. You mix it with tonic water or use it for a Negroni (or other cocktail), and that’s really it. But the juniper-based spirit has so much more to offer than playing backup in a number of mixed drinks. From the gin terms to know to the best bottles to buy at your liquor store, here is a guide to all things gin.

Best Gins

Best Overall Gin: The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
Best Splurge Gin: Monkey 47
Best Budget Gin: Gordon’s

Best Budget Gins

Best Gin for Cocktails: Beefeater
Best Budget Sipper: Tanqueray
Best Value Gin: Bombay Sapphire

Best Everyday Gins

Best Gateway Gin: Hendrick’s
Best London Dry Gin: Sipsmith London Dry Gin
Best American Gin: Amass Dry Gin
Best Japanese Gin: Roku Gin
Best Craft Gin: Forthave Spirits Blue Gin
Best Environmentally Conscious Gin: Gray Whale Gin
Best Old Tom Gin: Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin

The Short List

Best Overall Gin: The Botanist Islay Dry Gin

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Islay Dry Gin

The Botanist reservebar.com

$36.00

Available everywhere
Nuanced flavors means every sip is an experience

Could be cheaper; not economical to use just for mixing

If the barrier to entry for getting into gin is learning to love juniper, then The Botanist makes it easy. While bottom-shelf gin tastes little more than juniper-soaked alcohol, The Botanist combines juniper with 21 other botanicals, locally sourced from Islay, to craft a spirit that achieves various flavor profiles one would want from a gin — sweet, herbal, piney. Usually costing no more than $30 or $40, The Botanist’s gin is a Just Get This pick, and it’ll work damn well with whatever drink you fancy.

Best Splurge Gin: Monkey 47

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Schwarzwald Dry Gin

Monkey 47 reservebar.com

$52.00

Delicious and balanced
One of the most complex gins

Best reserved for special occasions because of the price

There are, you guessed it, 47 botanicals in Monkey 47. There’s a lot of flavors going on in the gin, but that just means there are more reasons for you to continue to drink it. In one session, you may pick up on the lingonberries, while another sipping session can make the elderflower the standout. Before you know it, you’ll be reaching for a glass of Monkey 47 over your favorite bourbon.

Best Budget Gin: Gordon’s

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London Dry Gin

Gordon’s drizly.com

$21.99

Incredibly cheap without tasting cheap
The perfect mixing gin

Too harsh to sip on its own

Gordon is a bottom-shelf gin, but it’s not your typical bottom-shelf swill. For a little over $10 at most liquor stores, Gordon’s offers a lot of bang for your buck. It’s not something you may choose to drink neat as it’s a bit harsh, but it will offer the juniper berry flavor you want in a Negroni, Tom Collins or martini. If you’re making a huge batch cocktail, grab a bottle of Gordon’s to stretch out your dollar.

Henry Phillips

Gin 101

Gin is a complicated spirit. Namely, a lot of things (called botanicals) go in to it. But you can’t have a gin without the notorious juniper berry. Unlike bourbon, there are not many legal requirements for something to be considered gin. There’s no minimum juniper berry ratio, no definitive base recipe, or leading gin authority. Merriam-Webster defines gin as “a colorless alcoholic beverage made from distilled or redistilled neutral grain spirits flavored with juniper berries and aromatics.” So yeah, gin is complex because gin can be basically anything as long as it tastes a bit like juniper berries.

Gin is a distinctly English beverage. Heck, the most well-known and popular gin style is London Dry, which is basically the de facto version of the spirit whether or not the bottle labels it as such. It’s up to a distiller to create its own botanical concoction, which can cause some internet debates on why one gin distiller is better or worse than another. The clear spirit tastes piney, because of juniper berries, and that initial note can give way to anything from citrusy and sweet to spicy and savory. Whatever you already think about gin, like it being only good for cocktails, then these bottles may change your mind.

Gin Terms to Know

Bathtub Gin: Any illegally made alcohol produced during Prohibition. The name stems from gin that was actually made in bathtubs, which was a bootlegger’s way to distill gin during the Prohibition era. These gins were heavily sweetened to mask unsavory flavors, and most gin-based cocktails owe their existence to bathtub gin, which would further mute unpalatable tastes.

Genever: Dutch for “juniper,” genever is the precursor to gin. The style of liquor is centuries older than gin, with one main difference: genever has to be distilled from grain while gin can be distilled from practically anything. According to European Union regulations, only the Netherlands, Belgium and select areas in France and Germany can classify their spirit as genièvre, jenever or genever.

Juniper Berries: The main botanical that must be used in gin distillation. They can impart a variety of flavors such as pine, citrus and black pepper. Fun fact: juniper berries are not actually berries, but cones (like pinecones).

London Dry: The leading gin style, which derives its name from its city of origin but does not dictate where a gin has to be made. To be London Dry, a gin’s flavorings must be added during distillation, and no synthetic flavorings can be used. Nothing may be added after it’s distilled except water to dilute the gin to the desired proof.

Navy Strength: A high-proof, 57 percent ABV gin that’s typically reserved for mixing. The name is inspired by a British Royal Navy technique for determining the ABV of spirits: liquor was mixed with gunpowder and set to ignite — if the spirit hit the threshold, now known to be 57 percent, the powder would light. Despite the historical connection, Plymouth Gin coined the term in the 1990s as a marketing trick for selling a higher proof gin.

Old Tom: A sweetened gin. A palate that favored drier gins over sweeter ones led to its diminished presence and the rise of London Dry.

Best Budget Gins

Best Gin for Cocktails: Beefeater

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London Dry

Beefeater reservebar.com

$26.00

An excellent mixing gin

Few botanicals means it complements whatever ingredients you mix it with

Don’t go searching for any complexities

Few gins are as classic as Beefeater, a London Dry gin that is actually made in London. While its city of origin is a moot point, Beefeater remains a go-to for a number of cocktails because it’s affordable and complements whatever other ingredients go in your mixed drink of choice. While some gin brands tout a more-is-better approach when it comes to botanicals, Beefeater uses nine, which is enough to provide a shelf staple for those itching for a drink.

Best Budget Sipper: Tanqueray

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London Dry Gin

Tanqueray reservebar.com

$26.00

Tastes crisp and clean

Strong juniper berry flavor upfront

When it comes to botanicals, Tanqueray finds that less is more. It uses four botanicals — Tuscan juniper, coriander, angelica root, and licorice — resulting in a drier gin because of the lack of citrus botanicals. While Tanqueray usually finds its way into cocktails, it makes for a surprisingly good sipping gin. Juniper may be the predominant flavor note of the gin, but if you can get past the initial punch, the lingering taste is pleasant and encourages another sip.

Best Value Gin: Bombay Sapphire

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London Dry Gin

Bombay Sapphire reservebar.com

$32.00

Bombay as a long legacy of craftsmanship

Interesting blend of botanicals not usually found in a gin this cheap

You’ll recognize the blue bottle anywhere. Bombay Sapphire’s vapor-infused gin uses 10 botanicals for a spirit that is as affordable as it is recognizable. The vapor infusion retains the vibrancy of the botanicals, ensuring that their flavors are left intact in the final product. Bombay Sapphire has been a mainstay in the gin category for decades, and it’ll stay that way for many more.

Henry Phillips

Best Everyday Gins

Best Gateway Gin: Hendrick’s

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Gin

Hendrick’s reservebar.com

$41.00

A gin for those who don’t like gin

Rose and cucumber additions are pleasant

A little overpriced

Hendrick’s is the gin for those who don’t like gin. Its standout characteristics are the additions of rose and cucumber essence, which soften the gin, giving it a more floral and crisp flavor and feel. It’s a bit pricier for a spirit that’s going to act as a gateway to gin, but it is a good middle-of-the-road option for those looking to change their opinions. Plus, because of its massive popularity, it’s available in more or less every bar in America.

Best London Dry Gin: Sipsmith London Dry Gin

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London Dry Gin

Sipsmith reservebar.com

$45.00

Like a roller coaster of flavors

More pleasant to drink than mass-produced gins

Craft gin owes its existence to Sipsmith, which started in 2007 in London. Because of a British excise act from 1823 that banned distillers from obtaining a license for a still under 1,800 liters, the brand’s founders couldn’t license their 300-liter capacity still. Sipsmith’s founders led Britain to change its law, and now the world has Sipsmith gin and a variety of other craft gin distillers. Its London Dry Gin is the apex of the style. Expect juniper on the forefront, which leads the way to citrus notes finished by warm baking spices.

Best American Gin: Amass Dry Gin

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Dry Gin

Amass totalwine.com

$54.99

Features a laundry list of botanicals

Savoriness take some getting used to

First and foremost, Amass is a botanicals brand (it even makes hand sanitizers), so it makes sense for Amass to get in on the gin game. Distilled in Los Angeles, the Dry Gin features 29 botanicals sourced from around the area. The most interesting additions to the gin are mushrooms — reishi and lion’s main — which give the gin umami notes, making it all the more satisfying to drink. When it comes to this gin, come for the juniper, but stay for the other 28 botanicals.

Best Japanese Gin: Roku Gin

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Gin

Roku reservebar.com

$32.00

A Japanese take on an English classic

A smooth sipper that plays nice in cocktails

The House of Suntory took the craftsmanship it applies to whisky to gin. In fact, Suntory’s been making gin since 1936. Roku uses eight common gin botanicals, like coriander seed and citrus peels, with five Japanese-sourced botanicals, such as green tea and sanaho pepper. The gin is distinctly Japanese in flavor that is still rooted in its English legacy.

Best Craft Gin: Forthave Spirits Blue Gin

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Blue Gin

Forthave Spirits newyorkcraftspirits.com

$38.00

Creamy because it’s unfiltered

Full-bodied mouthfeel with bold flavors

Hard to find outside the NYC area

Brooklyn-based Forthave makes small-batch liquors and liqueurs with a focus on the botanicals being used. Its Blue Gin (which isn’t blue) uses 18 botanicals, which makes for a flavorful, yet delicate, gin. It’s full-bodied, because it’s unfiltered, providing a creaminess that’s as satisfying neat as it is fulfilling in a mixed drink. Blue is just different enough from standard gins to provide a new drinking experience, while sticking close enough to the source material to comfort those wary of change.

Best Environmentally Conscious Gin: Gray Whale Gin

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Gin

Gray Whale totalwine.com

$42.99

Refreshing, clean and smooth

California-made with California ingredients

Savoriness from kombu takes some adjusting

Before we get into the gin, Gray Whale is a partner of 1% for the Planet, which means the brand donates a portion of its profits to organizations that support the environment. Now to the gin, which is distilled in California with six California-found botanicals: juniper, mint, lime, fir tree, kombu and almonds. It’s a rounded gin that has hints of sweetness as well as saltiness, thanks to the kombu. It may make an odd addition in a Negroni, but as a sipper, it’s wonderfully delicious.

Best Old Tom Gin: Porter’s Tropical Old Tom Gin

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Tropical Old Tom Gin

Porter’s flaviar.com

$39.99

Lacks the nauseating sweetness associated with Old Tom gins

Old Tom Gins can notoriously fall anywhere between good and sickly sweet. Porter’s version of the style luckily falls on the “good” end of that spectrum. It mixes a classic gin base with tropical botanicals — such as pineapple and guava — for a juicy sweetness that doesn’t end up being too cloying. The gin is drier than your typical Old Tom Gin, but we think that makes this a better option than most on the market.

May 17, 2021 / Comments Off on The 13 Best Bottles of Gin You Can Buy in 2021
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Fellow’s New French Press Is as Fellow as It Gets

Since 2013, Fellow has been one of the most impactful coffee brands to date. Its Stagg EKG electric water kettle (our review of which you can read here) is practically the unofficial gooseneck kettle for making pour-over coffee; its Ode coffee grinder is consistently being praised for its form and function; and basically everything the brand makes somehow elevates the coffee-making process from bean storage to coffee to-go cups. I suppose it was only a matter of time before Fellow made a French press.

Launched in May 2021, the Clara French press is Fellow’s high-end entryway into the category. Starting at $99, the Clara is one of the most expensive French presses we’ve ever seen. Fellow asserts its brewer will make “make good mornings great,” so we wanted to test them on that claim.

So, do you need a $99 French press?

Fellow

Clara French Press

Fellow fellowproducts.com

$99.00

What’s Good

It’s a good-looking French press: Yup, it’s a Fellow product alright. From the matte black aesthetic to the clean lines, it’s about as Fellow as it gets. Most French presses utilize a see-through glass construction whereas Fellow went the Fellow route with an all-over matte black construction.

That prevents you from watching the immersion brewing process, but it does work well to insulate the coffee so that it stays warm for longer. Fellow also makes its Clara with walnut details — on the plunger and handle — which adds an additional $30 to the price tag.

Tyler Chin

Results in a clean cup of coffee: A big qualm about French press coffee is that the end product can end up being muddy whether it’s because of the lack of a good filter or a too-fine coffee grind. While Clara won’t end up with a coffee that’s as clean as a Chemex-brewed coffee, it is noticeably less muddy than some other French press coffee I’ve had. Chalk it up to Fellow’s “Enhanced Filtration Mesh,” which is ultra fine to keep silt out of your brew.

Thoughtful details address French press pain points: For some reason, most other French presses make you line up the lid in a specific way for you to pour out coffee. Clara uses an all-directional pour lid so there’s no need to align a tiny opening with the pour spout.

My favorite part about Clara has nothing to do with the actual French press: Fellow includes an agitation stick, which basically looks like a very tiny oar. One could easily use a chopstick or a spoon to agitate the coffee — which breaks up lumps and ensures all of your coffee grounds get equal extraction — but the agitation stick’s shape does this most effectively. It’s the perfect height for reaching the bottle of the brewer, and its flat, wide bottom helps to really scrape up the grounds on the bottom.

The ratio aid lines: On the interior of the French press, Fellow added lines to show how much grounds and water to add. The brand did this so coffee lovers could use the brewer without needing a scale to weigh out the coffee and water. As a coffee nerd, I use a scale to weigh out my coffee and water, so I tried brewing French press coffee with it, too.

Fellow recommends 60 grams of coffee to 840 grams of water (or a 1:14 coffee-to-water ratio). I found that 60 grams of grounds came above Clara’s ratio aid lines, and there wasn’t enough capacity for 840 grams of water. I put aside my coffee nerdery and went with Clara’s guesstimates, and guess what — I should’ve just listened to Fellow.

Tyler Chin

What’s Not as Good

The price: The base price is $99 for the matte black option, and it costs $129 for the brewer with walnut accents. Clara ain’t cheap. On the one hand, Fellow’s French press feels significantly better made than others in the category. It’s weighty in the hand, and the brand’s attention to details are notable straight out of the box. Clara looks like a piece of art, but it also feels like you’re paying for art.

The non-stick coating sticks: The worst part about French presses is the clean up. After you’ve finished your coffee, you’re stuck with a moist mess of coffee grounds at the bottom, which takes some finessing to completely come out. Fellow addressed this by giving its interior a non-stick coating, but like a non-stick pan, it wasn’t totally effective. While I hoped the grounds would slip out as a perfectly formed coffee ground cake, there was a layer of grounds that remained stuck to the base.

Alternatives

There’s no shortage of good French presses on the market. And there’s also no shortage of good and cheap French presses. Wirecutter’s top pick for French presses is the $40 Espro P3, which is made of glass; in addition, Bodum makes a wide array of affordable French presses that have all received hundreds of positive reviews.

In terms of price, a comparable French press to Clara is the Espro P6 ($100.) It comes in stainless steel and matte black (which could’ve fooled me as being a Fellow product), and offers a lot of what Clara offers: a heat-retaining carafe, clean filtration, good looks. The Espro P6 also brews a bit more coffee, 32 ounces, compared to the Clara, 24 ounces.

Verdict

I’ve never purchased a French press on my own, but I would buy the Clara. No French press is perfect, but I’m completely sold on this one based on aesthetics alone. Luckily, the coffee that comes out of the brewer is also solid. It’s more labor intensive to use than a drip coffee machine, but my propensity for making pour overs every morning has slowly dwindled, opting for more sleep than better coffee. At least with Clara, I’m still able to get a really good cup of coffee with minimal work.

Price: $99+

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May 14, 2021 / Comments Off on Fellow’s New French Press Is as Fellow as It Gets
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Seasoned Whiskey Drinkers Are Switching to Rum. Why?

A version of this story first appeared in Gear Patrol Magazine. Subscribe today for more stories like this one, plus receive a $15 gift card to the Gear Patrol Store.

Rum marketers have long prophesied a great rise in popularity for the category, which has long been dominated by the mojito fodder lining liquor store aisles. The pitch: seasoned bourbon drinkers will come to love rum, which is so much more than Bacardi Silver. They were right in one sense, but wrong in another. Bourbon whiskey shares much with rum, but its followers won’t flock to rum for similar flavor profiles — they will convert only if given a pressing reason to. And ironically, it’s bourbon’s own swelling popularity that’s provided one.

There are other, perhaps even better, reasons the modern bourbon-whiskey drinker might be tempted by the rum world’s easy-going nature, but the simplest argument is made with numbers: if you could buy Pappy van Winkle for $100 right now, would you? Bourbon whiskey’s popularity has reached the point where many coveted bottles — Pappy, Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection, older Michter’s and more — are effectively unobtainable; once widely available staples of the top shelf, Weller 12-year-old, Blanton’s and Eagle Rare (really, you could name the entire Buffalo Trace lineup), in turn, have become the Pappys of the 2020s.

By contrast, rum offers more: more varieties; more flavors; more production methods; more eccentricities; more bottle diversity — and, critically, more availability. Step back and compare the breadth of flavor profiles in the rum world to that of bourbon — or even whiskey, bourbon’s parent category — and rum is the clear winner. This is mostly due to one of rum’s unique traits: decentralization. Where bourbon, scotch and spirits like tequila and cognac are, to different degrees, bound by regulation, geography and strict definitions, rum is a loose cannon. Make it with molasses, and you’ve got rum. Make it with fresh sugarcane, and you still have rum. Age it (or don’t), blend it with spices (or not), filter out the color (or add it) — it’s all rum.

With that in mind, here are the best rums for an ex-bourbon drinker to start with — from the true Pappy of rum to the Bacardi you should be drinking.

The ‘Pappy’ of Rum: Hampden Great House 2020

Henry Phillips

Great House Distillery Edition Single Jamaican Rum

Hampden drizly.com

$102.73

Origin: Jamaica

ABV: 59%

Price: ~$100

Hampden Estate has been making rum on a near-continuous basis since 1779, and its Great House release, has quickly earned a reputation for intense, rich flavor and a healthy dose of rum funk in only its second year. For longtime rum drinkers, it represents rum’s mighty potential. For former bourbon lovers, it offers a glimpse into a category not yet destroyed by hype magnets.

The Buffalo Trace of Rum: Real McCoy 12-Year

Henry Phillips

Barbados Rum 12 Year

Real McCoy drizly.com

$46.99

Origin: Barbados

ABV: 40%

Price: ~$45

Reliably excellent, well-made and expertly matured, Real McCoy 12-year-old rum is named after a famous Prohibition-era rum smuggler whose product became known as “the real McCoy” due to the number of fakes at the time. Today, it’s sourced from the Barbados-based Foursquare Distillery, the rum producer closest to capturing the enormous pull of Buffalo Trace Distillery in the bourbon world.

The Jack Daniel’s of Rum: Bacardi Reserva Ocho

Henry Phillips

Reserva Ocho Rum

Barcardí drizly.com

$38.94

Origin: Puerto Rico

ABV: 40%

Price: ~$30

While Bacardi is better known for the un-aged, tall-bottled Bacardi Superior expression, rum drinkers will point you to its easy-to-find, consistent, well-aged and affordably priced middle-shelf bottling instead. Cheap enough to make a punch with and smooth enough to drink on the rocks, it’s a do-it-all shelf staple.

The Rum You Give Your Whiskey-Loving Boss: Privateer Distiller’s Drawer

Henry Phillips

Distiller’s Drawer New England Lot No.1

Privateer compasswines.com

$96.99

Origin: USA

ABV: Varies

Price: ~$70

This top-notch rum comes from an odd place: America. By most accounts, Privateer is the best in the country — and it’s not made anywhere near the tropics, either. Based in Massachusetts, Privateer’s Distiller’s Drawer series offers rum from barrels hand-selected by its master distiller, and they’re some of the most whiskey-like bottles in the category. Expect oak, vanilla, burnt sugar and more classic bourbon notes.

The Deep-Cut Rum: Clairin

Henry Phillips

Vaval Haitian Rum

Clairin drizly.com

$42.61

Origin: Haiti

ABV: Varies

Price: ~$50

If you want to go straight to the bottom of the rabbit hole, Clairin is a good way to do it. It’s usually unaged, so it has more in common with white whiskey than bourbon proper, and it’s made with local wild sugarcane and “dunder,” which is a bit like the sour mash of the rum world, but far less frequently used than its whiskey counterpart. It lends Clairin a deep funkiness that blends with the base spirit to invoke whiskey, mezcal, natural wine and rum all at once.

May 14, 2021 / Comments Off on Seasoned Whiskey Drinkers Are Switching to Rum. Why?
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The 10 Best Hot Sauces to Spice Up Your Life

Everyone has a go-to hot sauce. And for some, their go-to is the only thing they’ll use. Tabasco over Valentina? Blasphemy! While having a preferred hot sauce is a personal thing, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t explore what other spicy condiments are at your disposal. We asked a bunch of chefs what their favorite spice bombs are, and we included a few of our own picks that deserve a place in your pantry, on your dining table or in your bag.

El Yucateco

Courtesy

Chile Habanero

El Yucateco amazon.com

$8.59

Thanks to its habanero base, El Yucateco is easily the fieriest of your everyday hot sauces. It was the second most vote-getting sauces among the chefs we spoke with, and they put it on whatever is in front of them. “I’m hooked, I put it on everything — pizza, tacos, macaroni and cheese — everything,” says Milwaukee-based Chef Dan Jacobs of DanDan, EsterEv and Fauntleroy. “It is an essential all-purpose condiment in my household.”

Big Red’s God’s Wrath Ghost Pepper Sauce

Courtesy

God’s Wrath Ghost Pepper Sauce

Big Reds bigredshotsauce.com

$8.00

Don’t let its name scare you away from trying it, because God’s Wrath is more like a gift from the spice gods. It’s blowing up sad leftover lunches like a flavor bomb in the mouth with habanero and the infamous ghost pepper. God’s Wrath also packs extra flavor with the additions of garlic and onion powders, rosemary, applewood-smoked seat salt and lemon juice concentrate.

Crystal Hot Sauce

Louisiana’s Pure Hot Sauce

Crystal amazon.com

$6.79

$5.89 (13% off)

One of two lines of Louisiana hot sauce royalty (the second comes later) is made with just three ingredients — salt, vinegar and aged cayenne peppers — but its popularity doesn’t end with simpletons. “If I were on a desert island and could only have one hot sauce it would be Crystal. You can use it just on greens, mix it with mayonnaise, it’s good on cheeseburgers, great on seafood. It’s just universal,” Atlanta chef Linton Hopkins of Holeman & Finch, Restaurant Eugene, C. Ellets and others said. “I love Tabasco on oysters. And for something like tacos, I love Cholula. But Crystal is the most universal.”

Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo

Courtesy

Los Calientes Rojo

Hot Ones heatonist.com

$12.00

Hot Ones — yes, based off the web series of the same name — makes killer (not literally) hot sauces that you can eat at home. Los Calientes Rojo blends smoked red jalapeños, for sweetness and depth, with habanero, for hellish heat, as its base spicy profile. Then it gets treated with a mix of herbs, plus the unique addition of tart apricot, which lends its fruit flavor and color.

Shaquanda Hot Pepper Sauce

Courtesy

Hot Pepper Sauce

Shaquanda’s amazon.com

$14.95

This hot sauce pleases everyone from its hometown of Brooklyn to its roots in Barbados. Shaquanda’s hot pepper sauce is less about melting your face off and more about boosting whatever you’re eating with blast of flavor. Hot Pepper Sauce mixes scotch bonnets and habaneros with spices inspired by Barbados like ginger, turmeric and mustard. There’s also a bit of horseradish to clear your sinuses — better keep the tissues near you.

Valentina

Salsa Picante

Valentina amazon.com

$6.99

Chefs really, really like Valentina. Like any hot sauce nerd, chefs use it on everything (apparently, one even puts it and a squeeze of lemon on Flaming Hot Cheetos). But what sets it apart, according to its disciples, is the inclusion of flavors not often present in a cheap bottle of hot sauce. The consistency of this Mexican staple lies somewhere between your typical watery sauce and Sriracha, and it comes in hot or extra-hot.

Red Clay Original Hot Sauce

Courtesy

Original Hot Sauce

Red Clay redclayhotsauce.com

$9.00

South Carolina-based Red Clay takes your ordinary grocery store-aisle hot sauce and kicks it up to 11 — not in terms of heat, but flavor. Its base chili is a fresno chili, which has mild heat and sweet flavor, that’s mixed with white wine vinegar, then aged in bourbon barrels. This is the sort of hot sauce you put on anything and everything, turning whatever you put it on into a vessel for getting Red Clay into your mouth.

Tabasco

Original Flavor Pepper Sauce

Tabasco amazon.com

$6.82

The name is Mexican, the sauce isn’t. Tabasco is made with tabasco peppers grown on Avery Island, which is technically a salt dome. It’s probably the most popular hot sauce in the U.S. — it’s included in MREs and offered to astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The culinary director at Hill Country, Ash Fulk, puts it on everything, though he believes grits are the ideal companion. “It’s a sharp, vinegar snap and slightly fermented zippy sauce give a great platform for any dish without overpowering it,” he says.

Truff

Courtesy

Black Truffle-Infused Hot Sauce

Truff truff.com

$18.00

Truffle in things is an over-priced gimmick; truffle in Truff is not. This deeply savory hot sauce, made with actual black truffles, is perfectly spicy (as in hot) and perfectly spiced. This is the type of hot sauce that you get someone as a gift.

Hot Sloth CBD Hot Sauce

Courtesy

Hot Sloth CBD Hot Sauce

Pot d’Huile pdhcbd.com

$36.00

Hot Sloth is a hot sauce that burns the tongue and cools the mind. Former executive chef at Alinea, Mike Bagale, helped CBD olive oil brand Pot d’Huile come up with this neon-red hot sauce that packs major heat, thanks to a heavy-handed addition of habanero. But this thing isn’t all about the heat — it’s flavorful like you wouldn’t believe. Dragonfruit provides some of that bright color as well as some fruitiness; white miso paste and fermented plum bring the funk; and the CBD olive oil just rounds it all out.

May 12, 2021 / Comments Off on The 10 Best Hot Sauces to Spice Up Your Life
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This Legendary Brewer Is Brewing Beer Again After 10 Years

Greg Hall happens to be the only person in the world who has sold two different craft alcohol companies to Anheuser-Busch InBev. For this, he’s not the most popular with craft beer purists, who see him as the ultimate sell-out, sitting in an ivory tower counting his blood money. But if you’ve had a 10-minute conversation with Hall, it’s evident that he is someone who cares about what he brews and lives solely for that purpose.

Hall of course is that Greg Hall, whose dad John founded Goose Island Brewery. Who was the brewmaster at said brewery for 20 years. Who pioneered bourbon barrel-aged stouts. Who then left Goose Island in 2011, shortly after his family sold it to Anheuser-Busch, for a jaunt in Europe for a few months. Who then founded Virtue Cider (which is the second alcohol company he sold to ABI). And who is now brewing a Nordic-style lager at Virtue after brewing strictly cider for the past 10 years.

“Well, you know, I never really got away from thinking about beer,” Hall tells me over the phone. “Ironically today is actually the tenth anniversary of my last day at Goose Island.”

I first met Hall a couple of years back during a press tasting of that year’s Goose Island Bourbon County Stout lineup. It was a brisk fall evening in New York City and Hall, in tow from rural Michigan, was donning overalls, a flannel shirt jacket and the standard craft beer beard.

After leaving Goose Island, Hall traveled to France and England to visit with some of the premier cider makers of Europe. And he was immediately struck by the similarities of cider to one of his favorite beer styles.

“One of the things that really intrigued me [was] local fruit,” Hall says. “They’re all using fruit they grow or buy from the neighbors that everybody’s making cider on a farm. And it just reminded me so much like the farmhouse ales of Belgium and Northern France. And I think that those have always been some of my favorite beers.”

This of course coming from a man who loves Saisons so much that he named one after his daughter at Goose Island (Sofie). This compelled Hall to really dive into the world of cider, which he has arguably broken a lot of ground in during the past 10 years. He’s aging in oak (including spent bourbon barrels) and focusing on the acidity and tannins of the apples he’s sourcing from farmers. But it’s also about the apples he’s putting into those barrels, as well as other fruits to get the delicate and complex ciders he’s after. That’s where Vestland, Virtue’s new Nordic-style Lager comes in — which Hall feels is a perfect first beer for Virtue that coincides with the complexity of cider.

Vestland starts with a lager base very similar to a Helles-style lager with a solid malt profile. Some rye malt also was added to produce that nice spiciness and creamy mouthfeel.

As Hall continues, “And then instead of hopping it we kind of go with some of these botanicals. Caraway adds a little bit of nuttiness and complexity into the beer. And then we put juniper in very much like we would with a hop at the end of the boil but then we hit it again post-fermentation. So it’s like dry-hopping but like dry-berrying.”

Courtesy

As for the taste? Hall describes it as “A beer-flavored beer with juniper notes. It’s kind of floral — you get spicy and fruity all in one. I think if you’re not looking too hard, it just kind of tastes like a new hop variety, but as you dig deeper into the palate it really, to me, what it tastes like more than anything else is the outside.”

Which makes sense, because Virtue has a very similar climate to the Nordic countries and Hall’s whole reason for starting Virtue was to be more in touch with his ingredients.

Vestland releases today, May 12, in Chicago and Michigan and will be available for some time after that. Whether it gets distributed to Virtue’s wider distribution remains to be seen. But Hall’s triumphant return to beer making is not fleeting, as he intends to continue brewing farmhouse style beers that he feels are perfect complements to the complex ciders he’s making.

As Hall says, “We’re trying to make beer that is just like with our cider both refreshing at the end of the day but also serves its place at the table. With cider that’s the same thing we’ve wanted to do, make ciders that were really suitable for the table, and take the place of something like a white wine.”

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May 12, 2021 / Comments Off on This Legendary Brewer Is Brewing Beer Again After 10 Years
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A Pharrell-Approved Hot Sauce and 4 More Home and Design Releases

Welcome to Window Shopping, a weekly exercise in lusting over home products we want in our homes right the hell now. This week: beach towels you won’t want to lose, a product for better laundry days and more.

Jah Mama Hot Sauce

Simon Chasalow

This hot sauce made me tear up. Not because it was super hot, but because it was just so damn good — OK, its Scotch bonnet peppers did trigger the waterworks. Crafted by music producer Jahphet Landis, also known as Roofeeo, Jah Mama is Landis’ homage to his mother’s pepper sauce. It also happened to get Pharrell William’s nod of approval when he tried it on his Instagram Stories. The hot sauce gets its heat from Scotch bonnet peppers and fresno chilies, which provides a delayed, but lingering, heat. But Jah Mama isn’t just about providing fire — it’s full of flavor, too. To give the sauce its Caribbean flair, Roofeeo added ingredients culantro, shallot and turmeric, which make you want to drink the stuff straight from the bottle. Don’t though, unless you have a jar of Tums near by.

Price: $13

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Five Two Fresh Start Laundry Bag

Food52

Anything to make laundry day easier is a Gear Patrol-approved purchase in my book. Five Two’s new Fresh Start laundry bag is one of those things. Fresh Start is essentially an extra-long backpack to easily schlep all your dirty clothes and laundry-related essentials to the laundry room. It has a slot to keep your extra laundry money, a pouch to hold your detergent and a drawstring opening for when your bag is overflowing with soiled clothing. Honestly there’s nothing holding you back from using this as an actual backpack since you could probably store a week’s worth of clothing in here for your next getaway,

Price: $59

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The Goods Mart x Peter Som Snack Box

The Goods Mart

Fashion designer Peter Som partnered with The Goods Mart, a high-end NYC-based convenience store, on a snack box consisting of Peatos Crunchy Curls, Zest Thai Mushroom Jerky, Ancient Provisions Cheddar Cheezish Crackers, Good Fish Spicy BBQ Salmon Skin, Union Whole Earth Snacks Pepperoni Crisps, Good Crisps Classic Original, Little Secrets Crispy Wafers and Wholesome Delish Fish. For every purchase, $10 goes to Heart of Dinner, which provides meals to low-income Asian elders in New York City’s Chinatown.

Price: $60

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Kin Euphorics Lightwave

Kin

Kin Euphorics makes non-alcoholic drinks that make you feel good instead of feeling good then crashing the next day with a gnarly hangover. Its new canned drink, Lightwave, is touted as providing a “grounded calm.” Lightwave is a combination of adaptogens, to help destress; nootropics, to boost cognitive function; and botanics, to actually make the drink taste good. It tastes of lavender and vanilla with a bit of smoked seat salt, and it’s equal parts delicious and functional.

Price: $27/four-pack

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Brooklinen Beach Towels

Brooklinen

Brooklinen is known for its bedding and bathroom products, but it also has beach towels. Like the brand’s bath towels, the beach towels are just as soft and absorbent. Brooklinen tapped Norway-based artist Isabelle Feliu to design its towels in Daybreak and Moonscape prints, both of which will be easy to spot on a sandy shore.

Price: $65+

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May 11, 2021 / Comments Off on A Pharrell-Approved Hot Sauce and 4 More Home and Design Releases
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The Best Cheap Bourbon Whiskey You Can Buy in 2021

Even when your bourbon budget is tight, the liquor store shelf beckons like a boozy vending machine. Bourbon, despite going off like a bomb this past decade, remains an affordable man’s game. But it’s also tough. If you have, say, a twenty and a fiver in your pocket, you are spoiled for choice. And while there are no right or wrong picks on the path to loving bourbon, some decisions might be wiser than others. Here are some of the best bourbons to reach for, all $25 or less.

Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky

drizly.com

Distillery: Maker’s Mark
Proof: 90
Price: $20-$30
King of the Affordable Wheaters: The red wax seal; the Scottish spelling of “whisky.” It’s easy to love Maker’s and its quirks. Particularly easy, since it’s an affordable wheated bourbon (mash bill: 14 percent malted barley, 16 percent red winter wheat, 70 percent corn). It’s got a big name, which sometimes pushes its price up — but in California, I find mine for $20 at Trader Joe’s. That’s hard to beat.

Courtesy

Wild Turkey 101

drizly.com

Distillery: Wild Turkey
Proof: 101
Price: $20-$25
Bang for Your Buck: Wild Turkey bourbon has been around for a long time, since the 1940s; its master distiller, Jimmy Russell, has too (his son Eddie Russell is a master distiller now too). Wild Turkey also makes an 80-proof bourbon, but the 101 is its true flagship. It has a mash bill that’s “high rye” (75 percent corn, 13 percent rye, 12 percent malted barley) and is aged in barrels with a deep char, then bottled at near barrel-proof. The result is a flavor bomb.

Old Forester Signature 100 Proof

Distillery: Old Forester Distilling Company
Proof: 100
Price: $25-$30
Classic Flavor Profile: Old Forester is indeed an old brand — at 150 years and going, it’s the longest-running bourbon brand. It’s so old that its big innovation was being sold only in sealed glass bottles. In the past few years the brand has gained some lost ground back in prestige, and the 100 proof is part of that. It’s a rich, flavorful bourbon with a mash bill that’s 70 percent corn, 18 percent rye, and 10 percent malted barley. In his 2019 Bible, Jim Murray called the Old Forester 86 “criminally under-rated,” and the same thing can be said for the 100-proof.

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Early Times Bottled-in-Bond

drizly.com

Distillery: Brown-Forman / Sazerac
Proof: 100
Price: $25 (1L bottle)
Party Bourbon: Early Times, recently acquired from Brown-Forman by Sazerac, is one of the best kept secrets on the bottom shelf. Firstly, it comes in a one-liter bottles that are perfect for keeping as your home bar’s well bourbon or, even better, a bourbon to pull out when a crowd comes over. It’s also a really balanced bourbon that weds price, proof, age and flavor profile nicely.

Larceny Small Batch

drizly.com

Distillery: Heaven Hill
Proof: 92
Price: $25-$30
The Alternative Wheater: Heaven Hill’s budget wheated bourbon took over for its Old Fitzgerald line of whiskies around 2012 (Old Fitz is available now in limited runs at high prices). The company won’t release its mash bill but claims it has “one third more wheat” than its competitors (Maker’s Mark), which is a big L in the transparency category. Still, it’s an excellently balanced wheater, with notes of baking spices and lemon peel; the bottle I bought in place of my $20 Maker’s Mark has been emptied quickly.

Buffalo Trace

drizly.com

Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Proof: 90
Price: $30
The Benchmark: Buffalo Trace’s flagship bottle is an industry standard — so much so that it often feels less exciting than its affordable competitors. But there’s much to be said for plain old quality. The juice in the buffalo bottle is aged at least eight years, according to BT, and it’s a younger version of some of the stuff that finds its way into some of bourbon’s most sought-after bottles. Its flavor isn’t as unique or punchy as some other bottles on this list, but it’s a great benchmark for simple, delicious “bourbony” flavors.

Old Grand-Dad 114

drizly.com

Distillery: Jim Beam
Proof: 114
Price: $25
Big Fat Bourbon: A quote from my editor, unedited: “OGD114 is the fullest, meatiest, fattiest cheap bourbon you can buy.” Don’t just take it from him: the stuff has a cult following. As it should. It’s cheap, it’s got huge flavors, and, if you sip it neat, it’ll get you drunk. With a mash bill of 63% corn, 23% rye, and 10% malted barley, it’s a study in the power of secondary grains.

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage

drizly.com

Distillery: Heaven Hill
Proof: 87
Price: $25-$30
Single Barrel Beauty: Single barrel whiskey is fun. You’re not drinking the blender’s best shot at bourbon — you’re sampling the boozy fruit of a single tree, which tends to have distinct flavor characteristics. But then, that depends on the barrel you get, doesn’t it? The problem: that sort of delicacy costs you more money. Evan Williams must have a brilliant barrel program, because it does a solid job with this affordable version, with barrels that are usually between seven and eight years old. You can give it a taste and decide for yourself if you like what Evan Williams does with their whiskey.

Four Roses Yellow Label

drizly.com

Distillery: Four Roses
Proof: 80
Price: $20-$25
The Solid Blend: Bourbon dudes clamber for the small batch and single barrel versions from Four Roses. But this baseline bottle is made combining barrels from two high-rye mash bills, making it a balanced sipper or an excellent base for a cocktail.

Jim Beam Single Barrel

drizly.com

$35.00

Distillery: Jim Beam
Proof: 95
Price: $25-$30
The Beam Upgrade: It’s pulled from a single barrel of Jim Beam’s bourbon, which means you never know quite what you’re going to get. Overall though, it’s known as a steady-on whiskey, and a fun alternative version of your normal old black label Jim.

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May 10, 2021 / Comments Off on The Best Cheap Bourbon Whiskey You Can Buy in 2021
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The 9 Best Places to Order Groceries Online

Running to the grocery store has always been a chore. Throw in a global pandemic, and grocery shopping starts to feel even more daunting. As if online shopping wasn’t amazing enough, you can also all your groceries from the comfort of your couch. Online grocery shopping works one of two ways: you get your goods delivered, like a regular package, that was packed in a warehouse; or a local shopper, equipped with your grocery list, does all the leg work for you and delivers it to your front door (contactless, too, if you prefer).

A few things to consider when deciding if an online grocer is right for you is whether it’s available in your area, minimum order requirements and delivery fees. Some services, like Amazon Fresh, just make sense if you already have an Amazon Prime account, while others, like Thrive Market, cater to those who only want to buy good-for-you products. After you take those factors into consideration, find which of the following nine grocery delivery services is for you.

Amazon Fresh

Smith Collection/GadoGetty Images

Delivery Fee: Free on orders $35+
Membership: Yes, Amazon Prime $119/year
Availability: Over 2,000 cities, but no dorms

If you already have Amazon Prime, it only makes sense to take advantage of the included Amazon Fresh. The digital interface is identical to shopping Amazon’s regular marketplace, so you don’t have to teach yourself how to navigate a new website. Finding what you need is as easy as shopping on Amazon can be, plus, the availability is almost unmatched by other services on this list. Shopping on Amazon Fresh means you get access to Whole Foods products, and orders can get to you in as fast as an hour.

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Boxed

Boxed

Delivery Fee: Free on orders $49+
Membership: Optional, $49/year for free delivery on orders $20+, 2% cash rewards and exclusive perks
Availability: Nationwide

Boxed is an online wholesale retailer, so it’s like Costco but virtual. Get bulk versions of your most-used groceries like produce, dairy and eggs, and also get pantry goods and home essentials. Expect your orders to be delivered in one to three days, with express delivery available on orders.

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FreshDirect

FreshDirect

Delivery Fee: $6 to $16, based on location
Membership: No
Availability: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington D.C.

Those on the east coast may choose to shop from FreshDirect, which delivers your typical groceries as well as alcohol and ready-to-eat meals. In certain locations, you can get your order in about an hour, and you can schedule deliveries a week in advance. Those who have already shopped with FreshDirect are quick to note the brand’s high-quality products, which are often organic.

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Safeway

Justin SullivanGetty Images

Delivery Fee: $10
Membership: No
Availability: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., Wyoming

While the east coast has Fresh Direct, the other half of the country has Safeway, a chain of supermarkets that also does delivery. Because Safeway is a regular supermarket, its delivery runs on supermarket hours — between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. — but you can shop online 24/7. The minimum order requirement is $30, and while the $10 delivery fee is higher than most other delivery services, purchases over $150 may have reduced delivery fees.

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Shipt

Shipt

Delivery Fee: Free on orders $35+
Membership: Yes, $14/month or $99/year
Availability: Over 200 cities

Shopping with Shipt is like hiring a personal shopper to collect your goods from the various stores the service partners with, like Target, CVS and Costco to name a few. As long as a store is open, you can get your stuff fairly quickly. Shipt is as widely available as other personal shopping services, but you do get to shop from widely popular stores, and coupons and exclusive savings are regularly available so you can easily save a quick buck and earn back your monthly or yearly membership fee.

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Instacart

Instacart

Delivery Fee: $4 on orders $35+
Membership: Optional, $99/year or $10/month for free delivery on orders $35+
Availability: Nationwide

By partnering with over 500 retailers across the US, Instacart gets local shoppers to help buy and deliver all the items you want without having to leave home. You can even order from warehouse clubs — like Costco and BJ’s — without needing a membership with those clubs. You’ll get live updates on your order, and if something is out of stock, your shopper will reach out to you to ask if you’d be interested in an alternate item.

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Thrive Market

Thrive Market

Delivery Fee: Free on orders $49+
Membership: Yes, $60/year
Availability: Nationwide

Thrive Market is an online marketplace for good-for-you products from home care items to food. As Thrive puts it, they sell ” organic, non-GMO, sustainable and non-toxic products for every lifestyle.” The company also strives to keep its prices low, so items are more approachable to everyday people. Thrive also provides free membership, called Thrive Gives, to certain individuals, which includes low-income families, students, teachers, veterans, members of the military and first responders.

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Umamicart

Umamicart

Delivery Fee: Free on orders $49+
Membership: No
Availability: Northeast (check availability here)

Umamicart sells Asian groceries you might not find in your typical grocery store (or online grocery store). The website makes it easy even for those who aren’t familiar with Asian cooking styles or ingredients while providing basically everything you need to cook up your favorite Asian dish. The website is constantly bringing in new products, so logging onto the site can feel like a treasure hunt.

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Walmart Grocery

Walmart

Delivery Fee: $8-$10
Membership: Optional, $98/year for unlimited free delivery
Availability: Nationwide

Get all the Walmart groceries you know and love delivered to you on the same day you order. If you live close enough to a Walmart, you can even drive up to the location and have the goods packed into your car. Besides getting just groceries, you can also get whatever else Walmart has to offer at the same low prices that make the retail giant such a go-to.

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May 7, 2021 / Comments Off on The 9 Best Places to Order Groceries Online
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A Non-Boozy Campari Alternative and 6 More Home and Design Releases

Welcome to Window Shopping, a weekly exercise in lusting over home products we want in our homes right the hell now. This week: a coffee to add to your wake and bake routine, the tool you need for perfect at-home pizza and more.

Roborock S7

Roborock

Presented by Roborock

Your days of dragging around a wet cloth are over thanks to Roborock’s first sonic robot that vacuums and mops in one fell swoop. Roborock has reinvented the future of clean with VibraRise technology, the world’s first combination of an ultra-fast vibrating sonic mop with automatic mop lifting. It’s designed to transition smoothly over contrasting surfaces, and delivers powerful and convenient cleaning that will simplify your life. The Roborock S7 is available now on Amazon, ready to ship and jumpstart your spring cleaning — your floors will thank you.

Price: $649

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Figlia

Figlia

There’s a new non-alcoholic aperitif on the shelves, and it’s born out of tragedy. Figlia, Italian for “daughter,” comes from Lily Geiger, whose father struggled with alcoholism and died when she was 20. While everyone’s experience with sobriety is different, Figlia is a drink that works for those completely cutting alcohol out of their life, as well as those who just want something good to drink that just so happens to be non-alcoholic. The juicy-looking aperitif is a citrusy, gingery and floral concoction that makes for a pleasant sipper or mocktail mixer. Think of it as a zero-proof Campari, minus the cloyingly sweet flavor profile. Besides being an exceptional alternative to booze-filled hangouts, Figlia is helping those struggling with alcoholism through its work with Partnership to End Addiction, which helps families of those with addiction problems.

Price: $43

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Made In Pizza Steel

Made In

If you’ve made pizza at home before, you may have noticed its crust was just a little bit lacking. Its too-soft texture is most likely because your oven can’t reach the same temperature as the oven in your favorite pizzeria’s oven. The secret for perfectly crispy at-home pizza is the pizza steel, and Made In made one that’s going to have you breaking up with your local pizzeria. Made from perforated carbon steel, Made In’s pizza steel gets hot as hell, making for a nice crusty pie. And because it’s made of carbon steel instead of cast iron, it’s light so you don’t need to worry about dropping your pizza.

Price: $49

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General Admission x Mister Green x Deadbeat Club Hippie Jump Coffee

General Admission

As part of its ongoing collaboration, California streetwear brand General Admission and California lifestyle weed brand Mister Green worked with Deadbeat Club (yet another California brand) on a coffee to wake and bake with. Hippie Jump is a naturally processed Indonesian coffee, with notes of strawberry, dark chocolate and orange creamsicles. It’ll pair perfectly with General Admission’s and Mister Green’s Wake and Bake set.

Price: $20

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Dims. x Dusen Dusen Cleo Chair

Dims.

Designed by Norwegian designer Stine Aas, the Dims. Cleo chair is a perfectly wacky-looking chair (that we love) that gets an even wackier update thanks to Ellen Van Dusen of Dusen Dusen. The colorful brand brought its eye towards eye-popping colors to the Cleo chair, turning it into a multicolored seat to bring out your inner child. The initial run of these chairs was limited to 50 pieces and sold out in less than an hour — but word on Instagram is there’s going to be a reissue soon.

Price: $495

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Ghia Le Spritz

Ghia

Ghia’s non-alcoholic, ruby-hued aperitif helped me get through Dry January, my go-to preparation being Ghia mixed with some soda water. Well now, Ghia is going the canned route with its Le Spritz, and I can stop mixing my own spritzes. The eight-ounce cans are a pre-mixed blend of Ghia’s flagship beverage with the addition of rosemary and yuzu. Get this to get the party started without the post-party shutdown.

Price: $18/4-pack

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Anaori Kakugama

Anaori

This is a pot. Yes, it’s a cube, but it’s essentially a pot. It’s made of carbon graphite, which the brand Anaori touts as a lighter option to cast iron that gets even hotter. Inside the square contraption is a rounded shape that helps to recreate convection heating, and the lid also happens to double as a grill plate. So with the Kakugama, you’re getting a tool that grills, boils, fries and steams — with a $2,490-plus price tag. The piece of cookware does have its backers, including the Michelin-starred chef Fredrik Berselius, who will be highlighting the Kakugama at his restaurant, Aska, as part of the brand’s worldwide tour.

Price: $2,490+

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Good Feals Kit

Good Feals

Alex Iwanchuk co-founded the CBD oil brand Feals to help him find balance amid his mental health struggles. Because May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the brand decided to release a Good Feals Kit, which contains a 600 milligram bottle of Feaks, a 500-piece puzzle from the brand Piecework and a reusable nylon tote from Baggu. All net proceeds from the kit will go towards Painted Brain, which is a Los Angeles-based mental health nonprofit.

Price: $75

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May 4, 2021 / Comments Off on A Non-Boozy Campari Alternative and 6 More Home and Design Releases
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The 10 Best Chili Crisps to Spice Up Your Sad Desk Lunches

I have never met a chili crisp I haven’t loved. They’re spicy, savory, crunchy and delicious. As opposed to regular old chili oil, chili crisps feature I higher ratio of, well, crispy bits. Whether it’s fried garlic or peanuts, chili crisps offer a nice bit of texture to whatever you add it to. The difference between chili crisps and chili oil is so minute, however, that you’ll be happy with whichever ends up on top of your meal.

Chili crisps, in my opinion, are far superior to hot sauces. Using a drizzle of the oil in chili crisps goes further than a dollop of hot sauce, which can often overpower dishes with their sour vinegar base. Like choosing a hot sauce, picking a chili crisp is a wholly personal thing. Blends, ingredients and the oh-so-important crisp-to-oil ratio are at play as to what makes the ideal chili crisp — and none is as perfect as La Gan Ma’s Spicy Chili Crisp, arguably the most famous of chili crisps. It’s under $3 in most supermarkets, and it hits all the right notes from being just the right amount of spicy to nailing the balance between crisp and oil.

From the gold standard of chili crisps to ones from up-and-coming brands, these are the 10 best chili crisps you need to get into your pantry right now.

Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp

Courtesy

Laoganma Spicy Chili Crisp

Laoganma instacart.com

$4.09

Almost everyone’s first experience with chili crisps come courtesy of Lao Gan Ma. The crisps — a blend of chili bits, fermented soybeans, peanuts and garlic — makes up almost 80 percent of the jar, so you always get a bit of stuff when you scoop out a dollop. The brand’s founder, Tao Huabi, created the condiment over 20 years ago for her noodle shop in Guizhou. She started bottling the stuff, and now she’s the most recognizable face in the sauce and condiment aisle.

The Spicy Mamas The Garlic Chili Oil

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The Spicy Mamas The Garlic Chili Oil

The Spicy Mamas thespicymamas.com

$7.99

During the pandemic, five members of a Chinese-Cambodian family in the San Gabriel Valley came together to make and bottle their family’s garlic chili oil to share with the public. The result is The Spicy Mamas brand, which makes three versions of its chili oil — Classic Spice for medium heat, Killer Spice for extra spice and Vegan Spice for a vegan medium heat. The Spicy Mamas nail the stuff-to-oil ratio, which is apparent from the jar, and you’re going to want to buy a truckload of this stuff.

Sze Daddy Chili Sauce

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Sze Daddy Chili Sauce

886 eighteightsix.com

$10.00

Sze Daddy is courtesy of Eric Sze, the chef and owner of the New York City Taiwanese restaurant 886. His chili sauce is, well, saucier than some other chili crisps still contains some nice texture and mouthfeel. Sze Daddy uses numby sichuan peppercorns and earthy star anise, which pays tribute to Sze’s Sichuan heritage.

Momofuku Chili Crunch

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Momofuku Chili Crunch

Momofuku momofuku.com

$12.00

David Chang, whose resume is too long to list here, crafted a chili crisp you’d expect from a world-renowned chef. It boasts three, count ’em, three types of chilis — Puya, Japones and Chili de Arbol, with each adding a depth of flavor and heat that you wouldn’t get from just one variety of chili. While we love MSG in our chili crunch, Chang swaps it out for mushroom powder, yeast extract and seaweed to achieve a similar, if not better, boost of umami. You can learn more about Chang’s process into making Chili Crunch on his podcast, The Dave Chang Show.

Milu Chili Crisp

Courtesy

Milu Chili Crisp

Milu eatmilu.com

$12.00

Milu, a fast-casual Chinese restaurant in New York City, opened to much fanfare back in October 2020. Its founder, Connie Chung, was the culinary director at Michelin-starred restaurants Eleven Madison Park and Nomad, so the praise made a lot of sense. Its house-made chili crisp was especially popular, and even if you’re not in New York, you can still get some of that addictive condiment wherever you are. It’s heavily savory but only lightly spicy, with a nice mix of chili flakes, spices like cumin and cardamom and toasted soy nuts.

Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp

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Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp

Fly by Jing umamicart.com

$15.00

Fly By Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp is sort of like the millennial’s direct response to Lao Gan Ma. Its flavors are inspired by Sichuan, which is also where its founder, Jing Gao, is from. It’s got its crunchies, but it really carves its own niche in the chili crisp world thanks to the addition of three very special ingredients: Erjingtao chilies, a highly popular chili in Sichuan cooking known for its mild heat but incredible fragrance; caiziyou, a roasted rapeseed oil; and the rare Gongjiao, or tribute pepper, which is what gives Fly By Jing’s Sichaun Chili Crisp its citrusy undertones and mouth-tingling abilities.

Junzi Chili Oil

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Junzi Chili Oil (2-Pack)

Junzi

$13.99

Lucas Sin, of the chain of fast-casual Chinese restaurants Junzi Kitchen, makes one of the spicier chili condiments out there courtesy of Tianjin chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns and cayenne peppers. It is market itself as a chili oil and not a chili crisp, so it is heavier on the oil. Those bits on the bottom third of the jar are a wonderful topping for noodles, rice and pretty much everything.

Boon

Courtesy

Boon

Boon boonsauce.com

$18.00

Boon looks like it was made by someone who just really wanted to make their own chili crisp, and that’s sort of what chef Max Boonthanaki did with this. Boonthanaki is the head pastry chef at Bangkok’s Michelin-starred Blue By Alain Ducasse. The chef spent a lot of time cooking in Los Angeles before his move to Thailand, and Boon is still made in the Golden State. The addition of anchovies makes this a worthwhile chili crisp, providing both texture and depth of flavor. Each batch of Boon is made in limited quantities, and as of publishing, it’s on batch number 24.

Umamei

Courtesy

Umamei Chili Oil

Umamei umamei.com

$18.00

“Top Chef” winner Mei Lin started Umamei, which as the name implies, is chock-full of umami. The oil’s blend of chilis is unique to Umamei, and lends a fragrance and heat unlike some other comparable condiments. Umamei features a healthy dose of crunchy and spicy bits, while providing enough oil to make a nice drizzle over anything. Earlier this year, Lin had partnered with the collaboration king of streetwear Kyle Ng of Brain Dead on a special chili oil that sold out quickly.

Loud Grandma CBD Chili Crisp Oil

Courtesy

Loud Grandma CBD Chili Crisp Oil

Pot d’Huile pdhcbd.com

$29.00

Pot d’Huile, a brand of CBD-infused olive oils, partnered with Calvin Eng of Brooklyn’s much-hyped restaurant and bakery Win Son to make this playful and tasty chili crisp. It’s mildly spicy with a bunch of tasty bits like fermented black soybeans and chili flakes, and the addition of tomato paste adds a savory backbone that makes us wonder why more chili oils don’t use it. The eponymous grandma on the jar is a nice homage to the stoic Lao Gan Ma, and Loud Grandma’s edgy appearance really complements the edginess of putting CBD in chili oil.

May 3, 2021 / Comments Off on The 10 Best Chili Crisps to Spice Up Your Sad Desk Lunches
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The 8 Best Things We Drank in April

wickedweedbrewing.com

Wicked Weed Brewing, an exceptional brewery based out of Asheville, is getting into natural wine under the brand Vīdl. And whether or not the transition from beer to wine makes sense to you, the wines coming out of Vīdl are just delightful. They’re bright, alive and refreshing, and it’s hard to do them justice with words. The winery’s lineup includes Sauvignon Blanc ($25), Contact Rosé ($30) and Blaufränkisch ($35), each made with grapes sourced from Yakima Valley, Washington, which is the same place Wicked Weed sources its hops. The wines are only available in North Carolina, which is a damn shame, but if you’re ever in the state, find all three bottles and buy them up. – Tyler Chin, Associate Staff Writer

May 3, 2021 / Comments Off on The 8 Best Things We Drank in April
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This Indoor Garden Is An Almost Fool-Proof Way to Grow Your Own Vegetables

Not everyone has the luxury of a patio, backyard or balcony, which could make growing your own produce impossible. But indoor gardening kits make the impossible possible. These homebound devices won’t let you grow enough herbs or vegetables to start selling at your local farmer’s market (and they won’t really help you eat salads every day), but they’re an ingenious way to maintain a manageable edible garden with very little effort.

One of the most recognized indoor garden kit brands is Click and Grow. Despite its uncreative name, which plays into just how simple the thing is to use, Click and Grow is about as foolproof as they come. To test just how well Click and Grow works, we grew some basil in the brand’s entry-level model, the Smart Garden 3. Here’s how it worked.

Price (Click and Grow): $100 | Price (Amazon): $100

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What’s Good

It’s impossible to screw up: Out of the box, you literally click in the basil pods — included in the kit — cover them with a plastic dome, fill a reservoir with water and plug in the device. All you need to worry about is making sure the reservoir, which self-waters the plants, is full and you plug in the unit at a time that makes sense to you (more on that later). Little sprouts will sprout in no time, and all you need to do is let the greens reach the skies. As your plants get taller, you’ll need to extend the lamp with the included lamp extenders to give more space to grow and also provide some distance between the light and the plant.

My basil started to grow almost immediately, with green poking out of the soil before I even realized it. In a couple weeks, I was already harvesting a few basil leaves to sprinkle into tomato sauces. All I had really done since setting up the device was give it water and let it do its thing.

It’s compact: While I’m already tight on kitchen counter space, it wasn’t hard to find somewhere to put the Smart Garden 3. It measures 12 inches by 5 inches, and because the overall device has a sleek, clean look, I didn’t mind keeping this on my dresser. Some may find placing it in the bedroom to be annoying because the light is just so damn bright, but I can sleep through anything and I haven’t had an issue with being disturbed by the brightness.

You can grow almost anything: Click and Grow offers over 50 plant pods, ranging from the edible (herbs, vegetables and fruit) to the decorative (flowers). The pods’ Smart Soil utilize NASA-inspired technology, which evenly waters thee plant and ensures the plants maintain the proper pH level while getting adequate moisture, oxygen and nutrients. They’re also sans pesticides, fungicides, hormones and other bad stuff.

Think of the Click and Grow pods as Keurig pods except smarter, and (eventually) much better tasting.
Click and Grow

What’s Not as Good

It’s not completely smart: While it’s called the “Smart Garden,” the device as a whole isn’t truly smart. The “smart” more applies to the self-caring soil rather than how you interact with the Smart Garden 3. You can’t sync up the Smart Garden with an app, which would be nice to keep track of plant growth. And once you plug in the garden, it stays lit for 16 hours with no way to turn it off without unplugging it. A simple switch to turn on and off the lights would have made much more sense.

Alternatives

We found six other indoor garden kits that can rival the Click and Grow’s Smart Garden 3. Its direct competitor is the Aerogarden Harvest, which for $150, has a comparable ease of use albeit with the ability to grow six plants versus three, as well as a switch for the lights. The light arm is also extendable on its own — no need to store separate light extenders like the Smart Garden 3.

Within the Click and Grow inventory is the Smart Garden 9 ($200) and the app compatible Smart Garden 9 PRO ($260), as well as the standing unit, the Smart Garden 27 ($600), and The Wall Farm ($2,500). Each adds more space for grow pods, and the Smart Garden 9 may be better than the entry-level model if you’re hoping to grow more variety at the same time. If you’re really obsessed with growing edible plants, The Wall Farm is a splurge, though its $2,500 price tag may not justify its existence.

Click and Grow

Verdict

The Click and Grow Smart Garden 3 is an entry-level indoor garden kit for those who need some herbs every now and again. Don’t expect to ever grow enough produce to make a salad for a week, let alone a single meal. As long as you remember to water your device, your greens will continue to thrive. It’s fairly forgiving if you forget to fill the water reservoir for a couple days after it’s dried up or forgot to extend the lamp arm, and that’s what makes this a worthy purchase if you’re looking to kickstart a green thumb — even if you don’t have one.

Price (Click and Grow): $100 | Price (Amazon): $100

SHOP NOW (CLICK AND GROW) | SHOP NOW (AMAZON)

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April 29, 2021 / Comments Off on This Indoor Garden Is An Almost Fool-Proof Way to Grow Your Own Vegetables
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Victor Cruz Talks Bourbon, Pandemic Life and … Turtles?

This year, the Kentucky Derby will run on schedule. That’s news, of course, because last year was a very different story: it was delayed last year, so instead, we saw the return of the Kentucky Turtle Derby. Yes, in 2020, we raced turtles instead of horses on the first Saturday in May. Here in 2021, though, the turtles are back, and with a new mascot: Super Bowl champion and former New York Giants player Victor Cruz.

The Turtle Derby, sponsored by Old Forester, whose mint julep is the derby’s official drink, is a complete flip on what is widely known as the “fastest two minutes in sports.” Instead, in the “slowest two minutes in sports,” eight turtles are sent to the races to see who can reach the finish line first.

The Turtle Derby, which originated in 1945 after the Kentucky Derby was postponed because of World War II, was revived last year after the 2020 “Run for the Roses” was rescheduled because of the pandemic. Airing May 1 at 4 p.m. EDT, the Turtle Derby will be available to view on Old Forester’s YouTube channel.

We chatted with Cruz to get a little more insight into how a sports legend became a mascot for turtle racing, life during the pandemic and, of course, bourbon.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Gear Patrol: So, what does a Super Bowl champion know about racing turtles?

Victor Cruz: Not much! I had to do a lot of research on this and make sure I’m understanding, obviously, This just being the second annual Old Forester Kentucky Turtle Derby, which is airing May 1 at 4 p.m. ET on Old Forester’s YouTube channel, but I’m excited — it’s fun. When I started to learn more about it and the names of these turtles and how hysterical they are and how it’s deemed the “slowest two minutes in sports,” I was excited to see what this was all about. The history of the whole Turtle Derby is pretty, pretty crazy, and I’m actually kind of happy it’s happening again.

Courtesy

GP: Too bad the turtles can’t do a dance once they reach the finish line.

VC: [Laughs] Exactly, exactly.

GP: So what does it mean that you’re the mascot? Are you putting on a costume or anything?

VC: [Laughs] No I was just joking with somebody that I should have had a turtleshell book bag or something. That would have been cool, but no me being the mascot is just to be the face behind the race and to bring more eyes to it, while having some fun with it in the meantime.

GP: Were you always a bourbon fan?

VC: Always was ever since, I was old enough to drink. I would always try it; I was always interested in it; and I would always get my Old Fashioneds done with bourbon. So when this partnership came about, it was like okay, you know this is kind of all coming together, and what better brand to partner with than Old Forester?

GP: Since Old Forester’s mint julep is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, what’s Victor Cruz’s official drink of the derby?

VC: Old Forster, neat, no ice like a gentleman. That’s the way I like my bourbon.

Courtesy

GP: How do you think your drinking habits have changed since you retired from the NFL?

VC: Oh man, I can’t say how it’s really changed, but I think it’s changed in terms of me just having the time to just try different things like liquors and drinks.

GP: How’ve you been holding up during the pandemic?

VC: So far so good. It kind of feels like we’re coming out the other end of it, so to speak. Initially, it was kind of interesting. I was with my daughter, trying to get her through virtual school obviously and, and that’s not always easy. Especially in the beginning, she was just like, “Yeah, I know I’m at school, but I’m home so I want to relax and be comfortable and not have to be as attentive to school as I want to be.” But we changed that and then over time it got better. I just recently put her back into school with all of her classmates, and I can see a substantial difference in her morale. and when she comes home she’s excited and happy to be around those kids and happy to be around her friends again and have that normal interaction. So it’s been fun but it’s definitely had its ups and downs for sure.

GP: Besides being the Turtle Derby mascot, what else is new with you?

VC: I’m here in Los Angeles and doing some work with the news. I’m filling in on [E!‘s talk show] Daily Pop and doing their broadcast stuff, which is cool. I’m staying involved in the philanthropy space doing things with my foundation, the Victor Cruz Foundation. And then I’ve been getting into some acting stuff. I’ve been taking some acting classes last year, and I booked a gig on Broadway that I can’t really talk about, but COVID set that back a bit, but we’ll see. We’ll see what happens, we’ll see what I come across, but just trying to dip my toes into everything.

April 26, 2021 / Comments Off on Victor Cruz Talks Bourbon, Pandemic Life and … Turtles?
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Why Buffalo Trace’s New Almost-Whiskey Signals a New Era for the Brand

The latest in Buffalo Trace Distillery‘s annually released Experimental Collection is a baijiu-style spirit made, for the most part, like bourbon. It’s the product of fermented grains and it’s matured for 11 years in white oak barrels (new, charred and toasted). But instead of a corn-based mashbill it makes due with sorghum and peas, and instead of representing further innovation at one of Kentucky’s most beloved distilleries, we might read between the lines: bourbon’s coming for China.

Baijiu is the most popular spirit in the world — largely because it’s the most popular spirit in China, the most populous nation in the world. A day before Buffalo Trace announced the 24th Experimental Collection expression, its parent company, Sazerac, announced it had signed an agreement with Budweiser China to bring “Fireball Whisky and other premium alcoholic offerings from Sazerac such as Goldschlager, Southern Comfort, Seignette, Buffalo Trace and Seagram’s V.O. in the Chinese mainland.”

This isn’t a huge shock, as China’s consumer market has exploded, particularly in high-end categories. Scotch whisky — which, for now, is comfortably more popular than bourbon — rules the super-premium whisky market there to the extent that companies like Pernod Ricard are willing to drop $150 million on a distillery to produce malt whisky in-country.

Buffalo Trace Distillery’s lineup plays well with this. Nearly all of its bourbons fall into the super-premium category, and its collection represents some of the most sought-after bottles in America. Popular price-tracking site Wine-Searcher reported 9 of the 10 most-searched bourbons on its site are Buffalo Trace products, while brands like Blanton’s and Weller regularly top the search charts on alcohol delivery platforms like Drizly.

Beyond the distillery’s clout, there’s also its ongoing $1.2 billion distillery project, the largest such endeavor in the bourbon world, aimed at dramatically expanding production capacity through investment in production infrastructure like aging warehouses, cookers, fermenters, bottling halls and so on. As U.S.-based consumers who struggle to find the brand’s bourbons will know, the expansion hasn’t yet bore fruit five years on. It doesn’t take a whiskey market analyst to assume the company felt safe in its investment knowing it would be cracking into a new, massive market like China.

What does this mean for you? Wait and see. Buffalo Trace has repeatedly stated that it knows it’s not making enough whiskey to meet demand domestically, so it’s unlikely we’ll see less Buffalo Trace products. For now, we can all take part in the time-honored tradition of looking, but not finding, the new juice. Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Baijiu-Style Spirit is rolling out late April and early May in extremely limited quantities. The suggested retail price is $47.

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April 23, 2021 / Comments Off on Why Buffalo Trace’s New Almost-Whiskey Signals a New Era for the Brand
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This Old Forester Bourbon Sounds Like a Marketing Gimmick and Tastes Like a Candy Bar

Welcome to Shelf Sleepers, our semi-regular guide to the best booze nobody is buying. This time: Old Forester 1920, a bourbon that tastes like it costs a lot more than $60.

A little over 100 years ago, the U.S. banned the production, sale, distribution and importation of booze through the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act. Like all legislation, there were exemptions made for specific cases, like wine made for religious ceremony or whiskey sold for medicinal purposes. Someone at Old Forester read a line about medicinal whiskey and thought “I bet bourbon weirdos would love that.” What’s weirder: they were right.

The Brown-Forman company released Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style in 2016 as the third expression in its Whiskey Row series, which is made up of bourbons that key in on moments in the brand’s history. The 1920 bottling is proofed to 115, or the proof that the 100 proof legal requirement would have become as the bourbon intensified during maturation, were it not been cut with water pre-bottling. That is really all we know about it; Brown-Forman has kept its mashbill information, age, yeast and all other production variables close to the chest.

What we do know: they’ve done something to significantly warp the flavor from more standard Old Forester releases. Whether it be nailing the blend or pulling barrels from a specific corner of a rickhouse where the push and pull of Kentucky’s seasons bring out the best in the whisky, the flavor is unmistakably different than the rest of the Whiskey Row series, too. It’s darker and more chocolatey than any Old Forester I’ve tried. After you’ve accustomed yourself to the heat coming off it, it bends into the same chocolate-nut-nougat profile of a Snicker’s bar for me. Forced to liken it to any past Old Forester release, I’d say it’s closest kin are select releases of Birthday Bourbon, which is good company to keep.

Whiskey history is often mythologized in the name of creating a brand story and selling bottles, but Old Forester does stand of firmer ground than most in this regard — it is the only American whiskey brand to be sold before, during and after Prohibition. Its 1920 Style whiskey, whatever it’s actually made of, isn’t a boring cash grab. Find it in most markets for around $60.

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April 22, 2021 / Comments Off on This Old Forester Bourbon Sounds Like a Marketing Gimmick and Tastes Like a Candy Bar
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New Belgium Just Released a Genuinely Shitty Beer

For Earth Day, New Belgium Brewing‘s Fat Tire has released Torched Earth Ale, a beer that is shitty on many different levels.

First for the fact that it is made with smoke-tainted water, dandelions, drought resistant grains like millet and a hop extract (not fresh hops) — New Belgium describes it as tasting “awful.” Second for the fact that Torched Earth Ale uses the less-than-ideal ingredients that brewers in a climate-ravaged future might have available to them.

In 2020, New Belgium’s flagship beer Fat Tire became the country’s first certified carbon neutral beer through tactics like increasing renewable energy installations, increasing energy efficiencies and purchasing carbon offsets. The last strategy New Belgium admits is not a sustainable practice. This is why the 30-year-old brewery has launched the “Last Call for Climate” with Torched Earth Ale, asking beer drinkers to demand their favorite brands to adopt 2030 climate plans. According to the press release, “70 percent of Fortune 500 companies lack a meaningful climate action plan (one that will help companies achieve or be well on the way to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030, the year scientists say that catastrophic climate change could be irreversible without bold action).”

“If you don’t have a climate plan, you don’t have a business plan,” said New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer. “Aggressive action to help solve the climate crisis is not only an urgent environmental and social imperative – it’s also a no-brainer for companies seeking to create long-term shareholder value, compete with rivals like China, and create good-paying jobs here at home.”

This is not the first time New Belgium has created a beer centered around bringing awareness to the current (and even greater looming) disaster that is climate change. Last August for International Beer Day and to celebrate Fat Tire becoming the first American carbon neutral beer, the brewery changed the price on Fat Tire six-packs to $100 for 24 hours. This of course was to raise attention to the fact that the ingredients to make beer will continue to become more and more expensive.

As climate change continues to put greater strain on water systems and crops through extreme weather events, droughts and the altering of temperatures, brewers may have to face realities like using less-than-stellar ingredients or paying exorbitant prices for the normal ingredients. These higher prices and potentially crappier beer would then be passed onto drinkers.

I can attest to the 5.2 percent ABV Torched Earth Ale not tasting all that good. I love smoked beers, but this beer has got nothing behind that smoked malt. It seems to have the consistency of apple juice, but with better head retention — there’s just very little in the way of mouthfeel or body. Simply put, if this is the future of beers we’re looking at, I can guarantee if you like your hazy IPAs or imperial stouts, you’re surely going to be disappointed.

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April 22, 2021 / Comments Off on New Belgium Just Released a Genuinely Shitty Beer
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Gordon Ramsay’s ‘Hell’s Seltzer’ Proves We’ve Reached Peak Hard Seltzer

Celebrities owning liquor brands is nothing new, for better or for worse. (Hey there, Kendall.) Celebrities and hard seltzer, however, is the hype train of 2021 — the one every famous person is hopping on right now. From rappers like Travis Scott and Cacti to television chefs like Gordon Ramsay and his new “Hell’s Seltzer” boozy sparkling water, the rise of celebrity-backed hard seltzers is certainly getting out of hand. Hell, Lance Bass recently became the celebrity face for new Fruit Smash Hard Seltzer.

The appeal of celebrities selling you hard seltzer comes from the simple fact that it’s the beverage that everyone is drinking right now. While a celebrity could just as easily start up a new whiskey brand, for example, that alienates all of the fanbase that doesn’t like whiskey. However, everyone loves hard seltzer. And that’s not us saying that; that’s mathematical fact.

Celebrity hard seltzers are a natural progression to the overall rise of hard seltzers.
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Some called 2019 “the summer of White Claw” after arguably the most popular hard seltzer on the shelves saw sales go up 250 percent from the beginning of the year to the July 4 holiday weekend, as reported by Money. The hard seltzer market is expected grow at the humble rate of 16.2 percent a year — which means by 2027, it could be a $14.5 billion industry, according to Grand View Research.

Doug Shabelman, CEO of Burns Entertainment, an entertainment marketing agency, told Vinepair that celebrities are turning their attention to hard seltzer and cannabis.

“There’s just a newness to [hard seltzer] … designed and aimed at a younger audience, so it’s a natural place for celebrities to be included,” Shabelman told the publication.

When Travis Scott launched his Cacti line of agave-flavored hard seltzers, the rapper-slash-entrepreneur tapped into a fan base that would ultimately buy whatever Scott put his name on. Hard seltzer offers an almost foolproof way of getting consumers to buy product mainly because the drink seems to be so hard to mess up — it’s literally boozy flavored sparkling water.

Travis Scott built hype around his hard seltzer in the same way one would build excitement over a sneaker release.
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Scott may have little experience in the food and drink industry (lest you count his Travis Scott Meal at McDonald’s), but celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who some may forget is actually Michelin-starred, has built a brand around good food. And transferring that star power to his new hard seltzer line, Hell’s Seltzer, may assure audiences that it’s a good drink even before they’ve tried it.

Scott and Ramsay are not the only people using their fame to sell hard seltzer. Whether you like it or not, these are five celebrities have entered the hard seltzer market, and we’re pretty sure they won’t be the last.

Cacti

Cacti

Travis Scott’s foray into the hard seltzer aisle is an agave-flavored spiked seltzer called Cacti. Not to be confused with a tequila soda, Cacti is available in pineapple, lime and strawberry. Cacti is notably “harder” than other hard seltzers, with Scott’s drink coming in at 7.0-percent ABV.

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Hell’s Seltzer

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Hell’s Seltzer is as aggressive in its branding as Gordon Ramsay is in his television persona. The chef’s beverages come in flavors like Berry Inferno, Knicker Twist, Mean Green and That’s Forked, each with its own combination of fruit flavors.

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Two Lane

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Country music star Luke Bryan released Two Lane American Golden Lager last year with Constellation Brands, and this year he accompanied his beer with Two Lane Hard Seltzer. The 4.5-percent ABV hard seltzers are available in cherry limeade, peach tea, blueberry lemonade, and watermelon punch.

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Smithworks Hard Seltzer Lemonade

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Smithworks is known for its vodka, but this year it got into hard seltzer courtesy of Blake Shelton. The hard seltzers come in classic lemon, ripe strawberry, southern peach tea and crisp lime.

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Fruit Smash Hard Seltzer

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Famed craft brewery New Belgium latest endeavor is a spiked seltzer line under the brand Fruit Smash. While not owned by or made in collaboration with a celebrity, Fruit Smash tapped former NSYNC singer Lance Bass to head its inaugural campaign, “Bye to Basic,” in which people can call a hotline, “talk” to Bass and potentially win a year’s supply of the hard seltzer.

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April 15, 2021 / Comments Off on Gordon Ramsay’s ‘Hell’s Seltzer’ Proves We’ve Reached Peak Hard Seltzer
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