spirits (29)


Growing up and living in the cultural mecca of  San Francisco, and having a wife who makes palatable, refined wine as a hobby. I'm drawn to the travel destination that also produce a delectable spirit.

In early November I embarked on the one hour Easy Jet flight from London Gatwick to Edinburgh to make my first visit to Scotland, and finally live the dream of my first sojourn to the Whiskey Trail, and taste the amber "nectar of the gods," in its native land, the destination that had eluded me in

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It's no wonder that Los Cabos, located at the tip of 1,000-mile long Baja Peninsula, was selected as the host city for this year's G20 Summit scheduled for June 18 – 19. Los Cabos has long been a favored destination for those seeking once-in-a-lifetime vacation experiences where rugged desert meets pristine white sand beaches framed by the iconic El Arco de Cabo San Lucas. What really sealed the deal for locating this event here was the region's solid infrastructure and impeccable safety record

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A Visit to Tequila's Mexico Hometown

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by Diana Rowe


Tequila — the liquor, not the town — continues to grow more and more popular beyond Mexico, even as along the way it's also pick up a bit of a bad rap (as in, margaritas and shooters, a cheap and surefire way to get — how can I put this — majorly wasted).

And yet…ever more folks are coming to appreciate the spirit’s finer points — there are reposados the equal of any single malt or Cognac, and a lore nearly as varied and distinguished as either. It was this pedigree — plus a ta

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Mamajuana: A Boozy Dominican Tradition

Even a short visit to the Dominican Republic like I had last week to Punta Cana’s Bavaro Princess Resort acquaints you with a locally produced beverage….the mysterious mamajuana. My first encounter with it was dining at on site Chopin
Restaurant. A waiter brought out a bottle sans label filled with slivers
of wood steeped in liquor. This was his own creation and asked if we
wanted to give it a try. Being a food/wine/liquor geek, I naturally
couldn’t help myself. In fact I was downright fascinate

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Cognac vs. Armagnac

As a true French native, it is impossible for me to read anything about the popular Cognac without thinking about the similarities, differences, and superiority (in my humble opinion) ofArmagnac. Perhaps not as popular as its close relative, Cognac, Armagnac is definitely worthy of mention.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTnygReRcqTx76zfJhVRJcYCVhOTL4MjjNv14kO62_GlROxIFHdArmagnac originates from Gascony in the Southwest part of France, between Bordeaux and Toulouse. It is the land of D’Artagnan of the The Three Musketeers and home of Cyrano de Bergerac, the famed French fictio
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12127789070?profile=RESIZE_930xTijon.com



There I was in my white lab coat, examining 40 vials and trying to determine which combinations to mix to get the best outcome. Admittedly, I wasn’t performing some important scientific discovery or creating a medical breakthrough, but it felt almost that significant. What if I screwed up, made ridiculous choices as to the most effective ingredients and came away with an awful smelling product. Yup, I was making perfume at the Tijon Parfumerie & Boutique on the French side of the Car

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It all began when Alex Voss moved from Florida to Hawaii in the summer of 2012 to work on a landscaping project at a new Courtyard by Marriott on Maui. Hoping to experience the island beyond the duration of his assignment, Alex applied for a distillers apprenticeship on Craigslist at Haleakalā Distillers. After following up, he was hired on the spot and worked his way up to distiller in two short years, learning rum production using indigenous molasses. Thinking back to his roots in southwest

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Rhum, the Spirit of Guadeloupe

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Somewhere in the Caribbean between Puerto Rico and St Lucia is the archipelago of Guadeloupe (pronounce gwa-day-LOOP). The French West Indies or French Caribbean are currently comprised of two territories (St Barthélemy aka St Barth and St Martin) and two overseas states -“départements” in French (Guadeloupe along with Martinique). The French West Indies have always looked towards the old continent rather towards their Caribbean neighbors. Flying from the USA, a long journey and a couple of con

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9008800460?profile=RESIZE_930xChristos Tsoumplekas


Last weekend the final two races of the Cretan Union Cup Regatta took place off Agios Nikolaos – the first event of this kind celebrating 100 years of Crete Island union with mainland Greece and to honor the Cretan culture.

Cretans have a lot history and modern-day culture to be proud of and, once again, they’ve proven the Minoan’s spirit is still alive on the Island. As November and fall come to Crete, these Islanders prepare for autumn activities: grape gathering, wine a

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