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To master alcohol takes skill: Learn how to do anything as well as a bartender, become a wine sommelier, a cocktail whiz or a beer buff.
Beer and Chocolate: A Match Made in Heaven
Have you ever thought about pairing beer and chocolate? Want to know more about it? Here are some things I learned from Cheryl Cade beer sommelier at The Thirst Consultants (yes real job who knew) when we sat down with a group of chocolaholics to pair 16 chocolates and 6 beers at Brew Dog in Norwich.
By David Greenwood-Haigh9 years ago in Proof
Refreshing Summer Vodka and Gin Cocktails
Considering how many different cocktails and mixed drinks there are, and the number and variety of new concoctions that are created every year, it's surprising to discover that two of the most popular drinks are still gin & tonic and vodka & tonic. Not far behind are two famous vodka based drinks--the Bloody Mary and the Screwdriver. And climbing back up on the charts is the most famous cocktail of them all, the Martini, made with either gin or vodka.
By Anthony Gramuglia9 years ago in Proof
Hacking Cheap Liquor
Nobody wants to drink from the bargain bin. Cheap liquor leaves a bad taste, ruins mixed drinks, and is a quick way to dampen the good vibes at a party. So, what if there was a way to turn that value-brand booze into something fit for royalty? Sound too good to be true? Behold, the magic of refiltering...
By Brent Smith9 years ago in Proof
Archer's Guide to Cocktails
Please note that the following are cocktail recipes. You won't find anything about wine in this article, as Sterling stated to me over what I believe was his fifth scotch, he does not have a vagina. He also wanted to avoid highball recipes, because a highball is technically just a spirit and a mixer, and frankly, if you need to recipe to tell you to add soda to scotch, then you probably shouldn't be drinking anyway. Archer has been kind enough to not only share his favorite recipes but provide us with some stellar quotes too.
By Katya Krakowska9 years ago in Proof
33 Booze Life Hacks Every Drinker Needs to Know. Top Story - February 2017.
Elevate your bartender, mixologist and sommelier skills to the next level with these 33 booze hacks: Capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers hot, is not water-soluble but is alcohol-soluble. Take a swig of vodka to stop the heat. Make cheap wine taste expensive by “aerating” it in a blender for 30 seconds. Use tube socks to keep your bottles from breaking when traveling with booze. Create your own vanilla extract by slicing vanilla beans lengthwise and storing them in a cheap bottle of vodka for a month. Don't water down your white wine with ice; use frozen grapes instead.
By Sheera Lee9 years ago in Proof
Best Home Brew Kits and Recipes
History has seen beer recorded in Mesopotamian cuneiform (the oldest known form of writing), taxed under the Pharaohs (burial alive was then the penalty for evasion), rinsed through Cleopatra’s hair, spread by the vikings and the Roman legions, fostered at medieval monasteries, mass-produced by America's founding fathers, prohibited by our Constitution (only to be monopolized by gangsters immediately thereafter), and imbibed by just about everybody and his grandma. Yesterday's "Mesopotamian Gold" is being rolled out by the US today—hundreds of thousands of barrels per year. By no means does that figure account for the almost 4,000 - 5,000 different beers consumed worldwide: ales, bocks, lagers, porters, stouts—everything from bitter beers that are virtually unpalatable unless mixed with sweet syrups to crystal clear to warm sakis served in Japanese restaurants. To top it off, more and more people are now resorting to home-brewing.
By Iwan Palinski9 years ago in Proof
Is Your Bartender Actually Into You?
Pull up your barstool if you’ve ever been stumped by that age-old question: is the girl or guy tending the bar actually flirting with me, or simply trying to lock in a good tip? Maybe she is just being nice and polite. Maybe those looks he’s giving me aren’t suggestive and I’m totally imagining things. Maybe I should stop smiling so much before I get caught by my wife/partner/best friend who I secretly quite like but haven’t found the perfect moment to say so yet. We feel your pain. And the good news for all those who joined us at the bar is we are here to help. Take a few hearty gulps of our free advice and you’ll soon know for sure if your bartender is actually into you.
By Lynne Shumaker9 years ago in Proof
Vodka, the Versatile
Although true connoisseurs of vodka can distinguish between different brands by their aroma, weight and texture, most consumers merely enjoy it for its clean taste and smooth, silky character. Vodka is also noted for its refreshing bite, which makes it a good partner to oily and smoked foods, like caviar and smoked salmon.
By Lynne Shumaker9 years ago in Proof
How to Treat a Hangover
It hits you like a ton of bricks. Before you’re even fully awake, you hear the alarms in your head going off “YOU DRANK TOO MUCH, YOU DRANK TOO MUCH, DO NOT OPEN YOUR EYES.” Thoughts of regret and shame come to mind, usually followed by a promise to never drink again (yeah, right). Once you get past the self-loathing, brain pounding, and stomach swirling, it seems your only mission in life is to find a way to feel better. Look no further, you are a now a student of Hangover Cures 101: covering prevention, common remedies and some gross ones as well.
By Grace Tyler9 years ago in Proof
Things You Should Never Do In A Bar
Nights tearing up the town when you are young, single (that means anything but married) and not truly adulting is a glorious, fleeting phase. The rules of behavior and common decency at a bar were mere guidelines for conduct, or standards to work towards. After all, you are new to booze, or at least the bar scene. In your young 20s a “night” out often lasted until the wee AM hours, sometimes right up until you had to roll into your first class the following day. You could make out, hook up, excrete bodily fluids in public, strip, throw a punch, whatever. And all of these things were done on a somewhat judgement-free (or quickly forgotten) basis. Any indiscretion, insult or basically any A-Hole-ish behavior could be blamed on adolescence. Ahhh, those were the days.
By Emily McCay9 years ago in Proof
