Making My Own London Gin thumbnail

Making My Own London Gin

While I have been on dozens of distillery, winery and brewery tours, I have never actually made an alcoholic beverage. For someone who had consumed so many, I felt like it was time to give back and produce some of my...

The Birth of a Craft Beer thumbnail

The Birth of a Craft Beer

The process of brewing beer always seemed pretty straight forward to me. There are only four ingredients. Barley, water, hops and yeast. And in theory, it is easy to brew at least in small amounts, like someone making...

The World’s Best Bar thumbnail

The World’s Best Bar

Awards are funny things. As much as they attract press and new customers, for die-hard loyalists, an award can send their once beloved cafe or restaurant or bar into the realm of ‘attraction’ thereby...

Exploring Europe through Wine and Beer thumbnail

Exploring Europe through Wine and Beer

Last weekend, we went to Dublin for a quick trip.  On Saturday, we visited the Guinness factory, basically the single most visited place by tourists in all of Dublin.  It is quite a spectacle.  The visitor...

Scotch, Scotch, Scotch…I Love Scotch thumbnail

Scotch, Scotch, Scotch…I Love Scotch

Scotch and I have mostly been like distant cousins.  I know it exists, but I rarely have any interaction with it.  With my brother visiting from Chicago for two weeks, including a planned four day trip through...