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Indianapolis often finds itself in the shadow of Chicago, though not for lack of merit. The third most populous Midwestern city, Indy boasts a thriving visual and performing arts scene, including one of the largest and oldest art museums in the country, and a deep jazz history that translates to a vibrant live music scene today. Sports fans will find no shortage of entertainment with two professional teams—the Colts and the Pacers—not to mention the world’s largest single-day sporting event, the
After years of listening to U.S. wine professionals wax poetic about the caliber of bottles coming out of Virginia , I finally tried a few. I’m awfully glad I did. The state’s far-flung wine scene spans cutting-edge co-ferments , community-driven crush programs, and classical operations that all reflect their origins in smart, dynamic ways. One standout?
Hospitality runs in Giorgio Bargiani’s blood. Coming from Pisa, Italy, where he got his start at his family’s restaurant, Bargiani joined the lauded Connaught Bar in London in 2014. Today, he serves as the Assistant Director of Mixology, with his creativity and influence extending to the global bar scene, evidenced by his award for International Bartender of the Year in 2023 at the Tales of the Cocktails Spirited Awards.
Struck by how few New York City bars are devoted to queer communities, two hospitality professionals took matters into their own hands. In 2024, Ren Peir and trent (who goes by a single uncapitalized name) co-founded BABE , a series of wine-fueled pop-ups raising money for the brick-and-mortar queer wine bar of their dreams. Each lively, vibey BABE event has sold out immediately.
A modern classic created by Australian bartender Sam Ross , the Paper Plane cocktail made its debut at Chicagos Violet Hour in 2008. Comprising bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice, the drink itself is already a riff, mimicking the equal-parts build and sweet-tart complexity of the Last Word. But that hasnt stopped bartenders all over the world from playing a game of Mr.
What home bartender hasn’t dreamed of creating their own personal bar? A unique space beyond a kitchen counter or a bar cart where they can entertain friends, proudly display their liquor collection, and show off their skills behind the stick. If you have space, whether it be an unused garage or a walk-in closet, and some DIY skills (plus a healthy dose of initiative, money, and time), you may be able to make your next-level home bar dreams come true, just like Darren and Leslie Mark of Fa
In our May/June 2025 issue , contributor Rich Manning explores dry vermouth’s utility in cocktails other than the Martini. Whether used with gin or agave spirits, it can “provide depth and a bright balance in a notably different way than its sweet vermouth counterpart,” he says. Here are several of our favorite non-Martini cocktails that incorporate dry vermouth.
An essential to any back bar, dry vermouth is a star in classics like the Martini and a supporting actor in countless other cocktails. European vermouths enjoy much of the spotlight, but across the pond, Lo-Fi is continually earning fanfare for its California-made vermouths. Founded in 2016, Lo-Fi offers three expressions, including a gentian amaro, sweet vermouth and dry vermouth.
Malbec needs no introduction: The French grape with an expansive Argentine footprint is among the most popular red wines in the United States. The same cant yet be said for white Malbec, a still-emerging style that transforms those dark-hued grapes into something golden, citrus-scented, and best served with a chill. The process entails picking the fruit early in the season, when it contains lots of acidity, then pressing the grapes immediately with little to no skin contact.
If you arent entirely certain how to navigate all the terminology on German wine labels, youre not alone. Like many global regions, German wine classifications are governmentally regulated and geospecific. In Germany, winemakers use words like Prdikatswein , Trocken , Auslese , and more to denote quality as well as characteristics like dryness and ripeness.
Created by the late Ghanaian mixologist Douglas Ankrah at Townhouse in London in 2002, the Pornstar Martini has since become a global sensation and bonafide modern classic. (It was the most Googled cocktail in 2024.) The original build of the cheekily named drink consists of vanilla vodka, passion fruit liqueur, passion fruit pure, and vanilla syrup, with a sidecar of Champagne to gild the lily.
The Margarita is arguably best enjoyed during spring and summer, and with the seasons also comes a bounty of fruit that can add new dimension to the classic. Whether it’s the sweetness of seasonal berries or the vacation vibes of tropical fruit, here are a few of our favorite extra-fruity Margarita recipes. Coconut Margarita Just one ingredient makes takes this Margarita for a tropical trip.
Exiled on St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, Napoleon Bonaparte had little to comfort him, one can imagine, except a daily bottle of his favorite wine: Constantia Wyn. Reportedly, the disgraced emperor even requested a glass of the South African dessert winerather than a French Bordeaux or Champagneon his deathbed. Le Petit Caporal wasnt the only one with a sweet tooth.
Living in suburban Collierville, Tennessee, some 30 minutes southeast of Memphis, Maggie Emerson was used to traveling for locally brewed beer. Memphis and greater Shelby County counted more than 15 breweries, but there wasnt one with a taproom within a 20-to 30-minute drive, says Emerson, a married mom of two kids. The city market was well served with breweries, but Collierville is the far outskirts of our county.
With arid deserts, cool mountain breezes, and an impossibly long coastline, Chile has a dynamic wine scene that defies viticultural shorthands like warm-climate or high-altitude. The Central Valley, one of the countrys most commercially established wine regions, encompasses several subregions with distinct terroirs and winemaking identities. Within this stretch lies the Maipo Valley, which many consider to be the birthplace of Chiles modern wine industry.
The traditional Korean rice wine makgeolli (pronounced MAHK-oh-lee ), also called sool (which simply means alcohol but tends to refer to rice-based drinks) may be unfamiliar to some people stateside. But thanks to domestic craft producers like Alice Jun, who founded Hana Makgeolli in Brooklyn, both awareness and interest are on the rise. What makes sool so fascinating today is its breadthranging from rustic, home-style brews to highly refined and flavored interpretations, says Jun.
For our May/June 2025 issue, we celebrate the iconic Martini, exploring the drink’s history, examining how it’s navigated its place in the modern bar world, and sharing some of our favorite takes on the classic. As with many classic cocktails, like the Manhattan and the Margarita , personal preferences come into play with the Martini, from how to garnish it , to which glassware to use.
Egg white has long been a cocktail staple, giving drinks a fuller body, frothy texture, and an aesthetically appealing head of foam. But reaching for a vegan egg alternative has become increasingly easier for both pros and home bartenders, offering consistency, ease of use, and the ability to make traditional egg white drinks. Today, quality vegan foamers abound.
In drinks, as in all things, it’s good to have your expectations or preconceptions completely blown out of the water from time to time. My first uttered words upon tasting the Artesanal Arroqueo agave distillate from Paquera are not exactly suitable for print, but the gist was “Wow.” The world of mezcal is fascinating for a myriad of reasons, from its lengthy cultural history to its many unique production methods.
“I don’t drink milkshakes that often.” Behind the counter at San Franciscos Castro Fountain, Brandon Brooks is tall, lean, and dressed in the spotless white outfit of a midcentury soda jerk. He pauses. As he considers what constitutes often, Brooks nurses a dense Irish coffee milkshake. Maybe one a day. Ish. Sometimes I skip a day.
Just in time for the longer days, our March/April 2025 issue , features a taste test of alcohol-free aperitifs, a quickly growing category that allows for an aperitivo at any hour. Among the bottles featured is the new Wilderton Citrus Aperitivo. Last year, Wilderton Nonalcoholic Botanical Spirits , which is home to the first NA distillery and tasting room in the U.S., rebranded itself.
Proof that you dont need to choose between a months rent and a great bottle of Burgundy , this white wine only tastes like a million bucks. From Domaine Faiveley, the 2022 Ladoix Les Marnes Blanches is a knockout at any price. Its classified as a Villages wine. That means, in the Burgundian hierarchy, it falls below the top-ranked Grands and Premiers Crus and above entry-level Rgionales.
In 2023, shortly after LP OBrien announced she was pregnant, a client backed out of a contract. They emailed me to say, We just want to be mindful of your situation. So were going to go in another direction, says the entrepreneur and CEO of LP Drinks Co. They had signed an agreement for her to work at an upcoming festival following her first-place finish in Drink Masters , Netflixs reality TV bartender competition.
It took six full months for a bottle of the Planteray Cut & Dry Coconut Rum from Maison Ferrand to finally hit my desk. But I am happy to report it was worth the wait. The timing couldn’t have been better. New York is finally getting hints of warmer weather, and I’ve been shaking up Mai Tais in anticipation. But with a pile of awards and no small amount of fan-obsessing in the spirits community, the Cut & Dry had to measure up to a pretty high bar.
While ubiquitous in Japan, shochu is still much lesser known in the U.S. But thats changing as the Japanese spirit expands its presence in bars and stores across the country. “People are recognizing that shochu is from Japan, but there is still some mystery about what shochu really is, says Akira Koga, Managing Director of Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association (JSS).
I’ll preface this week’s recommendation with an important caveat: I am a mushroom lovera certified fungi fan. But that said, the new Veda Mushroom Liqueur is surprisingly easy to enjoy. Does it taste like mushrooms? Yes, it does. It wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if it didn’t. But the thoughtfully crafted botanical liqueur manages to bring the true flavor of mushrooms into a format both intriguing and versatile.
Looking to make something sweet for your Valentine this year? From cupcakes to ice cream sandwiches, here are some boozy dessert ideas to choose from. Beer Churros with Chocolate Stout Sauce The only thing better than fried bits of sweet, beer-soaked dough (aka beer churros)? Dipping them in a beer-spiked chocolate sauce. Bitter Amaro Balls A generous pour of amaro brings bittersweet depth to this sweet treat.
In 2002, while he was working at LAB Bar in London, the late Ghanaian mixologist Douglas Ankrah invented a modern cocktail classic: the Pornstar Martini. More than two decades later, the drink remains a global sensation, inspiring countless riffs and internet searches (it was the most Googled cocktail of 2024). Unfortunately, Ankrahs native Ghana isnt always prominent in conversations about trending drinks or influential recipes.
If youre in the cocktail and spirits business and you know only one thing about Colin Asare-Appiahand that would stand as quite an achievement in an industry where he seems to be everywhere all the timeyou probably know his personal motto. It pops up throughout his Instagram feed as the hashtag #getinvolvedbruv. For him, its not just a catchy, feel-good slogan, but a personal philosophy.
The delight found in opening an unexpected bottle of wine is right up there with stumbling across a sunsetsheer ephemeral joy. And so it was when I popped the cork on the Johan Vineyards Savagnin, a wine I knew nothing about and immediately, thoroughly, enjoyed. While Oregon’s Willamette Valley is well-known for its Pinot Noir (comprising 70 percent of the region’s production), white varietal Savagnin is virtually nonexistent in the area, except at Johan Vineyards.
Whether you want just a whisper of cocoa or something to satisfy your sweet tooth, there’s a chocolate cocktail for you. And we’ve assembled recipes for every type of chocolate craving: from those kissed with a few dashes of chocolate bitters to decadent dessert drinks. Cacao-Kissed Classics Amor & Lujuria Chocolate Strawberry Negroni Cacao-infused vermouth and strawberry-infused Campari balance out the classic bitter notes of the drink.
I don’t like pickles, or anything briny and vinegary. But when I first encountered Donna’s Pickle Beer at Gilly’s House of Cocktails in San Diego , I was intrigued. Pickle-infused beer has been around for decades. But the Imbibe 75 Place to Watch uses this 4.4% ABV brew, which launched in 2023, to top off their house Michelada. This ingenious addition gives the savory brunch drink a compelling layer of flavor.
On January 26, veteran writer, photographer, and regular Imbibe contributor Pableaux Johnson collapsed while photographing the Ladies and Men of Unity second-line parade in New Orleans, and later died at a hospital. He was 59 years old. Writer and photographer barely scratches the surface of what Pableaux Johnson was, or what he meant to his home city of New Orleans or the vast diaspora of friends and acquaintances he collected over the years.
What might have been a dream deferred for Artur and Iryna Yuzvik became a longtime goal realized sooner than expected. The husband and wife founded Soloway Roastery in their hometown of Ternopil, in western Ukraine, in 2016. They soon opened two cafsamong the first to introduce specialty coffee to the city. Having received his education in Connecticut, Artur knew he wanted to return to the U.S. to open a coffee shop.
For some of us, tea is caffeinated fuel for the daily grind. But in the Indian state of Sikkim, Nikhil Pradhan considers it an economic lifeline. Once an independent Himalayan kingdom bordering Bhutan, Tibet, and West Bengal, then annexed by India in 1975, Sikkim is remote. Really remote. An agricultural region networked by rugged mountain roads that are prone to seasonal floods, Indias least populous state doesnt have many opportunities for stable, consistent work.
Welcome to On the Menu, where we explore what makes a bars menu unique, intriguing, and all-around delicious. For this year’s Imbibe 75 , we spotlight Mirate in Los Angeles as a place to watch for its thoughtful agave spirits selection and playful but technique-driven cocktails. Beverage director Max Reis describes it as “an invitation to learn.” And so, to learn more about the menu, we chatted with Reis about what inspires him, his approach to creating cocktails, and which dri
How does one turn a tenebrous mechanical vault in the cellar of a century-old skyscraper into an inviting bar space? Stokes Architecture + Design and hospitality group Method Co. faced this challenge when designing Detroit’s The Aladdin Sane. The cocktail bar, an Imbibe 75 Place to Watch , is tucked beneath the restored, 1920s-era Book Tower in downtown Detroit.
Sake made in the States is ready for its close-up! says Timothy Sullivan, pointing to the growing domestic industry, with new breweries opening regularly.Enamored by the complexity of sake, Sullivan has spent the past two decades exploring, learning, and promoting the category. A certified WSET Level 3 sake educator, Sullivan is also the founding president of the American Sake Association , and in 2020 launched his Sake Revolution podcast.
Fionna Gemzon moved around a lot as a child. While St. Louis was where she (mostly) grew up, she traveled to cities like San Francisco and Omaha often enough to search for non-locational ways to establish a sense of home and belonging. Thats where food came in. Born in the Philippines and then living in predominantly white neighborhoods, Gemzon found that ingredients similar to those from her homeland provided a deeper sense of community.
in the San Diego drinks scene , Erick Castro has long been known for his lavish-leaning cocktail programs at bars that could fairly be described as opulent. The apothecary-inspired Polite Provisions was a pioneer of the city’s craft cocktail scene when it opened more than a decade ago. And Raised by Wolves brought new levels of high-concept mixology and extravagant design into the national spotlight.
Change out that Ugly Christmas Sweater theme and embrace the coziness of the holiday season by throwing an aprs-ski party. Think hot cocktails , fondue and s’mores, and retro ski gear. Use these tips for decorating, choosing cocktails, and even cuing up the right music as you bring ski slope vibes to your guests in the comfort of your home. Decorations “I say get cozy!
Take the stress out of shopping for your favorite imbibers or planning your next party cocktails with one simple step: Order a cocktail kit. At-home bartenders are increasingly showing interest in taking their knowledge and skills beyond classic cocktails. Cocktail kits and subscription services meet that need, providing unique but approachable recipes as well as the ingredients and support.
One of the rare instances where a remix becomes more famous than the original, the Alexander is a shape-shifting cocktail with pre-Prohibition roots. The earliest iteration, the Alexander, debuted circa 1914 and combined gin, crme de cacao, and cream. As the 20th century progressed, bartenders like Harry MacElhone, owner of the legendary Harrys New York Bar in Paris, ditched the gin for easy-drinking brandy.
I’ll admit I’m not well-versed in Pineau des Charentes , the aperitif wine that mixes fresh or lightly fermented grape juice with unaged Cognac. So when this bottle of Vieille Rserve from Giboin Vignoble, a seven-generation Cognac and Pineau des Charentes producer in France, landed on my doorstep, I got my chance to get more familiar with this lovely aperitif.
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