The esteemed Brandy Library in New York was the perfect venue for a memorable evening of Delamain Cognac tasting with Delamain descendant, Charles Braastad, which was definitely a luxury experience.

Café Bohême is a delicious liqueur made with a blend of coffee, French vodka, vanilla, and cream, that after taking a sip had me toasting "C'est magnifique!"

Peru has been making pisco since the 16^th century, and experiencing BarSol Pisco, I felt that I was not only drinking a well-crafted spirit, but also drinking in Peruvian culture and history.

An interesting look at cocktail trends with fourth generation Joe Fee of Fee Brothers, the famous line of cocktail mixes used throughout the hospitality industry.

Joe Fee of Fee Brothers calls their line of bitters the "spice rack behind the bar," which is all well and good for cocktails, but I believe that chefs should revolt and add Fee Brothers Bitters to their own culinary spice racks in the kitchen!

The 1995 Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey has a pale golden color, a lingering silkiness on the palate, and is pure Irish magic.

Delamain Cognac, one of the oldest names in the Cognac region, is where 200 years of history meets elegance.

Tales of the Cocktail celebrated its 5th anniversary from July 18 - 22, 2007 in New Orleans, and the "tales" have never been better!

The 2007 Tales of the Cocktail hosted many great seminars, two of which included Spirited Women Past and Present and Sake to Me!

If  2007 Tales of the Cocktail attendees at the South American Spirits Seminar on pisco and cachaça only learned one thing; it would be that these spirits are the new cocktail darlings.

Does sampling 53 rums over 2 days sound like a dream job to you? Join us as we take you through judging rums at the 2007 Ministry of Rum Tasting Competition as part of Tales of the Cocktail.

It was an evening of shake, rattle, and roll as top mixologists competed in the Rhum Clément Cocktail Challenge.

Summertime is here and with it, the desire to enjoy long drinks sitting by the pool, after a game of golf or tennis, or a day out sailing, and Celtic Crossing Liqueur from Ireland is perfect anytime.

Bison Grass Vodka is a Polish vodka with a clean taste and herbal notes from the bison grass extract purported to have possible aphrodisiac qualities.

Rhum J.M., an exqusite rum distilled on the smallest estate on Martinique, is located in the northeast in Macouba, where the sugar cane grows on 28-degree vertical slopes in rich volcanic soil at the foot of Mount Pelée.

The Swiss have perfected watch and chocolate making, and now DIWISA has perfected the art and science of making vodka.

While Edward F. Nesta and I were in Martinique, we visited Distillerie Clément and discovered their excellent line of rhums. 

Tales of the Cocktail 2006 attracted record attendance celebrating the history of the cocktail New Orleans style.

Tales of the Cocktail 2006 provided guests with the opportunity to attend interesting panel discussions with trendsetting mixologists, celebrity chefs, and cocktail and culinary authors.

2006 Tales of the Cocktail seminar with Phil Greene and Chris McMillan provided a look into classic New Orleans cocktails.

Everybody loves a good story, and somehow rum seems to go hand-in-hand with intriguing stories. Family owned La Favorite Distillery in Martinique has its share of intriguing stories to tell!

To research the art and science of making Martinique Rhum Agricole, we made a research trip to Martinique in April 2006 and visited the distilleries.

When people think of Switzerland, vodka is not usually what comes to mind but that will soon change, when they try Xellent Swiss Vodka, the first and only Swiss vodka.

Martinique, in the French West Indies, distinguishes itself as being on travelers' "places to visit" list and by their rhum agricole. Depaz Blue Cane Amber Rhum distinguishes its rhum agricole by using 100% blue cane.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of microbreweries that have opened in Denmark over the past three years, making Tuborg and Carlsberg not the only choices anymore, as we experienced at Ølfestival 2006.

Distillerie Neisson in Le Carbet, Martinique was founded in 1931 by brothers Adrien and Jean Neisson and the rum distillery is still family owned and operated.

Brazil is red-hot, which is no surprise to this former "garota da Rio," and Leblon is an ultra-premium cachaça that is a head and nose above the others in the cachaça market.

For many years, green tea has been promoted as having healthful benefits, so when we heard about Zen Green Tea Liqueur from Suntory Limited we wanted to try it.

The RC Bar at The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul features award-winning cocktails, a large whiskey collection and cigars.

Whisky Live New York 2006 at Tavern on the Green offered whiskey aficionados the opportunity to sample a dram or two of close to 90 whiskies and bourbons.