Free Republic

Greenland start-up is being accused of doing titanic damage to the environment by shipping ice from glaciers over 100,000 years old to be used in cocktails served at high-priced bars in Dubai. Arctic Ice, which started this year, touts its product as the “oldest and purest” ice in the world as it is harvested from icebergs in Greenland — a distance of more than 4,730 miles from the Middle Eastern megalopolis. Though the makers say they hope to highlight global warming’s effects on ice sheets with the their business model — and even stop sea levels from rising — the...

Halfway down a Bushwick side street, in the back of an artisanal doughnut shop and through a photobooth, this rhino-themed restaurant has quietly been slinging drinks and bites since October. Ra-Ra Rhino, the latest addition to the city’s hidden watering hole scene, offers a sleek, Tiki-influenced back room with an eccentric menu of drinks and eats, as well as a smoke-blowing rhino head. The inspiration for the new speakeasy came when bar owner Michael Lombardozzi was searching for a doughnut shop in Bushwick during the coronavirus pandemic. “I discovered there aren’t any,” Lombardozzi said. So he decided to open Ra-Ra...

A British father died in Jamaica after attempting a challenge at a hotel pool bar to try and drink all 21 cocktails on the menu, an inquest has heard. Timothy Southern, from Lichfield, Staffordshire, had drunk 12 of the cocktails when he went to his room at the Royal Decameron Club Caribbean, in Saint Ann. The 53-year-old was on holiday with his sister, children, and other relatives when tragedy struck in May, 2022. Loved-ones rushed to Timothy's room after the alarm was raised. One of them told his inquest: 'He was on his back choking. I put him in the...

Though it’s recently become trendy, cocktails like the old fashioned, martini and daiquiri have been classics for a long time. These cocktails come with specific flavor expectations. An old fashioned, for example, is expected to have smoky flavor notes with a sweet finish from the sugar at the bottom, and sours are, well, you get it from the name. A few bars in Charleston use the flavor profiles of these tried and true cocktails as inspiration for creating their menus, but use local ingredients or flavored spirits to put their own twists on the classics. What follows are a few...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — U.S. governors want a seat at the table as international leaders prepare to gather in Scotland at a critical moment for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions and slow the planet’s temperature rise. At least a half dozen state governors — all Democrats — plan to attend parts of the two-week United Nation’s climate change conference in Glasgow, known as COP26. Though states aren’t official parties to talks, governors hold significant sway over the United States’ approach to tackling climate change by setting targets for reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy. Governors slated...

A man who authorities say brought molotov cocktails and firearms to the Capitol on Jan. 6 is expected to plead guilty, according to a court document filed Wednesday. Prosecutors said they’ve reached an agreement with Lonnie Coffman to resolve his case through a plea agreement. A hearing scheduled for Sept. 29 will is anticipated to be converted to a plea hearing. The details of the agreement were not revealed in Wednesday’s notice. Manuel Retureta, an attorney for Coffman, told The Hill that he is not commenting on the agreement at this time.

Whiskey purists will likely try and demean you if you drink anything on the rocks or with a little water. They want you to sip it straight, unchilled. That’s patently ridiculous. Yes, some whiskeys are crafted to be taken neat. But even the super svelte whiskeys out there will likely bloom in the glass with a few drops of water or a single rock. Moreover, a good bourbon on ice can actually lead to a whole new set of flavors. Which is some cool chemistry, when you think about it. What happens is twofold. One, the bourbon materially changes when...

it is right, proper and manly to raise our glass in the traditions of the merry gentlemen who've raised theirs before us, God rest 'em.In the best of times, there is no evening as mysterious, comforting and holy as Christmas Eve, nor rise as joyful and wondrous as Christmas morn. It is the day we celebrate God’s only son made flesh and born of Mary. It is the first day of a Christian calendar that stretches from Bethlehem ’til the end of time.And it is right, proper and manly to raise our glass in the traditions of the merry gentlemen...

Russia claims Queen 'downs cocktails all day' and Theresa May 'has a brandy habit' A Russian senator said the Queen loves wine and gin-based cocktails. Russia has slammed the Queen for downing gin, wine and champagne every day in a 'fake news' propaganda blast against the UK. Senator Aleksey Pushkov, an ally of President Vladimir Putin , said the monarch treats drinking like a "ceremony" while Prime Minster Theresa May has a brandy habit. The politician claimed tell-tale mannerisms reveal the pair as 'unpleasant' heavy drinkers. According to the Sun, Pushkov told Staterun TV: "Before dinner she [Her Majesty] drinks...

Adults are advised to get in four to five servings of vegetables every day — but no one ever never they can't be in liquid form. Or mixed with tequila. Some might wonder why anyone would ruin a perfectly good shot of vodka or rum with something green and healthy. But skilled bartenders all over the world have the answer, and are finding creative ways to sneak in those vitamins and minerals all the while getting their customers tipsy. This isn't just about adding a splash of tomato juice in a Bloody Mary or garnishing a Gibson with an onion....

When we were married, one of our wedding gifts was a beautiful, copper ‘beehive’ Oster blender. (I was collecting 'everything copper' back then, and my copper Oster toaster is still going strong, and will probably last my lifetime.) The blender has also been a great tool and lasted a long time, but has been on its last legs recently; and my husband decided a while back that he wanted a Breville as soon as we were ready to budget it. (I think he had seen it highly rated by America’s Test Kitchen.) We happened to be in an ‘off-price’ department...

My brother in law bought me this bottle of Grays Peak Small Batch vodka for Christmas. Dang nice looking bottle. I haven't opened it yet. But I'm wondering who here has a preference for vodka and if you really can tell the difference between one American Vodka and another? This one is going to end up in white russians anyway. The Dude would doubtless approve.

To all my fellow naval aviation alums out there -- and to the rest who find naval aviation distinct: I have been trying to recreate the famous Fernknocker cocktail, late of Trader Jon's in Pensacola, and later of Bville. I know it contains bourbon, sweet vermouth, Galliano, two cherries, and perhaps other ingredients as well. Can anyone remember the recipe? Thanks.

Milwaukee bar starts serving epic Bloody Mary that comes topped with entire fried chicken. MILWAUKEE, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Apparently topping a massive Bloody Mary with a bacon cheeseburger slider just wasn't enough for a Milwaukee bar. After gaining some notoriety for their burger-topped drink, "'The Bloody Masterpiece," Sobelman's has decided to raise the beverage bar once again. The establishment has introduced a new drink, "Chicken Fried Bloody Beast," that features all the same garnishes -- cheese, sausage, pickles, olives, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, scallions, shrimp, lemon, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, celery -- as the Masterpiece. However, the Beast is also topped...

Finishing up the weekend, the fun crushing nanny state has come up with a new target. James Bond. And why? Because he drinks too much.

It smelled like bacon. I was afraid to say it out loud, though—I doubt any real food and drink connoisseurs compare the smell of some grand old Scotch to an everyday pork product, but that’s what my nose captured. In the heart of Edinburgh, in a room walled with brass- and bronze-colored bottles, I sniffed more and more whisky and soon captured a whole rainbow of aromas: cloves, apples, vanilla, sage and strawberries. And that smokiness I smelled as bacon? That comes from the Scottish peat they burn when heating the mix. Not everyone loves whisky, but as alcohol goes,...

An 18-year-old woman has had her stomach removed to save her life after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen. Gabby Scanlan had been drinking at Oscars wine bar in Lancaster to celebrate her 18th birthday when she was left feeling breathless. After developing serious stomach pain, she was rushed to Lancaster Royal Infirmary where she diagnosed with a perforated stomach. The young woman, from the village of Heysham in Lancashire, then underwent emergency surgery to remove her stomach, reported ITV News. … Liquid nitrogen is pure nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It boils at –196°C...

Gaby Scanlon, 18, had her stomach removed in an operation believed to have saved her life. A teenage girl has undergone emergency surgery after drinking a cocktail containing liquid nitrogen. Gaby Scanlon was celebrating her 18th birthday with friends in Lancaster city centre when she had the drink at Oscars wine bar on Thursday night. Police said she had her stomach removed afterwards in an urgent operation thought to have saved her life. Miss Scanlon, from the nearby village of Heysham, had reported feeling breathless and then developed severe stomach pain after drinking the cocktail. She was taken to Lancaster...

Another weekend vanity. :) What will you be drinking election night? Will it vary depending on the outcome? I ordered a few fine bottles of Scotch from Master of Malt last spring. Because I got the very last bottle produced from this select cask, one of my neighbor friends in our little enclave here decided that, win or lose, we would open and consume this rare and highly rated cask strength Islay Single Malt called “Berry’s Own Selection”; an unchillfiltered batch made by Caol Ila Distillery in Port Askaig in 1980. It was drawn in 2011 from Cask #4938 and...

Bartending Tips From Days of Old What's old is new again, and nowhere is that more true than in the cocktail world. New twists on classic cocktails are popping up everywhere, but most of us haven't even figured out how to make them sans twists yet. Luckily, the bartenders of yore have reached forward in time to give us invaluable advice on mixing these drinks of yesteryear. And publishers looking to capitalize on the cocktail craze have reached back to the of bartenders at the turn of last century to reprint some of the most storied mixology guides. Long before...