It all started when Jim Bendis went for a jog through the juniper forests in Central Oregon’s high desert plateau, near Bend, more than 20 years ago. According to Alan Dietrich, CEO of Crater Lake Spirits, Bendis saw the abundance of juniper and an "aha moment" that...
Aw, the holiday season: a time gather with family to share memories, exchange gifts and celebrate the season. Let’s be honest though, for many of us, a fair amount of alcohol is required to get through this time of year. In my opinion, that is OK. You can atone after...
Cold weather calls for hot drinks. Among the offerings—and certainly one of the most ubiquitous—is the hot buttered rum. Dating back to Colonial New England, the practice of adding rum, butter and spices to hot water has evolved over the years, but remains a classic...
Using honey in cocktails is nothing new. The Bee's Knees cocktail dates to Prohibition in the early 1900s, when gin was of questionable quality and honey helped mask the taste. Honey itself is delicious and versatile in the kitchen, and adding it to cocktails—classic...
Washington state grows 70 percent of the nation's hops on any given year (80 percent in 2014). This year's harvest in the Yakima Valley was nearly 75 million pounds. The rapidly growing bines can be seen throughout the valley, climbing to more than 40-feet high on...
Blair Reynolds, owner of Hale Pele in Portland, started B.G. Reynolds more than a decade ago, making syrups used for tiki cocktails and other classic drinks. I’ve talked to Reynolds about the syrups before, and am already a big fan, which is why I'm doubly excited for...
Vancouver packs a lot of boozy talent into its 115 square kilometers (45 square miles) of British Columbia. On a recent visit, the talents from Odd Society Spirits, Bittered Sling Bitters and Uva Wine Bar converged. In my glass! Since 2013, Odd Society Spirits has...
The convenience of pre-mixed, craft cocktails has arrived. Alongside of the rise of semi-prepared meal delivery services, like Blue Apron and Chef'd, there's a growing market for bringing the craft bar home. Pre-cooked, pre-chopped and other convenience foods have...
Located just 30 minutes west of Portland, SakéOne has been changing the public’s perception of saké for nearly 20 years. What began as a venture for importing saké from Japan in the 1990s, grew into a saké-making business and kura (saké brewery) with a tasting room....
Seattle-based Captive Spirits Distilling has captivated gin lovers since they opened in 2012, and launched their flagship Big Gin. Around that same time however, owner and distiller Ben Capdevielle was also creating something a little different. Inspired by the fact...
