Everyone is making quarantinis, which can really be anything (including a can of PBR if you're Pat). The Barrel to Bottle Crew was inspired to go back to the actual old school martini, which itself can be almost anything these days. Roger runs through some of the classic recipes including the original martini with sweet vermouth, the Vesper and more. Plus, a rousing listener Q&A about guilty pleasure drinks.
We're jumping into your podcast feed with a bonus episode of Barrel to Bottle. We've been hosting a series of virtual tastings on Zoom. In this week's bonus episode Alicia and Barb, along with Lincoln Park wine manager Gabriel, taste through their favorite canned wines and canned wine cocktails. For more information about our virtual tastings, please visit our website .
Beaujolais is gonna work for you. They're not in plastic bottles any more and they're not your father's Beaujolais. This week on Barrel to Bottle, Pat is joined by Binny's educator Alicia along with wine manager Ben to help set the record straight on Beaujolais. The Barrel to Bottle Crew will taste through the entire Beaujolais region while discussing its history and sharing Beaujolais food pairings. Drink along at home with the following wines: Domaine de la Prebende Beaujolais 2018 Guy Breton ...
Make do with what you have, that's the theme of this week's episode. You might not have all the ingredients for your favorite cocktail, but there's almost always a substitute you can make. This week the Barrel to Bottle Crew scours their respective basements for ingredients that will still make an excellent cocktail. At the end, Greg, Roger, Pat and Alicia each put their own quarantini spin on a negroni. You can find all of our Barrel to Bottle Quarantini recipes on the Confessions of a Mixologi...
Alsace, an underappreciated wine region and the Barrel to Bottle Crew would love for our customers to know more about. Alsatian wines are food-friendly and budget friendly. Binny's Wine Educator Alicia tastes through five wines from Alsace, and throws in some trivia along the way. She also has some excellent food pairings. Plus, a customer wants to know what to do with a bottle of wine they don't really like. Drink along at home with the following wines: Hugel Gentil 2018 Meyer-Fonne Riesling 20...
Since we're all at home looking at all the beers we've been collecting for years, it's a good time to open some more of them. Because of the breadth of their collections, the Barrel to Bottle Crew was lucky enough to have some overlap. Except Greg, who likes to actually drink the beer he buys.
We asked for questions and you asked us questions. Lots of questions. This week the Barrel to Bottle Crew will answer 19 of your burning questions. What's the best way to store wine? Is this bottle worth anything? Does lactose effect a beer's shelf life? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Mezcal, it's not just smoky tequila with a worm in the bottle. On this special Whiskey Hotline & Friends edition of Barrel to Bottle, Pat, Brett and friend-of-the-pod Monique Houston are going to help demystify mezcal. Drink along at home with the following mezcals: El Buho Mezcal Espadin El Buho Especial Tepeztate Siembra Metl Don Mateo Cupreata Mezcal Don Mateo de la Sierra Pechuga La Luna Mezcal Manso Sahuayo La Luan Mezcal Chino La Venenosa Raicilla Tabernas Maximiliana White Label Mezon...
This week on Barrel to Bottle we're doing another blind taste test. Because that's the best way to test anything, in the opinion of the Whiskey Hotline. Speaking of which, we've got a Whiskey Hotline quorum this week, with Pat and Brett Pontoni stepping up to the mics. Also along for the ride is longtime Binny's buyer Mike Baba. Greg and Roger round out the panel. Five hosts, 10 whiskeys and only you'll know what they're tasting. Blind taste along at home with the following spirits: Old Forester...
There's more to Cabernet than Napa and France. Jason Palma steps back into the Barrel to Bottle studios for a Cabernet world tour. Cabernet is grown on six continents and each one has it's own unique flavors and aromas. Drink Along at Home with the Following Wines: Daou Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Antinori Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato 2017 Primus Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 d'Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon The High Trellis 2016 Meerlust Rubicon 2015 Chateau Musar Hochar...
Barrel-aged beers are still a hot commodity, but Roger is here to show that you don't have to wait in line or pay a lot for a high quality barrel-aged beer. Breweries are also moving behind traditional bourbon barrels to age all sorts of beers in different spirits barrels. Also a listener Q&A that isn't really a Q&A but proves Pat was wrong. Drink along at home with the following beers: Odd Side Ales MacDougal's Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Scotch Ale Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Greenb...
What's the craic? It's the time of year to brush up on all that our Irish Whiskey aisle has to offer. Barrel to Bottle's resident Irishman (and whiskey expert) Pat Brophy has brought in six of his favorites to help you change your perception of this style. Plus, listener Q&A is back with question about the best crowd-pleasing beer to serve at your wedding. Drink along at home with the following whiskeys Slane Irish Whiskey Triple Casked The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey The Whistler 10 Ye...
You know the classics. You know your favorites. But what about the rest? Our stores are home thousands of bottles of spirits, wine and beer. There are so many bottles that even the Barrel to Bottle Crew haven't tried all of them. Liqueurs with milk and eggs, Hungarian wines, 16% ABV beers! If you've ever wandered our aisles wondering "What the hell does that taste like?" this is the episode for you. Drink along at home with the following oddballs and headscratchers: Rujero Singani Italicus Rosol...
Glassware. It's an essential part of the drinking experience, but there are so many options in wine, spirits and beer. Stemmed or stemless? Big bowl or small? Shaker pint or tulip? And what about ice? Big cube, small cube, sphere? Filtered water or tap? The Barrel to Bottle crew is here to help you sort through this madness and also prove that despite all the pretension it really does make a difference in how your drink tastes. Throughout the episode Pat will also be measuring how fast (or slow)...
Laissez les bon temps rouler! It's Mardi Gras season and Barrel to Bottle's resident mixologist and New Orleans enthusiast, Roger Adamson, is here to give you an authentic taste of the French Quarter. Get yourself set up for Fat Tuesday with two easy New Orleans cocktails plus some strong opinions on paczkis. Mix along at home with the following spirits and bitters: Rittenhouse Rye 100 Proof Dolin Sweet Vermouth Peychaud's Bitters Angostura Bitters Hardy VS Cognac Dom Benedictine Liqueur...
That's not a podcast! THIS is a podcast! Binny's Wine Manager Mike Bach spent two weeks in Australia last May, and this week he's joining the Barrel to Bottle Crew to share some of his favorites wines from the land down under. Forget about throwing a shrimp on the barbie, because Mike has wine and kangaroo pairings. Drink along at home with the following wines: Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2018 Alpha Box & Dice Tarot Grenache 2018 D'Arenberg High Trellis 2016 Mollydooker Shiraz The Boxer...
What is vermouth? Where does it come from and why does Pat Brophy love it so much? This week, the Barrel to Bottle Crew will be sampling through an array of vermouths, while Pat tries to find one that will pry Greg away from his beloved Cocchi di Torino. After that, we will take all those vermouths, combine then with a variety of bitters and see who can craft the best Manhattan. Will it be The Greghattan? El Broph? The Rogehattan? Mix along at home with the following vermouths and bitters: Marti...
If you're not quite ready to commit to Dry January , how about Lo-Cal January? Specifically, low calorie beer options that still taste good. Roger has assembled 9 flavor-packed beers, ciders and hard waters from some well-known breweries, plus one surprising stalwart that has been making low-calorie, flavorful beer for decades. Plus, listener questions are back and this week we've got a controversial topic: aging whiskey in small barrels. Drink along at home with the following beers Saint Archer...
This week the Barrel to Bottle team covers the basics of the world's most prestigious region: Bordeaux! Doug Jeffirs, Director of Wine Sales for Binny's, joins the team to help demystify the topic and cover a few wines that provide excellent value. Drink along at home with the following wines Chateau La Platus Bordeaux 2016 Chateau Saby Bordeaux 2016 Chateau Montlandrie Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux 2015 Chateau Lanessan Haut Medoc 2016 Chateau Ducasse Blanc 2018 Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes 2...
Are you doing Drynuary? Dry January? Non-Alc New Year? Whatever it's called, there are many reasons our customers seek out non-alcoholic offerings. Non-alcholic beers have been around for several decades, but now craft breweries have begun producing them in addition to the old stalwarts. Meanwhile, Pat has a whole new category for the Barrel to Bottle crew to sample, whiskey and gin alternatives. Drink along at home with the following non-alcoholic beers and spirits: O'Doul's Pabst Blue Ribbon N...
Michael Eddy is the first winemaker at Louis Martini that doesn't share a last name with winery's founder. In his tenure with Louis Martini, Michael has witnessed a huge transition for this legacy brand. He's been presented with the unique challenge of growing the winery and moving it in new directions, while also maintaining the standards wine drinkers have come to expect. Drink along at home with the following wines: Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2016 Louis Martini Cabernet Sa...
It's a special Whiskey Hotline edition of Barrel to Bottle with David Carpenter of Redemption Whiskey. As the master blender, David likes to focus on the grains because they're the star of the show. David is also master blender for Bib & Tucker, a Tennesee whiskey brand that focuses more on the barrel than the grain. Finally, the Barrel to Bottle crew heads north of the border to try some 100% rye Canadian whisky, but it's not your typical Canadian whisky. Don't forget to check out our Redem...
'Tis the season for malty, spicy beers with a little extra kick to them. Just don't call them old man beers. Roger has brought the good stuff; from longtime classics to new takes on the holiday style. From Germany to California and everywhere in between, Happy Holidays from the Barrel to Bottle Crew. Drink along at home with the following beers: Hofbrau Winter Spezial Anchor Steam Christmas Ale Revolution Fistmas Three Floyds Alpha Klaus 21st Amendment Fireside Chat St. Bernardus Christmas Ale...
The last time Bob Calamia stopped by the Barrel to Bottle studio, it was to talk about something he loves but doesn't know, amaro . Now he's here to talk about something he both knows and loves: Champagne and bubbly. The holidays are a perfect time to have Binny's longtime Champagne buyer on the podcast. Although we here at Barrel to Bottle feel that every time of year is a good time for Champagne. Plus, we'll teach you how to taste and how to find what you like. Pop the cork on this vintage dat...
Fortified wine, it's not just for grandma's post-dinner drink. Binny's Wine Educator Alicia Barrett joins the Barrel to Bottle to Crew this week to share her passion for fortified wines, particularly Madeira. Roger loves Madeira too and he is very eager to discuss it. So what is it? Why should you drink it? Where does it come from? All your questions will be answered on this week's Barrel to Bottle. Drink along at home with the following Madeiras: The Rare Wine Company Charleston Sercial Madeira...
CH Distillery has arguably the widest ranging portfolio in the Midwest. At CH, they can only serve what they make, which has presented unique challenges but also allowed them to offer an incredible breadth of spirits. Owner and distiller Tremaine Atkinson was good enough to bring some spirits for the Barrel to Bottle crew to sample. Most importantly, CH is now the shepherd of Malört, favorite child of the Barrel to Bottle podcast. They're trying all sorts of new things with Malört, including bar...
Your Gummy , our exciting new collaboration with Noon Whistle Brewing Company is finally here. Earlier this fall, we asked our customers to select three hops to use in this New England-style IPA. The people spoke and selected Citra, Mosaic and Lemondrop. Roger selected a few beers that highlight the individual hops and brought in hop samples for us to waft and quaff. Plus, stick around for a very relevant customer question about fresh hops vs. wet hops....
Cellared beer everywhere but too afraid to drink it. What are we waiting for exactly? The Barrel to Bottle crew has cleaned out our basement fridges and cellars. Some of these beers are among the rarest of the rare and some of them can still be found on Binny's shelves. Did we wait too long to drink them, or is it just the right time? Should you even bother aging beer at all? Join us as we try to answer these questions.
What can you get for around ten dollars? You can get a lot of quality wines for (around) a Hamilton. Barb and Alicia, Binny's Wine Educator, have selected ten wines that you can get for around $10. They'll also help you identify grape varietes and winegrowing regions that offer quality wines at great prices. Don't throw away your shot at these quality wines for such a great price.
Jay Erisman loves Cincinnati Chili, but don't hold that against him. As co-founder of New Riff Distilling, Jay has helped turn this young distillery into one of the most exciting brands we carry. It's not common for a new distillery to make Bottled in Bond bourbon, but they wouldn't do it any other way at New Riff. Join the Barrel to Bottle Crew as we sample through our three Binny's Handpicks, as well as the new barrel proof rye and even a Kentucky terroir-driven gin.
