Sreedhar Yedavalli, Matt Mayes and I have our third discussion in a series detailing what alcohol is and how we get variations of intoxicating liquids. In this episode we discuss how the food that the yeast consumes, primarily types of sugars, produces variations in the kinds of excretions that are added to the alcohol mix. […]
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Off the Shelf: The Beers of July
July was a busy month for us…house guests, road trips, extended stays in small Tennessee towns with no internet…the sampled beers this month were a little light and featured only Pipeworks. No, no, I am not a product rep for Pipeworks (though maybe I should be), but I’m just being brand focused and it seems […]
Off the Shelf: The Beers of June
The lovely Ms. Kathleen and I taste another bunch of beers, one by Solemn Oath and the rest by Pipeworks. It is hard to keep up with Pipeworks. But I’ve gotta say, they make the most interesting beers and even if they aren’t all for me, I really enjoy what seems to be their mission […]
Alcohol 101: What is Yeast?
In an attempt to better understand many of the cocktails and topics we discuss here at the Black Liver Project, we went back to the beginning of it all to really get a grasp on what is going on here. We started with the most basic and direct question we needed to begin the store, […]
Monster Summoning V: Southern Dandy
It’s another Monster Summoning episode! Bobby introduced me to a regular drink offering at Fion called the Southern Dandy. It was really damned good! Tasted like a bourbon ice cream float. 1/4 muddled peach 2 dashes peach bitters 1/4 oz egg white 1/4 oz cream 2 oz bourbon dash of genepi A little simple […]
Episode 42: A Fiery Blonde – Mi...
It was Cinco de Mayo, a much celebrated date in Chicago, and Bobby decided to introduce me to my first beer cocktail, the Michelada. I did the research and the images of the Michelada concerned me. It looked a lot like a Bloody Mary. If you recall the Bloody Mary episode, I was not a […]
Monster Summoning IV: King Creole
Not a classic cocktail, this one is an original from Bobby at Fion that appears on the menu and can be ordered by any ole person off the street. Ingredients: Rye Absinthe Aveze Coffee Bitters Has a largely nutty and roasty flavor imparted by the coffee bitters. Aveze is a strong and divisive flavor, […]
Off the Shelf: The Beers of May
The lovely Kathleen and I tasted many beers from four brewers: Avery, Pipeworks, Solemn Oath, and The Lost Abbey. Notice how often our tastes diverged. I’ve said this many times but I can say it again: I don’t like rating systems because everybody likes different things. So instead of placing it on a scale […]
Episode 39: Floats Like a Butterfly &...
You know that age when you’re old enough to drink but haven’t quite conditioned yourself to the taste of alcohol. That’s how the Stinger happened. The origins of the Stinger are unclear but the first written reference to the cocktail is in 1917. Whatever its origins, the Stinger became a kind of upper crust cocktail […]
Potions Class Episode 2: Winter Basil...
Potions Class #2: I’ve got a friend with a food blog…it’s a little more than just food and recipes, it’s like a memoir paired with novelty tastes and pretty pictures. It’s called http://www.storyofakitchen.com/ (there’s an interview with the author here: http://myfriendsareawesome.com/lisa-preston-hsu-food-doctor/). Of course, I was drawn to the drinks sections. Let me make it clear, […]
