Clay Risen
Photo by the prodigal untitled13/FlickrCC
Mixmaster
Jul 21 2009, 8:05 amSix American Gins Worth Tasting
Britain doesn't have a monopoly on gin: American distillers are catching up with refreshing, affordable varieties.read more
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Mixmaster
Jun 29 2009, 8:28 amBringing Bourbon to Capitol Hill
Two Kentucky Congressmen just started the Bourbon Caucus, to promote America's indigenous drink.read more
Photo by dan4th/Flickr CC
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Jun 26 2009, 12:45 pmPreparing for the Rye Revolution
After years in the shadow of Scotch and Bourbon, rye's moment has come. 12 versions worth trying.read more
sashafatcat/Flickr CC
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Jun 17 2009, 8:14 amAmerican Whiskey's Next Big Thing?
Critics have long been skeptical of Rick Wasmund's tiny distillery. He's finally proving them wrong.read more
Photo by vmiramontes/Flickr CC
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Jun 9 2009, 8:10 amThe Beer World's Unlikely Alliance
Craft brewers have one thing in common with Coors, Anheuser-Busch, and Miller: they don't want Congress to raise beer taxes. The story of how the Davids of the beer world decided to fight on the same side as the Goliaths.read more
Photo by Matt Dick
Mixmaster
Jun 5 2009, 12:45 pmDark Beer With Discipline
Duck-Rabbit Brewery avoids the gimmicks of other craft brewers--no bubblegum ale here--and focuses on doing one thing very well: dark beers with high alcohol content. The brewery once only distributed within North Carolina, but its reach is finally starting to spread to other parts of the country.read more
Photo Courtesy of Four Roses Distillery
Mixmaster
May 7 2009, 12:47 pmDomestic Whiskey's Best Kept Secret
For decades, some of the finest bourbon produced in America was only available overseas. But, finally, legendary Four Roses is appearing on shelves in the U.S. The author offers descriptions of all the varieties of whiskey created by this Kentucky distillery.read more
Photo by Ben+Sam/FlickrCC
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Apr 30 2009, 8:19 amWhiskey-Aged Beers, Craft Brew's Newest
Beer aged in barrels is the latest trend from the craft movement. The result is a brew that starts like Scotch and ends like beer. A test reveals which microbreweries do it best. But don't get to attached to this new variation--you never know when brewers will move onto the next big thing.read more
Photo by harryalverson/Flickr CC
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Apr 15 2009, 8:08 amIs This the Best-Selling Liquor in the World?
According to Chinese media, baijiu is the best-selling liquor in the world, and Maotai is the most famous brand of baiju--and one of the few available in the United States. In production for over 200 years, China's award-winning and expensive baiju isn't what you might expect.read more
Photo by yoppy/Flickr CC
Abroad
Apr 10 2009, 7:50 amAmerica's Drink Gets an Asian Makeover
Bourbon, American's Congressional-declared "native spirit," is hugely popular in Asia. But not everyone drinks it like they do in Kentucky. Some surprising variations on an American theme.read more
Photo by MACSURAK/FlickrCC
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Mar 28 2009, 1:00 pmBavaria's World-Class Smoked Beer
Schlenkerla, one of the world's best beers, is made using a rare technique of drying malt over an open flame. The result is the deep and truly unique flavor of smoked sausage. Some U.S. breweries are starting to learn, trying out the style for themselves.read more
Photo by Diego Cupolo, Flickr CC
Abroad
Mar 26 2009, 8:25 amThe Charm of Austrian Pumpkin Seed Oil
Hand-pressed in village centers, it's good on just about anything -- especially ice cream, yogurt, or a fresh salad. And as a dressing for salad or vegetables, the dark-green oil is sublime. Pumpkin seed oil isn't obscure, but it's more obscure than it deserves to be.read more
Photo by Allerina and Glen MacLarty/ Flickr CC
Mixmaster
Mar 17 2009, 1:00 pmLoving and Not Loving Schnapps
Schnapps are available the world over, of course. But only in Europe can you regularly find a range of inexpensive aperitifs and digestifs on almost every menu. And creativity in Schnapps has risks. One company distilled Schnapps from beer -- with disastrous results.read more
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Clay Risen
Clay Risen is a Washington, D.C.-based writer. He is the author of A Nation on Fire: America in the Wake of the King Assassination, and his work has appeared in The New Republic, Smithsonian, and the New York Times Sunday Magazine. To read more of his work, visit his Web site. full bio
Books by Clay Risen
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