Bartenders, you know fruit forms the heart of so many great cocktails — but keeping it fresh and consistent year-round? That’s a challenge — but not when you have Les vergers Boiron on hand. For decades, they’ve been the gold standard in the culinary and pastry worlds — in fact, back when I was a chef we used them all the time in sorbets, sauces, and mousses. And you have to check out Boiron’s line of fruit purees crafted specifically for beverages: Ambient purees. We’re talking...| VinePair
Shortly before a federal judge placed Uncle Nearest, Inc. into receivership last month, he offered a frank assessment of the business acumen of the liquor firm’s husband-and-wife co-founders Fawn and Keith Weaver. “It looks like you’re out over your skis,” said the Hon. Charles E. Atchley. As far as euphemisms go, it was a pretty generous way to describe over $100 million in defaulted loans. But the point is salient, and widely applicable within the world of beverage alcohol. The arti...| VinePair
When the highly anticipated cocktail bar schmuck finally landed in New York City’s East Village in early 2025, it was immediately evident from the eclectic design and menu that it was a special space. (Make that two spaces, as the ambitious team split the room into two entirely separate concepts, each with its own menu.) Drawing inspiration from the mid-century modern, space age, and brutalist design movements, the bar’s aesthetic is difficult to put a label on. The article Next Wave Awar...| VinePair
Stepping into Gus’ Sip & Dip from the bustle of Hubbard Street in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, one could be forgiven for thinking the place has been here for years. Maybe it’s the hug of the wraparound, Brunswick-style wood bar and white oak-paneled walls, or the soft clink of shakers by bartenders in crisp white jackets while trays of pert burgers and $12 — yes, $12 — Martinis circulate as if on an infinite loop. Or maybe this transient neighborhood, whose overarching bar id...| VinePair
Descending the stairs into the dimly lit, gray-walled room of Smithereens, diners might have an idea of the food they’ll be met with: The acclaimed menu is touted for its New England fare, featuring hearty anadama bread, delicately plated raw seafood, and surprising, veggie-centric desserts like a celery ice cream float and candied seaweed mille-feuille. But when it comes to the drinks menu, partner and beverage director Nikita Malhotra keeps guests (and staff members) on their toes. The ar...| VinePair
When guests step into Herbs & Rye, located some two miles east of the Las Vegas Strip, they encounter a version of Vegas that hasn’t existed on the famed thoroughfare for decades. Instead of flashy, overpriced excess, the setting delivers a throwback vibe complete with crushed red velvet wallpaper, affordable cocktails under $20, and damn good steaks for cheap. Its business model is deliberately out of step with the Strip’s perpetual and increasingly exclusive quest to squeeze maximum pro...| VinePair
There are exceptions to the rule, but we’ve reached a point in American craft beer culture when most taprooms can’t pull in crowds with good beer alone. Some have tried to navigate the rising tides by offering experiences customers can’t replicate at home, like Lukr-poured pilsners, turning bocks into beer brûlée with piping hot iron spikes, and, well, doubling down on weekly trivia nights. But none of these tactics fully confront what are arguably the two things holding taprooms back...| VinePair
Typically, when a craft distiller attempts to make every spirit, none of them turn out especially well. It’s the classic jack of all trades, master of none. And the logic is simple: Try to appease every demographic — bourbon taters, vodka fans, tequila connoisseurs, rum nerds — and no one ends up truly satisfied. Then there’s Matchbook Distilling, with its dazzling array of spirits and more — all created by Leslie Merinoff Kwasnieski. The article Next Wave Awards Distiller of the Ye...| VinePair
Over the past few decades, the brewing industry has been defined by rampant innovation. The number of new substyles and pseudo-styles that have emerged from the dense thicket of breweries across the nation is head-spinning. In some respects, this evolution has been beautiful, but just like people, its growth hasn’t come without a few awkward stages. Smoothie sour ales brewed with marshmallows and five different tropical fruits? Quadruple IPAs? Many breweries are now even distilling spirits,...| VinePair
St. Agrestis isn’t a non-alcoholic drinks brand in its entirety, but judging by the success of its cheekily named Phony Negroni, one might be inclined to believe it is. That’s likely due to the fact that, unlike most other brands producing both alcoholic and non-alcoholic products, the Phony Negroni is St. Agrestis’s top-selling SKU. And it’s taking the country by storm. First established in 2014, St. Agrestis was originally founded by two New York City-based sommeliers — Nicholas F...| VinePair
Opportunity doesn’t always knock. Sometimes, opportunity comes from barriers knocked down. The New Orleans-based nonprofit Turning Tables stands tall as a remarkable battering ram on this front. Launched in 2019 by New York City native Touré Folkes, the organization’s mix of drinks education and bar training creates clear pathways for Black and brown individuals to develop acumen and attain opportunity at different stages of their hospitality careers. The program’s design also provides...| VinePair
Sebastian Tollius, beverage director at NYC’s Eleven Madison Park and the recently opened Clemente Bar, grew up around the hospitality industry. But being at the helm of one of the most acclaimed bar programs in the country wasn’t initially the dream. “My father was the director of operations for a hotel group, and we moved around Latin America when I was young,” he says. “And then I went to college for hospitality marketing in Switzerland.” Overseas, he moonlighted as a bartender...| VinePair
It’s hard to fathom someone being critical of Meaghan Dorman, given the wealth of success she’s achieved as a bar owner, bartender, educator, speaker, and mentor. It becomes even tougher to comprehend when Dorman shares the cause of the criticism. “I’ve been told several times I’m too nice to be successful,” she says. “I don’t buy that.” She shouldn’t. Dorman started proving the naysayers wrong in 2009, when she helped open the critically acclaimed Raines Law Room in New Y...| VinePair
Amy Racine fell in love with restaurants at a very young age. In North Canton, Ohio, where Racine is from, the hospitality industry she was exposed to in her youth was a simple one, but one she remembers fondly. Going out was always a special occasion, and wine was an integral part of it. “Growing up, it didn’t feel like wine was just a drink,” she says. “It was at the table with the food, it was a part of the conversation. The article Next Wave Awards Wine Professional of the Year: A...| VinePair
After years of working with wine in New York City restaurants, Chris Leon set out to open his own wine bar. Instead, he serendipitously stumbled upon a small space on Brooklyn’s Fulton Street — just across the way from his apartment — with the bones of a retail store and pivoted to a wine shop instead. Now, a decade after it first opened, Leon & Son is a pillar of Brooklyn’s wine community, and has expanded into so much more than just a neighborhood wine store. The article Next Wave A...| VinePair
When staring at a wall of labels in a wine shop, it’s not always immediately clear who exactly is behind the wine. But if you’re looking for a bottle of Sonoma Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, chances are pretty high that winemaker Katy Wilson had something to do with it. With over 20 years of experience in viticulture and winemaking, Wilson is the muscle behind popular brands including Reeve, BloodRoot, Smith Story Wine Cellars, Anaba Wines, and her own personal label, LaRue Wines. The article ...| VinePair
It all started with a salmon and a boot. Well, not quite, but sort of. Established in 2015, California’s Las Jaras was founded by winemaker Joel Burt and actor-comedian slash food enthusiast Eric Wareheim, who bonded over their shared love for food and wine when they met at a Malibu beach party a few years prior. “It’s a very L.A. story. Joel was cooking a salmon and just doing everything I wanted to be doing. He was a grown up, a cook,” Wareheim recounts of their first meeting. “He...| VinePair
How do you launch a new tequila brand today and actually get any attention? There seem to be only a few options: Partner with a celebrity, put your liquid in a flashy bottle that pops on the backbar, or charge an arm and a leg. LALO Tequila chose a different path, earning acclaim the old-fashioned way by making tequila the old-fashioned way. “It was important to me to showcase a really good product that actually tasted like tequila,” says Eduardo “Lalo” González. The article Next Wav...| VinePair
At the Vinitaly.USA conference in Chicago, Adam and Joanna received a question from someone working for a very well-known (and very successful) wine region. Despite this success, the person mentioned that wines from their region aren’t as well respected among sommeliers as they would like. In short, sommeliers don’t consider the region cool when compared to another. But does it really matter? If your wine brand or your wine region is popular among the public and continues to sell, do you ...| VinePair
In the food industry, “eat this not that” is a common marketing strategy. In the wine world, though, it’s generally not great to bash mass-produced, supermarket wines when trying to market what might be a cleaner, lower-intervention wine from a smaller winery. But the parallels with food messaging are certainly there, so why doesn’t it work with wine? For one, it just isn’t good for the wine industry as a whole. Broadcasting that one wine is “good” and one wine is “bad” rein...| VinePair
Bartenders, you know fruit forms the heart of so many great cocktails — but keeping it fresh and consistent year-round? That’s a challenge — but not when you have Les vergers Boiron on hand. For decades, they’ve been the gold standard in the culinary and pastry worlds — in fact, back when I was a chef we used them all the time in sorbets, sauces, and mousses. And you have to check out Boiron’s line of fruit purees crafted specifically for beverages: Ambient purees. We’re talking...| VinePair
“You know when you meet somebody on the street, you ask them ‘How are you doing today?’” Dan Carey, the co-founder of Wisconsin’s beloved New Glarus Brewing Co., told me on a 2024 episode of VinePair’s award-winning “Taplines” podcast. “At a Craft Brewers Conference, it [used to be] ‘How much are you up this year?’ It was a game to say, ‘Oh, we’re up 10 percent,’ ‘Well, we’re up 80 percent!’” “Brewers don’t ask that anymore,” he added, chuckling wryly...| VinePair
Caymus Vineyards is one of the most contested names in American wine. Established in Rutherford, Calif., a sub-AVA of Napa Valley, in 1972, the winery was founded by the Wagner family, which had been growing and selling grapes to others in the region for decades. Practically immediately, the winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon rose in popularity. For that reason, Caymus made the decision to scale its wines to be available nationwide. The article Wine 101: Caymus appeared first on VinePair.| VinePair
Bud Light was the undisputed best-selling beer in the country. Twisted Tea was just hitting its long-simmering breakout run. Reyes Beverage Group was still called Reyes Beer Division. It was a different beer industry when I first took the helm here at Hop Take in September 2022. Which, duh: Time is linear, and change is constant, etc., etc. Still, my tenure here each week has coincided with some of the most tectonic shifts the American brewing business has known since… I mean… certainly t...| VinePair
It seems like every generation to come of drinking age has their high octane, pre-packaged beverage. You know the kind — the brands that these younger drinkers can’t seem to get enough of, often to the amazement of their older counterparts. For Gen X, it was Boone’s Farm and MD 20/20. For millennials, it was pre-reformulation Four Loko. And for Gen Z, it’s BuzzBallz. First launched in 2010 by Texas-based high school teacher Merrilee Kick, BuzzBallz was practically an instant hit.| VinePair
