In the fall of 1909, President William Howard Taft under took a tour of 33 states by train. In New Orleans he attended a football game, despite worries among bodyguards that anarchists would target him. (“Oh, fiddlesticks,” Taft replied.) In Birmingham, “several thousand little schoolchildren” lined the route of his motorcade to cheer him. At the DeSoto...

Regular readers of this column are by now well aware that I’m a fan of gin, appreciating the near-endless varieties that can be created on such a versatile canvas. When Junipero Gin released their new Smoked Rosemary expression this summer, I was intrigued. While rosemary would be a natural match for gin’s botanical profile, smokiness is a much more...

Held in Cartagena, Spain, the 2024 edition of Licor 43’s Bartenders & Baristas Challenge, has named Julia Engel from Kœr bar in Hamburg, Germany, this year’s global champion. This was the eighth edition of the annual competition, which calls on cocktail and coffee pros around the world to showcase their expertise and creativity in pairing Licor...

Where bitter IPAs and rich imperial stouts polarized beer drinkers, an approachable style of ale that originated in Cologne, Germany, is finding fans in beer enthusiasts and casual imbibers alike. Kölsch, according to Heinrich Philipp Becker of Cologne’s Gaffel Becker & Company, “is becoming a synonym for drinkable beer with character.” And in our...

Just because you’re well past trick-or-treating age doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Halloween treats. Especially now that you can make sweets for yourself. Here are a few grown-up treats—like coffee lollys, beer caramels, and spirited marshmallows—to share this Halloween season or keep all to yourself. Ale and Pretzel Caramels ...

A historic port city just 20 miles south of the Canadian border, Bellingham, Washington, sits adjacent to the North Cascades mountain range, with snow-capped Mount Baker practically on its doorstep. With a population hovering above 90,000, Bellingham embraces its unofficial motto as the “City of Subdued Excitement”—an accurate reflection of its hidden-gem...