lovely lillet
cocktailfriend

lovely lillet

New fave cocktail: Lillet rosé with a splash of soda.  Lillet is an aperitif from Bordeaux, made from Sauvignon Blanc and Muscatel grapes flavored with herbs, spices, and citrus and fortified with citrus liqueur. It’s light and bright with notes of raspberries and white florals. Fantastic summer sipper.  Want to be the first to get the monthly newsletter … Continue reading

the spicy cocktail trend of the summer
cocktailfriend

the spicy cocktail trend of the summer

New summer/TikTok trend alert: spicy rosé.  It’s simply throwing some jalapeño slices and some ice into your rosé. Usually I’m not into putting stuff in my wine, but with a non-fussy rosé there isn’t much harm. Grapefriend tip: I definitely wouldn’t use a light, Provençal-style rosé which would get completely overwhelmed by the spice. A good Tempranillo-based Spanish rosato holds … Continue reading

more cowhorn
cocktailfriend

more cowhorn

Coming off of last month’s International Whisky Day, you may want to spend this month sipping some cool new experiments. Waterford Whisky in Ireland has been exploring how historic farming and growing techniques impact their whisky. Luna is the first single malt ever to be made from biodynamic barley, which has been farmed using techniques that treat the land as a single ecosystem.  … Continue reading

sip your apple
cocktailfriend / pop grape

sip your apple

I did a winter binge pairing post a while ago, where I included pairings for Ted Lasso, Tehran, and Losing Alice. Since then I’ve gone even deeper into Apple TV and just went on We Have Notes, the definitive podcast for the pop culture obsessed, to debate our favorite series (and tell the hilarious story of when we went … Continue reading

cocktail friend: la hora del vermut
cocktailfriend / free run juice

cocktail friend: la hora del vermut

Hailing from Madrid, La Pivón Vermouth was inspired by the daily 11-12pm Spanish ritual of La Hora del Vermut (“Vermouth Hour” for those who need that translation). La Pivón is made with local herbs and botanicals like cardamom, wormwood, cinnamon, clove, orange peel, lemon peel, gentian, as well as oranges from Valencia, Spain. The perfect cocktail for Vermouth Day on May 15, serve it … Continue reading