Binny's Blog

Matteo Meletti joins Barrel to Bottle to discuss his family's 155 year history of making amaro.

Our resident loud amaro lover Pat is back to torture Roger with twelve different Amari, running the gamut from extremely bitter to refreshing and subdued.

How did an outwardly Italian man end up in Eugene, Oregon making amaro? Find out as we talk with Elixir Spirits co-founder Andrea Loreto.

Last week it was new wines, this week it's new spirits. Pat once again overdid it and brought too many new items for us to sample.

If you love food but are a little work-shy in the kitchen, we have an easy and delicious three-course meal for your Galentine's Day or Valentine's Day, along with wine, beer and cocktail pairings for each course.

Pat is constantly extolling the virtues of aromatized wines. Finally, we have a guest who will actually agree with him and won’t just make fun of him. Jake Parrott is a friend of the pod and the Whiskey Hotline and is also the national sales director of Haus Alpenz. What Jake sells, and Pat loves, is woefully esoteric. But Binny’s customers, and Barrel to Bottle listeners, are enthusiasts.

We're joined by design icon and fashion mogul Vera Wang for an exploration of her new, limited edition Chopin vodka.

The Flank Steak Salad is definitely a hearty meal, and a delightfully simple one to prepare. Just bear in mind that salting is essential to the recipe. Salting and seasoning the steak 30 minutes prior to grilling ensures that the meat absorbs the flavorful seasoning and remains juicy when served.

The key to achieving that crispy texture and luxuriously creamy center is to set yourself up for success. Allow the filet to come to room temperature. Pat the surface dry before cooking.

Crème brûlée is not simply about intensely satisfying vanilla notes. The joy of crème brûlée is tasting the contrasts - the hot/savory note of burnt sugar and the cool/sweet interior, and above all the the audible crack of its hard shell giving way to the luxuriantly velvet-textured custard underneath.