Binny's Blog

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.

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.

The Whiskey Hotline is joined by Bryan Cranston for a tasting and discussion of Dos Hombres Mezcal.

The Whiskey Hotline is joined by mezcal expert Francisco Terrazas for a tasting of the varied offerings from Mezcal Vago.

Last week we covered the wonders of wormwood in our introduction to vermouth and aromatized wines.

The difference between mezcal and other agave spirits. Maybe someone told you that all tequilas are mezcal but not all mezcals are tequila.

How to read a mezcal label. If you’ve read that mezcal label closely, you’ve maybe seen words like “artesenal” and “ancestral.”

The difference between tequila and mezcal. You’re a tequila fan and you’ve been hearing about its smoky cousin, mezcal?

We're mixing things up with this classic gin cocktail. Instead of gin, we're adding mezcal. It adds a smoky flavor that blends magically with the sweet and bitter flavors in the cocktail.