- Frey Ranch Is What Whiskey Distilling Should Look LikeWell here’s something a little new: Tasting Table has moved into the sponsored content arena, or at least moved me there. It was an easy transition, since it speaks to two of my favorite things: bourbon and cool ways of doing sustainability. Part of why I love to cook is the efficiency of always finding … Read more
- Jim Beam Pineapple Does What a Flavored Whiskey ShouldNew Jim Beam flavor coming at you, and I took it for a few turns with my buddy Tania to see if we were whiskey snobs or if a fun flavored blend of pineapple liqueur and straight bourbon whiskey had a place in this drinks ecosystem. It’s not a spoiler to say that it does, … Read more
- Shake Shack’s Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake Is TransformativeI got to try the new Shake Shack Dubai Chocolate Pistachio shake for Tasting Table, and by the end I was ready to lick the cup clean like some kind of animal. How did I get here? We all started off as rich Dubai residents, indulging in a combination of expensive ingredients. This was supposed … Read more
- Old Forester Bottled-in-Bond Rye Was Straightforward FunGood news! I tried a new and rare Old Forester and it was the kind I like, not the kind that makes me sad to say mean things about despite waiting years to try it. Thoughts at Tasting Table.
- Four Roses 2025 Single Barrel Collection Doesn’t DisappointI had myself a fine time meeting Brent Elliott and Abby Martinie, alongside a lot more folks from the Four Roses team, as we whiskey writers gathered to try the inaugural Single Barrel Collection. These three recipes debut the chance for bourbon fans to try every single drop that goes into the Four Roses Yellow … Read more
- The Chicken Shawarma Is Cheesecake Factory’s Best New DishTake my word for it: the chicken shawarma is fantastic. But if you don’t take my word for it, take the word of Jay Hinson, Cheesecake Factory’s SVP of operations, who also calls it his favorite. You’re kind of spoiled for choice in the handheld sandwich/burger section, as well as anything seafood, but man, I’m … Read more
- I Ranked the Main Jameson LineupRight on the heels of the Jameson Triple Triple bottle guide I tackled the five main bottles of Jameson out there for your consideration this St. Patrick’s Day. And you would not even believe it, but halfway through submitting it, they reconfigured the whole dang site menu to represent a new lineup! I don’t get … Read more
- Chick-Fil-A’s Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Is Delicious, but These Drinks…I have never had Chick-Fil-A except for eating some cold, free nuggets once, so when Tasting Table offered me the assignment to try its Smokehouse BBQ Bacon chicken sandwiches, I said, “Those are all things I like,” particularly the part where you pay me to try the fast food. Nobody’s got $7 to spend on … Read more
- Jameson Triple Triple’s Chestnut Gambit Is a Bold OneTasting Table had me compile the ultimate bottle guide to the new Jameson Triple Triple, a recurring, formerly rare bottling that, for now at least, uses a chestnut barrel finish to achieve some different tastes indeed. I like a sip of it, but the longer I drink it, the more I wish I were done, … Read more
- Bushmills 46 Might Be the Best Whiskey I’ve Ever TastedCertainly the best Irish to ever cross my lips at any rate. The best single-malt, too, if I’m being honest. So probably the best whiskey overall? I can’t think of a thing I’d put up against this, and I’ve had a good amount of Stagg. New review is up at Tasting Table: Bushmills 46. The … Read more
- Let’s Draft a Starbucks Reserve All-Star TeamTasting Table asked me to dream up a roster of Starbucks Reserve orders that ought to appear on the regular cafes’ menu, even though we’re not getting booze at the drivethrough anytime soon. What is this, Europe? Ha ha ha! Ha. Ha ha. …ha. I wish. Man, it’s getting hard out here for the uninsured. … Read more
- I’d Like You to Meet My Four Roses Small BatchSmall Batch is one of the best bourbons out there for the price, and especially so for the high-rye lovers among us. That’s me! And possibly you, too, after you read the case for Four Roses Small Batch over at Tasting Table. I tell ya, I am really turning my head from wheaters and thinking … Read more
- Join Me in Toasting Jimmy John’s New SandwichesJimmy John’s has added some new cheeses and started toasting its sandwiches! I went to the Ace Hotel to try them! Everything was lovely and delicious! Robots crawling the web for Google say I have to write more than this! Watch me tell them to keep on walking, because I have nothing to prove to … Read more
- Corn Milk Is Real, and I Drank ItPlant milks: that thing we all know we should probably try to drink, and yet, ungghhhh, what a letdown. When I made a stab at veganism at home last year through now ongoing, I found giving up meat is pretty easy, but giving up dairy is H A R D. Vegan cheese and eggs are … Read more
- I Did Not Love Starbucks’s February RefreshersDropped into my local Starbucks to try the Starbucks Blackberry Sage Refreshers dropping this week, as well as the Valentine’s Day special drinks. If you don’t feel like reading my thoughts in full for Tasting Table, I’d say skip the Refreshers entirely, and enjoy the chocolate hazelnut cookie cold brew or strawberry creme frappucino instead. … Read more
- I Ate the Whole Dang McDonald’s MenuTwo new rankings are up at Tasting Table. First I reviewed every single McDonald’s burger on the menu, then, like the hungry caterpillar I am, I said, “Nah, that’s not enough,” and continued to eat the rest of the menu, both breakfast and lunch for a final ranking of everything you can order at the … Read more
- People Should Know About This Chocolate + Nuts ThingHello, friend without a tree nut allergy! Did you know that the combination of nut flavors with chocolate is a popular choice in modern consumption? For more on this breaking story, we turn to my review of The Starbucks Dubai Chocolate Matcha Latte, the unofficial drink hack wherein you replicate the TikTok viral candy bar … Read more
- Bob Dylan Just Might Have a Future in This Whiskey BusinessI’d heard good things about Bob Dylan’s whiskey–a lot more celebrity spirits are respectable than you might expect. Turns out when your whole career is image-conscious, you try to not to align yourself with amateurs. What I hadn’t heard was just how exotic it could get. The new Bootleg VI release takes bourbon to places … Read more
- My Prohibition Review Is Now on Exhibition to ViewThe second edition of the Buffalo Trace Prohibition Collection‘s dropping soon, but even if I never see it in the wild, I can sigh contentedly to remember enjoying it in a professional capacity last night at Club Macanudo. My takeaways for which bottles to try first from the 2025 Prohibition Collection are now up at … Read more
- Starbucks’ New Cortado Pours Are Miami-ApprovedThank God 2024 is over and we can get back to our hobby of being terrified by the year 2025. I like to slide right into that level of productivity by getting super-buzzed on caffeine, which I did to the tune of drinking 12 espressos in mid-December. Have you ever clocked 12 shots of espresso … Read more
- These Are the Best Bourbons I Tried in 2024Here are the best new (to me) bourbons to tiptoe over my tastebuds last year. My editor said I can’t include Barrell Foundation’s late 2023 debut (even though some of these other bourbons came out well before or are just their regular, long-running selves), but I spent the year doling out my sample, so enjoy … Read more
- Brendan Is No More. Call Me…Peppermint Paddy!I took a skate down memory ice pond this Christmas with the ranking of several peppermint stick/bark ice cream flavors. My heart belongs to Friendly’s, but if we’re talking quality, a few slipped past it to medal. And boy, there really wasn’t a bad one on this list. But the labor of my days now … Read more
- You’re Probably Not Drinking Enough Near Open FlameOr at least incorporating that bourbon into your grilling methods. I talked to a bundle of chefs about all they ways they incorporate bourbon into grilled foods and the associated cookout drinks, from marinade to glaze and many points in between…as well as how the smoky grilled foods can come back and contribute to the … Read more
- Guess Who Drank the 2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection?My new Halloween tradition is ranking every Goose Island BCS Stout, but my new Election Day follow-up (and boy did the nation need a collective drink from that one) is getting to be reviewing the Buffalo Trace Antique collection. This year isn’t my favorite of the three that I’ve tried, but that’s not to say … Read more
- The 2024 Goose Island BCS Lineup Is an Achievement Yet AgainAs I did in 2022 and again in 2023, I applied my liver to consuming the entire Goose Island Bourbon County Stout LTO release at Tasting Table. Now, don’t think I finished every bottle. They got capped and used up over days to follow. But even a shot of each beer is a long walk; … Read more