Patrick Comiskey

Tonight, at midnight, the inimitable phenomenon known as Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivée. Well, that is not entirely accurate: the bottles of nouveau that 'arrive' on Thursday were on a boat to the U.S. market as early as the 26th of October, when the wine was, arguably, even newer than nouveau......

For many years, American chardonnay has been a wine category that cognoscenti love to hate, a wine whose ubiquity, confected stylings and bloat have more or less condemned it to a reputation for mediocrity, a wading pool of a wine, epitomizing the shallow waters of American taste. And for many......

When did the Old Fashioned become old fashioned? It's not an easy question to answer: the first mention of the cocktail as 'old' occurs around 1880 in a bar called the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, suggesting that the basic formula -- bourbon, some sugar, a dash or three of......

Next week's Serious Drinking column is devoted to chardonnay, an often maligned but nonetheless wildly popular grape variety in California, the most ubiquitous in the state. Of course the grape originates in France, specifically Burgundy, where it was isolated and called Pineau Chardonnay, probably in or near the village by......

Is there really a demand for pumpkin beer? Do squash aficionados start summer letter writing campaigns to make sure their fridges are stocked in November? Do brewmasters have a secret fervor for Charlie Brown cartoon reruns? Do they respond to skewed surveys that weigh the answers of the ardent few,......

Hans Reisetbauer is a burly Austrian distiller in the town of Axberg, where he lives surrounded by plum, cherry, pear and apple orchards. He's a good farmer, but this particular fruit is not destined for the market. He grows it to make eau de vie ("water of life"), the unoaked,......

If you're into wine and were in Los Angeles this weekend, you were probably hovering around the Wine Spectator's Wine Experience, a wine affair that sponsors compelling panel discussions (another excuse, like you need it, to drink in the morning) and splendid wine tastings involving California's and the world's greats......

This week's column is devoted to alleviating election stress with a knockout punch, assisted by the great pioneer mixologist Jerry Thomas, circa 1887. Thomas was not only a talented bartender, he was a great aggregator of recipes, collecting hundreds in his Bar-Tender's Guide (reprinted in 2008 by Ross Bolton) for......

I was looking for a punch. I'm not sure why. I wasn't planning a party, but having just watched the first debate, keeping a recipe on hand that would obliterate all memory of politics and the election seemed like a very good thing. A friend suggested that I consult Jerry......

The 2012 harvest looks like a return to normal for California growers statewide. After a pair of unusually cool seasons in 2010 and 2011, vintages which resulted in lower than average yields and lower than average ripeness levels, 2012 looks relatively trouble free, with good-sized yields and excellent fruit quality......