notes

• Get your passports ready! Summer travel plans include sleeping in a giant wine barrel in Portugal.
• And speaking of wine: Rare wine sells for over half a million. Probably corked…🤣
• All the drinking events this month. Here.
• I love geraniums. Anyone distilling them here in the US? LMK!
• I definitely had my favorite bouncers here in Los Angeles, like the twins. Here are 3 Hollywood bouncers and what they see (and reasons why I avoid Hollywood bars…).
• Can you bottle age cocktails at home? Yes. Have you seen our bottled cocktail recipes.
• Do you baijiu? I’m thinking we”ll be seeing a lot more of it soon.
• Have you started seeing any of these trends in 2019? Tell us!
• Could someone have stole this glacier water for vodka? Or could it have just leaked out of the tank?
• And finally, another great article from Wondrich on the history of black bartenders and the dive bar.

• First, we made falernum last week and now you can too! But we also gave you a good bottle to buy recommendation. You decide.
• Helloooooo boozy ice cream!!
• Fennel a new cocktail ingredient? Have you seen our liqueur?!
• You’ll have to go find a 2 car garage in Jersey to get your hands on this beer.
• Do low cal beers still have a bad rep? Would you drink one?
• Here’s a few wine festivals to check out this year!
• How to store your whiskey if you’re not going to drink it all RIGHT NOW.
• Getting off to a rough start this month after Dry January? Here’s your hangover breakdown.
• I’m ALLLLLL about the pickled vegetables in my cocktails.
• And finally, are those “Festival” guys behind this whiskey trip cause it sure sounds like it?!

• First, we made Passion Fruit and Kerrygold Irish Cream Cocktail jellies and you should make them too!
• Second!! Is that weird ingredient safe to put in your cocktails?! Check it out on this new site!
• Hate having to comb through a bunch of wines every time you plan a dinner party? Check out these three staples and be done with it already.
• This week’s science booze news: beer before wine… well, you’re still getting that hangover.
• Clear ice is one argument. But my takeaway is that we’re about to start arguing whether we should be hand carving all our ice or not (spoiler: I will not be carving any GD ice).
• Ready to make your bar cart explode with pink and hearts? Maybe not, but we also included a giant piñata filled with booze and who can say no to that?
• America’s favorite cocktail? It’s still the Margarita but I’m more surprised that an Old Fashioned is number three.
• Wine to be a wine expert but not sure how to start? Here’s a guide to wine certification to help choose the right path for you.
• Very much enjoying this long form history of the Old Absinthe House. Here’s part two if you’re interested in some history!
• And finally, in case you didn’t know, Stir & Strain is EIGHT years old this month and to celebrate we’re having some fun giveaways EVERY Monday this month on our Instagram page. We’ll be announcing the second giveaway today at 12pm PST (hint: it’s an amazing cocktail book) so click on over and tell a friend!

First! Hello! Welcome to the long overdue, newly updated Stir and Strain site. We’ve made some tweaks to the site so that hopefully your searching on desktop and especially mobile will be a lot easier. We’ve also streamlined the sidebars and added a “recipes by spirit” section under the dropdown menu. Like our new look? The very talented Sarah Ferone designed the beautiful header and spot illustrations you’ll find throughout the site. We were over the moon when we saw these and hope that they bring a smile to your face when you stop by to visit the site.

If you experience any hiccups to the site while we smooth out things on our end, please feel free to send us an email or DM us on Instagram or wherever you social the most. Ok, now onto the news!

• First, have we stopped saying MacGyver as a verb? Am I old?! Here’s Punch Magazine’s “hacker” guide to cocktails.
• Wines from volcanoes sounds pretty metal and I’m into it.
• Los Angeles is getting a “BreakUp Bar” pop up for February because of course! Who’s secretly going to go on a date there just to breakup and then talk about it on social?
• Do you have over $50K to spend on a bottle of Scotch?
• Some cocktail bar history for you: the Old Absinthe House (and this is just part one!).
• Like changing up your cocktails? Here’s 5 takes on a reverse Manhattan that sound mighty tasty.
• Get to know Irish whiskey (you’ll be drinking a lot of it next month).
• I think we all need to buddy up with someone and do bottle swaps. Katie at the Garnish Blog has a great recipe for using Swedish Punsch from her swapping experiment.
• And lastly, the first date that I went on with my husband was at a bar, an Irish pub actually, and we both drank a lot of whiskey. So, I’m not sure who was interviewed for this survey, but clearly there is something wrong with these Britons.

• ICYMI: we have that tutorial about making citrus sugar cubes I’ve been talking about adding to the site for years now. Check it out!
• New Year New You: become a beer expert in 15 minutes!
• A different kind of cocktail photography.
• Natural wine, organic wine, biodynamic wine, wine wine wine. Confused? Read this.
• Also, vegan wine. Who knew?!
• And if you’re about to go wine tasting, here’s what you should and shouldn’t do.
• The newest wine tasting spot? Might be your local airport!
• Apparently we’re all being serious about Midori now. Anyone taste the new version?
• In Russia, you can buy a pack of stamps and pick up a 6 pack now.
• Sorry this is being listed at the END of January, but here’s some “spirits-free” bars you should check out.
• And finally, the most genius wedding registry ever (spoiler: it’s booze).

• First, we’re back with our Make or Buy series this month and we’re looking at Grenadine! Check out our results and let us know which one you choose.
• Your crockpot is better than just a way to get slow cooked meats on the table. It’s also a way to get cocktails there too!
• Ok, so one time in SF bar hopping I walked out of a bar still drinking my drink and thus left the establishment with their glass. It was not intentional but I still felt bad. I went to return it and realized I had lost my license so that ended up taking precedence that evening. I still feel awful about it. But these jerks...
• All things bourbon for 2019. Add these events to your calendar!
• Non-alcoholic bitters are a thing! But, should you really make the effort?
• Science read: where does the sugar in your wine come from?
• There’s a 26 ingredient cocktail out there. But should you actually drink it?
• I have a lot of questions about a death match to buy a bottle of $40 booze.
• Fighting in costumes to win a tequila competition. This must be a millennial thing.
• And finally, a follow up to last week’s story about getting banned from Walmart. Should you drink wine from a Pringle’s can? Why is this a story?

Low ABV Cocktails, Willy Wonka, and WTF Gutenberg Editor

• First, is the bar industry ageist? Probably, yeah. Let’s do something about it!
• Second, we’ve created a super low ABV adult Chocolate Egg Cream drink with Kerrygold last week and I think you should drink it.
• Did you know there was a Willy Wonka of Scotch Whisky? There is!
• Got a Christmas tree still hanging around the house? Why not donate it so it gets a new life as someone’s beer??
• I’ve read that about this time in January people start to give up on resolutions, so here’s a round up of some low alcohol cocktails for you!
• Looking to learn a new skill in 2019? How about what all those wine tasting words mean!
• Idris Elba has opened a bar in London called The Parrot. Drinks will be named after birds from the Parrot family, an Aston Martin will come pick you up, and HOLD MY COCKTAIL I’M GETTING ON A PLANE RIGHT NOW...
• If you’re thinking of going more green this year, try one of these sustainable spirits (a few of our favs on here!).
• A lot of serious wine people I know will think these wine cups/glasses are dumb, but for the rest of us. I dunno...
• And finally, if you want to get banned from Walmart, try drinking wine from a Pringles can at 6:30 in the morning doing doughnuts in their parking lot on an electric cart. Just saying.

It’s a new year! It’s the same old booze news!

• First! Have you checked out our RETOX/DETOX Your Bar Cart Style post? It might be the most fun thing you reorganize in your home this week.
• If you’ve celebrated a little too hard this week(end), then here’s a hangover cure that’s new to me. Go grab your bottle of Fernet.
• What’s causing those blackouts when you drink. Besides the alcohol...
• Here’s one list of what we all should be drinking in 2019.
• Here’s another from Neat Pour!
• And another from Liquor.com!
• And here’s a look back at what 2018 had to offer in the drink world (apparently you need a map at some bars…).
• Ok, but what shouldn’t you drink in 2019? Punch has a list for that.
• Got some leftover sparkling wine? Royale the hell out of your cocktails (and, ahem, I made a Sparkling Jungle Bird on this site years ago…).
• And finally, drunk people on social media in 2018. You made me laugh, thanks.

• First, did you have a wine and cookie decorating party this past weekend? If you didn’t, you should. Here’s how to plan one.
• Thinking of starting a vintage cocktail glass collection? Here’s where to buy and what to buy...
• I mean, it’s not quite the end of the year but we’re close enough: top 100 spirits of 2018!
• Bartenders can do more than make you a great drink. Here’s a few ways they’re trying to make the world a better place.
• Visiting a distillery over the holidays? Having a whiskey tasting at your place next weekend? Here are some pro tips for tasting spirits.
• The most Instagrammable cocktail photo? Uhhh. Looks more like a weapon.
• If you’re in the US, Master of Malt can’t deliver your whiskey advent calendars or booze filled ornaments. So, just DIY the boozy ornaments this year.
• Cocktails garnished with bugs? It’s time for a trip to Singapore.
• Everything you’d want to know about Barbadian Style Rum.
• And finally, Applebee’s, once again, wants to get you dollar druuuuuuuunk (on Jolly Ranchers)! Happy Holidays!

• First, our Holiday Gift Guides have started and we’ve got some boozy books picked out for your gift giving needs.
• If you have to ask if it’s a Negroni, it’s probably not a Negroni. It’s a donut.
• And speaking of things that are like cocktails, but aren’t… Starbucks! Are you sneaking gin in my lattes?!
• Someone brought warm champagne to your holiday party?! The nerve! Ina Garten will show you how to chill that bottle real fast.
• NYC has a cocktail book library! But your library card won’t work there.
• Hey DIY’ers! Craft an ugly Christmas sweater that is also functional this year (i.e. one that will hold a bottle of wine for you)!
• Now you can go to Tales of the Cocktail anytime! And not just in the disgusting heat and humidity of New Orleans in July...
• Also, another reason to go to Peru besides llamas! Cocktails! With some crazy fire-breathing contraptions that they use to serve you drinks!
• It’s a sad time for Death’s Door Spirits...
• And finally, if your holiday bonus this year ends in multiple zeros, you might want to check out this pre-prohibition whiskey auction happening at Christie’s Auction house on December 7th. Keep us in mind for your generous holiday gifting!!!