Now heading to South America, we will learn about another grape brandy, pisco. Pisco has been around since the 1600s. The Spanish settlers in South America decided to start making their own brandy using their knowledge and traditions in tandem to wine making. Legally, the brandy must come from either Chile or Peru to be called pisco. However, each country has their own rules about the process, what grapes to use, and their own day to celebrate the pisco sour. To this day, th

The final products, making you thirsty I found brandy far too late in life and am trying to make up for lost time. Though I could say that about many spirits, I feel most strongly about brandy because of the story behind it and the endless possibilities of what can be done with it. Brandy has been made for a very long time, from many different fruits all over of the world. Simply put, it’s any distilled spirit made from fruit juice. In today’s big box liquor stores, you can l

David Wondrich, one of the foremost cocktail historians in the world, says that, “The Martini is the King of Cocktails, the most famous of them all.” Sure, you might fancy an Old Fashioned more, but ask yourself this: What is the first real cocktail that you were consciously aware of as a kid or teenager? Yeah, it was probably the Martini. From the named glassware to James Bond, the Martini is undeniably at the pinnacle of cocktail culture. Yet, lost in all the Martini’s fanf

Who doesn’t love a trip to New Orleans? The food. The drinks. The extravagance. The charm. But seriously, the DRINKS. John and I met my family there this past holiday season and attempted to drink our way through the city. Shocking, I know. Welcome back to Teakwood Tavern One of our two favorites, from the many drinks originating in the Crescent City, is the Vieux Carre. With our love of brandy, rye, and Benedictine, it should be no surprise this is one of our favorite classi