President’s Day: US and Italian Presidents Share a Beer

You didn’t know it’s President’s Day? Come on, it’s only the 50th most important holiday on the federal calendar! Wikipedia says at the federal level, this holiday celebrates George Washington‘s birthday. However, some states have changed the name or meaning to include Abraham Lincoln too. And that’s what I’m going to do, as I want to work with two loved Presidents. Continue Reading…

Valentine’s Day Beer Surprise

When I told my wife I was going to give her flowers, chocolate and jewelry for Valentine’s Day this year, she was really surprised how creative I was with my gift ideas. Not! What she didn’t know is that I actually was being ultra-thoughtful and spending a lot of time designing a cool gift. And I tricked her! Continue Reading…

An Italian Love Story and Beer Celebration

I’m going to teach you a little Italian. Don’t be shocked! I recently thought about the most defining moments in my own life, and my marriage sits right near the top. So I decided to help you shy guys get up your courage so you can propose romantically in Italian. Speak slowly, with a confident look in your eye and swagger in your voice. If you do that, I don’t believe that any of you can screw this up!

However, just in case, I am going to offer a few beer options to pair with a Thumbs Down answer in addition to the expected Thumbs Up Celebratory Beers.

Memorize it, Romeo. You can’t read it! Continue Reading…

The Dirty Sicilian

One of my first jobs at the Library Bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was to make the three most common asked for drinks great, one of them being the Dirty Martini. My philosophy was if I could make the popular drink even better, then I had a good chance of getting them to try one of my more experimental cocktails. Continue Reading…

Santa’s Beer Run

Are there any beer lovers reading this? Ever had a hard time finding your favorite beer and wondered why? How can I get that great beer I had while visiting Aunt Sally last year? I guess I’ll just find the brewery website and have them ship me a case. Right? Wrong!

I’ll spare you most of the details but beer is one of the most highly regulated industries that I’ve come across. Many of the laws still date to the Post-Prohibition Era when they were written to keep organized crime from running the operation. Yet today we still have regulations that protect a three-tiered system–brewery, distributor, retailer. And it’s way more complicated than that. There’s your answer to why you don’t see every beer in every city. Continue Reading…

Birthday Beer Inspiration

It’s my birthday. Not just any birthday–THE birthday where I feel justified to buy a Ferrari convertible, get my ear pierced and grow out that ponytail. Yes, it’s the midlife crisis birthday. Luckily I started writing for Under the Tuscan Gun just in time to keep me occupied and delay that transition. Here’s a video from my birthday two years ago, at Andres Carne de Res in Bogota, Colombia. I just wanted all of you to know I really know how to party like it’s 1999! Continue Reading…

I’m Thankful For Beer

Hello everyone. I’m new here. I write the DailyBeerReview.com beer blog, and Gabriele recently invited me to write a weekly column about beer. Since you’re very smart readers, you can also see that I accepted. If Miller Lite or Bud are the beers of your dreams, I challenge you to pay attention and see if I might be able to show you some new favorites. I’ll be focusing on “Craft Beer” without the snobbery which that name might imply. I promise. Continue Reading…

Aperol Spritz

Who says Halloween is only for kids? Treat yourself to something Orange, Bubbly and Alcoholic!

APEROL was introduced in Padova, Italy in 1919, was setting trends long ahead of its time. That year, at the famed Padua Exhibition, brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri pioneered the revolutionary idea of a spirit with a lower alcohol content of just 11%.
Their stylish and versatile creation, APEROL, inspired a cocktail which has become the signature drink of Italy: the Aperol Spritz. Today, thanks to its vibrant color and refreshing, palate-pleasing character, the Aperol Spritz is all the rage among sophisticated drinkers worldwide. Continue Reading…

The Negroni: Story of a Florentine cocktail

Florence isn’t really known for its cocktails, and honestly, in a city surrounded by world-class vineyards, why should it? But there is one very classy cocktail that Florence can claim as its own: the Negroni.
Made of equal parts of Gin, Vermouth and unmistakeable, cherry-red coloured Campari, this aperitif is traditionally accompanied by lots of ice and a garnish of orange peel, all served in a tumbler. It one of the standard Florentine favourites, along with a couple of classic Northern Italian cocktails that have infiltrated literally every Tuscan bar, the Americano (Campari, vermouth and soda water) and the Venetian spritz (Aperol, soda and prosecco). Continue Reading…