Well, those in the know realize that that inquisitive interlocutor of “Billy Boy” fame got it all wrong. Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?Can she bake a cherry pie, charming Billy?"Billy Boy" It’s not cherry but pumpkin that will cause the itch that does the trick, if you are a guy … Continue reading Kizakura’s Pumpkin Beer
Anyone who spends even a short amount of time in Japan or who frequents Japanese restaurants abroad is likely to be familiar with the country’s plum wine. It is sweet, viscous, easy to drink, and great on the rocks. The aged varieties offer more complexity than the standard fare, of course. We associate plum wine … Continue reading Hoshiko Original Ume [Plum] Liqueur, Part 2
We’ve never been too fond of product placement Hollywood-style, you know, what takes place in those scenes where some B-actor conspicuously uses a piece of technology whose brand is prominently displayed or consumes a food substance of dubious nutritional value and even more questionable safety, once again with the brand clearly identifiable. It’s unnatural and … Continue reading Hoshiko Original Ume [Plum] Liqueur, Part 1
On June 26, 2024, we had the great pleasure of attending a shochu media event at the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center (JSS). Aside from hearing about the increasing recognition and appreciation of the beverage overseas, we had the opportunity to taste a couple of exceedingly creative shochu-based cocktails prepared by bartender Yukino Sato. … Continue reading The JSS Shochu Media Gathering
This is the fourteenth installment in our Days of Wine and Music series. We, once again, return to that Sammarinese winery upon which we have been focusing and report on a very special offering, indeed. Fortuity We just happened to be doing some recreational reading on the very day we tasted this wonderful wine. We … Continue reading Note Divino Riserva 2019
Jupiter, Philip Galle This is the thirteenth entry in our Days of Wine and Music series. This week we take a look at a red, the output of the same Sammarinese winery whose sparkling was reviewed in an earlier posting. Sangiovese is Italy’s #1 wine grape variety. It should come as no surprise that the … Continue reading Quaffing Jove’s Blood, Well, Okay, Not Exactly
This is the eleventh installment of our Days of Wine and Music series. As might be expected, in this week’s entry we will introduce a Sammarinese wine, one of exceptional quality. In future entries, we will let you know more about the winemaker. [Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that we mistakenly ran installment twelve last … Continue reading Music: Primary and Simple; Speech: Secondary and Complex: Tasting Notes for Note Divino Blanco 2021
Drinking Japan 