While Ireland may not be on the top of your travel list for those seeking a wine adventure, the local food and other alcoholic beverage scene there is worth a visit. From local microbrews (yes, there is more than just Guinness being served in bars) to craft distilleries (making not just whisky), Irish beverage innovators are making a new mark and disrupting the traditional drinking scene of the Emerald Isle. Advanced Sommelier Jenny Benzie recaps a handful of highlights of her highly anticipated, recent trip there with her husband, Certified Tasting Officer Kirk Baker. Visiting Ireland has been on my bucket list for several years now as Kirk and I both have a bit of Irish heritage. After learning there are direct flights daily from Boston (taking less time than flying to California) and about the ease of completing Customs before departing Shannon (instead of upon arrival in Boston), we knew this trip would be a no-brainer for us. The...Read More >
Summertime activities should be about convenience. Drink what you want, when you want. Sounds easy, right? While you prefer cocktails, the last thing you want to do is haul a bottle of liquor and mixers to your destination just for one or two libations. One beer isn’t enough, yet two beers are too many. You want to supersize the one can you do carry with you, and make sure it is something just as super cool as you. Why not switch up your rosé game while you are at it to finish the summer on high note? Advanced Sommelier Jenny Benzie has just the solution to all these beverage problems in convenient, portable choices, whatever your drinking fancy may be these last few days of August. FOR THE ACTIVIST IN YOU While saving whales may not be on your radar, maybe at least limiting your use of plastic by drinking out of a can is, Radiant Pig Beers located in...Read More >
The holidays come the same time every year, yet we struggle as to what to give our nearest and dearest and, of course, we always wait until last minute. You shop online and pay for expedited shipping in order for the gift to arrive in a timely fashion. You don’t really like the gift you finally decided to give, but you had to get something. You had to pay extra for gift wrapping since you never saw or touched the present you purchased. This doesn’t sound like much of holiday cheer. I hope you were at least listening to Christmas music (with a glass of wine in hand) while you were late night binge shopping to make your holiday shopping situation somewhat tolerable. Do you want to know how to eliminate this painful process of what should be a merry moment in gift giving? Do you want to feel like you got your money’s worth instead of feeling like you...Read More >
Coastal living invokes thoughts of bathing in the sun and times spent swimming in the surf of ocean water. Standing in line for ice cream, staying up late to admire the stars and wearing a hat most days to shade from the sun are all part and parcel of summer on Nantucket. However, not all coastal conditions are created equal and neither are the libations that come from them. Sea-shanty worthy drinks are an expression of their watery sources, no matter how far and distant in between. Take a liquid adventure as you discover with Advanced Sommelier Jenny Benzie a handful of libations worthy of your next oceanic experience. AN ORGANIC OCEAN You are what you eat, or drink in this case, and wouldn’t it be nice to know that you are putting only the best ingredients in your body while also being eco-friendly. Aloha to OCEAN ORGANIC VODKA from the beautiful island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. This...Read More >