“Of all the gin joints of all the towns, she.....!”

by Carolyn Scott, Twin Liquors Marketplace College Station

“Of all the gin joints of all the towns in the world, she walks into mine!”    -Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca, 1943

In 1862, the first bartender’s guide was published. Since then the world of cocktails has exploded! Mixology has become an art form and since the 80’s, cocktails have become more intricate and more lavish at times requiring more ingredients than the dinner with which it’s being served! Fortunately, since about 2000, classic and vintage cocktails have been making a comeback. Bartenders and mixologists have been focusing on quality drinks and using the best spirits, mixers and ingredients available. People are learning to enjoy cocktails and appreciate the art. Of course it hasn’t always been this way. Even when cocktails were in their heyday, they weren’t always the best. Many vintage cocktails were actually created in order to cover up the taste of low quality terrible spirits that were illicitly made at the time.  

I have the great pleasure in my position as wine manager for Twin Liquors to visit wineries and vineyards located all over the world. I absolutely love meeting the winemakers, vineyard managers and all the other people that have a hand in making great wine. I find that wine is a visceral experience that provides the link to the place it is grown once I have returned home.  You don’t have to travel to far off places to enjoy this experience. You can travel the wine country right here in the Texas Hill Country!  

"What the heck was that wine I tasted?" At Twin Liquors we hear this all the time. So, in order to make your festival going experience a little easier, we have listed everything being tasted below!!

You can peruse the list and place special orders with your neighborhood Twins!

Please see below and check back often for updates on wines & recipes

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Stars Across Texas, Thursday March 31^st @ Long Center

Camarena Tequila

I love Hollywood glam. However, in a day and age, when all media is splashed with gory details of celebrity love and loss, I hate playing into being a spectator, with a few exceptions. One of those is Oscar night. It is a well orchestrated day of handsomely clad men, gorgeously gowned & jeweled women and don’t forget Oscar. I am also a movie lover and so Oscar night, is actually Oscar day for someone like me.

First, making sure the DVR has no conflicting recordings, I set up the E-Red carpet to tape all day long. Then I make myself a Bloody Maria, True Grit Style (see recipe below). Once the afternoon arrives, I park it on the couch for a little break and watch the red carpet footage, super fast forward style!

By Brenda Audino:

It’s easy to think of the perfect gift for some people like selecting the blue scarf for mom or the latest electronic gadget for dad, but what about your neighbor, your boss, and so many others that are on our list?

For me wine is part of my life all year long, but I must say things really get into high gear for the holidays. This is the time of year that wine moves from being just a tasty refreshing beverage to enjoy with family and friends takes it’s rightful place as THE GIFT OF CHOICE.

Here is my gift giving guide to assist in selecting the perfect gift.

The Boss

Selecting a perfect bottle for the hard to please boss is easy when you know the secret. Find something fabulous that no one else has! For this endeavor I suggest some of my personal finds such as Angels Landing Napa Cabernet Sauvignon or if you have a larger budget how about the Iconic Oakville East Cabernet Sauvignon. Either one is sure to thrill your boss.

By Eric S. Bochner

Sake is big and getting bigger. We’ve all had sake at our favorite sushi joint, served warm in the little porcelain carafe with a Dragon roll or dropped into a glass of Sapporro for a sake bomb, but there is a lot more to sake than the starchy dry rice wine that can leave you wearing a bitter beer face.  Sake comes in several grades and can display a wide array of characteristics, ranging from fruit-driven aromas to crisp and dry to flavor infused sake. These sakes are served slightly chilled and can be enjoyed alone or as the keystone of a cocktail, and believe me, there is no end to what you can do with your sake. I recently visited the Sake One sakery in Forest Grove (outside of Portland, Oregon) and learned the process behind making this ancient elixir that is sweeping the nation by storm.

There is a tradition in Siena, an annual event held in la Piazza Il Palio, the name of the event derived from the name of the piazza, or vice versa. Il Palio is a contest, the 17 contratae (districts of Siena) competing with a single horse and a single rider. They ride bareback around the outer ring of the piazza, a large imperfect circle that looks to be about a quarter of a mile around. The sidewalk café at which we sat is in this ring, and during the competition the tables are cleared away and dirt is poured and packed over the cobblestones. Thousands of people pack into the center of the piazza for the races and the vendors all around sell photographs of the intensely popular event. It will be something to plan for on the next visit over.