Subject: Liquor and Spirits

• Ombi Launches New Cocktail List

  If your tolerance for gin rises with the mercury, it's time to check out the new cocktail list at Ombi, where owner-bartender Terrell Raley and Ed Kolb have dreamed up a new list that is one part "Favorite Sons" and one part "House Blends." The former is a roster of updated classics, while the latter is a repertoire of Raley and Kolb originals, such as the Garofano (Bombay sapphire, clove, lavender, lemon, Italian vermouth and blood orange bitters); the Jasper (Jack Daniel's, ginger, blueber

  June 2, 2009

• A Dark & Stormy Night

  July 14, 2008

• Tinted Glasses

  October 17, 1996

• Look What's on the Wall at Mirror

  Thanksgiving weekend brought old friends through town, a great reason to visit favorite places for a drink. We settled on Mirror, to see the revamped dining room and because the crowd tends to be just the right size for a buzzy feel without loud drunks or rowdy groups. Like Carrington's review said, fun people, but grown up.The dining room is so gorgeous and sophisticated--the cracked mirror wall will make you gasp--high style without the formulaic color schemes (lookin' at you, chartreuse plus

  December 1, 2008

• Taste of Russia Opens in Cool Springs

  Cool Springs is a long way from Mother Russia, but the sprawling suburb recently welcomed a menu fit for a Romanov. Taste of Russia offers a repertoire of Russian cuisine, as well as traditional items from the Ukraine and Poland. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Sundays, Taste of Russia serves borsch, beef stroganoff, Kiev cutlets and dumplings stuffed with cabbage, potatoes and farmer's cheese. Don't miss the list of flavored vodkas, including cranberry, citron and honey

  December 16, 2008

• Update: Jack Daniels Collector Avoids Jail Time, Still Might Lose Booze to Draconian ABC

  God bless ABC, for protecting us from this hardened criminal.Back in May, former Scene staff-writer Elizabeth Ulrich wrote about Randy Piper, a Goodlettsville plumber and owner of what may be the world's largest collection of Jack Daniels merchandise ("Gettin' Jacked"). Piper's 2,400-plus bottles of Jack got him in hot water last year with the state's ABC, who stormed his small souvenir shop in Lynchburg and hauled away his stash.But as Ulrich found, Piper wasn't selling the booze he was selling

  December 17, 2008

• Agave Tequila Lounge Closed

  Happy hour hopefuls were met by a discouraging sign on the door of Agave Tequila Lounge lounge this week. The inauspicious sheet of paper read, "Due to poor economic conditions, we are no longer open for business. We thank you for your past patronage." In fall 2007, Music Row veterans Ken Levitan, Ross Schilling and Chris Ferran, along with Scott Sherrill and Gulch developers Steve Armistead and Bill Barkley, transformed the former Pie Wagon building into the sultry South-of-the-border flavored

  January 15, 2009

• Who?

  February 26, 2009

• Under a Neon Moon

  July 10, 2008

• Gettin' Jacked

  May 29, 2008

• Swamp Redux

  There are no doubt some mutant life forms downstream of Jabo’s spillway

  February 21, 2008

• New Mexican

  November 15, 2007

• Time in a Bottle

  A writer comes of age—middle age, that is—with a taste for brown liquor

  September 14, 2006

• Snaps for Schnapps

  We cut our drinking teeth on the peppermint liqueur, but it still makes a perfect holiday cocktail

  November 17, 2005

• A Farewell to Papa

  Cuban writer reimagines a long-dead Ernest Hemingway

  July 7, 2005

• Spirit of the Season

  Our appetites grow and the elixir of night grows ever darker

  September 16, 2004

• Summer in a Glass

  Nashville's best brewers and restaurateurs mix and pour to our delight

  May 27, 2004

• Distilling a Legend

  New bio of Jack Daniel tells the why behind the whiskey

  May 13, 2004

• Stocking the Winter Bar

  It’s time to turn to the darker-colored spirits—and to make coffee more than just coffee

  November 20, 2003

• The Last of His Kind

  The remarkable story of the late Otha Turner, a Mississippi musician and sharecropper, and the Nashville attorney who helped bring him to the world’s attention

  March 6, 2003

• Food Notes

  Nashville restaurants offer food of love

  February 13, 2003

• Tequila Sunrise

  The Scene goes in quest of Nashville’s best maragrita

  September 5, 2002

• The Fabricator

  Drawn and quartered

  March 9, 2000

• Turn On, Tune In, Stuff Yourself

  A stay-at-home super bowl

  January 27, 2000

• One for the Road

  June 13, 1996

• Devil’s Food

  December 14, 1995

• Susan Goshgarian McGrew, Dan Quest & Deb Arter at Renaissance Center

  May 21, 2009

• Maybe it's the booze talking, but it's saying great things about The Patterson House

  May 28, 2009

• The Quest for the Perfect Summer Cocktail Continues-Past Perfect

  The comments of a recent Bites post included a discussion of the growing popularity of flavored vodkas vs. infusions. Shawn Courtney, the owner/general manager of Past Perfect downtown on 3rd Avenue South would be delighted to show you the difference. "The orange flavoring in 'Mandarin' vodkas is like the flavoring in children's aspirin. Sure, it makes it look and taste kind of orange but you wouldn't want to eat it if you didn't have to." With 30 fruit and herbal vodka-based infusions at va

  June 17, 2009

• Dispatch from New Orleans: Funk and Flambé at Brennan's Breakfast

  Guest blogger Kami Rice contributed this post, the fourth in her series of reports from New Orleans. Brennan's wooed me before I even stepped through its doors. The pinkish hue of the exterior walls greeted me warmly in the morning sunlight, and the spell continued inside the famous restaurant, where pleasant yet professional servers guided our group through our order. The leisurely breakfast began with morning cocktails from the roster of "Eye Openers," and I chose the Mr. Funk of New Orle

  July 22, 2009

• A Round for the Late Jimmy Bedford, Jack Daniel's Retired Master Distiller

  ​ Sad news from Nfocus editor Ellen Nelson: Jimmy Bedford, the sixth of seven master distillers of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, died earlier today of a heart attack. He had retired last year at age 68 after 40 years with the Lynchburg distillery. Bedford began his career with Brown-Forman in Lynchburg at a young age, forgoing his desire to be a large-animal vet. The choice served him well, as he quickly climbed the ladder working under previous head distiller Frank Bobo. A native of L

  August 7, 2009

• Reci-Tweet Finalists Compete for James Beard Twiumph

  The James Beard Foundation held a Twitter recipe contest that was utterly captivating. Tuesday, the 15 finalists were announced. That's 15 recipes, and still only 2100 characters! There's a long partnership of Tennessee (specifically, Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey) and the Beard foundation, so two JD recipes were among the semi-finalists is expected. Tennessee Peaches | 1lb halved peaches | 1cup brewed Chai tea | 1/4cup brown sugar | stew reduce 15min | JD "to taste" FLAMBE! There was ano

  August 19, 2009

• The Wandering Wino-Grape and Grain Will Bring You Pain

  ​Actually around the Wino household, we say "liquor before beer, never fear. Beer before liquor, never fear. Wine after liquor, never fear." You get the point. This week's edition of The WW is not limited to just wine events. As a special treat, we've also got some hooch tastings for your pleasure. As always, taste responsibly and plan ahead for how to get home safely after you're done. The WW always looks for a DD whenever he can. Details after the jump:

  August 28, 2009

• Corsair Distillery Aiming at Yazoo Location

  When I emailed the guys at Corsair Artisan Distillery to ask if they had finalized a deal to occupy the Yazoo Tap Room at Marathon Village, it took them a while to respond. Corsair president Andrew Webber was at the state capitol for the signing of a bill that now allows Corsair to produce spirits in Tennessee, and owner Darek Bell was in Islay, Scotland, at the Bruichladdich Distilling Academy, of which he is now a graduate. Webber and Bell ultimately confirmed that they are in the process of

  September 1, 2009

• Next time you take a nip or a nibble, check to see if it was made in Nashville

  September 10, 2009

• Charles in Charge: Mucho Mondays at Rumba

  ​Well you can officially stick a bloody fork in my efforts at Meatless Monday. A recent visit to see Charles Fields, the bar manager of Rumba, 3009 West End Avenue, was the straw (or is it the camel?) that broke this semitarian's back. I hadn't even gone looking for food. Having met Charles at the Bombay Sapphire/GQ Magazine Inspired Bartender Search, I found him an inspired, thoughtful cocktail artist. Bites commenter Stephanie also recommended that I go check him out in his native habit

  September 14, 2009

• Buy Local: Corsair Artisan Spirits

  ​ In case you missed this week's Buy Local issue of the Scene, here's a profile of one local business making a national name for itself: Watch your back, Jack. There's a new Tennessee spirit in town. After setting up shop in Kentucky a year ago, Corsair Artisan Distillery recently got the green light (thanks to a change in Tennessee state law) to start producing liquor in Davidson County. Corsair founders Darek Bell and Andrew Webber are Nashville boys, so the company is already domici

  September 15, 2009

• Wolverines!

  http://lonelymachines.org/​In honor of the late great Patrick Swayze, it looks like Nashville is the site of an invasion straight out of "Red Dawn." Only this time it's not those dirty commies from the Soviet Union, it's apparently the minions of the Food Network who have set their sights on Music City. Their reconnaissance crew was obviously part of the recent Southern Food and Wine Festival that they sent to Gaylord Opryland. The advance team apparently reported back that Nashville was

  September 18, 2009

• Sip it, Don't Slam it

  ​ Last month, the Wandering Wino told you about the opportunity to attend a Herradura Tequila tasting dinner at The Palm Restaurant downtown. Luckily I took my own advice and grabbed a bus downtown on a Friday night. (Yes, I'm too cheap to valet park, even for free, and I don't like to drive my car after "sampling" several glasses of tequila.) I was intrigued by both the opportunity to try the various product offerings of Herradura as well as the accompanying menu promised by The Palm. &#

  October 5, 2009

• First Bite: Whiskey Kitchen

  ​Last month, Carrington told you all about the opening of Whiskey Kitchen, the first outpost in Chris Hyndman's M Street project along McGavock Street. Early Bitester reports were primarily positive with the only complaint being about the music volume. That's an easy fix, so I figured I'd check it out. Expect a full review to probably show up our dead tree edition some time soon, but at first blush the joint has potential. The ambiance of the restaurant hasn't changed too much since its

  October 8, 2009

• Autumn Falls on The Patterson House

  ​Last Tuesday marked the unveiling of the new Fall menu at Midtown favorite The Patterson House. In their third edition of the bill of fare, TPH added sixteen new specialty cocktails and six new food items. The cocktails continue to showcase Toby Maloney's inventiveness and commitment to quality artisan ingredients. Maloney consulted with Ben and Max Goldberg, the owners of The Patterson House and their creative staff to develop new libations that acknowledge the same seasonality that Loc

  October 9, 2009

• At Whiskey Kitchen, Hyndman pours a neat blend of 'tavern' and 'chic'

  October 22, 2009

• No Coke, Pepsi!

  I usually order Diet Coke when I'm out for lunch. Possibly my generation is influenced by the John Belushi sketch on Saturday Night Live, but personal experience confirms that places owned by Middle Eastern people seem to offer Pepsi more frequently. Or anyway it happened when Chris and I went to Fat Mo's for a burger. I'd be interested in how other people receive the news that Pepsi is your option. Do your shoulders drop in disappointment? Do you switch to Sprite? I feel a slight thrill, a

  November 19, 2009

• Mixologist Pulls Plum Brandy Out of Funk

  ​This year's crop of plums from our tree was smallish -- just about 15 plums. A quick flip through Martha Stewart turned up Plum Brandy! It was a strange technique, with those extra steps that always seem to be in her recipes. Instead of simple syrup and plums, there was a proper 234-degree sugar candy syrup poured into the jar, where it immediately turned into hard candy at the bottom of the jar. The brandy was poured over it, then topped with plums. It lingered at the back of the fridge

  November 30, 2009

• Celebrate With Locally Made Eggnog

  ​It was a week before Thanksgiving when the first carton of Hatcher Family Dairy eggnog came home. That violates the "no Christmas before Thanksgiving" rule, and the only reason I grabbed it was that it was the last jug of it on the shelf at Whole Foods, so obviously, the rule is being flagrantly broken. With a creamy body that's thinner and more beverage-like than Purity eggnog, plus loads of nutmeg, it's flying off the shelf for good reason. I like that the nutmeg sinks to the bottom --

  December 4, 2009

• Whiskey Wednesday

  ​While we've been remodeling our house, we've been living in a dark condo with very few windows. I will forever refer to this interregnum as "The Summer I Learned to Drink Whiskey." Now, I've been a George Dickel drinker for years, but usually mixed with ginger ale or (shudder) Sundrop. If you've ever spent any time in Lewisburg, you'll know that Dickel/Drops are the municipal beverage of choice. But this summer I began to discover the concept of quality over quantity when dealing with li

  December 9, 2009

• Wandering Wino: Holiday Spirits

  ​Don't forget there's more than one holiday going on right now. Friday, Dec. 18, is the last night of Hanukkah, so don't miss this opportunity to get a festive gift for your Jewish friends. Nashville Wine and Spirits is offering 15 percent off of any one bottle of kosher wine through Saturday, Dec. 19. They have a great selection of kosher wines, including vintages from Chile, Israel and Italy, so you're not limited to just Manischewitz. Tell them you saw the details of the discount here

  December 18, 2009

• Wine Wednesday: We Come Not to Praise the Cosmo...

  ​ Of all the decade end* lists of "Best of This" and "Worst of That," one that caught my eye in particular was Slash/Food's quick review of "The Decade in Cocktails." Personally, my decade in cocktails could be summed up by a gradual but continuous transition of mixers from sugary sodas to diet coke to water. Now I'm lucky to get some good ice to drop in my glass of Old Forester. But according to the Slash/Foodies, the decade was about the return of artistic preparation and artisan ingred

  January 6, 2010

• Max Watman's rollicking history of moonshine, Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventures in Moonshine, includes a few tempting (if illegal) recipes

  March 11, 2010

• Our Weekly Open Thread Loves Green Beer and Corned Beef

  Looking ahead, who's planning on a big St. Patrick's Day? Maybe the Get Lucky East St. Pat's pub crawl? Ready for the next Nashville Originals discounted gift certificate sale? It's March 24 -- start planning. Even further ahead, who wants to visit Martin's Barbecue on April 1 to be part of the crowd when "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" comes calling? D,D and D contacted Bites on the super-huge snow day, first ticking off Carrington so much with their TV arrogance that she handed them off to me

  March 12, 2010