Tips for buying wine in restaurants. My favorite two tips.

8. Don’t be intimidated by huge, clunky, leather (okay, naugahyde) wine lists. They’re your friends. If they’ve been around awhile, and most have, they almost always have beautifully aged bargains hidden away.

10. Decide if you love vintages or producers. Sommeliers love producers. They’re met them. They dined with them. They consider them infallable, even in terrible years. I love good years, full of surprises from unknown winemakers. You get wines that taste of a moment in time, not of a high-tech cellar.

Great advice for stocking your home bar can be found in the Case for Cocktails.

Start with the ingredients for your three favorite cocktails and build from there.

Coffee Truck

Bud Heavy

Modified Arnold Palmer

Ice Coffee Marbling w/ Cream

Bar Tender Taking Care in His Craft

I’m reading a conflicting recipe for the Presbyterian (previous recipe here). I’m not sure which to believe, but both sound good to me, so I think I’ll have both. It’s worth noting that Esquire says the Presbyterian is a great drink for air travel. Noted.

Wine Stains