Mezcal has always been a sort of "outlaw" spirit in terms of how most Americans perceive it. Frankly, I think that lends itself well to those folks who may have been attracted to whiskey for the same reason. To many distillers today though try to pretend that mezcal needs to be chic and luxurious and that often causes the mystique to be lost. On the other hand, there's Ilegal Mezcal, where you have a beautiful bottle and a fabulously unique back story, but it is still firmly planted in the authentic Oaxacan roots that make mezcal special.

To the uninitiated American, there are two places to go to when it comes to grabbing a bottle of sparkling wine for that holiday party... California and Champagne, France. While those are two of our favorite places too, we live in a world today where there are some fantastic bubbly wines found across the globe. Let's take a look at a few of our new favorites.

Templeton has a limited-release Stout Cask Finish for their world-famous rye whiskey. It’s a completely different feel for an American whiskey. And I like it. 

The first thing you might be thinking here is, "gin from Mexico?" I'll give you a moment to work through that moment of confusion you might be struggling with right now but then it's time to dive in to what may be the most exciting gin that I've tasted in years. Like most of you, I enjoy spirits that have soul, heritage, and the ability to immediately connect you with a favorite place and culture. With the two unique gins from Las Californias, that is exactly what you'll experience and that makes me happy.

There are many... many... MANY bars on cruise ships but all too often they turn out to be mere gimmicks. That's what I expected too when I discovered my beloved Blend had been replaced with something called Half Moon Bar on Holland America Line's latest ship MS Rotterdam. What I discovered instead was one of the best bars at sea and an incredibly talented mixologist who served up drinks of the same quality that I'd expect at the top craft cocktail lounges in Vegas.

Mendocino California is one of my favorite "hidden gems" in the California wine scene. Geographically it exists just above Sonoma to the point where it is "just out of reach" for all but the most determined wine drinkers, yet it has some of California's best vineyards. ETTORE is one of the newest wineries in the region, having just launched it's first two vintages earlier this year and they have now introduced Merlot Zero.

If there is one thing I love above almost anything else in the craft food and beverage market, it is innovation that creates an experience for the imbiber. That's how I felt after trying Pech Merle Winery's inaugural release of Linea, a "solera" blend that features five vintages of cabernet sauvignon, starting with a 2008 from Garden Creek Vineyard. This wine is special to both the winery as well as to Pech Merle wine club members like myself because this isn't about creating something arbitrarily fancy just to pull a few extra dollars from our pockets. This is quite literally a love letter written by the winemaker to all of the Pech Merle fans that have supported them over the past 13 years.

I love casinos, they are pure marketing and designed to offer experiences that break out of the ordinary limits of good taste and reality. In recent years, signature cocktails and ridiculous culinary concoctions are one of the big ways to draw people's attention so it should be no surprise that our friends at Southern California's San Manuel Casino are once again one-upping the guys in Vegas with their new High Limits lounge and $10,000 signature cocktail the Rare and Fine.