The name Topanito will not only be familiar to loyal readers of my blog by now. When I look back on my article from 2016 and notice how I tried to explain tequila as also being a “premium spirit” which must be differentiated from less appealing qualities, in 2020 this seems a bit strange. Sometimes it’s really amazing how quickly situations change, because by now hardly anyone should doubt that tequila can do more than salt, lemon and convulsion. And of course, many have long since also learned about the Mezcal category. Read More →

Okay, two things kept playing on my mind this weekend: The new Picard series and a social network discussion about Clarified Milk Punches. Today’s article – which is an unusually short one – focuses on these two topics. It is not really difficult to understand why. Therefore, off to the replicator, the tea is already cold! Read More →

Today I’ll make it rather short. This is mainly because the drink we are going to talk about today is based on ingredients that I have only reviewed here in the last few days. Well, almost: I’ve written about the truly exceptional product range from the Freimeisterkollektiv in general (and also presented some of them in detail), but not about the specific bottling of the range that will be used today: the Freimeisterkollektiv Mahembe Kaffeegeist. Read More →

Mint is not just mint – this becomes quickly clear to every cocktail enthusiast. Nevertheless, it is by no means clear to everyone since especially many first attempts by beginners can lead to unexpected results. A cocktail that calls for fresh mint (and countless recipes do) stands or falls with the choice of the right mint. And that mint is generally known as spearmint or green mint, which, unlike peppermint, does not contain menthol. If you confuse the two, you will notice this immediately. If you mix them up in a cocktail and add peppermint instead of (green) mint, it usually ruins the whole drink immediately. Neither a mojito nor a mint julep should make you feel like drinking peppermint candy. Read More →

Good things come to those who wait! Indeed, this could be the motto of my article today. Because after a few years of blogging, I still haven’t written about a real classic among the bar ingredients: Apricot Brandy. But why is an Apricot Brandy a classic behind the bar and what exactly is it? I would like to get to the bottom of these questions and some others today. And of course I would like to introduce an Apricot Brandy here, which I can call my favourite with a clear conscience. Read More →

Anyone who has spent time in various German bars recently, or at least takes part in the virtual cosmos surrounding bars, cocktails and spirits, will certainly have stumbled upon the term “Freimeisterkollektiv”. For me, it was similar, too, because before I even knew what or who the Freimeisterkollektiv is, I had first seen the term on those iconic, simple and informative bottles of the series for several times. Therefore, it is time to pay a little more attention to the series. Read More →

There are several types of spirits that have recently managed to emerge from the realm of the largely unknown and have become a household name. Batavia Arrack is certainly one of them. However, Batavia Arrack has not really become a mass phenomenon, but rather still is characterized by a niche existence. That’s why I am all the more happy to be able to write about a new release from By the Dutch here today. Especially because the By the Dutch Batavia Arrack brings back very good memories. Read More →

Every now and then I aimlessly skim the history of what I wrote on virtual paper here in the blog during the past – Galumbi – Drinks & More is in its fifth year after all. And then I suddenly realize that I haven’t yet paid special attention to certain classics of cocktail history. Sometimes, this happens completely without intention, but of course I would like to make up for that here successively. With this in mind, today it’s about nothing more and nothing less than the legendary Margarita. Read More →

After a relatively stressful, family-centred and health-wise quite fickle Christmas time, I want to ring in the new year 2020 here in the blog today. And I will do that with a bottle of rum that carries a big name: because if you type Black Tot Rum into the most-used search engine of this globe, you will first be greeted by high-priced offers, some of which scratch the 1000 Euro mark. But don’t worry: the rum we are talking about today has nothing to do with this price segment. However, it is called Black Tot Rum, too. So it’s time for some explanatory work. Read More →

The concept of terroir is a much-vaunted one when it comes to marketing and quality promises concerning spirits in general (not to mention wine). Moreover, in recent years, also consumers have increasingly valued it. In particular, fermentation as a process that is significant for the taste of rum and whisky has become a popular subject. But not only there, because producers of Mexican agave distillates are also proclaiming the influence of the terroir on their product. And – how could it be otherwise? – this is of course also the case with the two bottles in focus here today. Read More →

Whenever a gin lover will inspect the shelves of her or his local liquor store or supermarket these days, there will always be new, innovative newcomers to that fiercely contested market. However, of course, there will always remain some of the old favourites, which already represent good quality and were able to establish themselves since years. One of the latter is certainly the green glass bottle with the embedded key. Although sometimes it doesn’t seem to fit into the modern gin world. Read More →

It’s been a while since I last wrote about a Plantation Rum here. Since then, Ferrand has been consistently pursuing the path they had taken in the past: The focus lies increasingly on transparency and information, especially in the “premium segment” of the brand. And so, with the new Single Casks, a whole series of very interesting rums has been launched, some of which have undergone very unusual cask maturations. Read More →

If you are interested in American whiskey, there is no way around the name “Beam”. That this is the name of a traditional family of master distillers is not necessarily clear to everyone outside of the US or those being only briefly involved with the matter. This is mainly the case because the name Jim Beam has burned itself into the collective consciousness as the brand name of a not too expensive and easily available Bourbon. However, the Beam family has produced much more than just mass product whiskey. Read More →

The Peruvian and Chilean spirit Pisco is often subject of forecasting. Sometimes it’s the rising star among the bar ingredients, sometimes it’s more of an insider’s tip, sometimes it’s the next big trend – but whatever may be the case, Pisco gathers a remarkable community of people behind it; also outside the two South American states. Unfortunately, at least in Europe this is not expressed in a large range of available brands. Read More →

Some gin lovers will certainly be familiar with the Swiss Gin. It is made by the over a century old spirits company Studer & Co AG and can be regarded as a thoroughly successful product. Apart from that, the Studer company is above all famous for traditional fruit eau de vies and liqueurs. A Swiss rum, on the other hand, is certainly not something that many people are aware of. Read More →

I am back from a vacation trip to Italy. And that’s why today’s article is the right one to publish now. A few years ago, hardly anyone outside of Italy knew what a Rosolio is. And even if this term still might not really provide an aha-experience for most people, this has undoubtedly changed in the bar and cocktail sphere. The Italicus Rosoli di Bergamotto is undoubtedly responsible for this with all its awards and its high presence in the media – I have also reviewed it here in the past (see link). But the competition is growing! Read More →

It wasn’t that long ago that I first read the announcement of the house of Ferrand that they will start distributing two Japanese rums in Germany. Japanese rums of course make you sit up and take notice, because since the Japanese were able to cement their reputation as a premium whisky producer once and for all, people in the world of spirits are really crazy about everything that comes from Japan. Be it whiskies, gins, genuine Japanese spirits such as Shōchū, but recently also rum. Read More →

Anyone who is at least a little bit into American whiskey will certainly know the iconic bottles of the Woodford series. Flat and without a big label, it somehow reminds of an over-dimensioned glass hipflask – and is thus a real eye-catcher and an unquestionable visual highlight in any showcase. Woodford bottlings also enjoy a good reputation. I would like to find out today to what extent this also applies to the Woodford Rye. Read More →

It was not long ago since the award for “Best Continental European Whisky” at the “International Wine and Spirits Competition” once again caused quite a stir, because the winner was actually a German Korn (and not for the first time, already in 2010 – according to my knowledge – a Korn schnapps won this prize for the first time). Strictly speaking, it was the Cigar Special Cuvee Korn from the house of Sasse. But how can it be that a Korn from the Münsterland region wins a prize for best whisky? Well, basically the question is very easy to answer: it simply is a whisky. Read More →

Hardly any other spirit has been as extensively discussed in recent years as rum. This has to do mainly with the dubious practice of sweetening rum with plenty of sugar, or with the addition of even more dubious substances such as glycerine or the like to give rum a smoother mouth feel. Now these years of discussions can be regarded as a success story in the course of consumer sovereignty, because a lot has actually changed: Many manufacturers are no longer sugaring as notoriously as they did at the beginning of the increasing awareness of the sweetening process, many now also declare their additions more or less transparently or – and this also happened – have simply lost their reputation if they simply continued to do so. Read More →

There are moments when I fell a little strange as a blogger. Because if you write an article in 2019 about a product that has enjoyed an incredibly high media presence in the bar world in recent years and even received the Mixology Bar Award for the best European bar product in 2017, then of course what you are doing has little to do with topicality or the latest trends. But then again it is not my ultimate claim to be as up-to-date as possible. Read More →

I was really looking forward to today’s article, because I finally have the opportunity to write about a promising Mezcal again. Just to avoid misunderstandings: of course I also appreciate good Tequilas (which in the end are nothing else than Mezcals), but after introducing some of them here lately, I’m looking forward to a little smoky agave flair again. Provided, of course, that today’s bottle delivers what it promises. Read More →

When someone mentions the name “Werner” in Germany, most people probably think of a comic figure by Rötger Feldmann which is portraying a North-German biker guy, who is working as a plumber, drinking beer and doing some crazy stuff. However – this should come as no surprise – I will not write anything about this comic figure, but rather take a closer look at a number of very interesting vermouth bottlings, which also listen to the name Werner. These bottles have nothing to do with Northern Germany, bikers or beer, but rather with wines, herbs and spices – in addition, they are made in the Southern Palatinate. Read More →

Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, John Boyd; there are quite some Irish writers who have made it to world fame. And they all drank an Irish whiskey to bolster their creativity: the Writer’s Tears from the Walsh Whiskey Distillery in Carlow… Well, (of course) that’s fictitious nonsense. I won’t deny that whiskey perhaps gave the decisive boost to some passages, but the Writer’s Tears was certainly not drunk by the above-mentioned gentlemen. Nevertheless, it is probably exactly this nimbus that the marketing department had in mind when they decided to allude to the great Irish writer tradition and the cross connections between alcohol consumption and creativity with the name Writer’s Tears. Read More →

Recently I received a package with a very interesting bottle inside – together with the information that it would be officially launched on September 1st. The package came from Kappelrodeck in the Black Forest and was sent by “Emil Scheibel Schwarzwald-Brennerei GmbH”. Of course I became very curious, because the Scheibel distillery has not only made a good name for itself among traditional eau de vie drinkers, but is also increasingly a big name behind the bar (at least in Germany). Read More →