Listen in as Stretch and Dan visit the 3rd Annual Pinot Days festival at the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. While there they chat with reps from some of their favorite California wineries, including Rodney Strong, La Fenetre and Big Basin.

The Grand Tasting showcased over 80 phenomenal producers of pinot noir. The boys were able to sample up to 300 pinots from every important pinot noir region, from the Russian River Valley to the Santa Rita Hills, Oregon to the Anderson Valley, Burgundy to New Zealand to the Sonoma Coast.

Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt Rises Again

The legendary Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton once said, "if I had not some strength of will I would make a first class drunkard." His storied adventures in the South Pole speak to the scope of the man's willpower but, make no mistake, Shackleton also enjoyed his whisky.

In 1909, severe weather conditions and dwindling supplies forced Shackleton and the crew from the Nimrod to abandon their two-year quest to be the first to reach the South Pole. In their haste to get the hell out of there with unfrosty nads, they left behind a few provisions including -- and we can only assume this was inadvertent -- three crates of fine Scottish whisky. One hundred years later, the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust found the abandoned booze, perfectly preserved in the ice beneath Shackleton's hut. It was later identified to be whisky from Chas Mackinlay & Co., produced at the Glen Mhor distillery in Inverness.

And since we live in an age when no good marketing opportunity goes unexploited, the Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt has been reborn. Of course! Now, there's an interesting story surrounding the Mackinlay's brand, the company that has owned it since 1995, and the palingenesis of the Shackleton whisky. Rather than recap all that here, I'll direct you to Tim F's blog at TheWhiskeyExchange.com, in which he lays it all out quite succinctly.

I'm here to tell you how the stuff tastes: Really, really good. So good, in fact, that I am prepared to bestow the coveted Imbiber Imprimatur© upon it DESPITE what I would normally consider a prohibitive suggested retail price of 200 bones. It's a blend of whiskies ranging in age from 8- to 30-years-old, and the most seductive aspect of the finished product is the sweetness. Not cloyingly sweet, mind you, but smooth and delicious -- certainly as dessert-like as fine whisky comes. Caramel. Apple. Nutmeg. I tasted all of that right up front, with some pear and lemon on the finish. All of it balanced perfectly, a credit to master blender Richard Paterson, who hailed the discovery of the whisky under the ice as “a gift from the heavens.” Indeed it is.

Oh, and you're going to need a cigar to accompany this spirit, as I'm sure old Shackleton would have wanted it that way.

For more visit http://www.enduringspirit.com

I received an email about a week or so ago from a publicist touting a drink named after Jay Z and Beyonce’s new baby. Fittingly, I happened to be taking a dump when it came through on my iPhone.

Look, there’s no shortage of cheechako flaks that wade in the shallow end of the spirits industry pool. And as any spirits writer who lived through the interminable Sex in the City heyday can tell you, it’s best to just ignore their incessant efforts to spatchcock the insipid preoccupations of US Weekly devotees into cocktails.

But when they start exploiting babies to sell booze, well, that’s when the adults in the room need to stand up and call bullshit.

According to this particular taste offender, the Blue Ivy Cocktail was created by a bartender named Nathan DeWitt from Tampa and is intended to appeal to those under-appreciated souls who “want to feel like an exclusive celebrity too.” (Paging Andy Dick! Andy Dick, your cocktail is ready!)

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST

dineLA Restaurant Week is coming to The Imbiber's home turf, Marina del Rey, from Jan. 22-27 and again from Jan. 29 – Feb. 3, with six restaurants offering three-course meals at special prices. Participating locations include several of my local favorites:

· Café Del Rey boasts stunning coastal views as well as both Mediterranean and Californian cuisine, supplied by local seafood vendors and prepared by Chef, Daniel Roberts. (Lunch and Dinner)Café Del Rey

· Chart House offers fresh seafood, succulent steaks, and an extensive collection of fine wines. They've got seasonal outdoor seating, making a sunset dinner a truly memorable occasion. Be sure to save room for the legendary hot chocolate lava cake. (Dinner)

· Located inside the Ritz-Carlton, Jer-Ne Restaurant + Bar offers an eclectic Californian menu by Chef Joshua Hasho. A modern yet relaxed dining room offers a 14-foot “caramel cream” – colored onyx communal table, which offers a comfortable haven for small groups or single diners. ( Lunch)

· Locanda Positano features traditional Italian décor and music to complement the innovative dishes prepared by Florentine Chef Massimo Denaro. (Dinner)

· At sugarFish, Chef Kazunori Nozawa's focus is on the quality of ingredients and dedication to simple sushi. sugarFish doesn’t have trendy flourishes and clever names, but rather a strict devotion to classic, extraordinary sushi. Don’t think. Just eat. (Lunch and Dinner)

· One of the newest additions to Marina del Rey, Vu Restaurant offers an inventive menu by Executive Chef Kyle Schutte that uses fresh, flavorful California-grown sustainable ingredients for all its meals. (Dinner)

These restaurants will spread the culinary love at lunch ($16, $22 or $28) and/or dinner ($26, $34 or $44).

I'll be the judge of that!

Had a great time on January 17th out at Villains Tavern in downtown LA, where I was honored to be a judge at a raucous cocktail competition sponsored by Becherovka and organized by our good friend Marcos Tello. Joining me at the judges table were the prodigiously talented mixologist Zahra Bates, who runs the bar at the Michelin-rated eatery Providence, and Shauna Der of the wildly popular foodie blog, TheMinty.com.

An all-star lineup of cocktail-crafters turned out for the event, and then churned out an amazing array of drinks made with Becherovka... which is some seriously tasty herbal bitters. Among those competing (just to name a few) were Eric Alpern, Chris Bostick and Devon Tarby of The Varnish, Vincenzo Marianella of Copa d'Oro, the Tasting Kitchen's Justin Pike, Dave Kupchinsky of Eveleigh and Dan Long of Big Bar.

Not gonna tell you who won the thing. You gotta listen to the podcast to find out. You can stream or download using the links below. Enjoy!

Just returned from a two-week hiatus and am clearly in no condition to write. So I asked Stan (pictured), the homeless guy who picks through my dumpster every morning, what he feels will be the hottest trends and most exciting new developments in the adult beverage world in the coming year. Here's what Stan came up with:

Boone's Strawberry Hill will become the #1-selling wine in cash-strapped America (see video)

A Kardashian will endorse Watermelon Jell-O Shots made by some company that will be out of business by July

More and more people will be handing out change to the less fortunate outside of bars (Stan's an eternal optimist)

There will be a noticeably diminished interest in speakeasies and pricey craft cocktail bars

Real dive joints are BACK

Stan's liver will fail (again)

People will finally wise up and stop ordering Stella. Because Stella sucks

Pilsner Urquell gets trendy again... and with good reason

Aged rums will be all the rage

Aged tequilas will not

Look for a reality show about bar fights hosted by Snookie

Look, I’m not going to lie to you — the holiday season is any sorry excuse for a journalist’s most favorite time of year. You see, the holidays are when lazy navel-gazing hacks like me take a break from doing anything that might pass as actual work and instead compile LISTS! Lots and lots of lists. Ridiculous lists about nonsense such as the movies we saw, and famous people we wished we dressed like, and obscure indie bands we pathetically pretend to like to come off sounding cooler than we could ever hope to be (by the way, check out the new Zee Avi record… it’s dope!)

And, of course, there’s that most ubiquitous and cynical of all species of holiday list — the ones wherein scruples-deficient media types suggest you go out and buy shit that companies gave them for free. We call those “Publicist Payback” lists. At worst, they’re a complete sham, and at the very least a violation of everything ever taught in a journalists ethics class.

Okay, then, here’s mine:

Tall Boy Cruzers

When I first got wind of this joint venture between the iconic skateboard manufacturer Santa Cruz and the Pabst Brewing Company, I wrote it off as yet another lame corporate venture aimed at separating dipshit hipsters from their cash. After all, the brands emblazoned on the boards — Pabst Blue Ribbon, Colt 45, and Schlitz among them — are the officially sanctioned “bronsons” of self-styled bohemians.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE POST AT FOODREPUBLIC.COM

On Thursday December 1st, Nick Cannon hosted a SKYY Vodka holiday event for friends with Cooking Channel’s host Ingrid Hoffmann in West Hollywood. The duo treated guests to holiday dishes, including SKYY Vodka Infused Snappy Scallop Ceviche and Nick took a stab at mixology, shaking up several festive cocktails, including “Nick’s Naughty Punch”. The new father decorated the room in blue and white festive, chic décor and kicked off the official holiday season by hanging his favorite ornaments on the Christmas tree.

Not only did Nick play chef and mixologist with Ingrid Hoffmann for the night, he was also the party DJ, keeping the party going with his own holiday play list, which even included a few songs by wife Mariah Carey.

Our own Jessica Borges was there, and sat down with Cannon for a chat about holiday drinks.

Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y in Jiggers and Shots
By William M. Dowd

My friend Bill Dowd knows an awful lot about spirits. So, too, do the estimable scribes he's included in Barrels & Drams, an outstanding collection of writing about that most beloved and oft-quaffed fortified liquid, whiskey. Tom Wolfe, David Wondrich, Jim Murray and Daniel Okrent are among the 20-plus essayists included in this fun, conversational ride through the history of bourbon, Scotch and Irish whiskey.

There are profiles of colorful industry icons such as Jack Daniel, John Jameson and the Beams, along with instructive articles on home vatting and distillation. Wondrich's ode to Jerry Thomas, the Father of Modern Mixology, is essential reading for anyone who appreciates a finely crafted cocktail, while "The Case of Capone's Whiskey" by Scottish journalist Jim Leggett is a compelling look at a salvage diver who unearthed one of the Prohibition era's long-lost liquid treasures. In "The Mathematics of Prohibition," Okrent - whose Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is the definitive account of the 18th Amendment - offers a concise breakdown of the demise of that ghastly statute.

And Dowd's no slouch himself when it comes to spinning a yarn. His essay "From Forest to Flask" tells you everything you need to know about the interaction between wood and new-make whiskey. In it, he solicits expert opinions on the essential role cooperage plays in production from the likes of Glenmorangie master distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden and Bob Russell, who oversees the barrel-making operation at Brown-Forman.

The great Mark Twain famously opined that "Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough." As Dowd has shown here, the same goes for good whiskey stories. Already looking forward to the next edition. But for now...order Barrels & Drams by clicking here

To your health!