Kind of Obsessed: This Mexican Spirit Smells Like Pickles and Tastes Incredible In Pretty Much Everything

In some bizarro spin on reality, I came to know the greatness of this Mexican-made rum after having a few (too many) whiskey sours at a Mexican bar on St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t ask. The drink was called “Oaxacan A.F.” and the bartender, quietly smug and clad in all the tattoos bartenders are often clad with, said it was the drink to try.

At first, I thought it was the whiskey leeching me of what little smell and taste and taste I possess — there was no way this rum, which smells almost exactly like an open jar of briny pickles, was this good. I went home thinking about it and found a place I could get a bottle to try sans-tequila. It remained stellar, like a twisted mashup of rum and gin. I sipped it neat. I made a sacrilegious rum martini with it. I used it in place of Pisco in a sour. And naturally, I mixed it with mezcal, lime and soda water. It was delicious in every incarnation.

Full disclosure, though: it’s not actually rum — it’s rhum, made with sugar cane in place of molasses. That sugar comes from a farm high in the Sierra Mazateca (like, very high), where a family named Carerra has been churning out sugar cane destined to become rhum for hundreds of years at least. It’s grown without the use of fertilizers or otherwise artificial products, then fermented in a pinewood vat, where it’s introduced boiled mesquite bark and a healthy serving of wild yeast. The result is the full-blooded taste of an esteemed foodie region inside an affordable bottle of booze.

5 Whiskey Glasses Worthy of Your Favorite Bourbon or Scotch

Does your vehicle for drinking matter? Any right-minded drinker, especially those who choose whiskey, will answer with an unequivocal “yes.” There are nosing, weight and balance to consider. And, though difficult for some to comes to admit, we also want them to look nice around a table. These five glasses do what you need them to, and won’t cramp your style along the way.

Fortessa Tableware Solutions Whiskey Glass

The rise of the stemless wine glass casts an uncertain and unfair shadow over this German-made tumbler. Originally designed by Schott Zwiesel, the glasses are made with a Tritan crystal, a patented material that replaces the lead properties in traditional crystal in favor of a mix of titanium and zirconium, making them far more durable than your typical whiskey-toting cup (and scratch-resistant). And don’t let the height fool you, the wide bulb of the glass makes certain your drinks count.

Snowe Short Tumblers

Snowe’s glass isn’t quirky and it doesn’t come with a gimmick — it’s heavy, balanced and elegant. The direct-to-consumer home design company’s whiskey glass is made with leadless crystal and they just feel damn good in the hand — they also stack within each other quite well, somewhat rare in the whiskey glass world.

Riedel Vinum Glass

You won’t find any “ey”s here. Developed by a congregation of Riedel’s Austrian glassmaking experts and master whisky makers from Scotland, the Riedel glass is one of the classic whisky sipping glasses available (not quite Glencairn levels of ubiquity, but still). The glass’s elongated body and tulip-shaped lip direct the drink and scent notes where they need to go. If you’re looking for a cocktail glass, look elsewhere — the Riedel Vinum is for the whisky-dedicated.

The Norlan Glass

An ergonomic, lightweight riff on the Riedel Vinum glass, the Norlan Glass essentially drops the head of the Riedel Vinum glass inside a glass tumbler. The whole thing is made of borosilicate glass which, among other things, is much lighter than the glass typically used to make cocktail tumblers. Finished off with a think gold strip around the lip, the Norlan looks as good as it drinks.

Mazama Wares Cocktail Glass

No two Mazama Wares glasses are exactly alike. Made from soda-lime glass, it’s heavier than most, and rests in the hand well. It’s not made expressly for whiskey, but it’s functionality and smoked finish still do the trick.

6 Bottles of Irish Whiskey to Savor Long After St. Patrick’s Day

In 2006, there were three whiskey distilleries in all of Ireland. Today, the count stands at 18, and those dozen distilleries have rocketed sales of Irish whiskey by 300 percent in the last decade, making it the fastest-growing spirit in the world. Yet while Irish distilleries remain relatively obscure, overshadowed by their peaty neighbors to the north, they’re churning out spirits that, as of late, are able to sway even the most steadfast of single malt devotees.

Old-style Irish whiskey is crafted from both malted and unmalted barley and distilled in pot stills (a time-consuming process). Today’s distilleries, however, have strayed from tradition, turning to column stills and blending whiskies for more consistent, nuanced flavors. Here are six bottles, selected by Sean Muldoon of New York’s renowned Dead Rabbit, that reflect the state of contemporary Irish whiskey and signal the good things still to come.

What Makes Irish Whiskey Distinct?

“Irish Whiskey must be distilled on the island of Ireland (both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) from a mass of malted cereals with or without whole grains,” says Jack McGarry, who co-founded Dead Rabbit alongside Sean Muldoon. “Irish Whiskey has to have a minimum alcohol content of forty percent, and must be matured for a minimum of three years on the island of Ireland.” Under the Irish whiskey umbrella, there are four subcategories, each marked by the following flavors:

Single Grain: sweet and light
Blend: approachable and accessible, sweeter and floral, low spice with high wood impact
Malt: delicate and floral, with bread and malt characteristics, and, depending on the wood maturation profile, notes of dried fruit
Pot Still: sweet, spicy and viscous

Buying Guide

Clontarf 1014

“This whiskey is made up of ninety percent grain and ten percent malted barley, meaning it is light, floral and slightly sweet. It’s a good introduction to Irish whiskey, and its delicate flavor means that it works incredibly well in an Irish Coffee.”

Teeling Small Batch

“This whiskey has quickly become a bartender’s favorite due to how well it mixes in drinks and its affordable price point. It’s the flagship whiskey of the Teeling Company — a blend of malt and grain whiskeys that have been aged for a minimum of seven and four years, respectively, before being aged for a further six months in Caribbean rum casks.”

Knappogue 12-Year

“This is a lovely, warming single malt whiskey with a creamy texture. It’s made with one hundred percent malted barley and aged in ex-bourbon barrels for a minimum of twelve years. On the palate there are traces of honey, toasted malt and white chocolate. I feel this whiskey manages to capture a great deal of characteristics from the malted barley, and the flavors are delicious.”

Redbreast 12 Year

“This Irish pot still whiskey has garnered a cult following in recent years. Another favorite among bartenders, it’s a blend of pot still whiskeys that have been aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and sherry-filled barrels for twelve to fifteen years. On the palate it has a warm ginger spice, and, due to the heavy sherry influence, a rich, dried dark fruit character, namely prunes and raisins.”

Powers John’s Lane

“This is a heavy, rich, full-bodied pot still whiskey, made from a blend of whiskeys that have been aged for twelve to fourteen years in mainly first-fill Bourbon casks, with a small percentage aged in Oloroso Sherry butts. It’s forty-six percent ABV and is named after the street on which the John Power & Son Whiskey Distillery was once located in Dublin. It’s a great example of how Dublin whiskey tasted a hundred or so years ago.”

Bushmill’s Black Bush

“Bushmill’s Black Bush is a blended whiskey that carries no age statement. Here, a high proportion — eighty-five percent — of malt whiskey that has been matured in former Oloroso Sherry casks for between eight and eleven years is combined with a sweet, grain whiskey. The resultant whiskey is rich, fruity and intense, yet at the same time very smooth. It has a silky texture with a nutty character, and the sherry influence is very evident. On the palate, there are also hints of cinnamon and honey. It is extremely tasty [and a] great value for the money.”