Rosé Beer and Cider Were Inevitable. Are They Any Good?

Admittedly, rosé beer sounds like a marketing ploy, and an ill-conceived one at that. Visions of Mike’s Hard Pink Lemonade are immediate and unwelcome.

But today’s brewers are incorporating timeworn techniques in this crossover act, and balancing flavors as they would any other product. The use of wine barrels (or even wine itself) has been commonplace in the American beer industry for the better part of this century. And brewers are treating these not as a novelty act, but as a way to showcase their expertise in an obviously trending forum.

The resulting beverages are more than a brand extension. They are really good drinks made with smart brewing science.  (VinePair)

The Challenge of Updating New Orleans Sazerac House

The 48,000-sq-ft space at 500 Canal St., New Orleans, will include three floors of interactive exhibit space that include creating virtual cocktails, with self-guided tours to explore the history of the Sazerac cocktail and New Orleans’ influence on cocktail culture.

The cocktail of whiskey, bitters, sugar and absinthe dates back to 1838 and New Orleans apothecary owner Antoine Peychaud, who is credited with creating the cocktail as a brandy toddy that featured his family recipe for “Peychaud’s Bitters.” The Sazerac is considered the first “branded” cocktail and the reason why the word “cocktail” exists, as Peychaud measured the toddies with a double-ended egg cup, known as a “coquetier.”

The building will house an event space on the fourth floor and offices on the fifth floor for up to 60 employees of the Sazerac Co., the locally-based spirits company that owns the building.  But it’s not an easy restoration project.  (Engineering News Record)