Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

The craft cocktail movement has infiltrated America, with quality bars entrenched on both coasts and studding everywhere between. One of the latest to pop up is Detroit’s Sugar House, which opened in October and slings drinks comprised of artisanal spirits, fresh juices, fruits and herbs and house-made syrups. Ice wise, Sugar House bartenders hand-chip 300 [...]

Mixology 101

New York’s famed Please Don’t Tell nails the hidden speakeasy vibe like few other establishments in the city. For example, gaining access to the snug cocktail lounge requires patrons to find the hidden entrance located behind the vintage phone booth in the attached hot dog joint Crif Dogs. Jim Meehan’s inventiveness behind the bar, however, [...]

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

Given the latest headlines about the economy, a stiff cocktail is quickly becoming one of the only remaining bastions of calm we men can cling to. The Emergency Cocktail Station ($850) from Urbancase is a tongue and cheek interpretation on the role booze plays during these hard times that isn’t exactly priced for a recession. [...]

A Throwback to the Rums of Old

Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum ($29) is what happened when importer Haus Alpenz teamed up with some industry luminaries to create a new rum – one that pays homage to the rums of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While many of today’s rums feature light and sweet flavor profiles, earlier era Jamaican [...]

Brew A-Ha

The cigarette companies were slapped year’s ago for using illustrations in their ads on the grounds that it created young smokers in training. Still, those dirty peddlers were on to something. Beer Craft: A Simple Guide to Making Great Beer ($12) takes full advantage of the beauty and appeal of illustration to walk would-be brewers [...]

Libations and Victuals

Good food and drink can alter a man’s mood better than even the strongest prescription drug, particularly when we play a part in preparing said food and drink. While taste, skill and devotion will always determine how your ventures into gastronomy and mixology turn out, we’ve compiled items in this guide that can lend a [...]

Like Classic Guinness, With a Bite

Claiming that Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is a new offering from the esteemed Irish beer brand is technically inaccurate. The reality is it was brewed for more than two centuries and dates back to 1801. Back then it was known as West India Porter until the mid-19th century and was distinguished by its more intense [...]

The Wormwood Tradition

The Leopold Brothers believe in a strong sense of tradition and it is understood that tradition is what makes their spirits so good. The Leopold Brothers Absinthe Verte ($67) is crafted from a 100-year-old recipe of anise, grande wormwood, and sweet fennel along with a number of “proprietary botanicals.” The spirit is distilled in a [...]

Get Iced, Minus the Smirnoff

We have all tried (and failed) to create iced coffee by brewing a pot, and immediately pouring it over a glass of ice. A true glass of iced coffee however takes time, patience, and effort. Or at least that’s what we thought before discovering the Fretta v60 Ice Coffee Maker ($33), which effortlessly brews a [...]

Because Prohibition Sucked

San Francisco residents may be already intimately familiar with 21st Amendment Brewery located in the city’s historic South Park neighborhood, just a few blocks away from the Giants’ home turf. For the uninitiated however, one of the best things about this company (besides its product) is its founding story. Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan were [...]

Appealing to Geek Drinkers Everywhere

Companies like Procter & Gamble have known for years that distinct packaging can make or break a product’s success on the shelf. Alcohol makers certainly aren’t newbies in this game either, but the creators of Medea Vodka appear to be hell bent on upping the industry’s game. That’s because each bottle includes an integrated LED [...]

The Original Just Got Better

As result of the ultra secretive inner company workings of Coca-Cola executives known as “Project Kansas”, consumers finally have something to replace the now boring old soft drink known as Coke. Packed with more yummy tasting high fructose corn syrup to beat out even Pepsi in the sweetness category, the new formulation of Coke (known [...]

Hardware for Hard Alcohol

Just because you want to prep the best possible cocktails at home doesn’t mean you have to mortgage the house for bar tools. Made of 18/8 stainless-steel in gleaming finish with handles wrapped in faux leather (for the look without the worry of water damage), the Metrokane VIP 7 piece bar tool set is both [...]

We Raise A Parting Drink

If you haven’t heard already, this week Condé Nast announced it would be shutting down several of its long standing magazine publications including one of this author’s admitted favorites, Gourmet Magazine. Though it saddens us to hear about such a venerable publication victim to financial pressures (we recognize digital publications like Gear Patrol have attributed [...]

Last week we asked Gear Patrol readers what they drank most. 192 of you voted and we wanted to share the results. By and large ‘Anything That Comes In A Six Pack’ (a la Beer) won with 28% of the votes. Not that we’re surprised – we are, after all, men. But a surprising 6% [...]