Tony Sachs
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Tony Sachs is, among other things, a passionate Yankees fan, self-loathing Democrat, 20th century pop music know-it-all and amateur mixologist, not necessarily in that order. A veteran of music retail since he was 14, he owned the late, non-lamented record store NYCD on Manhattan's Upper West Side from 1993-2005. HuffPost invited him to bitch about the music business in 2007, but when that became boring, he started writing about his other passions, namely spirits and cocktails (along with the occasional baseball and political rant).

Tony lives in domestic bliss with his wife and daughter. His ideal evening involves simultaneously drinking martinis, eating Chinese food, watching a ballgame and listening to Frank Sinatra.

Email: nycdguy@gmail.com

Blog Entries by Tony Sachs

The 2012 Manhattan Cocktail Classic Wrap-Up: Bigger! Better! Boozier!

(1) Comments | Posted May 20, 2012 | 10:15 PM

Like a plague of locusts or an army of Huns, the cocktailian hordes descended on New York City on May 11 -- bar owners, mixologists, distillers, publicists, writers, and plain old fans of a boozy good time -- for the fourth annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic. Four nights later,...

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Forget About Horses: A Bourbon Picking Guide for Derby Day, and Every Day

(148) Comments | Posted May 4, 2012 | 3:15 PM



The Kentucky Derby signifies three things to me. First, that Kentuckians and horse racing enthusiasts will soon commence another year of getting ready for an event that's over in about two minutes. Second, ladies wearing funny hats. And third, bourbon -- Kentucky's gift to the world.

I don't...

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Sip, Don't Slam! A Dozen Aged Tequilas To Savor

(25) Comments | Posted May 4, 2012 | 3:03 PM

When I was in college and I still had to count on my fake ID to get me into bars, tequila options were pretty limited. The brands available were generally Jose Cuervo or Cuervo Gold. You could drink it in a margarita -- frozen or on the rocks -- or,...

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Note To Self: It's Cinco De Mayo, Write About Tequila

(0) Comments | Posted May 4, 2012 | 7:29 AM

It happens every year. I get a bunch of tequilas or mezcals or agave nectars or orange liqueurs in the mail. I think, well, this margarita-centric stuff doesn't fit with the in-depth exploration I'm working on of schnapps made in the greater West Virginia area, or the pastrami-flavored vodka review...

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The Rumpire Strikes Back: A Dozen Sipping Rums To Challenge Your Preconceptions

(22) Comments | Posted April 27, 2012 | 5:28 PM

Rum seems to be the alcoholic equivalent of soccer -- always poised to become the next big thing, but never quite getting there. In-the-know rum mavens are well aware that a quality aged rum can be as complex, refined, and just plain tasty as the finest whiskeys or brandies. But...

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Take Me Out to the Bookstore: A Pair of New Baseball Books Touch All the Bases

(0) Comments | Posted April 17, 2012 | 9:30 AM

It seems almost a shame that two of the best baseball books I've read in recent memory are coming to us at the same time as Opening Day. It seems almost unnecessary to dive between the covers of a good book about baseball when there's the real thing going on...

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Start Spreading The News: The Made-In-New York Spirits Movement Is Booming

(4) Comments | Posted March 30, 2012 | 4:02 PM

I'm a born-and-bred New Yorker, which means a lot of things. I rarely see Broadway shows. I can't remember the last time I visited the Statue of Liberty. Hell, I don't even have a driver's license. (If you can't get somewhere by cab, is it really worth visiting?) It also...

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Bad Cocktails and Lousy Baseball: What Mad Men Won't Tell You About New York in 1966

(10) Comments | Posted March 23, 2012 | 9:27 AM

Beyond loving Mad Men for the excellent writing and acting, a whole lot of devotees love the show for its slavish, uber-geeky dedication to accurately recreating the era in which its set. You'll never see a bottle of Grey Goose, or hear a character call someone "Dude," or see wide...

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Happy 20th Birthday, Knob Creek: A Love Letter To A Breakthrough Bourbon

(4) Comments | Posted February 28, 2012 | 7:49 AM

I should start off by saying that if you're expecting some sort of objective history of Knob Creek bourbon, you've come to the wrong place. Sure, you'll get the story behind the product with relevant facts and all that, but you've got to know that I am a...

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How Tim Wakefield's Retirement Brought Me a Little Closer to Death

(3) Comments | Posted February 19, 2012 | 8:28 AM

It's said that a baseball player's professional career is much like a normal human lifespan, only crammed into 15-20 years (if he's lucky enough to have a career that long). Well, baseball fans feel the sting of that accelerated lifespan, too. Tim Wakefield, the Red Sox's 45-year-old pitcher, has officially...

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New Spirits To Wow Your Sweetie This Valentine's Day

(6) Comments | Posted February 10, 2012 | 6:49 PM

I love the excitement that comes with trying a new spirit for the first time. How does this whiskey compare to my old favorites? How is this new liqueur different from all the other ones on the market? What's going to make people drink this new gin? It's a thrill...

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The Best New Spirits Of 2011 (And They'll Taste Great In 2012, Too)

(73) Comments | Posted January 4, 2012 | 5:30 PM

Back in early December, when I first started thinking about writing this year-end wrap-up, I thought that 2011 was a pretty blah year for new spirits, especially compared to 2010, when a month didn't go by without at least one or two spectacular brands debuting in bars and...

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It Ain't Yo Gabba Gabba, But... A Daddy's Favorite Non-Kids' Records of 2011

(1) Comments | Posted December 30, 2011 | 7:39 AM

My daughter turned 18 months old this week, which means that in 2011 I listened to far more Yo Gabba Gabba and the Fresh Beat Band than any new records that came out this year. Not that I'm complaining. I actually like both shows -- perhaps, I sometimes worry, a...

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The Twelve Scotches Of Christmas: Whisky Picks For Last-Minute Shoppers

(57) Comments | Posted December 19, 2011 | 5:17 PM

Time was, when Christmas or Hanukkah suddenly loomed large on the calendar and last-minute shoppers began to panic, there were three places you could reliably count on for a quick armful of pretty cool presents -- the record store; the bookstore; and the liquor store. Well, record stores are about...

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Ring Out The Old With 9 New Spirits: Rums, Ryes, Bourbons & More

(5) Comments | Posted December 5, 2011 | 9:37 AM

This is the time of year when most folks go to their liquor stores in search of the tried-and-true. They're looking for the name brands that will impress whoever's unwrapping the gift-wrapped box under the tree or at the holiday party. But to that I say, BAH! Why be a...

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Craft Cocktails: Coming To A Restaurant Near You

(1) Comments | Posted November 18, 2011 | 7:51 PM

As cocktail culture becomes more sophisticated and permeates further into the mainstream, more and more restaurants have decided to dispense with their dusty bottles of unrefrigerated vermouth and start taking their cocktails more seriously. A great wine list alone, restauranteurs are learning, does not make a great bar. Sophisticated drinks,...

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Imperfect Circle: R.E.M. Sums Up A Career In 40 Songs

(6) Comments | Posted November 15, 2011 | 1:14 PM

It's embarrassing how messed up the news of R.E.M.'s breakup has left me. I'm a 42-year-old father, for the love of Stipe, and I'm going around mourning my loss like I'm a moon-faced teenager. And it's not like they've died or anything. It's not even like they're not still friends....

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Drinking The Past: New Spirits Recreate Vintage Tastes

(2) Comments | Posted November 1, 2011 | 6:24 PM

Feel like traveling back in time but don't have a way-back machine? Your taste buds may get there before the rest of you. Using impossibly rare vintage spirits and the most cutting-edge scientific means at their disposal, distillers and historians are working in tandem to enable us to drink the...

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I Came, I Saw, I Got Blasted: The Ultimate Wine, Spirits & Cocktail Blast Event Recap

(0) Comments | Posted October 17, 2011 | 10:22 AM

Part industry gala, part trade show, part cocktail party, part cheesy wedding. The second annual Ultimate Blast, hosted by the Ultimate Beverage Challenge, had something for everyone. Most notably alcohol, and lots of it, from many of the world's most noteworthy mixologists, distillers and distributors of...

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7 New Scotch Whiskies To Ward Off The Chill This Autumn

(3) Comments | Posted October 6, 2011 | 11:19 AM

I hate autumn. No matter how many years I've been out of school, I can't lose that feeling of dread I get when the nights get shorter and the temperatures get cooler. The end of baseball season and the beginning of hockey season both depress me immensely. I don't even...

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