Tony Sachs

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,...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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....

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...

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...

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...