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Glass bottle filled with dark brown liquid with off white label with black lettering

Kraken Black Spiced Rum

Since I first reached the legal drinking age, there has been one brand I’ve always wanted to try, but never quite had the opportunity to do so. And, since I was looking to make a cocktail that used this particular style of rum, I thought it was the perfect time to finally pick up a bottle of The Kraken Black Spiced Rum. Kraken Black Spiced Rum is a Caribbean style rum that’s flavored with a proprietary bland of herbs and spices. It was originally released by Proximo spirits, owners of other notable spirit brands like Jose Cuervo, 1800 Tequila, and Tincup, and in 2010 was one of the few options for accessible high proof spiced rum. […]

Clear liquid in a tall glass bottle with a white label with black lettering

Bacardi Superior

My partner and I recently had a craving for mojitos and daiquiris, so it was definitely time for us to pick up a new bottle of rum. Since white rum is ideal for cocktails due to its lack of color and lighter flavor profile, I thought it would be a good opportunity to purchase one of the most affordable and widely available options: Bacardi Superior White Rum. While Bacardi is currently produced in various locations around the world, it was initially established in 1862 by Don Facundo Bacardi Masso in Santiago De Cuba. The iconic bat logo was created around this time after Don’s wife noticed a colony of fruit bats living in the rafters […]

light brown liquid in a small bottle with a black and white label

Jack Daniel’s No. 7

When it comes to American whiskey brands, few are as famous as Jack Daniel’s. And despite seeing it everywhere, I somehow managed to never actually try it. But since I’ve been searching for potential go-to cocktail spirits this summer, I thought it was the perfect time to finally pick up a bottle of Jack Daniel’s No. 7. Jack Daniel’s has had a significant influence on American whiskey for over a century. The distillery was first established by Jasper Newton Daniel, better known as Jack, in 1864 and pioneered the technique of charcoal filtering whiskey. Although there are questions about the true originator of this technique (Jack […]

Gold liquid in a tall glass bottle with a red cap

Mount Gay Eclipse

I often find the rum section to be a bit overwhelming. There are so many different styles from so may different countries at so many different price points, and it can be difficult to narrow down all the choices. But since I’ve been focusing on spirits for cocktail mixing, I was on the look out for a reasonably priced rum from a brand that’s likely widely available. And, I thought Mount Gay Eclipse would be a perfect rum to try, since I tend to see the brand everywhere. Mount Gay has a long history in the Barbados rum industry. The distillery was inherited by John Sober in 1703 and was originally named for the mountain on which […]

clear liquid in a rounded glass bottle with blue lettering that reads Trader Joe's Small Batch Vodka

Trader Joe’s Small Batch Vodka

With the overwhelming number of other spirits available on the market, I’m not usually interested in any produced by grocery stores. But while browsing for some new cocktail mixers, I found Trader Joe’s Small Batch Vodka hard to pass up because of the surprising low price. I’m also always a sucker for a simple bottle design. So, let’s see if I would come to regret my first experience with a grocery store branded spirit. Trader Joe’s Small Batch is a corn-based neutral spirit that, as the name suggests, is distilled in small batches. In fact, it’s distilled 10 times before being charcoal filtered and bottled at 44% ABV. I couldn’t find […]