THE LOVE OF IVY

Hello blog, it’s been a while.
I know, I’ve missed you too.
I promise it won’t be this way, I know you get lonely when I don’t come around. It’s not you, it’s me. I swear. I’ll try to behave better, but for now I have a little something for you.
It’s almost Halloween, and you know how [...]

What a whirlwind. When I’m not penning CD reviews for Las Vegas CityLife, I’ve been partaking in a lot of wine tasting.
Yup, now that Spring has sprung (complete with copious rain showers) it’s wine season in Oregon. I attended the grand reopening of downtown Portland’s wine-themed hotel, the Vintage Plaza, along with the regional Yamhill-Carton [...]

I created two original cocktail recipes for my birthday, which I’ve posted on my Portland Drinks Examiner site. They are the Coconut Daiquiri Saketini and the Simple Fairy Tarragon Cocktail.
I’ve also been spending some of my free time visiting local wineries throughout the Willamette Valley, and I’ve compiled some recommendations for Budget-friendly Oregon Pinot Noirs [...]

I visited SakeOne in Forest Grove, Ore. last weekend. The first thing I noticed is how many car washes there seem to be  for a small farming community. Then I sampled nine different sakes and almost forgot all about them. Check out my tasting notes, and I will also have some terrific saketini recipes available [...]

My goal with this Examiner.com project is to post one item each day about different spirits created in Oregon, but I’ve discovered some letters are much more difficult than others.
So far I have covered absinthe, brandy and a coffee-hazelnut vodka named “Cofia.”
In the future, I’ll clue you in to the Pacific Northwest’s small-batch distilleries, various [...]

McMenamins limited-edition St. Patrick’s Day 2009 release from Edgefield Distillery is Devils Bit, a single-barrel, ten-year-old version of their own Hogshead Whiskey.
The company describes the flavor profile as imparting “more emphasis on the flavors and aromas from the barrel – a firm malt flavor with waves of vanilla, chocolate and maple.” Sounds delicious to me [...]

I wanted to quickly share this sweet deal I found at Costco-Aloha (15901 SW Jenkins Rd., Aloha) last night. The holiday supply of Unibroue Taster Packs has been discounted to just $14.97.
I discovered these high-quailty, Canadian Belgian brews when I wrote a feature on the Yard House in Las Vegas last year and I recently [...]

I’m not suggesting that Rooibos tea and Fat Tuesday go together, they just happen to be the subjects of the two pieces I wrote for Examiner.com this morning.

If you ever wanted to sample Wolf Ticket Milk Stout, Fau’frombrewin, Hot for Teacher IPA or Boysen’ the Hood, beginning at 11 am on Sat., Feb. 21, you’ll get your chance.
It’s time once again for McMenamins’ Hillsdale Brewfest where patrons decide which of 20 original beers will represent the company at the Oregon Brewers Festival [...]

I just wrote my first review piece for Examiner.com. It’s a followup on the McMenamins Scotch tasting dinner I attended last month at Hotel Oregon in McMinnville.