Lisa Futterman

How a sparkling water born at a farmers market grows into a new artisan Chicago brand

April 30, 2020 at 6:02 p.m.

Bobby Chang is a collaborator. Years ago, he spent weekends off from his corporate job bunching beets and delivering radishes with a local farmer, sparking the idea for a collaboration....

Four Roses uses 35% rye in its Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

For those of you who like your bourbon on the high-rye side of the spectrum

April 24, 2020 at 9:04 p.m.

I've always sought out the dark spicy notes of rye when drinking whiskey. I prefer its dry toastiness to the more cloying dominant notes of corn found in most bourbons....

Menemen is a classic Turkish breakfast dish similar to shakshuka.

Turkish breakfast is a ritual akin to American brunch — and it’s every bit as delicious

March 12, 2024 at 12:10 p.m.

It's a wonder tables don't break constantly in Turkey — they tend to be so laden with breakfast dishes, I wouldn't expect them to be able to bear the weight....

A couple of drops of water or an ice cube are all that Ron del Barrilito rum needs to open up its brown sugary, slightly funky flavors.

The 140-year-old Puerto Rican rum you probably don’t know about

April 10, 2020 at 7:12 p.m.

A lot of people have never heard of Ron del Barrilito, though it's been around since 1880. The aged Puerto Rican rum is the oldest produced on the island. Pedro...

A carrot juice bloody mary for Easter called a Bunny Mary, prepared and styled by Shannon Kinsella, in the test kitchen, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune

Flip the script on your Easter brunch drinks with a Bunny Mary

March 12, 2024 at 12:10 p.m.

Why not make brunch cocktails with carrot juice this spring? The vibrant orange color catches the eye, and nutrition-wise, vitamin C, niacin and beta carotene are all in attendance, especially...

Fukucho Seaside Sparkling Junmai is citrusy and fresh and stands up beautifully with both Eastern- and Western-style seafood dishes.

There’s a new sake in town, and it’s got bubbles. Here are 5 to get you started.

March 20, 2020 at 2:52 p.m.

Sparkling sake is becoming a beverage to get excited about. While definitely not traditional — the category was first created to encourage women in Japan to drink more sake —...

The Japanese Bitters offers umami, yuzu and shiso bitters. Each apothecary-style dropper bottle comes adorned with a label based on Japanese scrolls, designed and beautifully painted by calligrapher Tetsuya Sagara.

Japanese Bitters are an umami-packed way to shake up your cocktail game

March 12, 2024 at 12:11 p.m.

Bitters are like salt and pepper to bartenders: A good drink-maker will season cocktails with a shake of bitters to bring balance and lift flavor. You're likely familiar with some...

The Bolivian brandy called singani is mixed up in a highball: 2 ounces of singani over ice, topped with Sprite.

Singani is the pisco-like Bolivian spirit delighting bartenders with its floral minerality

March 3, 2020 at 9:10 p.m.

Pisco has been making the rounds in cocktail bars of late, but have you tried singani? It's Bolivia's national drink: an unaged, clear brandy made from ripe Muscat of Alexandria...

The gin and tonic was not a malaria cure, and other tonic water fun facts from new book

February 19, 2020 at 5:33 p.m.

When you think of quinine water do you think of stout, pink-faced British sea captains being revived by gin and tonics? "Just the Tonic, A Natural History of Tonic Water"...

Brancamenta combines with rye in a Black Branca, a quirky but simple variation on the modern classic Black Manhattan.

You know Fernet-Branca, that famously super-bitter Italian sipper. But do you know its minty, tamer cousin?

February 12, 2020 at 9:41 p.m.

Perhaps you've tried Fernet-Branca, the super-bitter, pine-y, kinda medicinal Italian digestive that is a staple bottle for bartenders the world over. But Fernet-Branca's younger sibling, Brancamenta, is much easier to...

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