Lisa Futterman

Traditionally, baijiu is served in thimble-sized shot glasses with lots of food, accompanied by lots of toasting and mutual refilling of said tiny shot glasses, until the bottle is empty.

The next spirit you’ll be drinking with your Sichuan food is baijiu

August 6, 2019 at 4:38 p.m.

The world's most popular spirit has arrived in the U.S., and it's not what you might expect. Baijiu (pronounced BYE-joe), meaning "white spirits" in Mandarin, isn't whiskey or vodka, but...

A chocolate cake batter is poured into jars then topped with dulce de leche before being steamed in the Instant Pot.

How to Instant Pot your picnic, with recipes for pate, savory cheesecake and dessert

March 12, 2024 at 12:13 p.m.

Now that I've been cooking in the Instant Pot for a while, I've been trying to think outside of the box about it. I've tripped up a few times (overcooked...

Bittercube turns sweet with liqueurs that continue the bitters maker’s artisan approach

June 4, 2019 at 7:05 p.m.

Good stuff comes from Wisconsin when bitters makers turn to the sweet stuff. Bar pros Nick Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz launched the well-known Bittercube Bitters in Milwaukee in 2009, macerating...

Rhum agricole from Martinique comes in white or blanc (tasting more of the terroir of the island) and gold versions (which take the flavor to a funky and exciting place).

Setting sail for Martinique through its rhum agricole

May 31, 2019 at 9:04 p.m.

Toby Maloney had just returned from a month crewing on a 67-foot sailboat off Martinique when I met him in the back room of Chicago's Violet Hour. Six lucky guests...

Bluebird Alpine Liqueur, by Townshend Distillery in Portland, Ore., is created as a byproduct of kombucha production. Fennel, ginger and angelica root are infused at the end to get the herbal flavor notes.

Alpine liqueur (and other flavors) is a fine use of alcohol that’s a byproduct of fermenting Brew Dr. Kombucha

May 31, 2019 at 9:03 p.m.

I've been looking high and low for an alpine liqueur to fill a mountainous hole in my heart. I first tried the style in bars in Switzerland, where I noticed...

French aperitifs, left to right, Byrrh Grand Quinquina, Dolin Blanc Vermouth de Chambéry and Ricard Pastis de Marseille (also seen in the glass) shown on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

What you need to know about French aperitifs — the low-alcohol, intensely flavored sip before dinner

May 31, 2019 at 9:02 p.m.

In Italy, before dinner there are spritzes, and international cocktail drinkers can't resist their colorful, fizzy flirtations. In Spain, oversized gin tonics rule the cocktail hour. I prefer the French...

Tattersall Distilling in Minneapolis has a lineup of almost two dozen varieties of spirits, including, from left, Fernet, Aquavit and Grapefruit Crema. That's the Aquavit in the glass.

From aquavit to fruit liqueurs to 100-proof bourbons, Minneapolis distiller makes just about everything

May 31, 2019 at 9:04 p.m.

Of the dozens of craft distilleries popping up all over the Midwest, Tattersall Distilling in Minneapolis just might be the most prolific. According to Jon Kreidler, who founded the distillery...

What to drink now that you’ve had all the tequila/mezcal: Charanda, a rumlike spirit is coming your way

May 31, 2019 at 9:03 p.m.

When is a rum not a rum? When it’s a charanda! The word charanda describes a natural rum from Michoacan. According to the rules of its protected denomination of origin...

Baltamaro, a line of Italian-style bitter liqueurs from Baltimore Spirits Co., comes in three versions: Fernet, from left, Szechuan, and Coffee.

Baltimore Spirits embracing history and innovation in every bottle

May 31, 2019 at 9:02 p.m.

I recently had drinks with Max Lents, of the Baltimore Spirits Co., at Scofflaw, the Logan Square gin bar, to taste through his innovative lineup of spirits that just launched...

Granada-Vallet pomegranate liqueur, which is a red Italian bitter aperitivo, stars in El Corazon Escarlata (The Scarlet Heart) cocktail, mixed with rum, orange liqueur and hibiscus tea.

What to pour for your Valentine: A vivid Corazon Escarlata made with new Mexican bitter liqueur

May 31, 2019 at 9:03 p.m.

A fantastic Mexican pomegranate liqueur recently landed in U.S. liquor stores, and its origin story is partly a history lesson that ends in a cocktail glass. It starts in 1864,...

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