A little known fact: before the temperance movement got a hold of it, root beer had some real kick to it. As in booze. And the folks behind Hendricks Gin are getting ready to bring the old hooch back.

The result is ROOT, an 80-proof version of the drink you remember from your tenth birthday party. We first sampled it at a recent BillyKirk party and were surprised at the result: somewhere between Barq’s and bourbon. The flavor’s all natural, distilled from organic sugar cane along with nutmeg, black tea and a handful of other spices, so it couldn’t be farther from the world of flavored vodkas. And because it comes from a cohort of Philadelphia crafties, everything from the label to the cork radiates homegrown scrappiness.

Plus, we hear it goes great with ice cream…

Liquor trends come and go, but the next big thing is never more than a marketing push away. The latest candidate is sherry, which just got a surprisingly tongue-in-cheek website courtesy of the Sherry Council for America. (A high point: The site’s “exclusive” enough to require a secret password to get past the front page, but the site immediately informs you that it’s just “password.”) Still, we’re more concerned with the future of the country’s bar scene.

We’ve thought sherry was underrated for quite a while, partially due to the name (the only order that sounds girlier than “appletini”) and partially by association with more common port wines. But we’re also not sure it’s due for a tequila-style revival just yet. Sherry falls in a box with wine and scotch—tasty, but hard to market. The new site gives a tip of the hat to mixology through an extensive cocktail list, but this seems like one drink that’s better straight. Which means it may be a little slow catching on.

We’re not usually much for packaging, but this tequila bottle looks too good to leave unblogged. It’s from the newcomers at Milagro Tequila, and the main feature is a spiky agave-shaped bubble in the middle of the bottle—instead of the worm, we suppose.

Of course, what really matters is what’s inside the bottle…but our curiosity is definitely piqued.

As anyone familiar with New York’s recent cocktail revival can attest, drinks are subject to the same trends as tie width. Last year’s wine bar soon gives way to next year’s cocktail bar…which conveniently serves 1930s-style cocktails.

The Magnificent Bastard recently devoted a post to the question, “how good does a scotch have to be before you won’t use it in a Rob Roy?.” Understandably, it led us to pose the following counter-query: “Does anyone still drink Rob Roys?”

Of course, no one would be happier than us if the classic Rat Pack mixture made a revival, but at the moment it seems to be best known as the punchline of hilariously-outmoded-cocktail jokes. We may have to wait another decade before this is acceptable behavior again.

Usually we want our liquors to be as artisanal as possible. We want them stored in musty oak barrels in obscure parts of Europe, crafted lovingly by inarticulate old men with beards, and delivered to us in packaging that reflects the whole beautifully anachronistic process.

But we can’t all be artisans…and “scientist” isn’t bad as a backup. Elements of Islay’s whisky line bucks the usual warm design aesthetic in favor of chemical-looking beakers and table-of-elements labeling. Of course, the contents are more or less the same barrel-aged concoction, but you’d never guess it from looking.

And where there’s a niche, there’s a way.

The rush to the Obama brand continues…and it’s not all modernist Swedes.

Hennessy is producing a limited-edition cognac called “44” in honor of today’s inauguration, with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It only runs $30, but when you consider that the “limited-edition” includes 180,000 bottles…that’s a lot of education.

We can’t blame them for wanting to get in on the magic, but how historic can the bottle be when you’ll probably finish it before Jan 21 rolls around?

Vodka: is there any problem it can’t solve?

Well, we can add vintage-clothes smell to the list at least. Valet Magazine tracked down the costume designer for Mad Men to see how they keep the vintage-heavy set from smelling like the back of your grandmother’s closet and the answer was a whole lot simpler than we thought. The secret? One part vodka in two parts water, sprayed on and left to air. Apparently astringent spirits do a lot to suck up whatever’s hovering in those threads, and vodka’s pure enough to not leave any smells behind.

Sounds like we’d better stock up.

We say one can never get enough of Czech supermodel and card-carrying Kemptress Eva Herzigova, so we welcome the latest installment in Karl Lagerfeld’s episodic ad campaign for Dom Pérignon’s 1996 Rosé Vintage champagne.

Especially as it requires Eva to lounge around in a luxury hotel room in her lingerie, getting soused on pink bubbly. In the Kaiser’s scenario, she check’s into the hotel and finds a handsome fellow rooming down the hall who apparently shares her obsession with Dom. A few establishing shots later, they’re getting it on but manage to never spill a drop. Trust us, that isn’t how it happened in real life.

Celebrity brands are usually pretty dicey, but this one is just plain off-the-wall. Beloved Canadian Dan Aykroyd has emerged as the face of Crystal Skull Vodka, a line of spirits inspired by an obscure archaeological mystery. (It may sound familiar.) The vodka itself is fairly bizarre, the occult mumbo jumbo is surprisingly tangential, and Aykroyd comes off as either completely off his nut or brilliantly deadpan. We prefer our skulls with a little more glitz…but we’ll settle for this.

You can actually buy the vodka (if you need a glass skull for your mantle), but just because it’s real doesn’t mean it’s not a joke. The Ghostbusters 3 timing may be too convenient for us to take all of this at face value, but we won’t complain too loudly.

Hoax or not, it’s the funniest thing Aykroyd has done in a very long time.

See the video»

Last year we told you about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a world-class collection of rare Scotch whiskies at a landmark Christie’s sale. Now you can get the whole shebang in one bottle. It’s no ordinary fifth of hooch however; called The Last Drop, it carries a $2,000 pricetag and there’s an extremely limited supply.

70 different malt whiskies and 12 different grain whiskies, most from distilleries no longer extant and all at least 48 years old (i.e. pre-1960), go into this uber-blend bottled at cask strength. Of course with something like this you may want to lock it away in the cellar for some extremely important occasion, so the makers have thoughtfully included a miniature bottle gratis so you can sample the goods without breaking into the principal. And if you can stop there you’re a better man than I.

The venerable Van Hoo distillery in the village of Eeklo, Belgium has been churning out premium spirits for over 250 years, but their assault on America’s top shelves is just getting off the ground.

They recently gave their single estate, quadruple-distilled, charcoal filtered vodka a much-needed facelift, and it’s one of the best-looking and tasting examples we’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking way too much of. Packaged in a dashing Art Deco-style octagonal cobalt blue bottle, the yeasty, potent, and somewhat thick, syrupy spirit manages to mix mineral and citrus notes without stirring up a coup d’état; quite the opposite, in fact, a match made in some souse’s heaven. Not bad for a country where half the population refers to themselves as “Walloons.”

In the rush to give one’s champagne brand a boost in an increasingly-crowded marketplace, some firms go too far; take this womb-like contraption for chilling an otherwise blameless bottle of Veuve Clicquot, or Karl Lagerfeld’s Pepto Bismol pink Dom Pérignon carrier.

Contrast those with this elegantly understated Coffret case for Laurent-Perrier’s multi-vintage prestige cuvée Grand Siècle: a cleverly-constructed black case containing a magnum of the good stuff and six hand-blown Baccarat crystal champagne flutes in separate compartments.

No doubt some will complain that it doesn’t look expensive or flashy enough, and to them we say good night and good luck.

Most of the tequilas we come across look like some kind of Tex Mex nightmare; occasionally one even resembles a good cognac. One thing we didn’t expect to see was an elixir of agave that could be a stand-in for ultra-premium vodka. In a crowded market, however, you sometimes have to think outside the box—er, bottle.

Thus we have Maestro Dobel, the “world’s first diamond tequila”, sold in numbered vessels bearing the name of the ranch the agave was harvested from. What the hell does “diamond” mean? Well, most aged tequilas of the anejo and extra-anejo variety look like they’ve been sitting around in oak for a while, which of course they have.

Maestro Dobel, a blend of the latter plus a spot of reposado, is crystal clear, however, the result of a “proprietary blending and filtration technique,” they say, that “gently expels congeners” along with color. Sounds like some kind of eel, no? Apparently it’s an impurity borne of fermentation that we consume all the time. Who knew? Who cares. But this is pretty good stuff all the same.

Starting this week, for the first time in 200 years whiskey is being sold at George Washington’s distillery at Mount Vernon, where the nation’s first president produced an impressive 11,000 gallons the stuff in 1799.

The move was made possible under special legislation signed by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, whom we hereby anoint an honorary MOTH for his services to the cause. The distillery was one of the largest, most successful whiskey distilleries in early America, using corn and rye grown on Washington’s plantation until it burned down in 1814. It re-opened last year after extensive renovations and will hopefully be producing Washington’s signature sauce in saleable quantities again soon, but for starters they’re offering small bottles of a unique “vatted” American whiskey made from portions of 11 famous brands, “married” and re-aged at Mount Vernon.

The brands include Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Maker’s Mark, Woodford Reserve, and that Southern classic which might well have been named in honor of ol’ George himself: Virginia Gentleman.

There’s a major occasion to celebrate for men and drinkers everywhere coming up in December, so it only makes sense to start preparing now. December 5th marks the 75th anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition the date that Utah finally ratified the 21st Amendment, ending a 13-year national nightmare saw an increase in crime and alcohol abuse - the very thing it was intended to counteract - while costing the Treasury’s coffers millions in lost tax revenue.

To help us get ready, drinkers’ rights group the Distilled Spirits Council has just launched an intoxicating new site, ProhibitionRepeal.com, with extensive sections on the history, cocktails, and legacy of the dark years, plus tips on throwing your own Repeal party.

It also highlights the battles still to be fought - such as the ridiculously antiquated Blue Laws that “continue to burden consumer convenience” in many states, as they so artfully put it. In other words, there’s still some mighty thirsty work to be done.

Photography by Anula Maiberg

We’ve seen a lot of different vodkas, and a lot of different ways to package vodka. But it’s safe to say, this is the first farmer’s vodka we’ve come across.

Arising from an unlikely union of a Minnesotan agricultural co-op and the Phillips Distilling Company, the folks who brought you Belvedere and America’s first taste of schnapps. But what really interests us isn’t the pedigree but the packaging. We knew vodka was made from corn, but somehow no one ever put the two together before. We always thought of vodka as more of a tundra drink, but apparently not.

It also does double duty as both organic and kosher, for all the hippie Zionists out there.

Talk about vintage champagne - some lucky bastard just found the world’s oldest bottle of Veuve Clicquot lying around his Scottish castle in a dusty cabinet that’d been locked up for the last 100 years.

Chris James, the current owner of Torosay Castle on the Isle of Mull off Scotland’s west coast told the London Telegraph he’d long been meaning to have a peek inside the cupboard, for which he had no key. After finally enlisting the help of a locksmith, James discovered the original owner’s personal booze stash, including bottles of claret and brandy, a decanter of port, and an unopened bottle of 1893 Veuve yellow label in mint condition, thanks to the cellar-like conditions that prevail in old Scottish castles. He contacted the company who informed him the ancient bubbly was literally priceless.

More on the priceless bottle»

Compass Box, the no-nonsense artisanal Brit whiskymaker whose ambrosial offerings we first told you about last year, has just come out with a new bottling of its limited release Hedonism Scotch in time for a certain Hallmark holiday.

Hedonism is a blend of rare old Scotch grain whisky — traditionally low grade, unmatured stuff made from wheat or corn added to malt whisky to make the major brands of blended Scotch. However, when properly aged in oak, Scotch grain whisky can achieve its own delectable character, albeit of a much lighter, honeyish, toffee-like variety; a before-dinner Scotch if you will.

Compass Box bottles the stuff when it can find enough mature grain whisky—20 years old on average—in good oak casks. No easy task, but we’re certainly glad they bothered.

Dethroner

Liquors have been touting their history for a long time (since 1847, in fact), but it’s rare to come across an ad that makes the past look like so much fun. In this print spot, Canadian Club—or, more accurately, Chicago’s Energy BBDO agency—points us to a bygone era of thin black ties, hair wax, and formal dinner attire. The tag says “June ’65,” and the gentleman in the swim trunks is sporting some decidedly counter-cultural shagginess, but otherwise the look is Goldwater-chic.

Except, perhaps, for that pair of legs on the right.

Drinking at home can seem too casual, or worse, anti-social, but all you really need are the right accoutrements.

This ice-crusher—a Mad Men-style relic resurrected by American Chateau—is a touch of welcome anachronism. We certainly won’t miss the industrial rumble of a refrigerator’s ice crusher. Instead there’s a soothing ritual to add to our bartending repertoire, as well as a sleek reminder of a time when stainless steel still had futuristic panache.

Plus, it crushes a lot.

Stainless Steel Ice Crusher [American Chateau]

Yes, champagne at New Year’s has gotten a bit tiresome, but don’t switch to controlled substances just yet—Veuve Cliquot has hit on a way to brighten things up.

We’ve always loved the mandarin orange label on the bottles, which the company calls yellow for some reason; they’re so damned natty. Someone we know (cough, cough) once even had his dining room painted to match. To celebrate the House of Cliquot’s 130th anniversary they’ve just released a limited edition 3-liter “Yellowboam” (a play on Jeroboam), equivalent to four regular bottles.

More on the extravagant hand-crafted vessels »

Would you pay $30,000 for a bottle of Scotch? The folks at Christie’s are hoping somebody will at what is certainly an auspicious occasion: the first auction of rare spirits in New York since Prohibition began in 1920, taking place this Saturday at their Rockefeller Center HQ. Read more »

We know you’ve been meaning to acquire all sorts of esoteric Scotch knowledge so no one laughs anymore when you try to pronounce “Islay.” There’s a way to look like you know your way around the Inner Hebrides however without losing sleep over it. Compass Box, a no-nonsense artisanal Brit whiskymaker, bypasses the mumbo jumbo in favor of a simple statement expressing the character of the spirit: take our favorite from their core range, the smoked-out Peat Monster.

Now Compass Box is broadening its offerings on our side of the sink…

As Anthony Powell noted, books do furnish a room; here at Kempt, we believe bottles do too. The good-looking ones, that is—keep your shelves well stocked with both and you’ll never lack for something to read or drink. But tequila has so far lagged behind the rest of the spirits world when it comes to attractive packaging…