IN THE BEGINNING...

Growing up, my first exposure to people drinking alcohol was with my family in the context of a meal. Whether it was an aperitif before the meal, wine with dinner, or a snifter of finely aged spirits afterwards, alcohol was enjoyed in moderation and for what it added to the dining experience. I am certain that this early experience has helped shaped my own attitudes and practices around alcohol consumption. While I had some knowledge of wine and beer, once I was legally able to buy alcohol I wanted to figure out what kinds of distilled spirits people my own age were drinking. Spirits were at that time an undiscovered country with a bewildering number of options. I naively thought that people who drank spirits did so because they liked the way they tasted. What I discovered, was a lot of young people drinking for the effect and adding juices or other flavorings to mask the taste of the alcohol. To me this did not make a lot of sense.

The first alcoholic beverage I really enjoyed drinking, was a glass of Macallan's 12 years old Single Malt Scotch. It was an amazing sensory experience that captivated my imagination and my intellect. I began comparing it to the small number of other whiskies I had tasted and a question began to stir in my mind: Why did this whisky surpass all the others I had tried up to this point? This question compelled me to learn more; specifically why that glass of Scotch tasted the way it did, and generally about how Scotch was made.  Since then the question, “what makes a drink stand out from the rest?” has fueled my passion for spirits, sustained my interest in craft beer and has piqued my interest in wine, and specialty coffee.

What's in a name?

I decided to name my site EZdrinking for a couple of reasons. First, my intent for this project is to focus on spirits, beer, wine, and coffee that are of such quality that they are easy to drink on their own. Second, I hope to promote a temperate approach to alcohol that extols its variety, craft and creativity with out overindulgence. Third, since this a site of my own musings about things I like to drink and my initials are E.Z. the choice was obvious.

The Adventures Begins

 Welcome to the inaugural post of EZdrinking.

Distilled spirits have been a passion of mine for quite a while, and last year I was blessed to get a writing job with the American Distilling Institute (ADI), an education and advocacy organization for craft distillers. I began by helping them put together a book on all the whiskey distilleries in the world, and at present I'm editing a book on how to make rum. Since I started with ADI I have been able to meet quite a few interesting people in and around the world of distilled spirits and I've come across a lot of great stories about booze, past and present. My plan it to post some of these interesting stories and conversations as well as my own tasting notes on drinks that I've tried.

While my primary focus will be on distilled spirits I also plan to write some about beer, wine and coffee. Living in San Francisco, I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by some of the best examples of each drink type right at my doorstep. Wine, craft beer, craft distilling, and third wave coffee all have a significant following of people who, like me, are interested in having a great drinking experience, and want to understand what makes one drink stand out from the rest. As my passions and interests for each of these drinks compels me to taste more and learn more, I hope that my stories can be informative and fun to read.