| In the spirit of a fresh start for the new year, here’s my shortlist for refreshing your home bar with the aim of yielding excellent cocktails and straight pours. These six bottles (plus one non-alc option, because we all deserve choices) will elevate your drinking sessions throughout the year ahead. Monkey 47 Distiller’s Cut gin  Source: Vendor This German-made gin’s annual limited bottling ($80 for 375-ml bottle) homed in on Italian capers, providing a salinity that elevates anything in the ever-more trendy “dirty” realm. Although for pure versatility—martinis, negronis and G&Ts—I prefer the original. Made with a blend of 47 Black Forest botanicals (hence the name), the gin has appealing woodsy and citrus tones. Lost Explorer Blanco Tequila  Source: Vendor While Lost Explorer is better known as a mezcal brand, in 2024 it also entered the tequila market with an $50 bottle. To do that, it brought in Don Julio master distiller Enrique de Colsa, a well-respected industry veteran responsible for, among other things, the lauded Don Julio 1942. Crisp and citrusy, with nuanced baking spice tones, this is one to sip or mix into Palomas or other drinks. A reposado may follow later this year, and I’m here for it. Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon 11 Year Old  Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon 11 Year Old Source: Vendor As a great bourbon, Old Fitz hits all the right notes: caramel, oak, leather and spice, and the handsome decanter is a great-looking addition to any home bar. But when Heaven Hill releases age-statement versions each spring and fall? Snap. Them. Up. They’re terrific to drink now, and you’ll kick yourself when you see how much these limited editions sell for on the secondary market. The most recent version is an 11-year-old bottled in bond, priced at $155; the 13-year-old version, released earlier last year, sold out like a shot, and deservedly so. Truman Vodka  Source: Vendor Reisetbauer is an Austrian distiller better known for crafting delicate eau de vie—including a remarkable earthy carrot variation. This $60 wheat vodka is as masterful, crisp and pristine, showing the barest tinges of coconut and ginger. It’s good enough to sip on the rocks or in a martini. Rolling Fork 10 Year Barbados Rum  Source: Vendor Keep an eye on this independent bottler; it’s been rightly scooping up awards. This one is distilled at Foursquare Distillery in Barbados ($85), will likely do the same. (See the lauded 9-year-old bottling, too.) While the plaudits go to Foursquare for the dried fig and caramel tones—and no additives, thank you very much—Rolling Fork did well in recognizing its potential. Savor over ice or mix a decadent daiquiri. And if funky, fruity white rum is your jam, you can’t go wrong with Martinique Rhum Neisson Blanc. Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur  Source: Vendor While I’m still a fan of all the red bitters (Team Negroni, represent), I find myself reaching for this relative newcomer ($33), especially to mix with rum and white spirits. It’s bold and juicy, showing plenty of tropical and stone fruit, and shored up with a flicker of ginger heat. While it’s an obvious match for tropical drinks, this liqueur is also a natural for riffs on the popular Porn Star Martini. Lyre’s Amalfi Spritz  Source: Vendor The purveyor of zero-proof spirits has gotten into the premixed cocktail game. At the end of a boozy holiday season, the canned Amalfi Spritz ($15 for four-pack of 250-ml cans) proved just the ticket when I was ready to lighten up: The fizzy, moderately bitter, nonalcoholic drink hit my craving for an Aperol Spritz, especially when poured over ice. Mark your calendars, it’s festival time | As you’re planning ahead for the year, here are the best of the booze festivals to keep in mind. Some are great excuses to plan vacations around, others make for great drop-ins if they’re local to you. Many provide educational and tasting opportunities, too. Bowl of ’Zole (multiple locations) Boston, Feb. 8
Denver, March 20
Brooklyn, Oct. 23 Celebrating Mexican food and spirits—especially mezcal. Local chefs in each city break out their version of pozole, a traditional Mexican stew made with hominy, meat and other seasonings—and they’ll often offer other bites, too. Chase that with samples of 100+ agave spirits. It’s a good time.  It’s agave time in Arizona. Source: Instagram Agave Heritage Festival (April 10–13) A four-day celebration of all things agave in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to seminars and walk-around spirits tastings, options include casual and lavish dinner pairing events as well as bar takeovers, live music and a market selling agave-adjacent goods (I’m still thinking about the musical instruments made from repurposed agave stalks). Kentucky Bourbon Festival (Sept. 5–7) At this sprawling outdoor fest in Bardstown, Kentucky, attendees line up early to snag bottles of allocated bourbons from top producers. (Think I’m exaggerating? Take a look at this epic line for Heaven Hill at the 2024 festival.) By-the-pour samples and mixed drinks are also on offer, plus concert stages and educational seminars.  Samples lined up at Bourbon & Beyond 2024. Source: Bourbon & Beyond Bourbon & Beyond (Sept. 11–14) Let’s be clear: This is a music festival first and foremost. And what a music festival it is. The 2025 artists haven’t yet been announced, but 2024 included Beck, Matchbox Twenty, My Morning Jacket, the Dave Matthews Band and… Sting, filling in for Neil Young. This is going to sound cynical, but it’s not wrong: Expect to see many Bands With (Booze) Brands (maybe this will be Bob Dylan’s year pouring Heaven’s Door? We can dream). People camp out (and glamp out) to enjoy access to exclusive pours and great music. Barbados Food & Rum Festival (October, dates TBD) This weeklong fete celebrates Barbados food, drink and culture—but especially, rum. The apex event is the Rise & Rum, where revelers wear bright “sunrise yellow” attire to greet the sunrise and sip cut-and-dry (rum mixed with coconut water) from a whole coconut. Read a bit about my experience at the 2023 festival.  Clemente Bar featured big in last year’s New York Bartender Week. Source: Clemente Bar New York Bartender Week (Nov. 17–23) The second annual edition of this “cocktail tourism” event isn’t limited to NYC, but expands across the entire state, from Syracuse to Scarsdale and Buffalo to Bay Shore. Organized by Hanna Lee Communications, a hospitality PR firm and branding agency, most events are hosted at bars and tasting rooms and are open to the public, encouraging visitors to sample drinks and hear tales from local bar pros. In addition, several other events with a similar focus are scheduled to make their debut in the year ahead (also in conjunction with HLC). - India Bartender Week (Feb. 20–26)
- Wisconsin Bartender Week (May 19–25)
- Knoxville Bartender Week (July 6–12)
- Kenya Bartender Week (Sept. 1–7)
- Colombia Bartender Week (Dec. 1–7)
“Cocktail” of the month: Martian Sunrise | Drink something delicious and want the recipe? Let us know at topshelf@bloomberg.net , and we’ll try to track it down for a future edition. Break out the juicer for this colorful, sophisticated nonalcoholic soda from Philadelphia’s acclaimed restaurant Vedge. “For a wilder ride,” advises bartender Brian Bolles, “just add 2 oz. gin or vodka.”  Aka the Martian Rodeo. Source: Instagram Martian Sunrise Serves 1 Adapted from The Vedge Bar Book, by Rich Landau, Kate Jacoby, Brian Bolles, Ginevra Reiff 1 ½ oz. tangerine juice
1 oz. carrot juice
½ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. spiced simple syrup*
1 oz. soda water Calendula or other edible flower, to garnish (optional) Combine juices and simple syrup (and vodka/gin, if using) in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake 8 to 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, and top with soda water. Garnish with edible flower, if using. *Spiced Simple Syrup In a bowl, combine 1 ¼ cups sugar, 1 cup hot (not boiling water), and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir until the sugar and salt is dissolved. In a small saucepan, combine 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 4 green cardamom pods, and 1 large star anise. Use a muddler or the back of a large spoon to crack the spices. Toast the spices over medium-high heat, shaking the saucepan a few times, until they’re fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the simple syrup and reduce the heat to low, then simmer for 10 minutes, until the syrup is lightly thickened. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. And that’s it from me this week. Catch me on Instagram or Bluesky. And if you’ll be in the San Francisco Bay Area later this month, perhaps I’ll see you at Wine Enthusiast’s annual Wine Star Awards, where I’ll be presenting the trophy for Spirits Brand of the Year. | 
