Sherry
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
One of the oldest wines on earth, first made by Phoenician settlers around 1100 BCE and shaped by every civilization that followedâGreek, Roman, Moorish, and British. When Sir Francis Drake plundered CĂĄdiz in 1587 and sailed home with nearly 3,000 barrels, he accidentally became its greatest salesman. Aged in the solera systemâwhere younger wines blend continuously with older
ones, sometimes decades deepâSherry spans more styles than almost any other wine: from bone-dry, saline Fino to the gloriously syrupy richness of Pedro XimĂ©nez.
Rioja
Ebro River Valley, Northern Spain
Spainâs most celebrated wine region, named after the humble Rio Oja and home to a winemaking tradition stretching back to Roman times. Built on Tempranillo, Rioja defines quality by time in the barrelâits four-tier system runs from bright, fruit-forward Joven to Gran Reserva, which may spend years in oak before release. Rich and layered in the glass, with dark cherry, plum, and vanilla gradually deepening into leather, tobacco, and spice.
Double IPA
Your favorite brewery!
Born in 1994 when brewer Vinnie Cilurzo at Blind Pig Brewery accidentally added too much malt and doubled down with twice the hops rather than dump the batch. He later perfected the style at Russian River Brewing, where Pliny the Elder became one of the most coveted beers in America. Bold,
resinous, and unapologetically intenseâwave after wave of citrus, pine, and tropical fruit, with a clean, dry finish that somehow always keeps you coming back.
Café Macchiato
Italy
Italyâs answer to the question nobody else thought to ask: what if espresso, but with just the faintest memory of milk? The name means âstainedâ in Italianâa single shot marked by the smallest spoonful of foamed milk, enough to soften the edge without diluting the soul. Bold, rich, and unapologetically
coffeeâall the intensity of espresso, with just enough cream to make it whisper.
White Tea in Dried Mandarin Orange
Xinhui, Guangdong & Fujian, China
One of Chinaâs most charming inventions: delicate white tea leaves packed by hand into the hollowed shell of a Xinhui mandarinâa variety prized in Guangdong since the Ming Dynasty and long revered in traditional Chinese medicine. As the shell dries and ages, the tea slowly absorbs the mandarinâs
oils, and the two transform each other over time. Brewed whole, it yields a soft, luminous cupâlight floral and honey from the white tea, lifted by a warm citrus glow that lingers all the way through.