Wine and Spirits Travel

I had never been to Milwaukee before. I didn’t make it there during my traveling years and I hadn’t been there in the seven years I’ve been living in the Midwest. When I received an invitation to cover one of the biggest music festivals in the world that happened to be in Milwaukee, it didn’t take me long to say, “Yes!” My friend Lisa, who was living in Green Bay at the time, met me in Milwaukee for a girls’ weekend. Margaret Casey of Visit Milwaukee picked us up at the Hilton for our first day of tasting and touring. Our first stop was at Indulgence Chocolatiers . I wish we had a place like this in Champaign. Julie, the owner of Indulgence, fell in love with the chocolate shops in Europe and decided to open one in Milwaukee . She creates a selection of chocolate truffles, barks, and bars. Then, she pairs them with your choice of white wine, red wine, beer, whiskey, or cheese. Everything sounded scrumptious and we finally settled on sharing chocolate &

When it comes to making the most of the last day of a trip, I’ve never had such a nice balance as the Pernod Ricard team (and Meghan Kelleher from Access PR) put into our “Tale of Two Cities” itinerary. They gave us the best of two worlds – and the best of English gin. It was nice to be able to sleep in a bit until 8:00, but it was then time to rise for a light breakfast at St. Elizabeth's House and our last tour of Plymouth. We went to Burrator Reservoir, a beautiful location with waterfalls over the dam. We then traveled down to the river, where the Plymouth Gin team had some surprises for us. We first sampled Classic Pink Gin, which is a combination of Angostino bitters, Plymouth Gin and water. It was very good, though I’m not sure I’d make it my standard morning drink. We did have food, though, to share it with – deliciously fresh English scones with cream and black current jam. we finished eating we had duck races in the river. I’m proud to say my purple

It was an early start to the day as we needed to get on a train and head to Plymouth. Pernod Ricard had made it easy for us to pack just what we needed by giving us each our own stylish overnight bags with our names engraved in the leather tags. Just about everyone who knows me understands that I do not like train rides, but I made it through this one by doing some work and reading.  We were also in first class so there were drinks and snacks offered throughout the ride (translate: wine to calm me). The four hours went by a little quicker than I expected. I even enjoyed looking at some of the English countryside. Sean Harrison, Master Distiller and Distillery Manager for Plymouth Gin , met us and we went straight upstairs at the distillery where they had their own brasserie. Everyone raved about the fish and chips, a specialty of the restaurant. After lunch we went on a tour through town which culminated in the spot that the Mayflower took off for what would eve

My first full day in London was a gin lover’s dream, as I tasted my way around the world of Beefeater , as only a “super taster” should. I was up early and greeted the day with some yoga and my typical European breakfast – pan au chocolate, fruit, yogurt, and English Breakfast tea. I needed to make sure I was ready for a day filled with everything Beefeater. We were picked up in the official Beefeater cars and took a short drive to the distillery. We were greeted by Master Distiller Desmond Payne, as well as Beefeater Ambassadors – mixologists extraordinaire – Sebastian (Seb) Hamilton-Mudge and Tim Jones. The latter two had “snappers” waiting for us,  a red that was basically a bloody Mary with gin (using sundried tomato paste for a very fresh flavor); green, with pineapple juice, coriander, mint, green tabasco sauce and lime juice; and purple, with beet, orange, carrot and lemon juice. They were all good, with a slight favor for me to the green. Desmond took us o

I have traveled to many places in the world checking out wine and spirits, but when the invitation to go to England with Beefeater and Plymouth came, I was more excited than you can imagine. Gin is my go to spirit and the thought of spending a week drinking it as part of the job was a good one. I’ve worked with Pernod Ricard on a number of trips, including Jacob’s Creek in Australia and Perrier Jouët in Paris . They always do things top notch and this trip was no different. They sent a limo to take me to the airport for the short flight to Chicago, where I was flying British Airways . Since I had a business class ticket and had a few hours, I went straight to the BA lounge. I hadn’t had lunch so I was hoping to catch a snack. I found a lot more in a large buffet with many choices. I settled on a little spinach lasagna, which was excellent, and a small, fudgy brownie. When it was time to board, I saw my first airplane “pod.” It was a bit odd at first and took a while fo

I did a major change in scenery when I headed from Florida to New York City.  I had a lot to get in and decided to stay in Manhattan for a few days for the first time ever. There was no quick in and out this trip. I was going to explore, taste and visit my way around the Big Apple. There’s almost nothing better than a greeting of fruit, snacks and refreshments after a long day of traveling, but I found the something better next to my bed at the New York Palace . I have traveled to many hotels around the world, from comfortable to luxury. This one stumped me with something I have never seen before. It was so simple, just a little remote control on my night table that controlled the room lights and temperature.  Without getting out of bed during the night I could turn up the air conditioning, the heat, or turn either off. One of these days I will make a list of my favorite hotel room amenities and this will be toward the top! The temperature control helped me get a good

After my morning tasting and exploring the North Market , I met Amy Weirick, who works with Experience Columbus . She put together a full day and it started at The Candle Lab in the city’s Short North section. We had time to mix our favorite fragrances into a candle (I choose hot chocolate and marshmallow), and do a little downtown shopping before heading off to lunch. We ate in the German Village, one of the many diverse neighborhoods in this Ohio city. Among the Cobblestone streets and brick houses was Lindey’s , a popular restaurant that was filled to the brim on this weekday. Amy ordered the Tuna Tartar, a favorite of hers, and I enjoyed a Spinach Quiche, that was very good with a hint of bacon. We stayed in the area a bit longer to head over to Pistacia Vera , which means true pistachio in Latin. You will find some pistachio items here, but the focus is all French. Like my favorite stops in Paris, there are macaroons that melt in your mouth, airy croissants and a se