Columnist

We are only weeks away from the end of a year that none of us, in a million years, would ever sign up for. I’m sure many of us will mark the occasion with a socially distanced champagne toast, so this week I will share a few champagne tips and while we’re talking champagne, we will pour a few classic champagne cocktails.

I just finished listening to an “expert” saying that closing the bars was as important as wearing a mask. He asked, “Is that so hard to do?” The answer is obviously, yes.
Attempts have been made to close bars for over 150 years in Wilmington. A short stroll down Water Street will tell how successful that fight has been.
But why? I can tell you it's not just the booze. There is more to it than that. Like the T.V. sitcom said, “Wouldn't you like to go where everyone knows your name?” I know I would. Today's topic is bars, otherwise known as saloons and sampling rooms.

There are cocktails that are popular on both sides of the generation gap, think Martini, Manhattan, and the venerable Old Fashioned. Some cocktails aren't so lucky, and two of those cocktails are made with one of the most under-appreciated spirits on the planet, sloe gin.
There is a bit of confusion among casual imbibers as to what sloe gin is, and what it is not.