THE POUR

One of the best things about wine tasting is that it’s an experiential (and delicious) way to explore the world. 

Since the Chinese New Year is Saturday, January 25, we’re going to do some exploring. To celebrate, we're not going to focus on the Chinese New Year, but rather, the lesser known world of Chinese wine.

Wine from China performed well at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2019 and continues to rise in popularity. Will it be a breakout star in 2020? Nothing’s certain, but it’s worth knowing these basics about Chinese wine.

Flasks have a certain kind of connotation: It’s in the pocket of your perpetually drunk uncle who won’t stop talking about a bad business deal from decades ago. Or it’s in grandma's purse but no one knows … except you and all the other grandchildren.

But now you have a dilemma. You received a flask for Christmas, or was it your wedding? Or was it that one birthday a couple years back? Anyhow, while it's not as common as other drinks that come in fancy glasses with stems or big ice cubes, a good flask drink excels in its simple concoction with no worries at all about the presentation.

No need to get trashy or flashy—dust off that flask and get some practical use out of the thing. It turns out that winter is a great time to use it for some good flask drinks that travel well and fit in your pocket, so it can keep up with your activities, the events you attend, or just regular old routines—maybe even another wedding. 

Here are some good flask drinks for your winter survival.

The New Year is upon us, and that also means resolutions. For us, it means a whole new year of delicious wine, beer, and spirits. Your resolutions might be about cutting down on sugar or calories or alcohol consumption for the month, or just being more intentional about healthy choices.

Healthy Mocktails

Resolutions and tasty drinks don’t have to be at odds. In fact, this is the perfect opportunity for mocktails. No, that doesn’t mean the cocktails are mocking you — mocktails are mock cocktails, as in they are mixed drinks that don’t have any alcoholic contents, but they can still offer the flavors you might want for good times in 2020.

Never fear — we sell copious kinds of top-shelf mixers, tonics, bitters, and shrubs in our Haskell’s locations around the Twin Cities metro area. It’s no worry to find non-alcoholic drinks options you’ll actually enjoy this winter and beyond.

Ring the bells! Play the music! We’ve finally made it all the way to Christmas! And of course, that means it’s almost time for your favorite Christmas morning drinks.

Your anticipation builds as the day of holiday festivities approaches. Everyone’s making their travel arrangements and planning the food. Your parents are handling the main courses, Uncle Darryl is grilling his infamous Christmas hot wings, and Grandma Mary baked her Christmas pies...but who’s handling the Christmas drinks?

Turns out it’s you — but this is no problem whatsoever. Thanks to the handy articles we share here and the excellent selection of wine, beer, and spirits around the Twin Cities, you’ve become the one your family and friends rely on for the right drinks for the perfect occasion. And now, it’s your time to shine with your new favorite Christmas morning drinks.

Nothing makes Christmas merrier than a delicious drink to accompany your carols (or Charlie Brown Christmas playlist) and gift exchange. Here are some recipes — alcoholic and non-alcoholic — to enjoy with family and friends. You’ll find classic recipes as well as new twists on favorites like Bloody Marys and mimosas. Let’s dive in with some of your new favorite Christmas morning drinks (or maybe they’re already your old classics).

Cocktails aren’t just about the spirits and liqueurs. Especially in the colder months when a little boost of richness or sweetness can help you slide through the less than ideal days, maple syrup cocktails and other mix-ins might be just the kind of treat to satisfy your desire for a drink with something different.

What’s even better than using an array of many options from cocktail mix-ins highly regarded around the world? How about local Minnesota-made ingredients that elevate a drink to just the right degree?

Check out these cocktail recipes with local Minnesota syrup and jams. Plan to pick up some fine honey, preserves, syrups, and other products from our fine state to add an extra burst of flavor to these cocktails.

It’s hard to believe we’re in the throes of winter, isn’t it? Well, since we’re here and all trying to survive the cold together, it might help to cozy up with something tasty in your cup. Classic winter cocktails for snow days provide the warming feelings and flavors that turn the bitterness of winter into a special time with friends or family — or sometimes just enjoying some time by yourself to slow down.

The key to classic winter cocktails are knowing a few quintessential ingredients. Let’s dig into a few recipes for these cold-weather drinks.

Each third Thursday of November, French winemakers release the first wine of the season – making November 21, 2019, Beaujolais Nouveau Day. In fact, under French law, it’s released at precisely 12:01 a.m. each third Thursday of November, making it one of the biggest wine release parties around the world.

So the question begets itself: what is Beaujolais Nouveau? Simply, it’s a young, fresh, fruity wine that’s very low in tannins, made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region in France. How young? It’s released just weeks after the wine’s grapes have been harvested.

Before we go any further, here’s how it’s pronounced: boh-zhuh-ley noo-voh. And if you want to listen to the pronunciation, click here.

Every once in a long while, things line up perfectly and you get an opportunity you couldn’t have planned. That’s what happened, in a nutshell, in the story behind Haskell’s #1 wine — and we’re so excited to share it with you now!

Our #1 wine this year is a 2009 Nicolas Rolin Hospice de Beaune, an incredible wine from the world-renowned Burgundy region of France.

How did this wine become Haskell’s #1 this year? Jump back in time with us to the beginning of this saga...

With the ebb and flow of the seasons, you might be feeling like it’s time to put away any road trip lists until the warmer weather returns. But you’d be missing out on a great opportunity that the great state of Minnesota offers like few others: wineries in the winter.

Many Minnesota wineries are open and ready to welcome you this winter. You may even discover that wintertime visits to wineries offer a change of pace and a change of place you’ll enjoy as a new yearly tradition. Even better? Many of the wineries on our list feature wine along with cider, beer, and some even have their own distillery!

Cure your cabin fever and come along on your very own winter winery itinerary.

In honor of Veterans Day, we'd like to share this story about Haskell's, World War II, a veteran named Armand Crump — and some missing whiskey. Special thanks to Dave Arundel for the write-up of this fascinating story.

Here is a story that you likely have never heard, about a remarkable man, Armand Crump, as well as Benny Haskell, the founder of Haskell's, along with his wife, Fritzi Haskell. 

The Story Begins in 1942

In 1942 - at age 18 - Armand Crump was sent by the Army Air Force to Yale University to attend Aircraft Engineering Officer School. After completion of a one year course, he joined the Army Air Force with the rank of 2nd lieutenant. He ended up at Biggs Field, the Army Air Force base in El Paso, Texas. At the ripe old age of 21, Armand was in charge of keeping 16 B29 bombers ship shape and ready to enter combat. He had 150 mechanics and 2 clerks under his command.

The war had ended in Europe and the word was that Armand’s B29’s were going to be leaving soon, assigned to the war in the Pacific. Armand’s mechanics were getting antsy, word had come back from the Pacific that alcoholic libations were in short supply. A couple of the mechanics came to the boss with this idea – “let’s take a collection, and buy a bunch of liquor to take with us when we fly out to the Pacific.”  Simple enough plan. The clerks mimeographed a couple grids. Money was collected and accounted to each man, and even favorite beverages were listed.