Former Coca-Cola and PepsiCo executives are teaming up on a new beverage venture: KEY, a ketone-focused energy drink. The beverage, which launched Wednesday, claims to be an all-natural product that “harnesses the power of ketones,” according to a press release from the brand. The latest entry into the rapidly-growing energy drinks category has already raised a seed round of $4 million, led by AgFunder, a leading food-and-agriculture tech investment fund. KEY is launching with three flavors (Pineapple Passionfruit, Grapefruit Peach, and Ginger Lime) which are available through the brand’s sit ..read more

It’s that time of year again: North America’s 50 Best Bars of 2024 have been revealed. The list, sponsored by Perrier, was unveiled at a live awards ceremony on April 23 at Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The honorees include establishments in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Kicking off the list is Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy, the first bar in Mexico to take the No. 1 spot on the annual ranking. It features throwback Prohibition-era decor, a marble bar, and of course, next-level cocktails courtesy of bar director Eric van Beek. The menu stars innovative ingredients ..read more

The caffeine-fueled collaboration of Gen Z’s dreams is here. On Wednesday, 818 Tequila and Chamberlain Coffee — founded by model Kendall Jenner and YouTuber and entrepreneur Emma Chamberlain, respectively — announced a limited-edition collaboration showcasing tequila as the star in the ever-popular Espresso Martini. As a part of the collab, Chamberlain Coffee launched Candied Pecan Cold Brew Singles, inspired by the flavors of 818 Tequila Reposado. Priced at $16 for a box of 10 packets, the ground coffee contains notes of candied pecan and maple. The brand says it can be enjoyed on its own or ..read more

As a relatively new wine hobbyist, you’ve received every sort of contraption imaginable as gifts from family and friends, right? Or maybe you’re an experienced and well-funded aficionado who has gone all-in with your fermented fruit obsession and procured a menagerie of gizmos for yourself, hoping to amp up your wine game to elite status with the latest and coolest experience-enhancing armaments. Gazing upon such a varied array of vinous hardware, you’re filled with satisfaction for the tools you have on hand — while still positively brimming with FOMO for the ones that have so far eluded acq ..read more

Buying wine in any setting can be a little overwhelming. Whether you’re perusing a by-the-glass menu for something to sip with happy hour or buying bottles to drink at home, it’s nice to walk the line between value and quality. Even those well versed in the wine world’s many options may find it difficult to determine if they’re getting a great deal. That’s why we reached out to wine professionals, from sommeliers to beverage directors, to ask them which wine regions they’re most drawn to right now when it comes to value. The concept of what’s considered a bang for your buck may be different f ..read more

Red wines from the northwest corner of Spain get far less attention than white wines from the region like the Albariños from Galicia that have become popular in recent years. The red wines — most notably from the Mencía grape — are also now widely available and deserve more consideration as versatile food companions that are not overly tannic and ready to drink when relatively young. In weight, texture, and taste, they remind me of both the Gamays of Beaujolais and Loire Valley Cabernet Francs — medium-bodied and relatively soft; a little less “grapey” than Beaujolais, and, in the better exam ..read more

Beer and cider are both fermented alcoholic drinks with rich histories both internationally and domestically, but the economic impact of the American beer industry is magnitudes larger than its apple-pressing counterpart. There are precious few big-time brands with major marketing muscle providing the American drinking public with ciders, and even fewer retailers that serve them. But this story is an exception to that rule. Joining “Taplines” today is Ryan Burk, the former head cider-maker of Angry Orchard Hard Cider, which, at one point, was making one out of every two barrels of cider sold ..read more

Anyone who has spent time behind the stick is familiar with the pitfalls of bartending. From annoyances like customers complaining about prices to stiffed tips, it can be a difficult profession, especially when dealing with unruly guests. But there’s one type of guest bartenders typically enjoy serving: fellow hospitality workers. But how do they know they’re serving another industry pro? That exact question was recently posed on popular subreddit r/bartenders, and bartenders happily shared the first signs that let them know they’re tending to another service worker. The original poster, user ..read more

Forget the orange slices — wine influencer Tom Gilbey instead opted to blind taste 25 wines while running the London Marathon on Sunday. Over the 26.2 miles, Gilbey managed to guess seven wines entirely correctly — including their grape variety, region, and vintage — 14 wines mostly correctly, and only four wines incorrectly. This boozy run has since gone viral with over 2 million views on TikTok and 6.6 million views and counting on X. A guy did the London Marathon and had a different wine at each mile! That’s something I can get onboard with pic.twitter.com/ml4dsEPY5W — James Briggs (@jame ..read more

I spend far too much of my time trying to figure out how to “go viral,” yet some Carthusian monks — who have taken a vow of silence! — had no problem doing it twice last year. In the spring, rumors began circulating that Chartreuse, the much-ballyhooed French herbal liqueur, had suddenly become hard to find. Countless fans took to social media to decry the shortage, question if others had any leads on bottles, posit conspiracies, or flex when they actually found a bottle. By April, even the The New York Times had covered the story, reporting that the monks had simply declined to increase prod ..read more