Remember when I had a newsletter?

Well, I still do, even if I rarely send it. Welcome back and happy Thanksgiving. I haven’t written since… July? The past few months have been consumed by finishing the final draft of my next book, getting back to in-person work outside the walls of my apartment, road tripping from Texas to Portland, and using my passport for the first time since the pandemic began to visit Ireland. In the meantime I’ve published a few articles and one new print project.

First, the print project. Earlier this year, fellow Oregonian Dave Selden approached me about collaborating on an aquavit tasting journal. Dave is the publisher of 33 Books, a series of pocket-sized books designed for keeping tasting notes on spirits, beers, wines, and even cigars or oysters. Of course I said yes and we went to work designing a flavor wheel specific to aquavit. Dave got so enthusiastic about it (perhaps after one too many aquavits) that he made not one but four editions, each designed with the colors of a different Nordic aquavit-producing country (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland) and printed with ink mixed with a splash of aquavit from each origin. 33 Snapsglas of Aquavit is available individually or in a variety pack of all four. I think it would make a great stocking stuffer for the Scandinavian or aquavit lover in your life.

Recent writing and interviews

I’ve been a fan of Adam Gurri’s excellent publication Liberal Currents since it began, and in October I wrote my first contribution to it. It’s a long piece making the case for a more liberal and less technocratic approach to tobacco policy, and it analyzes why I think even some of the most esteemed figures in the movement for tobacco harm reduction often fail to persuade. In short, I suggest we need to take smokers’ and vapers’ liberties more seriously instead of promoting what is in essence prohibition lite. Read it here.

Relatedly, in early September I covered the looming train wreck of the FDA’s regulation of e-cigarettes. The agency faced a court-imposed deadline of September 9 to rule on millions of applications for e-cigarettes and e-liquids, determining which ones will be allowed to stay on the market. The agency has not met this deadline but has effectively banned about a million e-cigarettes while authorizing only one, an outdated and unpopular model from Vuse. Read my Reason piece for how this is likely to increase smoking, and for more recent updates on the legal aspects of this read Alex Norcia at Filter: on court challenges and on the agency’s cursory process of review.

If you prefer audio/video, I also discussed these topics on the weekly show hosted by the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association, available here on YouTube. I’ll also be joining a live Twitter space this Monday at 3 pm eastern, which will stream here.

On a lighter note, for Inside Hook I interviewed Nico Martini, author of the new book Texas Whiskey. His book provides a really comprehensive look at the booming whiskey distilling scene in my home state and makes a case for Texas as one of the most diverse and interesting regions for whiskey. You’ll also find a few entries from me (including the one on aquavit, of course) in David Wondrich’s massive new Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. I’m still waiting on my copy but there’s no doubt this is going to be a tremendous resource.

Social distancing

To read: I’m officially a Dune head now. Despite reading lots of sci-fi in high school, for some reason I could never get into Frank Herbert’s writing. I revisited my old paperback copy due to the new movie and don’t know what I was missing before; I love it now, couldn’t put it down, and will read at least one of the sequels. The movie adaptation is fantastic too, though I don’t know how comprehensible it would be without having read the novel. For non-fiction, I was drawn into Claire Dederer’s sharp, funny, biting midlife memoir Love and Trouble, which arrived in my stack a few years ago but that I didn’t pick up till now.

To listen: Jenny Lewis’s new single “Puppy and a Truck” is pure country-inflected pop fun. I recently went to my first post-pandemic concert recently to see Lucy Dacus. How many artists have loyal fans loyal enough to sing along through a six minute break-up ballad (while wearing masks, no less)? It’s a testament to her incredible songwriting, which comes through on her recent album Home Video too. Here’s a worthwhile profile in Vanity Fair.

To drink, later: We’re about a month out from Christmas, so I’d be remiss not to remind you to start batching up your eggnog now. See my article from last year for tips, a basic recipe, and delightful illustrations from Andrew Bohrer. One of my favorite things about making eggnog is improvising what goes into it. My batch this year includes two bourbons, infinity whiskey, infinity rum, Jamaican rum, demerara rum, applejack, apricot liqueur, amontillado sherry, and Flora Green (a local herbal liqueur). It's banging.

To drink, now: My forthcoming book with Brett Adams (out next year!) includes more than 200 cocktail recipes, but there were nonetheless some worthy drinks that just barely didn’t make the cut. One of them, the Coronation, is seasonally apt for Thanksgiving. According to Ted Haigh in Imbibe, this drink was created in celebration of King Edward VII. The apple brandy makes it right at home for autumn and the fact that it’s mostly vermouth keeps it relatively low in proof, ideal for a holiday that tends to involve feasting and some degree of day drinking.

Since there’s only an ounce of brandy used here, I recommend reaching for flavorful, rich ingredients. I’ve been making it with Boulard VSOP calvados, Lo-Fi dry vermouth, and apricot liqueur from Bailoni or Giffard. You might try adding a dash of bitters for spice too.

• 1 oz apple brandy

• 1 oz dry vermouth

• 1 oz sweet vermouth

• 1/4 oz apricot liqueur

Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, and give thanks.

A favor

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