Featured writer: Michael Shapiro

This week’s Drink.Think featured writer, Michael Shapiro, has raised pints of ale with the legendary Welsh writer Jan Morris while on assignment for National Geographic Traveler. He’s drunk fermented mare’s milk with nomads while cycling through Mongolia for the Washington Post. And he once missed a plane home because his new best friends at Herradura in Jalisco were opening top-shelf bottles of tequila. He lives, writes, plays poker and drinks in Sonoma County. Visit his website at www.michaelshapiro.net.

I can’t wait to hear what this adventurous drinker has to share with us at Drink.Think! You too? Come out to Cantina on Tuesday, February 5 to hear from Mike and other talented tipplers. Full event details here.

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Featured writer: Virginia Miller

Virginia Miller Writer PhotoI first met Virginia Miller in New Orleans, during the annual Tales of the Cocktail conference.

Now, this might seem unremarkable at first — a LOT of people meet during Tales– but the truth is, I might have been just as likely to meet the self-described “Wandering Traveler” in Morocco, Vietnam, or the coast of Venezuela.

That is, if I’d ever been to any of those places.

But Virginia has. Indeed, she has traveled the world in pursuit of her love of good food and drink, suffering from an insatiable curiosity (and appetite).

Closer to home, Virginia is the head food and drink writer with a weekly column at the SF Bay Guardian. She also edits her own newsletter, The Perfect Spot, and has written for Zagat, Eater, Grubstreet, 7×7 Magazine, PureWow, Blackboard Eats, Citysearch, NBC’s The Feast, Berkeleyside and 944 Magazine.

Come hear to Cantina on Tuesday, Feb 5, to hear Virginia read from her work.

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Featured writer: Camper English

camper_shouts

If you’re in any way connected with the booze writing world, you likely already know this week’s featured writer, Camper English. In fact, I’d venture that he’s probably the best-known spirits writer in the Bay area.

Surely you’ve spotted his byline:  Camper is a regular contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle, Details.com, Mixology Magazine (Germany), and CLASS Magazine (UK), and is a columnist for ShakeStir.com and FineCooking.com, when not writing for his own website Alcademics.com.

But that’s only part of the story. After all, Camper won the Best Cocktail Writing honor at Tales of the Cocktail in 2011 and received a Legends Award at San Francisco Cocktail Week in 2012. So perhaps he’s one of the best-known spirits writers in the country!

But wait….there’s more:  Camper has traveled to nearly 90 distilleries, blending houses, and bodegas in more than 15 countries and has judged cocktail contests on three continents. Might Camper be the best-known spirits writer in the world?

Come out to Cantina on Tuesday, Feb 5 to hear more from Camper about his hooch-driven travels around the Bay area and beyond.

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Featured writer: Courtney Humiston

Courtney Humiston

Mark your calendar – Tuesday, Feb. 5 is the next Drink.Think reading event!

Once again, we’ve got a great line-up of writers slated to read from their work — and over the next few weeks, I’ll entice you with mini-biographies, starting this week with Courtney Humiston.

As a writer, Courtney describes her mission as “telling the story of wine — the land, the vineyards, the people —in a way that helps everyone love, understand and appreciate wine more.”

As founding editor and Beverage Director of online publication Table To Grave, Courtney focuses on everything that happens above, on, around —and occasionally under — the table. She’s also a columnist for San Francisco’s 7×7 and has contributed to Decanter.com, La Cucina Italiana and Sonoma magazine, among others.

After several years writing and editing in New York, including a year-long post as a freelance correspondent covering New York City’s dining scene for NBC, Courtney says she “found herself way more interested in wine than seemed reasonable.” (If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with that sentiment, yes?) So in 2010, she picked up & moved to the Napa Valley where, as a member of the inaugural Accelerated Wine and Beverage program at the Culinary Institute of America, she earned the designation as a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Come out to Cantina on Tuesday, Feb. 5 to hear Courtney read from her work.

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Drink.Think is coming to San Francisco on Tues, Feb 5!

image credit: Examiner.com

Drink.Think is going on the road…to San Francisco!

Mark your calendar – the next Drink.Think event will be Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at Cantina, 580 Sutter St (at Mason), San Francisco, CA.

….If you’ve never attended this gathering of beverage writers before, here’s a quick write-up of a recent Drink.Think. We have a lot of fun, so come out and join us!

…If you’re a writer with something to say about wine, spirits, beer, coffee, or any other potable, email me (kara AT karanewman DOT com) and let’s talk. I’m already lining up writers, and have some open spots though they won’t last long.

Hope to see you there!

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Photos from Drink.Think – Oct 2012, NYC

Thank you to everyone who came out to Drink.Think this past week! I think this was the most successful event yet – great writers, great drinks, and great conversation.

For those who couldn’t make it to Casa Mezcal, here are a few snapshots of the festivities. (Thanks to Jackie Summers of Jack From Brooklyn for being our impromptu photographer.)

Montelobos Mezcal sponsored the bar – and here’s Martin, our awesome bartender.

It was great to see so many people come out to support the writers.

After the cocktail hour, the main event was the reading, of course. Here’s San Francisco bartender and writer Duggan McDonnell treating us to a travel story about pisco.

We also had books available for sale and for authors to sign. Here’s author Laura Weiss with a copy of her book about the history of ice cream!

At the end of the evening, this was my tasty reward:  a mezcal-spiked Margarita rimmed with spicy taijin on one side, and sweet-tart hibiscus on the other.

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Drink.Think – Tues, 8/16 at Casa Mezcal

After a year-long hiatus, Drink.Think returns tonight! Come out to hear drink and food writers read from their work about beverages, enjoy a complimentary sample of Montelobos Mezcal, and otherwise celebrate our favorite literary muse – booze!

Date & Time:  Tuesday, October 16, 2012.  The bar will be open starting at 6pm – the reading starts at 7pm.

Location:  Obra Negra, below Casa Mezcal – 86 Orchard Street, NY, NY

Admission: FREE admission and Montelobos Mezcal samples. Books will be available for purchase and signing; full cash bar available.

Featured Readers:  Curated by wine and spirits writer Kara Newman, participants include:

See you there!

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