The Art of Alcohol
Something about alcohol seems to inspire creativity. American rum, Mexican mezcal, even our old friend, wine, are each being re-invented. Some of these innovations are purely hedonistic, while some are driven by the limits of our natural resources. Our Fall issue also introduces you to artisans dedicated to the perfect Italian shoe; the traditions of letterpress printing; and a new, quintessentially American approach to the bonsai tree.
Mezcal’s Dance with Extinction
Our burly white pickup truck is rolling down the highway about 10 miles east of Oaxaca, Mexico, when the ominous dilemma that will define the future of mezcal rises into view. To my left, sitting beside me on the pickup’s bench seat, are Cuauhtémoc Lopez, a mezcal maker who is carrying on his family’s traditional…
Story and photography by GRACE RUBENSTEIN
Rum’s Revenge
In Brooklyn, a former nuclear engineer borrows from the Caribbean’s traditional methods of distilling rum, reviving America’s first spirit in the process.
By BRYCE T. BAUER
The Revival of Nero’s Wine
Throughout history vintners used clay vessels to age their wine—until the French discovered the marvels of the oak barrel. Now—for fun, for distinctly different flavors, and to save some fine old trees—a few wineries are giving clay a second chance, Roman style.
Story by TIMOTHY TEICHGRAEBER
Photography by CLAIRE BLOOMBERG
Other Topics In This Theme
Printing with Love
In the capital of digital disruption, traditional styles of bookmaking are still flourishing. See some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s masters of letterpress printing at work.
Story and photography by DOUGLAS CRUICKSHANK
With TODD OPPENHEIMER and CLAIRE BLOOMBERG
The King of Cake
Nono Colussi learned his trade in a bakery that has been in continuous operation since 1720. He is now a master of a culinary art that is nearly extinct: making mouth-wateringly light cake out of naturally yeasted dough.
By OWEN EDWARDS
The Vegetable Detective, Take Two
A California biologist found toxic levels of heavy metals in kale, got slammed for it on the internet, and then found evidence that at least one of the toxins could be even more troublesome than he had thought.
Written by TODD OPPENHEIMER
Photography by CLAIRE BLOOMBERG
The Soul of the Italian Shoe
In Venice, Italy, a city built for endless walking, a determined young woman named Daniela Ghezzo has mastered the rare art of simultaneously beautifying and comforting the human foot.
Story and photography by ERLA ZWINGLE
The Bonsai Kid
At six o’clock on a July morning, during one of the hottest stretches in northwest Oregon’s recorded history, Ryan Neil trots out the door of his hilltop home and down a short gravel path in his nursery to check on more than a million dollars worth of small, delicate trees. Neil is a professional bonsai…
By NANCY LEBRUN
More from this Theme
Podcast
Listen to “The Revival of Nero’s Wine”
Written by TIMOTHY TEICHGRAEBER Narrated by CHRIS EGUSA
Podcast
Listen to “Mezcal’s Dance with Extinction”
Written by GRACE RUBENSTEIN Narrated by GRACE RUBENSTEIN
