Clay Risen

Clay Risen is an editor at The New York Times, and is the author of A Nation on Fire: America in the Wake of the King Assassination. He has written for The New Republic, Smithsonian, and The New York Times Sunday Magazine.

How America Learned to Love Whiskey

How America Learned to Love Whiskey

Attempts to control the fermentation and sale of alcohol are older than the republic itself. More »

The Rebirth of a Pre-Prohibition Liquor

The Rebirth of a Pre-Prohibition Liquor

One man's quest to bring high-end, Peruvian-made pisco back into the bars of the United States More »

The Rise of Sake

The Rise of Sake

Most U.S. consumers only know futsu, the domestically produced table sake served warm to mask impurities. And that's too bad, because quality sake can be appreciated like a fine wine. More »

Drink Like Royalty: Berry Bros. & Rudd's King's Ginger Hits America

Drink Like Royalty: Berry Bros. & Rudd's King's Ginger Hits America

Created specifically for King Edward VII by this centuries-old London merchant, King's Ginger is finally available on American shelves. More »

The Entirely Defensible Fad for Limited-Edition, Barrel-Aged Gin

The Entirely Defensible Fad for Limited-Edition, Barrel-Aged Gin

While most of them are limited and very, very local, a host of distilleries have released gins of this variety—and they're all worth trying. More »

The Problem With Guides to Beer Drinking: There Just Aren't Enough

The Problem With Guides to Beer Drinking: There Just Aren't Enough

For newcomers to wine, it's easy to find a guide to follow, but good luck finding their equivalents when it comes to navigating the world of beer More »

The Divisive Pumpkin Ale

The Divisive Pumpkin Ale

It's that time of year again. Breweries all over the country have started to roll out their fall specials, the ones that most people seem to either love or hate. There is no in between. More »

The World's Silliest Liquor: Fake Moonshine

The World's Silliest Liquor: Fake Moonshine

If it's sold in fancy bottles, marketed via website, and made from corn, it doesn't deserve your respect More »

For American Distillers, a Whiskey Crisis Looms on the Horizon

For American Distillers, a Whiskey Crisis Looms on the Horizon

Aging bourbon is expensive—and distilleries are cutting corners to speed up the process. Will the entire industry decline? More »

Can Craft Brewers Rescue the Most Boring Craft Beer?

Can Craft Brewers Rescue the Most Boring Craft Beer?

The ubiquitous brown ale is about as flavorful as water. But a handful of breweries are giving the style a much-needed makeover. More »

Goodbye, Goose Island: The Rise of a New Era in Craft Beer

Goodbye, Goose Island: The Rise of a New Era in Craft Beer

The sale of a beloved brewery hints at a wave of beer-industry consolidation. So what does this mean for beer lovers? More »

Shattering Beer's Glass Ceiling: The Rise of Women Brewers

Shattering Beer's Glass Ceiling: The Rise of Women Brewers

Women have always been involved in craft beer—but their ranks are growing, and they don't want to brew like the boys More »

Absolut Terroir: Liquor Moguls Finally Make Vodka With Soul

Absolut Terroir: Liquor Moguls Finally Make Vodka With Soul

The people who made Absolut's banal purity synonymous with quality vodka have invented a dirtier, artisanal drink More »

When Bad Beers Happen to Good Breweries: The Case of Infinium

When Bad Beers Happen to Good Breweries: The Case of Infinium

Infinium, a Boston Beer Company special release, was supposed to be a beauty. Instead, it was like Frankenstein's monster. More »

The Microdistilling Myth

The Microdistilling Myth

With artisanal food producers, "smaller is better" is practically a mantra. But small distilleries often come in second—to big ones with years of practice. More »

The Bore Behind the Bar: Can Rum Join Its Hipster Friends?

The Bore Behind the Bar: Can Rum Join Its Hipster Friends?

As vodka, gin, and tequila have become innovative products, rum has gone down the drain. One new brand could change that. More »

How Spike Lee and Absolut Vodka Sold Out Brooklyn

How Spike Lee and Absolut Vodka Sold Out Brooklyn

A liquor company is betting on a famous Brooklynite to promote one of its brands, but he might be destroying his own More »

The Innovative 'Gypsy Brewers' Shaking Up the Beer World

The Innovative 'Gypsy Brewers' Shaking Up the Beer World

Itinerant brewers without their own facilities are proving that being small and mobile is what it takes to make risk-taking beers More »

The American Beer Style You Haven't Heard Of

The American Beer Style You Haven't Heard Of

There's a new beer in town: a cross between a porter and an India Pale Ale. The problem? No one knows what to call it. More »

Brine in Your Brew: Sampling Oyster Stouts

Brine in Your Brew: Sampling Oyster Stouts

A taste-test of beers made with oysters shows that sometimes a little bivalve can lead to big flavor (in a good way) More »

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