The 5 Best Food Blogs for Drinks
5. The Five O’Clock Cocktail Blog
The Story
The blog is tended to by a writer, Rose Maura Lorre, and Sean, her photographer husband. Rose has got quite some impressive writing credentials, as she’s penned material for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Glamour, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, and just about every other famous lifestyle magazine there is. She’s originally a food critic, who regularly writes for the St. Louis Magazine, as well as an award winner for her food criticism work. To boot, she’s also a former bartender with one of the most prestigious bars in St. Louis, as well as a graduate of the Columbia University School of Mixology. Rose and her husband live in Montreal, Canada.
The Blog
The Five O’Clock Cocktail Blog is, you’ve guessed it!, all about cocktails, delivered by the author (almost) every day of the week. It’s colorful, got great pictures, and quite a lot of humor in the tone of the writer’s voice. If you’re into cocktails, you probably already go by the rule that says ‘it must be 5 o’clock somewhere’. Update that rule to 5 p.m. ET to sample a good mix of original recipes and classic drinks, as well as the recipes in-between all that, which are equal parts traditional and modern. The point of this blog is to make mixology accessible to just about every at-home bartender, which is why most recipes have been updated from cocktail lounge menus, in order to become easier to follow. And if you’re really into cocktails, then you absolutely have got to try Rose’s book based on the blog, The Big Book of Martinis for Moms. The blog is very well categorized, according to the main drink in each cocktail, and all variants are included, from beer and bourbon, to whiskey and wine. It also includes a fun, whimsical section of cocktails based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Blog Metrics
PR – 3/10
DA – 33
Alexa Rank – 1,586,152
Fans & Followers – The blog has got some 400 followers on Twitter and a similar number of Facebook fans, but we are willing to wager it’s going to keep growing in terms of popularity.
Drinker Philosophy
“5-ish days a week, at 5 p.m., a new cocktail: Some classics, some new creations, all ideal for the adventurous, at-home bartender.”
Yes, you need to have a certain sense of adventure to play along with all of Rose’s concoction, some of which may strike many as too outlandish. However, judging by the results that can be seen in the pictures below, this mixologist definitely knows what she’s doing.
Signature Recipes
4. Good Beer Hunting
The Story
Behind Good Beer Hunting stands one man: Michael Kiser, who has quite the life story. He grew up working in restaurants and factories, then went on to study visual arts and literature in college and ended up working as a consulting strategist in the design innovation industry for 7 years. He helped develop all sorts of products, from electronics to consumer goods, and has worked with Samsung, Nike, and the Department of Defense, among others. Then, one day, he realized he actually wants to invest himself into his lifelong passion for beer. That’s exactly what he’s working in right now, helping breweries of all sizes reach success with good products, targeted at the right audiences. Since he’s originally from Pennsylvania, he’s had a craft beer for all his life and upon moving to Chicago he saw the craft beer movement explode and thinks Chicago is the best place to witness it, thanks to its range of styles, history, and passion.
The Blog
Yes, Good Beer Hunting is a blog, but it’s a lot of other things, too – in a nutshell, it’s the complete beer experience, located in Chicago. Aside from the website, there’s a Good Beer Hunting brand consultancy company, gallery, and store, which only works with the best and biggest names in beer production. Its aim is to create products that perfectly respond to the needs of a certain kind of lifestyle: one that revolves around good beer. The blog has a lot to explore, from the actual stories, that involve reviews of crafting houses, industry events, information on provisions, and blind tasting, to a dedicated brand shop and a behind the scenes section.
Blog Metrics
PR – 5/10
DA – 41
Alexa Rank – 700,997
Fans & Followers – More than 5.1k followers on Twitter, plus a sizeable presence on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram will tell you that Good Beer Hunting is a bran worth watching.
Drinker Philosophy
“Good Beer Hunting is crafting the story of beer around the world — not from the outside looking in, rather, from the center of the movement. GBH is an online chronicle of the most compelling people, places and products of the craft beer world.”
That’s precisely what this blog is all about: a first-hand account of a mass revolution in the way Americans perceive beer, beer crafting, and beer brands. If you’re curious to learn more about what goes into your favorite pint of lager, this blog is not to be missed.
Notable Drinks
3. Wine Diarist
The Story
If you know anything about wines and wine tasting, you cannot have missed Mike Steinberger. He is by far the biggest name in the field, a fact recognized by prestigious online magazine Slate. Steinberger writes for Slate on the regular and has also published a book in 2009 with Bloomsbury, titled Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France. As the man himself puts it, when he’s not writing about wine, he’s usually drinking it. His passion for arguably the world’s most notable beverage is paired by his wife’s love of food. He’s married to cookbook editor and food writer Kathleen Brennan, with whom he has two kids, “both of whom enjoy mimicking his wine tasting rituals at the dinner table.”
The Blog
The Wine Diarist is a classical blog, if there ever was any. The clean-cut design and rich burgundy hued background are just as evocative as one would expect of one of the best known blogs about wine. In terms of content, Steinberger’s writing style indicates he is well aware of his wine industry arbiter status. He doesn’t shy away from polemics of controversy, brings up-to-the-moment news from the industry and can be trusted with providing entertaining reads on his travels, tennis, and, of course, wine. You can be sure the blog covers all sorts of wine, from Beaujolais to Sake to Sherry to Riesling, and also approaches wines that are affordable for most people. We wholeheartedly recommend that all those serious about their wines also check out his writings on Slate, for an even more comprehensive view of his takes on the matter.
Blog Metrics
PR – 5/10
DA – 42
Alexa Rank – 1,977,032
Fans & Followers – Mike only has some 300 fans on Facebook, but his Twitter following, of nerly 80k is almost legendary.
Drinker Philosophy
“For me, it’s not enough for a wine simply to taste good; authenticity matters, too. I like wines that exude a strong sense of place—goût de terroir, as the French so felicitously put it—and that are true to the conditions under which the grapes were cultivated. I don’t want them doctored up by machines and chemical additives in order to invest them with qualities they would otherwise lack, even if those artificial influences aren’t necessarily obvious to my palate.”
Steinberger knows his wine, no doubt about it – and he also has the seemingly limitless capacity to discuss them to no end. So don’t take our word for it: check out some selections from his exploits below and also head on down to the blog to find out more.
Notable Drinks
2. The Boys Club
The Story
Perhaps not surprisingly, many of the massive team behind The Boys Club are, well… girls. The editorial team is helmed by Brian Samuels, editor-in-chief and co-founder, who is well educated in the art of the cocktail, as well as a blogger with a long track record, at A Thought for Food, among others. In fact, most of the signatures you’ll find underneath materials on the website belong to people with a history of online writing – and perhaps the most important of them all is Russell van Kraayenburg, a name you’re already familiar with, if you’ve been following this article. The website also has an impressive roster of food, drink, and lifestyle contributors, all of them dedicated to bringing you the most topical and good quality information in these fields. In fact, what they manage to do incredibly well as The Boys Club is tell a story, be it about a starter platter or a cocktail – so check them out!
The Blog
If something about The Boys Club seems familiar, that’s because they are not the first blog on our list to belong to a certain clique. The Club is part of a club, as it were, which also includes Chasing Delicious (see our section on desserts) and TheSweetTooth.co. And this is probably why the blog offers its readers such a comprehensive experience: you see, it’s neither about beer and wine, nor about hard liquor and cocktails alone. It’s got all the best from all these worlds, threw in some lifestyle advice, too, offers mixology how-to’s, and even has a store for those readers dedicated enough to want to purchase a branded memento of the site. To boot, you can also sample some recipes for entrées, snacks, and dessert, which will go perfectly fine with your beverage of choice. If you do visit the site, make sure to also check out the features, with titles like How to Be a Man, but also Girls’ Night Out.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4/10
DA – 42
Alexa Rank – 212,602
Fans & Followers – The boys and their proverbial club have got over 1k followers on Twitter, some 2.2k Facebook fans, and can also be followed on Pinterest and Instagram.
Drinker Philosophy
“From Italy to both coasts of the U.S. to Canada, our boys have every cocktail covered. Join us around the table as we share delicious drinks, scrumptious recipes, stories of all sorts, and some great cocktail tips. This is The Boys Club and you’re invited.”
That’s right, the boys in this club will leave no proverbial stone unturned, looking for the best, most flavorful, and richest cocktail and drinking experience. Irrespective of what your beverage and/or lifestyle of choice is, you’ll be sure to find something to your liking on this site!
Signature Food & Drinks
1. Vinography
The Story
There’s a massive team at work behind Vinography, but, in earnest, it all started with one man: Alder Yarrow. By late 2003, he found himself as the go-to source for wine recommendations in his circle of friends. He was looking for a more efficient way to provide that kind of feedback and, upon discovering there are no wine blogs to speak of online, he decided to make up his own. It took him about three hours one day to come up with the invented word “vinography” and set up his own blog. By day, Yarrow helms an interactive design and strategy consulting firm, so he’s a blogger only by night. He’s recently had kids, but doesn’t keep any pets and watches no TV, as to dedicate most of his spare time to his love of writing and wining. Ever since the blog has spectacularly taken off, Yarrow has also become a speaker at wine events, a panelist, an editorial board member on several wine magazines, a columnist, and the founder of a global wine overview initiative. He’s a Stanford graduate with some quality time spent in Oxford under his belt and currently lives in San Francisco with his family.
The Blog
On January 15, 2004, Alder Yarrow started his most notable project to date: Vinography, subtitled simply – A Wine Blog. It’s easy to see why the site enjoys such massive popularity today. It’s a trusted and respectable source of information on all things wine, with the amendment that it has fashioned itself as a ‘non-mainstream’ platform for wine writing. There’s little about wine you won’t find on Vinography, from reviews of more exotic types of wines like sake, to restaurant reviews, op-eds, book reviews, and coverage of industry events. Significantly enough, the site takes no paid publicity from wineries or other commercial producers, as its main mission is independence. The community formed behind the site takes pride in defining itself as “civil and respectful” and you can sample the level of commentary they contribute by reading any one article on the blog. They have a solid wine rating and review code in place, which you can check out here.
Blog Metrics
PR – 6/10
DA – 65
Alexa Rank – 304,355
Fans & Followers – Alder Yarrow has well over 17k followers on Twitter and 1k on Instagram. He can also be found on Delectable, Pinterest, and Flipboard.
Wine-Lover Philosophy
“The site’s contributors work hard to create an alternative to the traditional sources and styles of wine journalism, partially through its emphasis on the stories, the people, and the passion behind wine, all told from a decidedly down-to-earth perspective.”
The above lines perfectly encapsulate what sets Vinography apart from other, more pretentious wine blogs. This one is not about showing off esoteric knowledge, but about imparting a love of wine, passion, and stories to every member of the potential audience. In doing so, the blog has established itself as a source fully worthy of attention and affection from all wine aficionados around the world.
Signature Drinks
