Alcademics

06/16/2026

It’s all about the texture.

How John deBary uses unconventional and modified ingredients to build better nonalcoholic drinks.

06/05/2026

https://alcademics.com/saratoga-waters-changing-sources/

In my water tasting classes in San Francisco, I noticed that Saratoga water’s total dissolved solids jumped from around 40ppm TDS to about 100ppm. In the class we measure TDS by using a low-end TDS meter. The change came between one bottle (glass) and the next batch I bought (in plastic). I was wo...

06/05/2026

05/23/2026

May 23, 2026 is the third birthday of The Ice Book. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the book or picked up a copy, and especially to Allison Webber and Nan Allison for helping me manifest it.

05/22/2026

New booze to choose: Golden Rule is the latest venue at Thrive City from the Che Fico team. Here is the menu.

05/10/2026

Educational Drinking Events this May

05/02/2026

Lost Lantern gave us whiskies at different proofs to compare or dilute your own.

Lost Lantern independent whiskey bottler released their Spring 2026 collection, which was themed as a collection of high vs low proof whiskeys. The collection includes American single malts with unsmoked barley, Rocky Mountain bourbons with different mashbills, southern bourbons with different mashb...

04/27/2026

San Francisco, come drink water with me!

04/18/2026

A write up of my water tasting classes.

A visit to a San Francisco water tasting reveals how mineral content, texture, and sourcing shape everyday drinking water in surprising ways.

04/13/2026

I commented on ice.

Nice ice is big business, but you can get perfectly clear cubes at home without freezing your assets.