When my wife first came home with an etrog, I was enchanted and aghast. This was before we were married, when we were just beginning to celebrate the cycle of Jewish holidays together. I knew that to observe the holiday of Sukkot, Jews traditionally constructed makeshifts huts, and performed a ritual waving tree fronds while…
The explosion of New York craft distilleries in the past few years has presented some fascinating tipples to taste and, among them, some truly excellent new bourbons. Thus we took a New York theme for our inaugural Forward Jews and Booze event. For our destination we chose one of the more distinctive of the city’s…
There are so many ways to enjoy the libation-focused holiday of Purim. With the instruction to drink until you don’t know the difference between the good Mordechi and the evil Haman, you have Jewish tradition egging on indulgence. (Having said that, we recommend you indulge wisely.) Here are a few of our favorite Purim-focused cocktails,…
At a discussion on the history and heritage of Heaven Hill — owned by the Shapira family for 80 years — guests sampled four rare bourbons, including a vibrant whiskey produced by the company in 1936 and bottled in 1942. The whiskey business is booming down in Kentucky, with the largest brands selling millions of…
JTA — The oldest continually active Jewish congregation in the Americas? Hint: Check your margarita glass. Congregation Mikve Israel Emmanuel in Curacao, home of the liqueur of the same name, holds the honor, having served the island’s Jewish community since roughly 1654. The wheels of the community were put in motion by Jaoa d’Yllan, a…
To celebrate Tu B’Shvat, a fig-scented cocktail. Photograph by Jon Wunder. Writing for the Forward, I’ve learned so much. My education continued this week when I was asked to create a cocktail recipe to celebrate the upcoming holiday of Tu B’Shvat. I am delighted to write about Tu B’Shvat, mainly because up until several days…
Consume a lot of alcohol on Purim. As the Talmud pushes, “A person is obligated to drink on Purim to confuse the difference between the phrases ‘cursed be Haman)’ and ‘blessed be Mordecai.’ Megillah (7b). That would be a lot of drinking and any number of intoxicants could fulfill this mitzvah. This year you may…
Jews and Booze: Becoming American in the Age of Prohibition By Marni Davis NYU Press, 272 pages, $32 Sociologist Nathan Glazer has written that “a people’s relation to alcohol represents something very deep about it.” That this statement rings especially true for Jews is the premise of University of Georgia professor Marni Davis’s new book,…
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