http://www.metropulse.com/news/columns/knoxville-culture/libacious/?partner=RSSMetroPulse Stories: Libacious by Jesse Fox Maysharken-uscolumns/knoxville-culture/libacioushttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/dec/14/cheers-yall/?partner=RSSWhile we still drink plenty of toasts, we have somewhat lost the art of toast-making. It used to be a popular form of verse and entertainment, with partygoers competing to top each other in puns and rhymes. These days, apart from the obligatory recitations at wedding receptions, most toasts don’t venture far beyond “Happy birthday” or just “Cheers!” I have been thinking about this lately, because I am nearing a drink-worthy point in my own life. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:28:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-24034-734485columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNCheers, Y'AllMetroPulsecheers-yallurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-24034-734485Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/sep/21/state-boozin/?partner=RSSIt might not be a great time to be an American, but it is a very, very good time to be a drinking American. Whether you’re a wine sipper or a beer guzzler, a Scotch snob or a cocktail connoisseur, the quantity and quality of alcohol available to you are both at an all-time high. Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:17:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23654-734401columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNState of the Boozin’MetroPulsestate-boozinurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23654-734401Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/aug/17/hard-cider-s-not-too-sweet/?partner=RSSEven as hard cider has become a more common commodity in grocery store coolers here, it has tended toward the syrupy. But cider is slowly overcoming its reputation as—not to put too fine a point on it—a sort of sugary, girly drink. Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:40:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23477-734366columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNHard Cider That's Not Too SweetMetroPulsehard-cider-s-not-too-sweeturn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23477-734366Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/jul/20/one-mix-drinks/?partner=RSSAs much fun as it is to play with a well-stocked bar, toying with different bitters and juices and liqueurs, there’s still a lot to be said for simplicity. Especially when it’s a hot July day and you mostly want something fast and refreshing. Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:55:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23352-734338columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNOne-Mix DrinksMetroPulseone-mix-drinksurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23352-734338Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/jun/22/drink-your-veggies/?partner=RSSThe mixology renaissance of the past decade has led to both rediscovery and invention of all kinds of garden-laden libations. Whether muddled, infused, juiced, or reduced, fruits and vegetables are making their way from the food pyramid to the bar menu. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:46:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23221-734310columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNDrink Your VeggiesMetroPulsedrink-your-veggiesurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23221-734310Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/may/25/warm-weather-drinker/?partner=RSSHere in Knoxville, as we enter the season of outdoor imbibing, the rules can seem almost as arbitrary. The profusion of patios downtown and elsewhere attest to the popularity of the activity. On a sunny day or humid evening, the combination of warm air and cool cocktails feels like something concocted on high—what the weather was made for. Wed, 25 May 2011 18:30:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23062-734282columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNWarm Weather DrinkerMetroPulsewarm-weather-drinkerurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-23062-734282Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/apr/20/mint-conditioned-why-mojitos-and-juleps-taste-spri/?partner=RSSMint juleps and mojitos are distant cousins, culturally—one a hallmark of Dixie aristocracy, inescapably entwined with the Kentucky Derby, the other a Cuban concoction redolent of sugar-cane fields and endorsed by Ernest Hemingway. But stylistically, they have a lot in common. Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:44:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22889-734247columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNMint Conditioned: Why Mojitos and Juleps Taste Like SpringMetroPulsemint-conditioned-why-mojitos-and-juleps-taste-spriurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22889-734247Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/mar/16/seoul-power-soju/?partner=RSSSoju has a near-universal presence on that South Korea’s dining tables akin to that of wine in Italy or sake in Japan. You cannot at the moment find soju in Knoxville. But it has been making inroads in the U.S. since 1998, when California passed a law exempting it from the state’s liquor licensing requirements. Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:34:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22725-734212columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNThe Seoul Power of SojuMetroPulseseoul-power-sojuurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22725-734212Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2011/feb/09/bourbon-renewal/?partner=RSSUntil relatively recently, bourbon played off Kentucky’s down-home image. It was unpretentious, honest, accessible (the sweetness of the corn makes it friendly to whiskey dilettantes), a workingman’s drink that could also accompany a lawyer’s poker game. But that was your Old Grand-Dad’s bourbon. Things have changed in the increasingly trend-conscious spirit realm, with booze of all kinds aiming for a younger, hipper, upscale demographic. Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:52:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22552-734177columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNBourbon RenewalMetroPulsebourbon-renewalurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22552-734177Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/dec/22/sparkling-wines-wont-hurt-your-wallet/?partner=RSSFor a long time, the choices available to Americans on the bubbly front were stark: spend a lot and get something good, or spend a little and get something bad. But as with so much else in our age of increasingly enlightened indulgence, the options have expanded. Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:21:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22292-734128columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNSparkling Wines That Won't Hurt Your WalletMetroPulsesparkling-wines-wont-hurt-your-walleturn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22292-734128Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/dec/01/im-dreaming-white-russian/?partner=RSSI can’t pinpoint the exact year that I first declared a personal White Russian Season, but I can tell you the origins of it. Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:43:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22182-734107columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNI’m Dreaming of a White RussianMetroPulseim-dreaming-white-russianurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-22182-734107Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/oct/20/pumpkin-beer-can-it-be-good/?partner=RSSAs other breweries and pubs opened across the country, many of them looking to Buffalo Bill’s for inspiration, some began trying their own pumpkin experiments. And what started as a larkish novelty has now become an established seasonal offering. The brew-review website BeerAdvocate.com lists 222 different varieties of pumpkin beer, most of them ales but also including lagers, porters, and stouts. Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:40:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21966-734065columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNPumpkin Beer: Can it be Good?MetroPulsepumpkin-beer-can-it-be-goodurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21966-734065Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/sep/15/september-fest/?partner=RSSAmericans love Oktoberfest, or at least what they think of as “Oktoberfest”: lots of beer drinking, and funny pictures of mustached men in lederhosen and buxom Bavarian maids. Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:40:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21795-734030columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNSeptember FestMetroPulseseptember-festurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21795-734030Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/aug/04/looking-good-lawn-mower-beer/?partner=RSSEven beer snobs have to mow the lawn sometimes. And when it’s 95 degrees with 70 percent humidity, even less strenuous outdoor activity—like sitting on a patio in the shade—can seem to call for something a little crisper, colder, dare I say lighter, than your more robust microbrews. Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:10:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21593-733988columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNLooking for a Good Lawn-Mower Beer MetroPulselooking-good-lawn-mower-beerurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21593-733988Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/jul/07/tennessee-shines/?partner=RSSTennessee is wholeheartedly embracing the mountain dew, turning it licit with a law last year permitting distilleries in 44 counties rather than the three where they were previously allowed. One of those is Sevier County, which last week saw the debut of the Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery, set just back from the parkway in Gatlinburg. Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:53:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21469-733960columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNTennessee ’ShinesMetroPulsetennessee-shinesurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21469-733960Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/jun/09/island-treasure/?partner=RSSWhat would it take to make rum respectable? Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21342-733932columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNIsland Treasure MetroPulseisland-treasureurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21342-733932Change0Usablehttp://www.metropulse.com/news/2010/may/12/vinho-verde-winds-its-way-knoxville/?partner=RSSKnoxville is a drinking town, and has been for most of its years. Until relatively recently, though, we didn’t like to talk about it much. Drinking was done behind closed doors, whether in sketchy roadhouses, suburban living rooms, or the exclusive confines of country clubs. Hence this column, intended as a monthly survey and sampling of some of the astounding array of beers, wines, liquors, cocktails, hooch, booze, white lightning, and firewater available in our metropolitan drinking area. Wed, 12 May 2010 14:03:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21154-733904columns/knoxville-culture/libaciousJesse Fox MaysharkKnoxville, TNVinho Verde Winds Its Way Into KnoxvilleMetroPulsevinho-verde-winds-its-way-knoxvilleurn:publicid:www.metropulse.com:news-Story-21154-733904Change0Usable