This season’s vodka cocktails are sharp and fresh

Old Forester, the Louisville, Kentucky brand that bills itself as America’s first bottled bourbon, just released the newest entry in its 117 Series: Triple Char Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky.

The milestone here isn’t only the char — at least, not entirely. It’s also that Triple Char is the first Old Forester expression made entirely from whiskey distilled at the brand’s Main Street distillery.

How high in ABV can a mass-market tequila get? Herradura is looking to find out, with the return of Directo de Alambique, an unaged, still-strength expression bottled at 110 proof at Casa Herradura in Amatitán, Jalisco.

The tequila first appeared in 2012 as a small-batch experiment and developed a cult following among collectors before disappearing. The brand says the 2026 return comes after years of requests from drinkers hunting down old bottles.

An interviewer once famously asked Keith Richards how he had survived decades of rock ‘n’ roll debauchery—heights of hedonism that had sent so many of his cultural contemporaries to an early grave. His answer was surprisingly pragmatic: whatever the vice, he indulged thoughtfully rather than recklessly. And he insisted on only the finest, purest product money could buy. When it came to illicit vices, the King of Riffs exercised discernment as polished as his taste in guitars.

While my indulgences are, on the whole, tamer than Keith’s, I have taken his philosophy to heart when it comes to booze. Especially as hangovers grow more vicious with each passing year, I demand maximum enjoyment from every pour. Every drop of alcohol that touches my should be premium—and consumed thoughtfully.