When this product first came out last year (or a littler earlier), I was a bit skeptical. It's blended whisky—but under this new brand, it cuts through the opacity of a lot of Scotch whisky labels. The brand is called John, Mark & Robbo, representing a few guys who describes themselves as "three mates (two of us brothers), who passionately believe that decent quality whisky should be enjoyed and not worshipped."

Does anybody out there have a berry bowl, or know what one is?

I had never even seen or heard of them until a few months ago. Over Memorial Day weekend, I reunited with my parents and close family in Vermont. It was my cousin Pete’s graduation from Middlebury (my alma mater) and former President Clinton was the speaker—all worth a cross-country trip. As my father ceaselessly reminded me, it had been 12 years since my graduation, however, much to my relief, not much had changed. In fact, it felt like I’d never left.

Neyah with a special, unlisted cocktail

You know they're doing something right at Nopa when you’re willing to wait 25 minutes for a bar stool, and fight off vicious competitors while doing it. It's clear why people are so eager to get seats here: The bar is genius.

When I say “Italy’s Finest,” I'm not talking about the Carbinieri, Italy's state police force that’s the butt of many jokes (e.g. "Why do Carabinieri always work in pairs? Because one knows how to read, the other how to write").

Not long ago, I attended a couple of tastings featuring Italy's finest wines—the ones you don't get to taste every day, but are worth writing about when you do.