Author Archives: Don Dougherty

The History of Premium Vodka, Part Two – America

by Don Dougherty on March 11, 2012

When Vladimir Smirnoff arrived in America with his old product and a new spelling for his name, the most popular spirits in the U.S. were all brown. And worse still, the imported vodkas that Americans had been exposed to were … Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Sipping

The History of Premium Vodka, Part One – Russia

by Don Dougherty on March 11, 2012

Vodka is the best-selling distilled spirit in the U. S today. And Smirnoff is the best-selling brand. I can now imagine many of my readers turning up their noses at the very thought of drinking anything other than an ultra-premium … Continue reading →

Posted in Marketing, Sipping

The Next Big Thing In Beverages

by Don Dougherty on December 30, 2011

The beverage sector has long been the hottest selling category in packaged goods. This is true of both soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. While other packaged food manufacturers are very pleased to achieve the rare 40% profit margin, beverage makers … Continue reading →

Posted in Investing, Sipping

Grape Relations in the New World

by Don Dougherty on November 3, 2011

The term “terroir” has caught on. It is trotted out by wine snobs now to describe characteristics that frequently have little to do with actual terroir. In France, the term is used to refer to vineyards that share a soil … Continue reading →

Posted in Sipping

Making The Old, New Again

by Don Dougherty on October 16, 2011

In my last post, I discussed the ravaging effects that the phylloxera plague had on the vineyards of Europe. As I mentioned, the solution to this blight came in grafting traditional European Vitis Vinefera vines onto the Vitis Labrusca rootstock … Continue reading →

Posted in Sipping

Biography

Loquacious Libations
Don’s passion for imbibing began when he was introduced to the new guard of groundbreaking winemakers working the Napa Valley during the “California Wine Boom” of the 1970’s in a college business course. That interest transformed into an obsession for beverage esoterica. While living in Spain in 1980, a glass of “real” absinthe inspired Don to begin researching and writing about the drinks that were then ignored by the majority of American food and wine writers at the time. That lead to contributions to a variety of travel and lifestyle magazines including: The Wine Spectator, L.A. Style, Pacifica Magazine, and many others.

This early work ultimately led to invitations to be a contributing editor at several publications. He served as the “alternative dining editor” for The Honolulu Weekly, the foreign wine contributor for a sake publication, Jokaishunjyu, in Tokyo and the monthly wine editor for RSVP Magazine for several years each. He has since written documentary segments on food and beverages for various local and syndicated PBS programs including Hawaii Cooks with Roy, New American Cuisine and The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter. Don’s most impressive beverage credential is he may be the only person whose had wine spilled on him by both the late Julia Child and Robert Mondavi.

Today, Don is particularly interested in the ugly duckling grape varietals largely ignored by the wine industry. He also continues his never-ending search to find the world’s most unpalatable beverage. He is currently working on a book entitled Liquid History that examines the interconnected nexus of economic conditions and social influences that underlie the creation of the world’s most popular beverages.

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