A Decade of Sublime Imbibing
10 years ago, while living with my parents (and with little else to do) I decided to turn my crappy Blogspot whim into a more serious website. “Sipping With Smoth” became “Sublime Imbibing” (although you can still enjoy the original moniker as a category on…
Sky-high Drinking and Dining: Air Canada Business Class Review
Alas, this post was meant to be a head to head, a la my ANA vs. JAL business class review. We were originally flying (by means of points) Air Canada business class to our three month France stay, and British Airways home. But due to…
French Beer Culture and the (Current) Craft Craze
“C’est dimanche!” At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what he said. As I was was ambling along Sunday morning, about 10am, I saw a group of guys enjoying une bier (ou trois), their empty café cups as of yet uncleared. I smiled to myself at…
Sky-high Drinking and Dining: ANA vs Japan Airlines Business Class
Remember that time we flew first class on Emirates? I’ll never forget it, in spite of how much alcohol at altitude they pumped into me. While that may have been a once in a lifetime experience, as any points-obsessed weirdo (like Christine and I) knows,…
In Defense of Light Beer
There’s a great Mitch Hedburg bit where he says “Rice is great if you’re hungry and want to eat 2000 of something.” In this way, I believe rice and light beer have something in common. There are occasions where drinking is an extended affair (or…
Drinking in Emirates First Class: What to expect
Two years. 14 credit cards. Hundreds of thousands of Alaskan Airlines points. That’s what it takes to fly from Toronto to Dubai in first class on Emirates, if you’re not amongst the “what could a loaf of bread possibly cost? $50?” crowd. But with Covid…
Five Years of Sublime Imbibing: New Look, Same Booze + My 5 Fave Drinks
Five years ago I bought a domain. I didn’t know how to make a website, or really what to do with one. I had a blog at the time which some of you may remember “Sipping with Smoth” hosted on Blogspot and looking closer to…
A Portrait of the Modern Sommelier: An Interview With Kat Woods from Winebox Valparaiso
In February, my partner and I went on the trip of a lifetime to Chile for food, hiking and — of course — wine. While trips to vineyards and many bottles of vino stood out, no wine experience was more profound than our guided tasting…
Four Years of Sublime Imbibing: My Four Favourite Posts
It’s been a while since I last posted, but rest assured — I’m still here and I still love beer (and wine, and whisky). It occurred to me as I was renewing my domain name and hosting last week that I’d been doing this for…
Japanese Beer Culture and Its Neat Nuances
Travelling to Japan exposed me to a wonderful world of refreshing cultural differences. From the food, language and customs to the possibility of adequate public transit (take note, TTC). But there were plenty that seemed familiar too, and that included the Japanese love of drinking, notably…