Spec’sology Blog

Top Bourbons of 2022 - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Spec’s Staff Picks – Top Bourbons of 2022

Spirits
Do you like staff picks? Do you like bourbon? Well, you’re in for a treat, my friend! We rounded up Spec’s spirits experts and managed to get them to sit down for a few minutes (these people are always busy!) to enlighten us with their personal bourbon picks! Read below to stock your shelf like a pro!   Maker’s Mark Spec’s Private Select Spec’s loves working with Maker’s Mark! Thisselection of staves creates an excellent bourbon for drinking neat or your favorite cocktail. A fla... Read More
Liquor & Beer Marinades - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Alcohol Marinades: Memorial Day Recipes

Spec’sology Blog, Beer, Entertain, Spirits
Memorial Day is here and that means it’s time to drag your grill into the kitchen and put it to use! OK, you should probably skip the dragging inside part, but either way, your grill will definitely be the center of attention this holiday weekend. And where there’s grilling, there’s marinating! Everyone has their preferred method of marinating meats, and one of the most popular ways to do it involves alcohol. A bourbon marinade is an excellent choice for chicken or steak, but there are a l... Read More
How To Pick The Perfect Rose - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Rosé 101: A Guide to Picking the Perfect Rosé

Spec’sology Blog, Wine
If your favorite summer sipper leads to you making plans like Rosé all day + fill in the blank, and if you want to get the most out of your Rosé all day, then this is the piece for you! We’ve put together some of the best rosé wines as well as tips on how to pick the perfect rosé. What is rosé wine? Rosé is simply a light version of red wine. Red wine gets its color from fermenting the white juice with red-skinned grapes to get a red color, and rosé is fermented the same way but for a s... Read More
Top Ten Texas Beers - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Top Ten Texas Beers

Spec’sology Blog, Beer
If you’re drinking local Texas beers, make sure you’re doing it right! Check out our list of the ten most popular Texas brews, and get ready to add a top shelf to your beer fridge! If your near our Smith Street liquor store in Houston, be sure to check out these great Texas beers. Lone Pine Yellow Rose Rated #1 Texas Brewed IPA, on both BeerAdvocate.com and RateBeer.com, I believe. A SMASH IPA (single malt, single hop), Yellow Rose is as nice to look at as it is to drink. Live Oak Hefewe... Read More

Best Tequilas Under $50

Spec’sology Blog, Spirits

As you may have noticed in your youth, when it comes to tequila you get what you pay for. A good tequila in the US can easily break the $100 mark, but if you’re just looking for a tasty one to mix up at your Cinco de Mayo party or for casual drinking, you’ll want to find something that’s both tasty and affordable. Lucky you (and us), we’ve done the research and sipped all the samples to cut out the guesswork for you.

Here are 4 exceptional tequilas that will tickle your tastebuds with... Read More

Cinco De Mayo Party Essentials - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Strawberry Paloma

Spec’sology Blog, Entertain, Holidays

Cinco de Mayo is all about celebrating Mexican culture and heritage. And while there is absolutely more to this day than tequila and tacos, but we’ll be focusing on tequila as well as some other fun items you’ll need to throw the perfect Cinco de Mayo party!
Tequila
Pitcher Perfect Rita Recipe
Of course, you’ll need a margarita, but instead of having to stand there making the same drink over and over again why not just whip up and easy pitcher-sized recipe that’ll free you up to enjoy... Read More

Tequila Punch Recipes - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Tequila Punch Recipes

Spec’sology Blog, Drink Recipes, Spirits

Tequila punch is always a wonderful addition to any gathering, but even more so for Cinco de Mayo! A punch cocktail is made with fruit juice and alcohol and is a great way to get yourself out from behind the bar and back into the party. These large-batch cocktails can be made well in advance of your gathering and stored in the fridge until guests arrive.

We’ve got 5 punches to put the feisty in your fiesta!

 
Patrón’s Citrus Punch
Ingredients

2 oz agave nectar
9 oz Patr... Read More

Whiskey & Cigar Pairings - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Whiskey & Cigar Pairings

Spec’sology Blog, Pairings, Spirits

Pairing a cigar with a tumbler of whiskey can be a delightful experience…as long as you pair the right cigar with the right bourbon. There are a few key things to keep in mind when pairing tobacco and alcohol, but the main thing is to enjoy yourself!
The keys to a good pairing

You want your cigar and alcohol flavors to be opposing flavors that balance each other and enhance each profile.
You don’t want to pair similar flavors/notes together, as it can wash out the flavor profile and... Read More

The Best Whiskey For Any Occasion - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

How To Choose The Best Whiskey For Any Occasion

Spec’sology Blog, Spirits

When it comes to whiskey, the most expensive isn’t necessarily the best. The price can be directly related to the distilleries marketing expenses, the amount they created, or any other business-related factor besides the quality of the whiskey. The best whiskey can vary depending on what you’re using it for. Some are excellent in cocktails while others are best sipped on a special occasion.

We’ve put together some simple ways to help you figure out what you’re looking for as well as som... Read More

Beet Budget Spanish Wines - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Best Spanish Wines Under $15

Spec’sology Blog, Wine

When looking for a good Spanish wine it can be difficult to narrow down your choices, and with good reason. Spain is considered one of the top-producing wine regions in the world, with more than 50 prolific areas exporting delicious bottlings every vintage. Spain is a captivating country for wine with its millennia of winemaking, its exceptionally diverse geography and its economic and cultural history all making it a great source of quaffable discovery.

With so many wonderful options to choo... Read More

Popular Cocktails By Decade - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Cocktails Through The Decades

Spec’sology Blog, Drink Recipes

You can walk into almost any bar and order whatever cocktail you’d like, and they’ll easily be able to make it for you. But this wasn’t always the case. We didn’t have access to the variety of spirits and flavors we have today, which made for some creative cocktail making back in the day.

Join us on a journey through time as we take you through 7 decades of cocktail decadence highlighting the most popular drink of choice for each time period.

 
1950’s Martini
The ease of g... Read More

Fresh Botanical Cocktails - Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Fresh Botanical Cocktail Recipes

Spec’sology Blog, Drink Recipes, Spirits

Nothing screams spring like colorful flowers and fresh blooms! And we can’t think of a more suiting way to praise the petals than by adding them to a cocktail!

Botanical cocktails are as delicious as they are beautiful, and we think they’re the perfect way to welcome in the changing of the seasons! Check out some of our favorite floral and herbal cocktails and be sure to hit up your local florists or garden for the pretty plant parts!

 
Herb Gardner
Ingredients

1 ½ oz Patr... Read More