Of the many fruits of Montana’s quirky and creative denizens, the Hopshnop liqueur from Big Fork’s Whistling Andy distillery is particularly unexpected. Born from a collaboration with Bonsai Brewing Project (based in Whitefish, MT), the Hopshnop is a bright and bracing way to introduce the citrusy, floral bitterness of a good IPA into some of your regular cocktails. It starts with Bonsai Brewing Project’s mash for their Due North India Red Ale, a hoppy 7% IRA that clocks in a

Pronounced chee-NAR, the label on this beauty does not tell the full story of this unique little member of the amaro family. Front and center on the label is an artichoke, true, and yes, it does use artichokes for its distinctive flavor, but what it does not show is the bevy of other botanicals that round out the recipe. As with all amaros, Cynar is a bitter Italian liqueur related to more familiar spirits like Campari and Aperol. That alone answers the question “Well what do

First, a word of caution: when you see a number like a “7” on a bottle of rum, do not assume that it is an age statement. Rums do not follow the same strict rules that, say, Scotches and bourbons do regarding age statements on their labels, and often the number you see has nothing to do with the amount of time the spirit has spent maturing in a barrel. More often than not, these kinds of rums are blends of different aged rums, and the number on the label can sometimes indicat