CASK & KETTLE An icy-cold beer on an icy-cold day — not exactly a comforting thought. Sure, for the holidays there’s mulled wine, but as temperatures drop it’s hard to come up with other easy toasty drinks. Enter Cask & Kettle. Available in either Irish Coffee (76 proof) or Spiked Cider (50 proof), the pods fit into any single-serve home brewing system (like Keurig) and produce a complete hot cocktail in a single cup. Available at local Safeway stores.
HANSON OF SONOMA It happened last summer, but it’s still pretty exciting for vodka fans. The eponymous family behind Hanson of Sonoma, the only distillery making wine-based all-organic vodka in the country, opened a hip tasting room in the Los Carneros AVA of Sonoma. To add unique programming and tastings, they brought on Krzysztof Pawlik (a Thomas Keller veteran) as general manager.
SALT POINT After the success of the Moscow mule in a can, the Mill Valley–based cocktail-in-a-can company Salt Point has added two new flavors: Gin Highball (craft gin, seltzer, cucumber, lemon and a dash of bitters) and the perennial party favorite, Greyhound (vodka, grapefruit and lime). All the products are crafted with natural ingredients and sold at grocery stores throughout California.
