Get full access to The Daily Beast for $1

SUBSCRIBE

Eric Felten

Eric Felten is the James Beard Award-winning author of How’s Your Drink? Cocktails, Culture, and the Art of Drinking Well.

181218-eggnog-riots-tease_hf6lpp
Christmas Drinks

The Great West Point Eggnog Riot

On Christmas Eve, 1826, some of the cadets, including Jefferson Davis, broke the military school’s no drinking policy and indulged in a boozy Eggnog.

Eric Felten

articles/2016/10/10/levi-morton-put-the-vice-in-vice-president/161007-rotbaum-morton-tease_iwpluk
Veep

This Guy Put the Vice in Vice President

The 19th century politician scandalized prohibitionists with his D.C. hotel, which included a bar.

Eric Felten

articles/2016/09/19/kentucky-s-first-female-master-distiller-marianne-barnes/160917-Felten-Master-Distiller-tease__tbpmni
Whiskey Women

Kentucky’s First Female Master Distiller

Meet the woman in charge of making the spirits at the bourbon-obessed state’s new Castle & Key distillery.

Eric Felten

articles/2015/10/03/the-oversweet-hell-of-flavored-whiskeys/151002-felten-whiskey-tease_ukxq7l
Sugar Rush

The Oversweet Hell of Flavored Whiskeys

‘Fireball’ may be massively popular, but a taste test of cloyingly flavored whiskeys reveals one flavor that is missing: the taste of whiskey.

Eric Felten

Busted

The 'Ocean's 11' of Bourbon Burglaries

Prosecutors claim a criminal syndicate stealing and selling the most coveted bourbon was an audacious inside job.

Eric Felten

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

DRINK UP

We’re Dying For a New Classic Cocktail

We may love drinking them, but there hasn’t been a cocktail since the Cosmopolitan to have struck really big. What’s gone awry in the mixing?

Eric Felten

articles/2014/12/03/the-hunt-for-pappy-van-winkle/141202-felten-van-winkle-tease_hcjlzl
Whiskey Madness

The Cult of Pappy van Winkle

There are lines around the block and long waiting lists. Some are even bidding to buy empty bottles. It seems like everyone wants to own Pappy Van Winkle whiskey…but is it worth it?

Eric Felten

articles/2014/07/28/your-craft-whiskey-is-probably-from-a-factory-distillery-in-indiana/140727-felten-whiskey-scandal-tease_qqufpx
Modern-Day Snake Oil

Your ‘Craft’ Rye Is From a Factory

The artisan whiskey industry has a big secret—many of the ‘small-batch’ distillers are actually buying their product from a large factory in Indiana.

AD BY THE DAILY BEAST

ADVERTISEMENT

GET THE APP
Subscribe
Log In
Newsletters
Podcasts
AboutContactTipsJobsAdvertiseHelpCode of Ethics & StandardsInclusionTerms & ConditionsCopyright & TrademarkPrivacy

© 2026 The Daily Beast Company LLC