Wayne Curtis

The Sniffer

Craft distillers put their money where Nancy Fraley’s nose is.

• Wayne Curtis
• April 2015 Issue

Your Airport’s Bartender Problem

Why it’s so hard to get a decent drink before your flight—and why that may soon change

• Wayne Curtis
• December 2014 Issue

How Rye Came Back

The unexpected source of a craft-whiskey boom

• Wayne Curtis
• September 2014 Issue

Has Craft Distilling Lost Its Spirit?

Too many stills, too little expertise

• Wayne Curtis
• June 2014 Issue

Does Getting Drunk Make You Funnier?

Depends on if you're drunk.

• Wayne Curtis
• April 2014 Issue

The Archaeology of Beer

Dogfish Head’s ancient, hybrid brews embody a past before ale and wine became separate categories.

• Wayne Curtis
• January/February 2014 Issue

The New Science of Old Whiskey

Bourbon makers attempt to perfect a 2,000-year-old invention.

• Wayne Curtis
• November 2013 Issue

When That 'Local,' 'Craft' Liquor You Pay Big Bucks for Is Neither

Distilling deceit

• Wayne Curtis
• June 2013 Issue

Can a Tuning Fork Improve Your Cocktail?

The theory and practice of serving a drink vibrated, not stirred

• Wayne Curtis
• May 2013 Issue

Getting Toasted

The drama (and sometimes danger) of the flaming cocktail

• Wayne Curtis
• March 2013 Issue

Whiskey Business

The regulatory ordeal of the American micro-distiller

• Wayne Curtis
• January/February 2013 Issue

Sprucing Up Your Cocktail

A lost flavor of the northern woods, rediscovered

• Wayne Curtis
• November 2012 Issue

Does Tequila Make Us Crazy?

Researchers say no, but drinkers say yes.

• Wayne Curtis
• September 2012 Issue

Cognac’s Identity Crisis

How the liquor’s marketing success among both rappers and codgers has blinded consumers to its subtler pleasures

• Wayne Curtis
• June 2012 Issue

The Secret Ingredient

Liquor companies love to claim they use closely guarded, centuries-old recipes. usually it’s just marketing.

• Wayne Curtis
• April 2012 Issue

My Nutmeg Bender

The surprising intoxicant hidden in your spice rack

• Wayne Curtis
• January/February 2012 Issue

From Tiki to Tacky—and Back

A taste of cocktail Americana comes in from the cold.

• Wayne Curtis
• November 2011 Issue

Can the Manhattan Go Suburban?

Chain restaurants embrace the high-end cocktail.

• Wayne Curtis
• June 2011 Issue