Drink Up

Make spirits bright this year with premium gifts made for festive sipping

'Tis that special time of the year, when you can ensure your loved ones can cheers with the best. And with all the holiday spirit in the air, what better gift to bring to family and friends than a bottle of premium liquor?

Help make spirits bright this season with these suggestions:

Bacardi Reserva Ocho|Shop here
Aged a minimum of eight years under the Caribbean sun, this Puerto Rican rum boasts warming notes of butterscotch, nutmeg, and dried apricots.

The rum's uncompromising quality rivals that of cognacs and older scotches, and is enjoyable on its own, on the rocks, or in a delicious Old Fashioned.

Grey Goose vodka |Shop here
Those who fill your life with joy deserve nothing but the finest: the finest French winter wheat from Picardie and the finest limestone-filtered spring water, all distilled only once to honor the flavors of these exquisite ingredients.

From the pop of the cork, you can give the gift of Grey Goose vodka knowing that every element is created and crafted in France to the highest standard.

And what better way to showcase the aroma and flavor than with vodka's most iconic cocktail, the Grey Goose vodka martini?

Simply add 2.5 oz of Grey Goose vodka, 0.5 oz of extra dry vermouth, and a dash of orange bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir deliberately, and strain into a chilled martini cocktail glass. Finish by adding a twist of fresh lemon. Vive le Martini!

Bombay Sapphire|Shop here
Unwrap the festivities with a Bombay and tonic, the ultimate expression of the quintessentially classic cocktail.

Orris root and Angelica bring Bombay Sapphire its floral earthiness and enhance the bright, fresh flavors of citrus and juniper. Brilliantly straightforward and satisfying, this drink is always welcome at the party.

Cazadores tequila| Shop here
Cazadores Blanco starts in the agave fields, using 100-percent Blue Weber agave from the highland region of Jalisco. The agaves have a minimum maturity of six years to ensure high sugar content and excellent quality.

After a seven-day double fermentation process and two rounds of distillation, Cazadores Blanco is immediately filtered and bottled. The result? A tequila in its purest form, without aging, for intensity and real flavor of agave.

Citrus fruits, fragrant herbs, and the customary smooth finish make Cazadores Blanco excellent for cocktails or sipped neat.

Dewar's 12 year old |Shop here
Founded in 1846 by John Dewar, Dewar's has grown from a small wine and spirits merchant shop in Scotland to one of the largest Scotch whiskey brands in the world.

Best known for its iconic Dewar's White Label, it has expanded its family to create a portfolio of premium and super premium whiskies.

The signature Dewar's 12 is a luxuriously fruity and smooth blend that's perfect for the holidays. An approachable, premium trade-up for curious scotch drinkers, Dewar's 12 offers a richer profile, with fuller and more rounded aromas of honey dried fruits and vanilla.

This satisfying flavor results in Dewar's 12 being the ideal serve for any occasion: drink it on the rocks, neat, in an Old Fashioned, or an aromatic highball.

Angel's Envy bourbon| Shop here
The holidays are all about tradition, and this top-shelf whiskey puts a new spin on a Louisville classic.

Finished in port wine barrels, Angel's Envy is complex yet approachable and reinvigorates your favorite seasonal sips.

Aberfeldy 12yo single malt whisky| Shop here
Nestled within a lush valley in the foothills of the Central Highlands of Scotland, Aberfeldy Distillery is in the quaint village of Aberfeldy, Perthshire.

Aberfeldy whisky is known as the "Golden Dram." Golden for the distillery’s water source, which is the famous Pitilie Burn, renowned for its water quality and famed for its rich deposits of alluvial gold.

Golden, for Aberfeldy continues to be awarded gold and double gold medals in international spirits awards. Golden, for every sip laden with honey, spices, citrus, and hints of vanilla.

Aged for 12 years and scented with spices and honeyed plump fruits, with a taste that's syrupy with lots of vanilla and fudge and a whisper of smoke on the finish, the 12yo Aberfeldy is sure to be a treat for all.

Those who fill your life with joy deserve nothing but the finest: Grey Goose.

Photo courtesy of Bacardi

Those who fill your life with joy deserve nothing but the finest: Grey Goose.

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Coffee News

Ruthie's Cafe in South Dallas opens new coffee bar and gathering spot

Ruthie's Cafe

Quartet of drinks from Ruthie's Cafe

A new coffee bar has debuted in South Dallas, at Ruthie's Cafe, the restaurant located at 1632 Martin Luther King Blvd. #100. The restaurant added the coffee bar with a menu of coffee and espresso drinks in response to customer demand, says Kaileigh Johnson, Executive Director of The Good Foundation of Texas.

Ruthie's Cafe is the brick & mortar sibling to Ruthie’s Fueled by Good grilled cheese food trucks which opened in February 2025. The social impact restaurant has become a go-to morning meetup spot with easy parking and a location less than 10 minutes from downtown.

"This idea came straight from the community," Johnson says. "We are a nonprofit social enterprise in partnership with St. Philips School and Community Center. The staff of St. Philips along with parents and local residents told us they wanted a welcoming space to gather, enjoy a hot meal, and sip on a great cup of coffee — and we listened!"

Prior to opening their brick-and-mortar café, Ruthie's only coffee activity was to occasionally serve drip coffee from their food truck during private events.

"We had never offered specialty coffee drinks—this is a brand-new addition we're thrilled about," Johnson says.

Significantly, they're using a high-end La Marzocco espresso machine and have partnered with Tre Stelle, a Black-owned coffee roaster run by Jonathan Ghebreamlak, who roasts all of his own beans, and who trained the entire team led by Ruthie’s director of operations Taylor Williams.

"We have several baristas, but one of our amazing young team members, Belen, has discovered a true passion for coffee and is constantly creating fun, new drink recipes for customers to try," Johnson says.

Creativity is highly encouraged by Ruthie’s founder Ashlee Kleinert. That’s how drinks like the Nutella latte, Horchata, and Matcha latte came to life.

The menu includes espresso, drip coffee, Americano, cappuccino, and latte, plus specialty lattes including Nutella latte, matcha latte, and chai tea latte with choice of skim milk, whole milk, almond milk, or oat milk.

There are also teas: Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Darjeeling, mint, chamomile, citrus green tea, and orange-flavored jasmine green tea. Hours are Monday-Friday 8 am-6 pm, Saturday until 2 pm, and closed on Sunday.

While there are a few cafés with coffee in the downtown and surrounding area, she says there’s nothing quite like this on their specific block — enhancing Ruthie’s Café's appeal as a gathering spot for the neighborhood as well as parents and staff affiliated with St. Philips’ School and Community Center; 100 percent of the cafe's net profits benefit the school and nonprofit, and Ruthie’s also partners with Unlocking Doors to provide second-chance employment to individuals impacted by the justice system.

coffee charity openings