A “spring tonic” used to be a home remedy that was supposed to cleanse your system. As grannies would say, it was “good for what ails you.” This spring, I think I’ll take my tonic the tasty way — with gin.   

Add this to your list of local beers: MadTree. They’ve been up and running since the end of January, filling kegs and growlers, and are about to start canning for broader distribution.   

Why would Maker’s announce that they were reducing the percentage of alcohol in their bourbon from 45 percent to 42 percent (90 proof to 84 proof), cause an uproar and then reverse the decision within days?   

One of the very first things I had to learn when I became British-by-marriage was how to brew tea properly. It was soon apparent that English tea with milk is one of those things you mess with at your peril.  

Drinking is tough to do well. No, I’m not talking about when you let your beer run down your chin. People, that is completely outside my area of expertise. I’m talking about having the confidence it takes to order a good cocktail.   

People love Dojo at Findlay Market for their gelato. I am hopeless in the face of their delicious affogato. This espresso/gelato float has gotten me through many a difficult day. On a recent visit, Dojo owner Michael Christner advised me that he was about to up the ante.  

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to flu shots, I’d rather skip the doctor and follow the advice of a good bartender, like Rom Wells of The Rookwood in Mount Adams. He prescribes a single barrel (preferably barrel proof) whiskey, lemon and honey, with a whole star anise, cinnamon stick and clove in it, served in a snifter. That sounds like a cure for the common winter blahs.  

“These are quality wines under $15 that taste expensive as hell,” said my neighbor and one of my go-to wine guys, Alfonse Mele, senior wine consultant at Dep’s Fine Wines in Covington. “They’re all unique. You could pour these in order for a great tasting, or pair them with just about any holiday meal and impress your guests.”  

Hamilton Avenue in Northside is home to a slew of eclectic storefronts like Melt and Shake It Records, and, since April, Northsiders have enjoyed The Listing Loon as a place to swing by and load up on bottles of hand-selected microbrews by a couple of Cincinnati’s tenured bartenders.  

I’m more inclined to pop open a bottle from the experts, but, hey, I don’t have the White House staff on hand to fix what “ales” me. So I asked a home brewing friend, Matt Canale, a video game developer in L.A., to fill me in on his experience and give our readers some tips on how to get started.