Pairing Krug Champagne and Music

Blending senses with an interactive app and two Oxford neuroscientists

Often when champagne pairings are discussed or enjoyed, the complementary partner is food, with an end game of flavors mingling and aromas matching up. The tastebuds are the target audience. While that makes sense, within the context of one of our five physiological senses, the team behind prestige brand Krug Champagne—in many ways the epitome of thoughtful luxury—observed that this was merely one element in …

Brahms & Liszt, London

The Hackney liquor store with an enthusiasm for the hard stuff and the obscure, and a try-before-you-buy policy

For ages, the semi-secret, word-of-mouth Quiquiriqui Mezcal and 184 Hackney Road/Mezcaleria Quiquiriqui bars on East London’s Hackney Road were underground favorites for London’s liquor connoisseurs. Now the woman behind the mezcal-loving venues, Melanie Symonds, has opened a liquor shop—Brahms & Liszt—on Chatsworth Road, Clapton. At Brahms & Liszt, the focus is on the hard stuff. This is the place to come to for unusual liquor …

Why Comfort Food is Comforting

Macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and chicken noodle soup have long been staples among American comfort foods, but what exactly makes them so comforting? New research is showing that the warmth associated with these archetypal meals don’t necessarily relate to their flavors, but rather the emotion attached to the people that once served them to you. If your mom, dad, grandpa or favorite aunt fed …