Food & Voyage

Aisha Abasi

Drinks Columnist

Aisha Abasi's love for beverages began during a post-college trip to the coffee farms of Ethiopia, her family's homeland. She pursued a career in hospitality, becoming a sommelier at a 5-star hotel before managing a craft cocktail bar in Chicago. Her writing, which she began on the side, quickly gained a following for its unique blend of historical rigor and bar-side wit. At Food & Voyage, Aisha's column 'The Pour' is a reader favorite, covering everything from natural wines to non-alcoholic spirits with equal curiosity and expertise.

Expertise

Wine and ViticultureCraft Cocktails and MixologyCoffee Sourcing and BrewingTea TraditionsDistilling and Spirits HistoryNon-alcoholic BeveragesBar Culture

Coverage Areas

Drink (Recipes and History)
Wine and Spirit Reviews
Bar and Cafe Guides
Long Reads (Beverage Culture)

Latest Articles

A male Love Island contestant prepares and serves a romantic breakfast to a female contestant in the villa kitchen, symbolizing a declaration of romantic intent.
Recipes

Love Island Breakfasts: Simple Dishes, Grand Gestures

While lunch and dinner are consumed privately with production staff, the simple act of a male islander bringing breakfast to a woman on Love Island becomes a public declaration of romantic intent.

Jun 27, 2026 · 2 min read

A high-end Vitamix blender prominently displayed on a kitchen counter, showcasing a fantastic Prime Day deal for home cooks.
Recipes

Find the Best Prime Day Deals for Home Cooks

A Vitamix 5200 Blender, typically priced at $500, is currently available for $350 during Amazon Prime Day 2026, representing a significant 30% discount, according to The Wall Street Journal .

Jun 25, 2026 · 4 min read

A perfectly crafted gourmet sandwich, showcasing fresh ingredients and appealing textures, ready to be enjoyed.
Recipes

Gourmet Sandwiches Made Easy for Any Craving

A Cuban Sandwich, traditionally a labor of love, can now be perfectly crafted in just one hour, proving gourmet doesn't mean time-consuming.

Jun 24, 2026 · 2 min read

A split image showing a person sipping a sophisticated non-alcoholic drink and a vibrant frozen cocktail being prepared, representing summer beverage trends.
Drink

Non-Alcoholic and Frozen Drinks Shape Summer Trends

This summer, our glasses hold a fascinating paradox.

Jun 22, 2026 · 4 min read

A person selecting a mid-strength wine bottle from a shelf, symbolizing a shift towards healthier beverage choices and booming sales.
Long Reads

Mid-strength wine sales boom amid health-conscious consumer shift

Ocado saw sales of mid-strength wine increase 4,000% from 2024 to 2025, a dramatic surge in consumer interest.

Jun 21, 2026 · 6 min read

A group of young adults socializing and enjoying Hennessy ready-to-drink canned cocktails in a stylish, modern bar setting.
Drink

Hennessy Launches Ready-to-Drink Cocktails to Tap Growing Market

Hennessy, the venerable cognac house, is now selling its spirit in sleek 250ml cans, priced at $14.

Jun 20, 2026 · 3 min read

Ancient hunter-gatherers discovering the magic of fermentation, leading to the birth of civilization and beneficial beverages.
Drink

What Are Fermented Beverages and Why Do They Matter?

Some scholars propose that the allure of a good buzz, not mere sustenance, was the true catalyst for hunter-gatherers to forsake nomadism, cultivate crops, and forge the first settled communities.

Jun 19, 2026 · 4 min read

A bright summer kitchen table with fresh ingredients for a Stone Fruit and Salami Panzanella, showcasing Bon Appétit's focus on speed and flavor.
Recipes

Bon Appétit unveils 2026 summer issue recipes focused on speed and flavor

This summer, Bon Appétit suggests using a toaster for perfectly ragged croutons in a Stone Fruit and Salami Panzanella, completely bypassing the oven.

Jun 19, 2026 · 2 min read

An empty bar scene with a glass of water, representing the decline in US alcohol consumption and shifting social habits.
Drink

US alcohol consumption trends show broad decline

In the US, average alcohol intake over the past seven days has plummeted from 3.

Jun 18, 2026 · 3 min read

A dynamic scene of a futuristic Asian marketplace with people enjoying diverse, colorful functional drinks, symbolizing market growth and innovation.
Drink

Asia-Pacific Leads Global Functional Drinks Market Growth

Forget the North American hype.

Jun 17, 2026 · 4 min read

An abandoned Bordeaux vineyard with spilled wine and a decaying chateau, symbolizing the collapse of the region's wine market.
Long Reads

Bordeaux Wine Sales Plummet 20% in France as Tastes Change

In Bordeaux's Blaye region, 90,000 cases of organic wine from a bankrupt winery recently sold for a mere €0.

Jun 16, 2026 · 3 min read

A cozy kitchen scene with a glass of red wine, a simmering pot, and cocktail ingredients, showcasing creative uses for leftover wine.
Drink

Get Creative With Leftover Wine: Delicious Recipes and Cocktails

After a party, many hosts pour leftover wine down the drain.

Jun 15, 2026 · 3 min read

A family happily celebrating Father's Day with a spread of easy-to-make, delicious recipes like baked scotch eggs and sliders.
Recipes

Discover Father's Day Recipes for Easy Celebrations

This Father's Day, forget the predictable steak dinner; consider serving unexpected Baked Scotch Eggs or bite-sized Reuben Sliders to redefine the celebration.

Jun 12, 2026 · 2 min read

Nothing Bundt Cakes' limited edition Peach Cobbler and S'mores bundt cakes displayed invitingly on a sunny summer day.
Recipes

Nothing Bundt Cakes Unveils Limited Summer Flavors

Nothing Bundt Cakes launched its new Peach Cobbler flavor for a brief two-week window this summer, available from June 8 to June 21, 2026, according to The Herald-Mail .

Jun 10, 2026 · 3 min read

Futuristic kitchen with AI interface predicting top summer 2026 cookbooks, showcasing diverse culinary trends and evolving tastes.
Recipes

AI-Predicted Top Summer 2026 Cookbooks Reflect Evolving Tastes

A new AI algorithm, deployed by "Gourmet Today," accurately predicted 90% of the top 10 summer cookbooks, achieving this precision in pre-orders, according to their internal report.

Jun 10, 2026 · 2 min read

Steven Bartlett looking tired after a wine hangover, symbolizing the clash between social drinking and the modern wellness obsession with longevity and self-tracking.
Drink

Steven Bartlett's Wine Hangover Lasted 3 Days, Revealing a Major Cultural Shift

Podcaster Steven Bartlett declared that just three glasses of wine had 'ruined' three days of his life, a sentiment that resonated widely in an era obsessed with longevity and self-tracking, according

Jun 9, 2026 · 3 min read

Close-up of fresh spinach being stir-fried in a hot wok with steam rising, showcasing a healthy and vibrant meal preparation.
Recipes

Master How to Stir-Fry Spinach for a Healthy Meal

The simple act of stir-frying spinach transforms its nutritional profile, making essential minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium significantly easier for the body to absorb.

Jun 8, 2026 · 2 min read

Vibrant, glistening quick-pickled red onions in a mason jar, ready to add flavor to any meal.
Long Reads

Master the Art of Quick Pickled Red Onions with This Simple Recipe

Forget waiting days for flavor: a batch of vibrant, tangy quick-pickled red onions can be ready to elevate your meal in just 15 minutes.

Jun 4, 2026 · 2 min read

A chef examining a burdock root at a Japanese market stall, highlighting the scarcity of traditional Japanese vegetables due to climate change.
Recipes

Navigating Japanese Vegetables: Scarcity and Substitutes

Last month, the wholesale price of gobo (burdock root), a foundational ingredient in many Japanese winter stews, surged by 40% in Tokyo's central markets, according to Nikkei Asia .

May 25, 2026 · 5 min read

A variety of store-bought potato salads displayed attractively on a picnic table during a sunny cookout.
Recipes

Top Store-Bought Potato Salads Enhance Cookouts and Weeknights

A perfect 10/10 'Sporks' rating for a store-bought potato salad?

May 22, 2026 · 2 min read