Alexandra Baumhardt
How to Drink Vodka at the Bar at the End of the Earth
Faraday Bar is the light in the middle of dark Antarctic winters, the center of every celebration, release, and spell of homesickness for the rotating residents of the Vernadsky Research Base.
Iceland's Yogurt Industry Has an Acid Whey Problem
As production of the country’s popular skyr yogurt expands, can the disposal of a harmful byproduct be kept clean?
Trappist Monks Are Trying to Save Venezuela's Dying Coffee Industry
The monks who live and roast beans at the Roman Catholic Trappist monastery in the mountains above Mérida face shortages like anyone else in the country, but manage to navigate the lawless world of the dwindling coffee industry there.
The 26-Ingredient, Aphrodisiac Energy Smoothie That Keeps the Andes Wired
Milk, brandy, baby formula, bull's eyes, raw eggs, and 21 other ingredients create Mérida’s token aphrodisiac energy smoothie known as levantón Andino. And people love it.
Colombian Hallucinogenic Tea Taught Me a Lot About Myself
Inside the temple, the gnostic Shamanists had all their bases covered. Glittering posters of the Hindu deity Krishna hung next to paintings of Jesus Christ and drawings of creaturesque statues from a pre-Incan civilization. I took a sip of the yagé tea...
Illegal Beer Is Brewing a Massive Following in Venezuela
Small-batch artisanal Venezuelan craft breweries are on the rise and trying to meet demand for their illegal beers. Prohibition-era laws and black-market economics, be damned.