Well, my mixology-minded friends...I'm finally back, and it's been too long (how many blog posts have started out that way, I wonder?). Anyway, as I sit here waiting for Winter Storm Juno to kick into gear, I have a little dose of sunshine -- in cocktail form -- to keep me company. You see, Andrea,... Continue Reading →
Infinite variety -- that's one of the things I enjoy most about the world of spirits. Distillation -- and wine-making, and brewing -- is really an extension of agriculture: so much of the final product depends on the local fauna, the local climate, the seasons, the sources, and the hands and intuition of the distillers.... Continue Reading →
In the world of cocktails, a great deal of faith is placed in precedent and tradition. We look to the written works of bartenders from a century ago for inspiration, who were themselves inspired by the Punch-makers from a century before, who were, in turn, increasing the potability of spirits that had been in production... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago I was perched on a bentwood bar stool at my favorite local watering hole, trading thoughts on cocktails with bartender David, when the phrase "Astoria Distilling Company" was casually dropped into the conversation. It took half a moment for the words to make their way around the cocktail I was... Continue Reading →
Mixology Monday has rolled around once again! We've just passed the solstice, so summer is officially here. The heat has been building for quite some time, however, and it's due to last for at least two more months. No doubt these factors led Thiago, of Bartending Notes, to select Pineapple for our monthly mixing theme.... Continue Reading →
As some of you know, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic was held here in New York a few weeks back. And I nearly missed it. Serves me right for not paying more attention to the cocktailian side of life. It had been a typically busy week in NYC. Somehow, I'd managed to squeeze in visits to... Continue Reading →
I love apéritif wines. Byrrh, Lillet, Dubonnet, Cocchi, you name 'em, I'll drink 'em. These complex, Continental concoctions are wonderful on their own -- or with a wedge of citrus and some soda, a universal truth of drinking -- but sipping a tall, cold glass of quinine-tinged wine on a lazy afternoon sometimes feels just... Continue Reading →
As you might well guess, the blog isn't the only repository for my cocktail knowledge and experiments. Since the summer of 2010, I've kept a cocktail journal, of sorts: it started as a collection of recipes scribbled haphazardly into a Moleskine notebook, but has since evolved into a chronological account of the boozy side of... Continue Reading →
As you may have noticed, dear reader, this blog has been idle since July of 2013. The reason for this, of course, is that I have relocated from the quiescent suburbs of Atlanta to bustling metropolis of New York City. As a result, my mixological endeavors have been placed on life's back burner for six... Continue Reading →
How are new cocktails created? Well, one fairly simple way is to take an existing drink and swap some or all of the ingredients for new ones. It's best to exchange one ingredient for another of the same "type," however -- you can swap one base spirit for another, one liqueur for another, one citrus... Continue Reading →
Tempered Spirits 