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 →
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 →
Time, once again, for Mixology Monday! It seems that us cocktail bloggers have been bitten by the fresh produce bug -- after vegetables and herbs, we've naturally moved on to fruit. Andrea, at Gin Hound, is acting as this month's host, and she has a particular fruit in mind: cherries. As Andrea mentions in her... Continue Reading →
January's Mixology Monday is focused upon a trend that is steadily gaining steam in bars across the country: the use of port, sherry, and Madeira wines in cocktails. Sure, you can reach for the old standbys like vermouth and quinquina if you want to add some sweetness and complexity, but bitter aftertastes and quinine aren't for everyone.... Continue Reading →
Ah yes, the Hurricane. Like many faux-tropical drinks, it has a messy history, though it's not quite as convoluted or controversial as those of the Mai Tai and the Zombie. For one thing, we know the time and location of its origin -- Pat O'Brien's Bar in the French Quarter, circa late 1940s (though I have found... Continue Reading →
The Lauer household has been decked out for Christmas and logs are busy crackling away in the fireplace (or rather, they will be, if the temperature drops to the 40s during the day...not likely). There also happen to be a fair number of drinks being made to stave off the cold weather. While we won't be mixing any hot drinks... Continue Reading →
There is a certain period of time that's referred to as the "Dark Ages" of mixology...somewhere between the 1950s and the 1990s. Yes, certain pockets of resistance still existed during these decades, especially in the better bars and Tiki restaurants, but mixed drinks as a whole seemed to suffer, especially during the 70s and 80s... Continue Reading →
Time for the third cocktail night! This time around we'll be mixing up rum drinks, most of them on the lighter side. Yes, I know it's November, but down here in Georgia, the weather's still in the 60s or lower 70s, and who doesn't love one last taste of summer? Our three drinks can also... Continue Reading →
Tempered Spirits 