Right now, applejack is quite possibly my favorite spirit. Sure, I love sipping whiskey and trying out new gins, and cognac is great and I'm gradually warming to tequila, but I'll always love applejack. For those of you familiar with this quintessential American spirit, skip ahead a few paragraphs and get to the drinks. For... 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 →
Last month, Imbibe ran a piece on Irish Whiskey that caught my attention, namely because I hadn't tasted or mixed with very many Irish whiskeys. If you've paged through a large number of cocktail books, you'll understand why -- it's just not used in cocktails very often. According to Imbibe the scene is changing, however, and... Continue Reading →
What's that? A cocktail contest, you say? Hmm... If you haven't run across it yet, About.com has a fairly extensive cocktail cocktail site set up. Helmed by Colleen Graham, the site includes a drink database, weekly articles, reviews, tips -- just about everything you'd find in a paper-and-print cocktail guide. They've also started a monthly... Continue Reading →
You know, most of the time a cocktail gets its name after it's been mixed and tasted -- hopefully nobody else has come up with the same thing and named it already. But what if you already have the name and you know that it would be perfect for a drink? This was the dilemma... Continue Reading →
Not too long ago, Jason Wilson wrote an article about a curious liqueur named ROOT (I'd prefer that it was simply "Root," but Art in the Age seems rather fond of the all-caps title). I was very intrigued, but not by the fact that he described as an American amaro based on the predecessor of... Continue Reading →
Almost time for the second meeting of the Heron Social Club! This time our crew of cocktailians will be focusing on drinks made with bourbon and rye whiskey. Neighbor Dave G. and I spent an evening testing out a few drinks, narrowing down the choices to the following (in the order that they'll be mixed):... Continue Reading →
Mixology Monday! After missing the second post in August (thanks, Las Vegas, but I forgive you because of the Vesper), I'm back and ready to mix! As usual, take a look at the MxMo site if you're not familiar with the monthly gathering. The host this time ’round is Lindsay over at Alcohol Alchemy. The theme? "Local Color,"... Continue Reading →
We're getting closer and closer to Fall, and apple brandy is quickly working its way into my drink rotation. Autumn and apples get along splendidly, probably because it's the harvest season, and the marriage of the two (as an idea) has worked its way into the American psyche over three centuries. Today's drink, however, is... Continue Reading →
This just in! George and Ira Gershwin strike again! Putting pen to paper and fingers to the ivory, the dynamic songwriting duo has released a new musical num-bah, and, Jiminy Cricket, what a tune! Bend your ear to this nearest phonograph and take a listen! "You like potato and I like potahto You like tomato... Continue Reading →
Tempered Spirits 