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 →
A while ago I ordered a copy of Left Coast Libations, a cocktail tome I had seen mentioned once or twice in the Blogosphere and had paged through while sitting at the bar at Merchant. While I still recommend it to anyone interested in craft cocktails (you gotta love Ted Munat's devil-may-care sense of humor, the meticulously researched recipes,... Continue Reading →
This one comes directly from Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, accompanied by the maxim, "Recipes are not sacred." Indeed. Everybody from David Embury on down has realized this fact at one point or another. Mix a drink to your taste. In fact, mix this drink to your taste, though it's already an excellent one: Millionaire (#4,... Continue Reading →
Huzzah! Huzzah! The soda siphon has arrived! Time for a round of Fizzes and Collinses! First up, one of two quintessential New Orleans cocktails, the Ramos Gin Fizz, also known as the New Orleans Fizz, depending on whom you ask. According to David Wondrich, New Orleans was experiencing an enormous boost in tourism in the... Continue Reading →
Every now and then you come across a drink that is, well, interesting, but maybe isn't quite there, doesn't quite add up to what you expected, or doesn't match your taste. This one is a candidate for all three: The Interesting Cocktail 2 ounces Silver Tequila (Regan recommends Partida, Milagro, Don Julio, or El Tesoro)... Continue Reading →
A truly exquisite little drink, the Tip Top is one of those well-hidden gems that deserves to be known better. Don't be afraid of the amount of vermouth in this one: Tip Top 2 ounces Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat Original Dry) 1/4 ounce Bénédictine 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Stir with ice and strain into a... Continue Reading →
While pondering what to mix, and seriously considering a Lucien Gaudin, I heard my Dad call down from upstairs (the liquor supply occupying a wall in the basement), "Hey! Are you mixing a cocktail?" "Uh, yeah? Would you like one?" "Yeah! Something with bourbon in it! I'm not a gin guy." Well, that settled it... Continue Reading →
While recovering from the Wisconsin trip, I have neglected the blog for about a week. What that means, of course, is that we're behind on our cocktail cataloging! Wednesday night's dinner? Shrimp scampi. The pre-dinner cocktail solution? Something semi-tropical, certainly with lime, but something different. Oh, and if it could use my new batch of... Continue Reading →
"There comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place, and the universe opens itself up for a few seconds to show you what's possible." - Field of Dreams, 1989 OK, so that might be a bit of over-enthusiastic hyperbole, but I can't help but praise Leon's Full Service in downtown Decatur.... Continue Reading →
Happy 4th of July! In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, it's time to drink American...liquor, that is. Though this next cocktail tosses in a few European additions, the base spirit is good ol' American apple brandy. What could be more apropos than cultures coming together in the form of a cocktail? Newark 2... Continue Reading →
Tempered Spirits 