Mixology Monday has rolled around once again! This time, Monsieur Dagreb of Nihil Utopia is hosting the party, and he's asked us to mix up a round of drinks featuring high-proof spirits -- anything over 50% ABV as defined in his announcement post. [Mar 27: To see what all of us came up with, check... Continue Reading →
So...for the latest Mixology Monday, Doc Elliot has asked us to mix up a string of drinks to act as winter bracers -- anything that will help us folks inhabiting the northern hemisphere to last through the winter. No problemo, Doc! To see everyone's MxMo contributions, check out Doc's Roundup Post.
Mixology Monday? Again? So soon? Well, well, time for a drink...one that is almost, but not entirely (un)like a Martini. At least, that's what Dagreb over at Nihil Utopia has asked us cocktailians to concoct... This month’s Mixology Monday theme is that which is almost, but not quite, a Martini. Perhaps there are dashes (or... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 