Here in the U.S. we now have access to a growing number of European spirits and liqueurs that, until now, were rarely seen on these shores: Carpano Antica and Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Zucca, Bonal Gentiane-Quina, Cocchi Americano, and Suze, to name a few of them. Then there are the numerous Italian amari and Fernets... Continue Reading →
Cocktail Night VII: Sazeracs for All!
The quintessential New Orleans cocktail is, without a doubt, the Sazerac. In fact, it's the city's Official Cocktail. It was also the subject of our seventh cocktail night, being the host's favorite drink. We mixed up two versions of it -- one with rye, one with cognac -- while offering a taste of absinthe to anyone... Continue Reading →
Drinking New Orleans, Part 1: The Vieux Carré
Well, Mardi Gras was last Tuesday, and I'm sure everyone in the drink blogosphere has been getting an ample dosage of information on the Sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans, but nothing doing on this blog...we'll save it for Cocktail Night VII, during which we'll mix up three different versions of the famous drink. In... Continue Reading →
Happy Repeal Day!
Happy Repeal Day, folks! That's right, 78 years ago Prohibition officially ended, and booze flowed freely again in the U.S. Of course, it hadn't particularly stopped flowing during America's "Noble Experiment," and in some cases consumption actually increased, but hey, it was back to being legal. Well -- and here's one more caveat -- it was legal... Continue Reading →

