Hello, Blogosphere! (Does anyone still use that term, anyway?) Have you missed me? Don't worry, new posts are in the works. In the meantime, I've spent some time fiddling with the idea of a video series. Consider the following a pilot episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBKYbmz_b6g Give it a watch and see what you think. I chat about... Continue Reading →
MxMo XCIV: That’s Not A Martini! — Shanghai
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 →
MxMo XCIII: Blue — The Blue Sky
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 →
Encouraging the Spirit of Queens
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 →
MxMo LXXIV: Cherries & Cheerwine Cocktails
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 →
MxMo LXXII: Drink Your Vegetables — Ciao, Provence!
Vegetables? It's too early for vegetables! At least, it's too early for veggies from our garden -- we'll be waiting two months, at least, for fresh, homegrown tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Rowen, of the Fogged In Lounge, however, has asked us drink bloggers to mix up vegetable-inclusive cocktails for the latest Mixology Monday. [Update, 24... Continue Reading →
Spring on the Southside
When I think Spring, I think gin cocktails. Gin sours, to be exact, though I never seem to drink a plain ol' gin sour -- it's always a variation, like the Aviation, the Fitzgerald, or the Tom Collins...or that praise-worthy classic, the Southside. Southside Cocktail 2 ounces Gin [Plymouth] 3/4 ounce Lemon Juice 1/2 ounce... Continue Reading →
Speakeasy, the Nerina, and Employees Only
What I love about books authored by bartenders is that they are written with a sense of calm, practical authority. No stand-offs or divisive arguments between mixology geeks, no lecturing on how to mix a proper Martini, just, "Here's how we make a [insert drink], a hundred times a day, and if you would like... Continue Reading →
I’ll take an Aviation — Blue, if you please.
Way, way back in 1916, a little-known Bavarian-born bartender named Hugo Ensslin self-published a wholly unremarkable little book. Covered with stiffened, nondescript brown paper and given an unassuming title -- Recipes for Mixed Drinks -- the book contained the recipes for over 400 libations that were being mixed at bars across the City of New York. Many... Continue Reading →
MxMo LXVI: Bein’ (Jacques-in-the-) Green
Yes, it is officially Autumn, and though the leaves are turning and there's a slight chill in the air, things are still pretty green down here in Georgia. There's the 70-something temperatures, the fresh basil, the continuing crop of peppers and eggplants, the sound of lawn mowers beating the grass into submission -- life is... Continue Reading →