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 →
Mixology Monday has rolled around once again! We've just passed the solstice, so summer is officially here. The heat has been building for quite some time, however, and it's due to last for at least two more months. No doubt these factors led Thiago, of Bartending Notes, to select Pineapple for our monthly mixing theme.... Continue Reading →
As some of you know, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic was held here in New York a few weeks back. And I nearly missed it. Serves me right for not paying more attention to the cocktailian side of life. It had been a typically busy week in NYC. Somehow, I'd managed to squeeze in visits to... 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 →
As you may have noticed, dear reader, this blog has been idle since July of 2013. The reason for this, of course, is that I have relocated from the quiescent suburbs of Atlanta to bustling metropolis of New York City. As a result, my mixological endeavors have been placed on life's back burner for six... 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 →
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 →
Once again, it's time for Mixology Monday! Mr. Mark Holmes, of Cardiff Cocktails, is hosting, and he's looking for a batch of herbal cocktails. Roots, spices, and beans can be used as ingredients as well... [Update: Check out Mark's Roundup for MxMo LXXIII] As far back as we can look, the use of fresh herbs... Continue Reading →
A while ago, I was opining about the state of locally-produced liquor in Georgia -- how it would be nice to see more of it, that the Atlanta bar scene would begin demanding it, etc., etc. Apparently we were on the verge of a microdistillery boom here in the Peach State...who knew? Georgia can now... Continue Reading →
Tempered Spirits 