If there's any booze out there that could expect to win the title "most misunderstood spirit," I think absinthe would be it. Wildly popular at the turn of the last century, banned for a hundred years, re-instated with much hooplah, then promptly dubbed un-cool without most people having tried it, the field has been left to... Continue Reading →
Ah yes, the Pimm's Cup. If I had to pick one highball to drink for the rest of my life, this would probably be it. What? You've never had one? Well, here's what you do: go and get yourself some Pimm's No. 1 liqueur -- you'll find it at just about any semi-decent liquor store... Continue Reading →
Following on the heels of the Vieux Carré is a drink with remarkably similar ingredients but a drastically different taste: the Cocktail à la Louisiane. Like the VC, it was salvaged from the pages of S.C. Arthur's Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, deservedly brought back from the edge of the unknown by fellow cocktail geeks: Cocktail à la... Continue Reading →
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 →
After a two-month hiatus, it's finally time for another Mixology Monday! Locked in the dead cold of winter (well, it's in the 60s here in Georgia), our venerable host, Doug, of the Pegu Tiki Blog has decided on a Tiki theme, bringing us a burst of faux-tropical sunshine to lift our spirits. He's invited us to... Continue Reading →
It's February...and it's time for another cocktail night! We're scaling back a wee bit and mixing up two drinks, rather than our usual three, to give more attention to our chosen cocktails and allow everybody to sample the ingredients, not to mention some homemade limoncello. Well, OK, it's also to give the bartender (me) a... Continue Reading →
This past weekend, the weather came dangerously close to 70 degrees...in February. Man, life is tough in Georgia. Anyway, it felt so much like Spring that I found myself wanting a drink that matched the weather. One of my all-time favorite Springy drinks is a recently (well, relatively) re-discovered classic, the Last Word: The Last... Continue Reading →
Arrrr, it be time for more rum drinks, me hearties! This time, we're covering a broader spectrum of this sugarcane spirit and delving into dark and spiced rum. The cocktail club is nowhere near covering the full range of rum -- a nearly impossible feat -- but we're getting there! Tiki Drinks will wait 'til summer, methinks.... Continue Reading →
...and now, for a Tempered Spirits first, a post that has but one purpose: to refer you to an interesting article involving booze! Featured is a nice little interview video, a transcript of the interview, and a number of cocktail recipes. Enjoy! Creative Loafing: "Atlanta's best bartenders speak up: A roundtable discussion about the city's cocktail renaissance, plus their... Continue Reading →
Ever heard of aquavit? No? Well, neither had the cashier at Pop's. My bottle of Linie received an intent stare and a question when checking out. Completely understandable, given that Scandinavian liquor hasn't been flying off the shelves in this country since...well, it's never flown off the shelves. It went something like this: "So...what is this?" asked the puzzled cashier.... Continue Reading →
Tempered Spirits 