A while ago I ordered a copy of Left Coast Libations, a cocktail tome I had seen mentioned once or twice in the Blogosphere and had paged through while sitting at the bar at Merchant. While I still recommend it to anyone interested in craft cocktails (you gotta love Ted Munat's devil-may-care sense of humor, the meticulously researched recipes,... Continue Reading →
It was bound to happen: a neighborhood cocktail club is in the works and nearly set to debut (one week to go). I hate to keep such a thing exclusive and secret, mainly because I believe that good drinks are something that everybody should be able to experience, hence my slight lack of fondness for "speakeasies" like... Continue Reading →
Well, as usual, I'm getting impatient. Fall is entirely too far away; it's fresh, cool air and brightly colored leaves, which contrast with the oh-so-necessary crystal-clear blue sky, make it my favorite season. There should be a faint hint of woodsmoke in the air and a jacket over your arm. Curiously enough, what you'd like to... Continue Reading →
Yes, it's time for Part Two of the Southwest Booze Roundup: Yeeeeeee-haawwwwww!! Sorry. This second offering comes from the High West Distillery, located in Park City, Utah, just outside of Salt Lake City. No, Matt, Jack, and I didn't manage to make it that far North. We spent our time in and around Bryce Canyon... Continue Reading →
After a two-week trip to the American Southwest, you didn't think I'd come back without some form of liquor, did you? Silly you. No, there's no new tequila on my shelf, but a set of three whiskies and, believe it or not, a vodka, and it's a flavored one, to boot! How uncharacteristic is that? After Las... Continue Reading →
After dinner at Emeril's New Orleans Fish House on our final night of the trip, we wandered down the Strip and back toward the Monte Carlo, stopping in at the Cosmopolitan on the way. We were seeking out the Vesper, which, as Drink Spirits mentions, is located in an oasis removed from the buzzing, dinging,... Continue Reading →
On the second-to-last day of the trip, we decided to pay a visit to two more cocktail bars that I had located. First was Bar Moderno, at the Aria. Photo by wbeem on Flickr. The three of us arrived around 4:00 PM or so, and the bar wasn't especially busy, so we grabbed a couple... Continue Reading →
At the beginning and end of our recent Tour de Southwest, Matt, Jack, and I spent some time in Las Vegas, the City of Kitsch. Well, maybe it deserves a little bit more credit than that. Regardless of your opinion of Vegas, it's unique. Nobody can deny that. It also happens to be home to... Continue Reading →
This one comes directly from Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, accompanied by the maxim, "Recipes are not sacred." Indeed. Everybody from David Embury on down has realized this fact at one point or another. Mix a drink to your taste. In fact, mix this drink to your taste, though it's already an excellent one: Millionaire (#4,... Continue Reading →
Yes, I know this post is a long way behind the actual visit, but traveling takes up a lot of time. Besides, I haven't had a chance to sit down and really taste their booze until now. So here it is, a post on our second distillery visit in the Upper Midwest! On our second-to-last... Continue Reading →
Tempered Spirits 