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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
If you didn't know already, St. Germain, the makers of the impeccable elderflower liqueur, are holding a cocktail contest, their 5th Annual Can-Can Classic. The challenge? Create an original drink using at least one ounce of St. Germain that exhibits Originality and Taste, to be judged by Representatives of St. Germain...and Martha Stewart's editorial staff (Hey,... Continue Reading →
To celebrate the Autumnal Equinox and herald the arrival of cooler weather, we held a Harvest Party at the Lauer household (incidentally, a well-timed cold front dropped the temperature by ten degrees in Georgia on the night of the 22nd). Accompanying the pulled pork, German potato salad, mac n' cheese, and quick pickles -- all of... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago, the Lauer household was inundated with tomatoes. The gardens were cranking 'em out in July, and we could only consume so many of them. Our stomachs replete with red fruit, we offered them up to neighbors and co-workers, and with their stomachs replete, we had to move on to long-term storage solutions...along... Continue Reading →
Ah yes, the Hurricane. Like many faux-tropical drinks, it has a messy history, though it's not quite as convoluted or controversial as those of the Mai Tai and the Zombie. For one thing, we know the time and location of its origin -- Pat O'Brien's Bar in the French Quarter, circa late 1940s (though I have found... Continue Reading →
Tempered Spirits 