I found myself planning a last minute trip into the depths of Washington DC this past Thursday. The last time I was in the city, I was but a wee pup, and the lures of spirit and food were but a flicker in my eye. Not this time, however. I fully intended […]

I never gave the Old Waldorf-Astoria more than a glance after it came with a shipment of other cocktail and cook books nearly a year ago. Boy what a mistake that was. I dug it out the other day, remembering it included more than a handful of gin-laden cocktails. To my surprise, […]

A recent comment on my shrub post prompted me to post this question. To clarify if you haven’t seen the post, I’ll quote Martin, the owner and fine exotic cocktail scientist from Forbidden Island: “What’s all this #&%$* about tiki season fading? What are you, some kind of @#*&! communist?” I found this […]

The Gentleman’s Companion Volume II: The Exotic Drinking Book lists many recipes that contain raw eggs, including many modern recipes that have since omitted them. A well-shaken egg changes the texture of the drink, adding a bit of foamy creaminess to it, and in the case of a yolk, a richness that only a […]

Every single cocktail book I have in my house has a different recipe for the Aviation Cocktail. Trader Vic’s version, oddly enough, contains equal portions of Dubonnet and sweet sherry, but all of the others have the same three ingredients in various quantities: gin, lemon juice, and maraschino liqueur. Gary Regan, in The […]