Punches have been on my mind lately, and I couldn’t figure out why until I realized I’d been reading Imbibe by David Wondrich on and off for the past few weeks. I wasn’t making any of the drinks (yet), but somehow I was channeling the fine cocktailian at the bar. Swizzles and punches just started […]

Only 83 out of 100? I have some work to do. Darcy, from Art of Drink, has gone and created an cocktailian meme. I won’t weigh you down with any more of my spiel, though. Hear it from Darcy: Instructions: Copy this list into your blog, with instructions. Bold all the drinks you’ve imbibed. Cross […]

Looking for new excuses to use vanilla syrup and eyeing up the 375ml bottle of Old Forester Repeal Bourbon that came in the mail a few weeks ago, I decided on a swizzle. Swizzles are fairly easy to whip up, and just as likely to taste like a muddled mess destined for the sink drain […]

Every other Wednesday, I have been creating a 7 or so course tasting menu for friends. They are local foodies, have distinguished palates, and speak their mind whether they are asked or not. It was the perfect opportunity to try out a new rye whiskey on them. My approach was by no means scientific, but […]

For the first time today, I garnished a drink with a vanilla bean. And it cost 36 cents. I can’t even begin to describe how much aroma a vanilla bean has, so as most writers do, I’m going to do it anyway. It’s both spicy and sweet at once, reminding you of apple pie and […]

Jammed tight in my mailbox today was a package from Germany. I ripped it away from its metal cage and nearly tripped as I tore it open before evening getting in the house. As I peeled back one layer of bubble wrap after another, a light from the heavens began to shine down where I […]

Tiki drinks have been described as “fussy,” “esoteric,” and often down right tedious. In part this is due to the wide variety of rum and juice that is required, but I think the true culprit is the syrup. There are some 20 syrups, mixes, batters, hoozlungs, and dreebops, each often requiring a multi-day process and […]

The best cocktails are often the simplest. Last week’s Thursday Drink Night (TDN) revealed a pirate’s chest of great cocktail ideas and a mess of commentary, but in the end we had to choose the best cocktail of the night. Stevi Deter, charming author of Two At The Most, granted us this delight well into […]

You were asked a simple, yet unwaveringly difficult, question. If you could only have 10 bottles of spirit for the rest of your life, what would they be? 29 of you submitted your lists and they included over 121 different spirits. After some grueling compilation, I’ve come up with the official Top 10 list. The […]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and wager that when you open your liquor cabinet, you have trouble deciding what to make. However, the problem lies not in the lack of options, but the sheer abundance of them. Should you use the Aperol or Campari? What one of ten gins should go […]