There is nothing that pairs with New Year’s Eve as well as Champagne (or Prosecco, or Cava). Champagne is an excellent choice to celebrate one door closing and another door opening, but there are a lot of ways to step up your bubbly game – or celebrate with a unique cocktail that is perfect for …
Candy is Dandy, but liquor is quicker. -Ogden Nash I remember when I saw this quote as a kid (far too young to know what sex was – but I knew what candy was), and it stuck with me. The line is from the 1931 poem by Ogden Nash, ‘Reflections on the Ice Breaking’ – and …
Several friends have told me they love the drinks I make on my Instagram page (@architecture_of_the_cocktail) but would like to hear my take on how to set up a home bar. As we head into the holidays, many of us entertaining for the first time in a year and a half, so I have broken down my thoughts …
Several friends have told me they love the drinks I make on my Instagram page (@architecture_of_the_cocktail) but would like more basic information. As we head into the holidays, many of us will be entertaining for the first time in a year and a half, so I have broken down my thoughts on what it takes to assemble an efficient and flexible home …
There are few spirits with more mythology and lore than absinthe. Loved by many, loathed by as many, and known in name only to the majority. Absinthe began as a medicine, became a popular drink, obtained a cult-like status, was made illegal, and has a new life thanks to the rebirth of the craft cocktail renaissance. Absinthe or …
I originally set out to mix my way through the top pre-prohibition cocktails for fun. Then moved onto prohibition and Tiki cocktails, then added the IBA (International Bartenders Association) official drinks. I am now exploring some very odd and unusual drinks that require equally odd and unusual spirits and mixers. So, I thought it would be a good time …
It may be just what we need right now, and it may be a foolish endeavor to hold the games in the middle of a pandemic, but the Olympics have begun! Since fans are not allowed, it only makes sense to sit back and watch the events on TV with a great cocktail in your …
It may be just what we need right now, and it may be a foolish endeavor to hold the games in the middle of a pandemic, but the Olympics have begun! Since fans are not allowed, you will have to sit back and watch the events on TV. If your team or country doesn’t win, you can …
With National Bourbon Day occurring last week, it seems like a good time to take a deep dive into “America’s Native Spirit.” Bourbon is one of the first distilled spirits in the New World Well, the term bourbon may be a bit of a stretch, but the early settlers needed something safe to drink, and for far longer than …
With the exception of the thirteen years of Prohibition, New York arguably can lay claim to the center of the cocktail universe since cocktails became cocktails. And even during those ‘dry’ years, it wasn’t missing too much of a beat. London has a serious claim and helped usher cocktails back from the brink of extinction in the 1990, and many other cities have …
Now that we have moved past Memorial Day, we begin our transition into summer. This means my drinking habits have begun to shift to match the weather as well. A nice bourbon neat with a couple drops of water (to help open up the flavor) is perfect after a long day at work when the weather is cool or cold, but in summer I want a long drink full of ice. Which …
With World Whiskey Day occurring last week, this seems like a good time to look at a (very) abbreviated history of the spirit. Residue from a beer-like fermented drink was recently found in stone vessels in Raqefet Cave in Israel that is thought to be 13,000 years old. Remnants of seven different plant types, including wheat/barley, oat, legumes, and …
Falernum. You may know what it is, and you may not. You may even have a bottle in your home bar. And even if you have never heard of it, if you have had a properly made Tiki drink – you have likely had it without knowing. Falernum is in some ways the Caribbean seasoning of simple syrup. People …
What would the Kentucky Derby be without the Mint Julep? What would horseracing be without the iconic Kentucky Derby? And what would the Derby be without the Mint Julep (or those hats)? And to keep this train of thought going – what would the julep be without mint? The first two questions are hypothetical – but the last …
The Negroni. When the snow and cold begins to fade in the Spring, my thoughts always turn to the classic Negroni. I’m not sure why. The drink is lovely – even on cold snowy days. But there is something about the thought of sitting on the porch without a coat or sweater, sipping on this delightful little drink that makes spring seem springier. The classic …
Shinjiro Torii (left) and Masataka Taketsuru (right) Whiskey, combined with a non-alcoholic carbonated mixer, served over ice in a tall glass is called a whiskey highball everywhere in the world. Except for Japan. In Japan, this is simply referred to as a Highball. The origins of the term highball are grey. Some believe it has to do with the American Railway. Some believe …
Rare photo of Jack Daniel (middle, white hat) next to George Green, son of Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green taken around 1900. Sometime around 1855, a young 6 year-old named Jasper went to work for a preacher, grocer, and landowner in Lynchburg, Tennessee named Dan Call. His mother had died from complications resulting from his birth, and there …
Vodka isn’t Russian Vodka was first created in the Middle Ages in what is now Poland, and the first written mention of it is from 1405. It didn’t enter modern day Russia for almost a century, and like all alcohol of the day was used primarily as medicine. Polish physician Stefan Falimierz wrote in his 1534 book on herbs that vodka should be “used to …
We tend to take ice for granted. Even our great, great grandmother’s and grandfathers had easy access to ice. But for most of human history, ice was only seasonally available, and even then, a luxury that most could not afford. The requirements for an alcoholic drink to be called a cocktail are that it contains a spirit, sugar, …
While most bartenders throughout history have labored their entire careers in obscurity, some have become famous for their skill behind the stick, some because they wrote significant books on drinks and mixology, some because they were alchemists with mixers and spirits, and some because they were incredible self-promoters – attaining an almost superstar status. But the skill that …
The Tequila Shot Every college student and football tailgater knows that chant. You lick the skin on the back of your hand between the thumb and pointer finger and shake salt on, then grab a lime wedge with the same hand. With your free hand, you grab a shot of tequila and in time with …
The Daiquiri As America rocketed toward the end of the 1800s, new cocktails were being produced at a dizzying pace. Bartenders were looking to all types of new ingredients to add to old standbys, and to create new and unique drinks. Gins, vermouths, and champagnes were all trending dry, while liqueurs were being used to replace sugar. …
First Edition, The Bar Tender’s Guide, by Jerry Thomas The cocktail, as you know if you have been following this blog, was first mentioned as a noun referring to a drink in The Farmer’s Cabinet, a local newspaper in Amhurst, New Hampshire, on April 28, 1803. It is in a satirical diary entry of a farmer waking up and trying to clear his …
When I was little and we would go out to eat (which wasn’t often) and my parents were in a celebrating mood, they would order a cocktail. And sometimes when they were getting a drink, I was lucky enough to get a Shirly Temple ‘cocktail’ to sip along with them. I loved that combination of sweet cherry and 7UP. And best of all was finishing and still having …
Likely like most of you, I grew up thinking rum was always clear, and came in a clear glass bottle with a bat on the label. You made three things with it. You could get really fancy and make a daiquiri, you could add it to Coke, or you could add it to juice. There were exceptions; Long …
The Incredibly abbreviated history of Punch In the beginning, God gave man beer – and it was good. Well actually, it took a while. And the beer was horrible. The first known use of a straw as a tool was by the Sumerians in 3,000 BCE, and used it to get down through the semi-solids to the liquid in a container …
“What one rum can’t do, three rums can” – Don Beach Johnny Quong’s The Hawaiian When I was a kid, I was a pretty picky eater. We lived in Salt Lake City for four years in the early 1970s, and on the rare occasion that we went out to eat, the one place that I was always …
Eggnog. Not the most attractive name. Some people love it, and it is an integral part of their Christmas tradition. But some people hate it. The thought of drinking a thick mixture containing raw eggs disgusts them. Perhaps we should tell them that eggnog is basically melted ice cream (raw eggs, milk, and sugar) with alcohol included. The origins of eggnog are obviously unknown, …
When I was in high school, I got my one and only cocktail lesson from my dad. While making a drink, he turned to me and asked if I knew the difference between a dry martini and a very dry martini. He grabbed the (dusty) dry vermouth bottle from under the sink – probably next to the Comet and dish soap – and told me for …
People ask me all the time. What do you do with bitters? Or – what are bitters for? The short answer is they are to cocktails what spices are to food. Chef and author Samin Nosrat says of salt, “Salt’s relationship to flavor is multidimensional: It has its own particular taste, and it both balances and enhances the …