“You are what you drink.” Or is it, “you drink what you are?” In the instant case, either would make me old, tart, and full of medicine. Pretty close to the mark. I’m one of the minority of humans fortunate enough to have made a living sitting on my brains and bandying words for hire. … Continue reading Wordsmith: The perfect cocktail for … wordsmiths
The Mule’s Hind Leg
Yes, it's a Mule's Hind Leg, but I've been kicked harder in my life—just not recently. There are multiple layers of flavor going on here - very harvesty: Apples, apricots, herbs, and maple syrup (have I mentioned that maple syrup and maple sugar candy are one of my few sweet-tooth vices?). But there is also … Continue reading The Mule’s Hind Leg
It’s almost Thanksgiving—a holiday made for “Drunk Uncles”
The old adage says, "you are what you eat." Or, in my case, "you are what you drink,” and I do have a dozen nieces and nephews. I can’t think of a better holiday than Thanksgiving to enjoy a cocktail named for a tipsy uncle. One description I found calls this cocktail a "Scotch Negroni." Ehhhh … Continue reading It’s almost Thanksgiving—a holiday made for “Drunk Uncles”
The Sage Margarita
Winter’s arrival doesn’t mean it’s time to put away the tequila. SAGE MARGARITA3 Fresh sage leaves2 oz Tequila (reposado or better)1 oz Triple sec (Cointreau is ideal)1 oz Freshly squeezed lime juice1 tsp Agave or simple syrup Lightly muddle (to bruise) the sage leaves in the base of a shaker; add the other ingredients and … Continue reading The Sage Margarita
Neat? Cocktails are neat, too, and whiskey is not a test of manhood.
Yesterday afternoon, while pouring whiskeys at a retail tasting (not the whiskey in this photo—it doesn’t matter which whiskey it was), and while one gentleman was chewing his sample pensively with eyes toward the heavens (halfway decent technique, actually), I pointed out that I had brought sample cocktails I made to show how well the … Continue reading Neat? Cocktails are neat, too, and whiskey is not a test of manhood.
Less alcohol and fewer calories, but I’m not “Bitter, Giuseppe”
I know some of my friends are wisely on the more-sober, more-healthy path with their cocktailing, so tonight we go into the low-alcohol/low-calorie cocktail zone. The readily accessible ingredients of this one put its net alcohol by volume at about 16 percent—in the neighborhood of a vermouth, port, or sherry. What is Cynar? You can … Continue reading Less alcohol and fewer calories, but I’m not “Bitter, Giuseppe”
With no apologies to Lewis Carroll, do not beware this Jabberwock
'Twas brillig, and the sippy toves ... No? That's wrong? Okay, how about ... "Beware the Jabberwock, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!” Could Lewis Carroll—a clergyman, noted poet, and author of children’s classics including Alice in Wonderland—have been sermonizing about gin in his classic poem? He is too long gone to … Continue reading With no apologies to Lewis Carroll, do not beware this Jabberwock
The New York Minute Cocktail
When you're hunkering down against a major rain or snow storm but you wish you were somewhere warm and sunny, try this little vacation in a glass. Sip slowly so those coffee beans steep some of their flavor into the drink, put your feet up, close your eyes, and imagine you're in Jalisco, Mexico—the home … Continue reading The New York Minute Cocktail
The Bloody Blood and Sand
I love freshly squeezed blood orange juice in cocktails, but it can be hard to find blood oranges at local supermarkets sometimes. So keep this between us, okay? We wouldn’t want everyone else to go buy them out, would we? The Blood & Sand is a classic Scotch whisky recipe that first appeared in Harry … Continue reading The Bloody Blood and Sand
The Suburban
This is a blend that starts off sounding a little like "garbage pail punch”—who’d think of mixing bourbon, rum, and tawny port?—but it's a tasty, refined cocktail with a lot happening around that clear ice. In the classic booze-bitter-sweet model of Old Fashioned cocktails, this one is half sweet, as the rum and tawny port … Continue reading The Suburban
The Libation Lounge 