Spring is officially here in the Northern Hemisphere, at least on the calendar, and it’s even starting to look and feel like spring here in Rochester, NY. Lawns are greening up and growing, I see buds on a couple of the shrubs around my yard, and I see bicyclists here and there on our roads. … Continue reading The Apricot Rickey—and why it’s called a “Rickey”
Gin
The Dorchester
Found this recipe while looking for cocktails to help use the temporary surplus of fresh grapefruit juice I have before it goes bad. Couldn’t wait to get my two lips on it, of course. <rimshot> It is absolutely delicious and refreshing. Of note, the recipe as presented on liquor.com called for no garnish at all, … Continue reading The Dorchester
The Elder Aviator
This is a riff on the classic Aviation cocktail (gin, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, crème de violette, lemon juice), but dropping the sweet, floral violette and adding the more herbaceously floral (and health-giving!) notes of elderflower liqueur. THE ELDER AVIATOR2 oz Gin (good stuff, please)⅔ oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur¼ oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur½ oz Freshly … Continue reading The Elder Aviator
The Cumbersome Cocktail
This is one of those drinks that make me wish my blog could have "smell-o-vision." I went to the Difford's Guide site looking for a new gin-and-cucumber cocktail recipe and found this one, which calls for four (count 'em, four) inches of cucumber. That sounded like a lot, but it turns out to be exactly … Continue reading The Cumbersome Cocktail
Review: Agave Gin (I know. I was shocked, too.)
If gin flew to Mexico and had a fling with mezcal, this would be their love child. Stick with me, because this love story takes a little explanation, starting with a 30,000 foot review of how gin is made before we get into the particulars of Gracias a Díos (GAD) Agave Gin. “Daddy, where does … Continue reading Review: Agave Gin (I know. I was shocked, too.)
Oh, my Bloody Knees!
This drink is an amazingly balanced and tasty twist on the vintage Bees Knees cocktail, but includes blood orange juice instead of ordinary orange juice. Freshly squeezed, of course. With all of that citrus content, you can expect some tart, but the honey syrup keeps that in check. It's glorious. BLOODY KNEES 2 oz Gin … Continue reading Oh, my Bloody Knees!
Damn the (Bloody) Weather
Damn the weather! An irrelevant observation, really, but I hear that a lot from people in Western New York around late February and March. In their defense, I had a great-uncle who always said something to the effect of, "If I can make it through March, I'll have the year in the bag for sure." … Continue reading Damn the (Bloody) Weather
Lower-alcohol: The Starlight Reverse Martini
The reverse Martini and Manhattan—an ounce of booze to two ounces of vermouth instead of the conventional reverse—are not new ideas. In fact, long before Prohibition, proto-Martinis such as the Martinez were typically one-to-one booze-to-vermouth mixes. There’s a much longer story to be told about how America’s “greatest generation” messed up vermouth for half a … Continue reading Lower-alcohol: The Starlight Reverse Martini
The Sensei Martini
I discovered this Martini in December 2021 for a spirits tasting event I poured at Pinnacle Wine & Liquor. I say "discovered" because it wasn't my creativity as much as a happy coincidence that we were featuring Suntory's Roku Gin, and Pinnacle also carries Japanese Bermutto (a rice-wine based vermouth) and Japanese bitters (I have … Continue reading The Sensei Martini
The Bloody Monkey Gland
Sometimes a guy just has to try a cocktail because of the, um, compelling name. I had a fresh batch of blood orange juice (yum), so went looking for interesting new recipes to use it. This cocktail isn't presented as a blood orange drink - it was simply "Monkey Gland" as I found it - … Continue reading The Bloody Monkey Gland
The Libation Lounge 