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Supposedly, July 27th was National Scotch Day. I know it’s not the most popular holiday, but the timing was pretty good (it was a coincidence, really) for describing the Scotch tasting event last week and for featuring the Blood and Sand cocktail the week before. I thought about selecting another Scotch drink this week but I decided it was time to move on. That’s when a friend of mine finally tracked down some Cherry Heering and made the Blood and Sand. I wondered if perhaps there were other readers looking for additional ways to use cherry brandy, so I thought I would feature the Singapore Sling.
It can be a delicious cocktail, depending on the recipe you use. That said, it’s just as easy to make one taste awful. Part of the problem is that like a lot of cocktails, the original recipe was lost and this has caused
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Call it a soda siphon, a syphon or a seltzer bottle—it’s a pressurized container for dispensing carbonated water. Remember The Three Stooges or the Marx Brothers shaking bottles and spraying each other in the face? Same thing. But why would you want one? Can’t you just buy club soda? You certainly can. In fact, I used to buy cases of San Pellegrino, and if you are making a bunch of drinks, screw-top bottled soda water works just fine. But what if all you need is a couple of ounces to top up a Collins? Maybe you made some fantastic ginger syrup and you want to have some ginger beer? You could open a bottle of club soda, but most of that water is going to go flat. Once it’s open, you need to use it or lose it.
That’s the real benefit having your own siphon in the
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At long last, I am finally posting the Negroni for the Drink of the Week. I am finding that there are just too many interesting twists on this classic that are worth writing about and I want to be able to reference the original.
The history of this cocktail provides a two-for-one opportunity since one cannot describe the Negroni without first referencing the Americano, and to describe the Americano requires mentioning the essential ingredient, Campari. So, this brings us to late nineteenth century Italy where production of a unique apéritif and digestif was just getting started. Campari is basically an alcoholic infusion of fruit, bitter herbs and aromatic plants. The exact formula remains a secret. By the early 1900s, Italians were enjoying Campari with soda water, and it is this simple combination that inspired a drink that became quite popular.
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Before you turn away from the Collins, you must understand that this cocktail may be nothing like the one you are used to. It’s true that the past 40 years or so have allowed it to earn a reputation for being sweet and syrupy, but in this new golden age of mixology that characterization no longer applies. We can make the Collins like it was originally intended—a balanced and refreshing drink that’s perfect for the long spring we are having.
I considered trying to find something organic, green or nature-focused given that it’s earth day, but I thought I would do my part to help recycle and revive this honorable classic, even if that meant challenging a few of you to give this cocktail a fresh try. That’s what it’s all about, after all—fresh ingredients. In this case, it’s the lemon juice. During the 60s and 70s we experienced what
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Well, it’s Mardi Gras week, and although we just finished celebrating the Winter Carnival here in St. Paul, New Orleans is just getting started with their own annual festival. This year the new Superbowl champions have another reason to celebrate. But in addition to the parades and the street parties, New Orleans has always played an important role when it comes to cocktails.
When deciding the Drink Of The Week this week I knew it had to be something historically significant from New Orleans. My first inclination was to feature the Sazerac—often cited as one of the first cocktails ever created, if not the original cocktail. The history is debatable even though it was made the official drink of New Orleans. Important as it is, I am going to leave the Sazerac for another time and instead focus on the equally famous “morning after” remedy—the Ramos Gin
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My wife likes to call New Years Eve, Amateur Night, because she works downtown Minneapolis every day. It’s perhaps acceptable to surrender the city on this night—of all nights—to people who might not otherwise be as familiar with one-way streets and tall buildings. Combine celebratory drinking with a crowd not used to driving downtown along icy streets at night and you are bound to create a few problems. Similar issues can arise when you host a party, whether it’s Amateur Night or otherwise. One way to avoid a problem is to offer your guests a selection of alcohol-free cocktails. I’m not talking about water (which you should have anyway), soft drinks and juice. I am talking about actual alcohol-free cocktails that are every bit as fun to make and as tasty to consume as their judgement-impairing counterparts.
Put yourself in the designated driver’s seat for a moment and consider how much
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Make your own Ginger Syrup and use it to make homemade Ginger Beer and to build incredible cocktails like the Moscow Mule and the Dark & Stormy.
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I was never a Gin & Tonic fan, but all of that changed last year when I read Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s post about making tonic from scratch. Of course, his wasn’t the first recipe to gain widespread attention. The resurgence of craft tonic is credited to Kevin Ludwig of Portland, Oregon whose recipe even appeared in the March/April 2007 issue of Imbibe Magazine. Having basically skipped over that recipe back then, I considered it an ingredient best left to gin drinkers, or someone who was more interested. Finally, after reading more about it and seeing craft tonic added to a cocktail I really enjoyed, I decided to give it a try.
Why make something that already exists? When I first saw the Imbibe article, I was asking myself all sorts of questions. Can’t you simply buy tonic water at the store? It’s cheap enough, it’s crystal clear, and
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If you have been reading along, you have probably seen me mention simple syrup. In most cases, I try to briefly explain, but you may be wondering, What is it? Can I buy it somewhere? Is it hard to make? Why don’t I hear more about this stuff? For the cocktail enthusiast, simple syrup is almost taken for granted. It’s a necessity—an ingredient that you must have on hand. But the average cocktail consumer may not even know why they need it. It’s crucial to so many recipes and yet so basic that it is rarely explained. I’d like to show you what simple syrup is, how to make it, and why you should have it around.
It’s Sugar, of course! It really is that simple. The most basic recipe for simple syrup is to measure one part sugar and one part water and combine them. When the sugar dissolves in
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Antique/Vintage Store Spotlight:
 Shaker, Recipe Decorated Glass with Aluminum Lid |
 Irish Coffee Mug |
 Sour Goblet 8 oz |
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