Tag: cocktails
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Cocktails and the AI-Revolution
Like many people, I’ve watched the capabilities of AI unfold with wonderment. I’ve been a fan but only to the point of amusement. Chat GPT can write a long epic poem in perfect iambic pentameter, it can write up legal contracts and it can create new cocktail recipes. Bars have already ventured into featuring AI-created… Read more
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The Whiskey Cobbler: What Is It?
Unless you’re a cocktail aficionado with a penchant for history, chances are you’ve never heard of the cobbler. Cobblers were among the most popular mixed drink categories in the nineteenth century. Cobblers were made with numerous wines and spirits with the Sherry Cobbler being amongst the oldest recipes. The Sherry Cobbler appears in the 1847… Read more
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Bawon’s Benediction
The ingredients for this cocktail are inspired by the lore of Baron Samedi, loa of the dead in Haitian Vodou. Read more
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Kapuhona: Turning Sex on the Beach into a Craft Cocktail
Kapuhona: Turning Sex on the Beach into a Craft Cocktail Sex on the Beach is one of those cocktails that everybody knows. Yet, it’s hard to imagine a craft bartender or discerning drinker treating it as a serious culinary cocktail. Lore has it that a Florida bartender invented the drink to try to sell peach… Read more
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The Origin of Cocktails and the Glorious Medicine Show!
We are deceived if we believe the cocktail is no longer medicinal. It might not cure typhoid, rheumatism, or nervous fever, but it’s a potion for the mind. Alcohol, when given the right environment, blurs the boundaries of imagination, and sometimes, such transformational power is a potent medicine. The soul, after all, is found in… Read more
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Spook
To be clear, Spook is an old-fashioned and it’s quite traditional (well because we’re using simple syrup we might as well just call it a brandy cocktail). While typically associated with bourbon or rye, brandy has been used in old-fashioneds for as long as old-fashioneds have been made. This particular crafting uses clear Copper &… Read more
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The Master Cocktails and the Theory of Mixology
How do bartenders come up with new drinks? While it’s entirely possible to mix random ingredients and come up with something good, there is a theory behind the art of mixology. Nearly every cocktail fits a basic template: a master cocktail. Want to make a new cocktail? Start with a master cocktail and start swamping… Read more
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Another Old-Fashioned Controversy: What About That Muddled Sugar Cube?
Based on a review of vintage recipes, the “old-fashioned” historically referred to a specific way of making the now defunct-in-name “whiskey cocktail,” as there was a time when cocktail books had recipes for both the old-fashioned and the whiskey cocktail. They were essentially the same drink, except the whiskey cocktail was sweetened with gomme syrup… Read more
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The Qualities that Make a Great Bartender
The qualities that make a good bartender are going to vary from establishment to establishment. For instance, someone with high-level flair skills may not be a great fit at a craft cocktail bar where there’s an emphasis on precision in measurements. Conversely, a craft bartender probably isn’t going to be happy working at a college… Read more
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The Momsen
The Momsen The Momsen is an elegant and refined elaboration of the Lemon Drop. Subtle floral hints combine with mint and honey to conjure a sunny summer field. The Momsen is a rift on the Lemon Drop. It’s also an example of how recipes evolve. Since its conception two years ago, it has gone through… Read more