The Sazerac is one of America’s greatest cocktail creations. Yes, I said it.  It’s a timeless classic that people still order from me today and it’s one of those cocktails I drink at home frequently.  Originally imported Cognac was the main ingredient in the recipe.  As the phylloxera beetle devastated European vineyards, Brandy and Cognac increased in price and New Orleans bars didn’t want to pay the steep prices.  Where could bartenders turn to?  Local Rye and Bourbon Whiskies were being produced and the spicy character of the Rye Whiskey fit the bill. 2 oz Rye Whiskey 1/4 oz (Bar Spoon) Absinthe Sugar Cube 3-5 Dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters Lemon twist for garnish Take a mixing glass and combine the sugar cube and bitters.  Muddle the two and mix them together.  Grab an old fashioned glass and pour the Absinthe into the glass and swirl it around to coat the inside.  [...]

Happy Friday!  Nothing too special about this one, besides the fact that this is probably the last Friday of 2011 where we can actually fit into our jeans.  On that note, on to the linky goodness. Nothing goes together better than tomboys and whisk(e)y. As a serious manhattan enthusiast, I say cheers to you, Heather John! What do Red Stripe and Japanese installation artists have in common? An awesome musical sculpture. A cocktail for people who don’t care. More specifically, for the Honey Badger. If you do care — about Twilight, that is — here are Breaking Dawn-inspired cocktails. And for the design fiends out there, our buddies at Cyrus Noble released a beautiful new website!   That’s it for this week.  Have a great weekend full of stomach-stretching exercises!

Thanksgiving is upon us, which means that tomorrow, the third Thursday of November, will mark the release of Beaujolais Nouveau on US shores– a traditional celebration of the first release of wine from Beaujolais. What appeals to many wine drinkers is that they are able to consume the wine in the same year it was grown and bottled.  The flipside of that coin is that a heck of a lot of wine drinkers avoid Beaujolais Nouveau for the very same reason. Beaujolais Nouveau isn’t the only 2011 wine currently on the market, though. In fact, an entire Thanksgiving meal can be enjoyed with solely 2011 releases. For starters, much of the Southern hemisphere – Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil – have already released their 2011 vintages, though without such fanfare as our friend Nouveau. Even in the northern hemisphere, the 2011 vintage of many wines have been released, which [...]

The Corpse Reviver #2 is one of the best classic cocktails, in my opinion.  It’s a great cocktail to sway vodka drinkers to gin, introduce a little absinthe into your world, and get a daily dose of vitamin c.  It’s another cocktail introduced by Harry Craddock in his book in 1930. 1 oz Gin 1 oz Lillet Blanc 1 oz Cointreau 1 oz lemon juice 1 Dash Absinthe Orange twist for garnish Add a dash of Absinthe to a martini glass and swirl it around to coat it.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake.  Strain into the Absinthe-rinsed martini glass and twist the orange peel over the top. I’d also recommend using Cocchi Americano instead of regular Lillet if you’re feeling adventurous.  Kina Lillet was used back in the 1930′s before it was discontinued.  Cocchi will add a little bitterness, but it [...]

When does a monkey stop being a monkey, and become an invitation to riot in the streets? When it’s pictured on the label of a bottle of absinthe, using a femur to beat a skull like a drum. Or so said the federal government in 2007, when it rejected the label design for St. George Spirits’ Absinthe Verte. And as St. George Master Distiller Lance Winters wryly observes, “the government’s job is to prevent riots in the streets.” Having produced the first authentic absinthe for sale in this country since 1912, Lance and his crew expected close scrutiny of their formula by the government, and apprehension by less adventurous consumers. They did not expect what they got: a fight over the absinthe’s label. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the division of the U.S. Treasury Department charged with regulating the production, sale and marketing of beer, wine, [...]

01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 friends! For our non-binary-fluent readers, that’s hello.  Today’s 11/11/11 (63 in binary, not so exciting) and it is COLD out there. Let’s move on to the links about the drinks that keep us warm and jolly. Whiskey “without the middle-aged yuck factor.” What?!? Our buddies at Ford Mixology Lab have been putting together some awesome instructional videos for the cocktail-challenged.  Their “What’s in our bar bag?” is our favorite.  It’ll leave you lusting after Japanese bar tools, but ’tis the season for dropping hints about gifts, isn’t it? Ad agency Arnold Worldwide made a beer vending machine, stocked with agency-branded beers. His name is Arnie, and he has a Twitter account. Speaking of beer: beer for dogs?! It’s non alcoholic and non carbonated, so we’re not sure how it’s beer but… sure. Here’s an awesome infographic cheat sheet for red wine. We agree with almost [...]

sssSSSSBOOM! It roared-up like a runaway train then exploded like Baghdad, blasting clots of 9000 degree lava through the shimmering air in great fiery arcs. This was one hell of a tourist attraction! Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides) is about as far as you can go in the South Pacific without bumping into a sea dragon on an olde map. This string of more than 80 islands, with 113 distinct languages, is the site of Mt. Yasur on Tanna island, what tourist brochures claim as “the world’s most accessible active volcano” . Vanuatu is an amazing place of unspoiled, volcanic and coral tropical isles with a vibrant native culture that, while being fully-aware of the modern world, many times chooses to live traditional lives. It was here I climbed a volcano and tried its namesake drink “Yasur Fireup” at the paradise that is the White Grass Ocean Resort. And, at [...]

One of those cocktails that I have been personally making more of lately is the Southside Cocktail.  It’s a classic cocktail that originated from the historic  21 Club in New York City that opened in 1922.  I’m not sure when the first publication of this cocktail was, but it’s in my Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930.  My assumption is that it was made during prohibition at the speakeasy and Mr. Craddock decided to include it in his book after he journeyed to London.  My recommended proportions for this cocktail are as follows: 2 oz Gin 1 oz lemon juice Bar Spoon Granulated Sugar 2-3 Leaves of freshly picked mint Add the mint and sugar to a glass and lightly muddle to extract oils from the mint.  Add the remaining ingredients, add ice and shake.  Strain into a Martini glass or put into a collins glass and add an ounce or [...]