It’s still Summer, so why not giveaway some cool stuff to make cocktails and a $150 Amex Gift Card. Simply like this page, comment or like Martin Miller’s Facebook Page and you’ll be entered to win a DIY Summer Cocktail Gift Pack containing a shaker and other bar tools, a copy of our book DIY Cocktails and $150 Amex Gift Card (for incidentals).
* To enter you must be at least 21 years of age … Read more
The Manhattan is one of my favorite cocktails, yet some bars make me sad by shaking this drink instead of stirring it. Overall, a good rule of thumb to follow is that if a drink consists of all alcoholic mixers (as this one does), then stirring is sufficient to mix the drink. As Robert Hess points out in this instructional video, it also makes for a much more visually appealing cocktail. Check out this video … Read more
Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka comes to us from Wadmalaw Island off the coast of South Carolina and close to Charleston. In homage to its Southern roots, it combines tea grown on a plantation off the coast of Charleston with Louisiana can sugar to produce real sweet tea that is infused into a quadruple distilled vodka.
The Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka has a lovely light amber color with brown highlights and smells like sweet tea on … Read more
Outside Lands descends on, well the “Outside Lands” of San Francisco for the 4th time this Friday thru Sunday – August 12 – 14. The festival, held in Golden Gate Park is bigger and better this year having added EcoLand, DJ Dome, Freak/Comedy Tent (The Barbary) and a ton more food and wine. Food is scattered through out the the entire venue, so you are never far from some eats. They have even created a … Read more
As we mentioned last week, we recently hiked up to Lake County for the Lake County Wine Adventure and had a blast. One of the places that I made sure we went to was Langtry Estate and Vineyards, the producer of Guenoc Wines. Guenoc Wines has been one of my favorite budget go-to producers for well over a decade. Honestly, without Guenoc, I probably wouldn’t have known that Lake County existed when I started buying … Read more
This scotch spends time in not one, not two but three different types of wood casks. While most scotch spends time in used barrels that come from all over the world (port, sherry, wine, bourbon and whiskeys), it’s rare that they spend time in more than one type of cask. In this case, the result is pretty spectacular.
Auchentoshan (good luck saying or spelling it) is a Lowland Scottish distillery that triple distills its scotch. … Read more
We ventured to a new wine region in California last weekend, Lake County. Besides boasting the largest inland lake, Clear Lake, and best air quality in California, Lake County is also home to a barely dormant volcano that left rich deposits of soil enriched with lava over the years. Like the great wines of Sicily, the volcanic soil greatly affects the grapes and give them a unique characteristic of iron or flint (these are good … Read more
The idea behind H2O cocktails is simple: Infuse water with fruit, spices and herbs and mix that infusion with a complimentary spirit. What you get is a light, fresh and low-calorie cocktail. I learned about this intriguing cocktail concept at Tales of the Cocktail from mixology master Tony Abou-Ganim and culinary superstar Kathy Casey. Here’s my favorite concoction from their presentation.
Mandarin Hibiscus CocktailCreated by Tony Abou-Ganim
Ingredients
Growing up in the largest brandy drinking state in the nation (Wisconsin), I am also a cognac lover! I am also constantly on the lookout for good cognac and this one delivers.
The Remy Martin 1738 cognac is named for the year that King Louis XV granted Remy Martin a warrant to expand his grape plantings on royal lands, allowing him to expand his cognac House. The Remy 1738 comes in a classy bottle that … Read more
Just in case you need an excuse to drink Scotch: Today is National Scotch Day. So drink a dram to celebrate! Scotch is a polarizing whisky … most people either love it or hate it. I fall into the “love it” camp.
The strong character of this whisky often makes it a challenge to mix, but when it’s done right, a Scotch cocktail can really blow your mind. Here are a few to try:
The… Read more