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
Until this drink, I’d never had a cocktail made with fresh lychees. Their bumpy shell houses a squishy, gelatinous fruit with a little seed inside that. It tastes like a sweeter more syrupy grape with an exotic fruit twist. Nolet’s Gin sent me a box of lychees and a suggestion for how to use them … a Gimlet made with lychees. How could I resist?
In case you’ve never seen a lychee before (I hadn’t), … Read more
Many cocktails have “muddled” ingredients, so recipes tell you to grab your muddler and muddle away. But what does that even mean?
A muddler is a wooden pestle that looks like a miniature baseball bat. The flat end is used to smash ingredients, such as the lime and mint in a Mojito. We recommend wood because it won’t damage your glasses. Some muddlers have teeth on the end, which is great for fruits but too … Read more
If you want to get started brewing your own beer, the Brooklyn Brew Shop has some interesting kits and mixes for you!
Although the products seem to be designed with the beginning brewer in mind, they still keep it exciting with varieties like Peanut Butter Porter, Mustard Brown Ale and Grapefruit Honey Ale.
They have a Brew of the Month Club if you truly want to get your beer on.
Here’s a fun video they … Read more
Flavored syrups are a simple way to add flair to your cocktails. But you don’t need the store-bought variety. You can take your favorite fruit, herbs and even vegetables and turn them into a cocktail syrup. It’s as easy as boiling water! And who says the syrup is just for cocktails? Mix it with club soda or sparkling water for an easy homemade soda.
Here is the basic formula and instructions:
Ingredients1 part water… Read more
It’s Mixology Monday time again, and this month we are hosted by Adventures In Cocktails with the theme – “Niche Spirits”. So that means no basics: no vodka, tequila, gin, rum, brandy or whiskey.
We said, “Hey, how about a nice Genever Cocktail from our new book – DIY Cocktails?”
Genever, AKA “Holland Gin”, is the Dutch predecessor from which the more ubiquitous “London Dry” gin evolved.
Ingredients:
2 parts Bols Genever
1 part Creme … Read more
If your Dad is a fan of classic whiskey cocktails, this new creation with a strong, traditional flavor may be the one to mix him for Father’s Day.
Using the ratio for a Manhattan as inspiration, I started with a rye base and played with the sweet/dry balance that the vermouth usually offers. Amer is a French aperitif with flavors of bitter orange and gentian root. (AMERican Dad, get it? Ha?) Dry vermouth is often … Read more
Hopefully dad appreciates you just the way you are, but these items can’t hurt in helping him love you just a little bit more …
Highland Park 50With only 275 bottles produced, this prestigious edition is set to become an exclusive collectors’ item.
Bottled at 44.8% ABV, Highland Park 50 Years Old is a vatting of five refill oak casks distilled in 1960. This higher proof brings out richness of this special whisky.
Each … Read more
It’s grilling weather where I am, so I was looking for something I could sip on the deck while cooking over the coals. The rosemary bush in my yard and the giant red grapefruits I bought at Whole Foods called to me, so I put them together in a variation on one of my absolute favorite warm-weather concoctions: the Mojito.
I ran out of sugar to make simple syrup, so for my second one I … Read more
When Pisco Portón sent me a bottle of its spirit, the first thing that sprung to mind was, “It’s Pisco Sour time!” As I reached for the simple syrup in the fridge, right next to it, I saw a jar of strawberry syrup I made. That gave me an idea.
The floral and light fruit notes in the pisco seemed like a natural match for strawberry. In keeping with the light spring tone of the … Read more