There’s been an amazing number of happy cocktail blog coincidences in my life lately. I will have just picked up an ingredient and, lo and behold, the next day I’ll find someone has posted a recipe that uses that very ingredient! First it was the Nacional, concocted by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, then I ran across the [...]
Drink On!
May 21st, 2007 | by nerdling | published in tequila, vodka, whisk(e)y
A little bubbly can cure what ails your brain. The ethanol found in liquor boosts the antioxidant quotient of strawberries and blackberries. Guess the old cliché of strawberries and Champagne isn’t so corny after all…
Rusty Nail
December 14th, 2005 | by nerdling | published in liqueur, recipes, scotch, whisk(e)y
I have some dim and dusty memories from my childhood of my father and gradparents regaling the family with stories of their favorite (and defunct) bars. Out of these memories come exotic and interesting drink names that have always captured my fancy: Fuzzy Navel, Navy Grog, Suffering Bastard, Rusty Nail. It has been a great [...]
Old Fashioned
December 13th, 2005 | by nerdling | published in bourbon, recipes, whisk(e)y
Despite the relative simplicity of the ingredients, the Old Fashioned is a deceptively difficult drink to make. The first tip-off was the fact that I found three different recipes for it in the same book—let alone the variations I’ve found in other locations. My first attempt resulted in a totally underwhelming drink, but I fiddled [...]
Mint Julep
December 12th, 2005 | by nerdling | published in bourbon, recipes, whisk(e)y
Up until a few months ago, every person I met expressed a keen dislike of the Southern specialty known as the Mint Julep. Complaints generally ranged from “bland” to “too strong,” but in my quest to learn as much as I can about tending bar, I can afford to leave no drink unmade. Surprisingly, the [...]
VIP
December 11th, 2005 | by nerdling | published in bourbon, liqueur, recipes, whisk(e)y
Sadly, I really don’t have much to say about the VIP. It was neither here nor there, neither exceptional nor terrible. It runs in the vein of an Old Fashioned, blending bourbon and citrus, but follows it up with dry vermouth. I’m not sure how I feel about dry vermouth mixed with bourbon, as this [...]
Liberty Bell
December 9th, 2005 | by nerdling | published in bourbon, brandy, liqueur, recipes, whisk(e)y
If the hype is to be believed, freedom is a heady intoxicant. That’s what seems to be the popular consensus. This could be why the Liberty Bell is such a spectacular drink, drawing on the connotations of its name to bewitch the drinker. Then again, it could just be a really great cocktail all on [...]
