About Various Types of Cocktail

If you are planning an informal party with close friends or a wedding cocktail reception, it is important to take note of the cocktail food to be served in order to ensure your success. You will be the one to decide on what cocktail food to be served with the use of these simple tips. If you are planning a formal party, a cocktail buffet is the ideal choice. For a regular cocktail party, you can make use of ordinary trays and silverware. All you have to do is to fit the cocktail food to with the event and the guests.

There is no need to be a professionally trained bartender to make great cocktails, either. Armed with a few bartending tips and secrets, you can be the "toast of the town" at your next get together and have people begging you for your cocktail recipes. It makes all the difference in the world to serve the party guests cocktails in the proper glassware. The first handy item is a small measuring glass that is incremented in ounces for measuring liquor.

The ingredients are placed in the shaker, then shaken and poured into the cocktail glass. Bourbon is another popular liquor and is often mixed with mint, lemons, or other sour additives. Margaritas are also very popular and made using triple sec and tequila. These are served either on the rocks or frozen in a salt rimmed glass with sliced lime wedges. There are various types of cocktail both glass and plastic glow-in-the-dark cocktail glasses. Classic cocktails include Mint Julep, Daiquiri, Manhattan, Rob Roy, Tom Collins, Tom & Jerry, Mojito, and Highball. Consider putting a new twist on the Manhattan, the Side Car and the Brandy Alexander for a cocktail restoration.

This Cocktail Recipe Is Quite Easy

As far as utilizing Averna in a cocktail, the Little Easy is an easily achieved variant on the Sazerac, featuring Scotch instead of rye whiskey as the base, which is then complimented by a half ounce of Averna. Though Sazerac's traditionally always have an Absinthe rinse, and this drink is no different, it does start to overpower the other spirits in this case, since the spiciness of the rye whiskey is no longer there to temper the anise. Definitely a lighter absinthe would be ideal, but as an alternative, perhaps infusing the Averna with fennel or other botanicals found in the absinthe would be a good way to achieve aromatic complexity, without resulting in too many competing flavors in the drink.

As always, it is good to experiment with proportions and swapping ingredients to attain the desired result, but regardless, this drink is an approachable and delicious expression of Averna in a cocktail, hopefully leading you to discover other amari, as well.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces Famous or Black Grouse Scotch
• 1/2 ounce Averna
• 1 sugar cube
• 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
• 2 dashes Bitter Truth orange bitters
• absinthe rinse
• orange twist

Directions:

1. Put a rocks glass in the freezer
2. Place sugar cube in a mixing glass with both bitters and muddle until emulsified.
3. Add in Scotch and Averna, and then stir with ice for 15 seconds, achieving a 50% dilution level.
4. Take chilled rocks glass and rinse or spray with Absinthe, discarding excess liquid.
5. Strain mixing glass contents into chilled rocks glass and express oils from an Orange Twist, then garnish.

It Is Really An Easy Cocktail Recipe

As far as utilizing Averna in a cocktail, the Little Easy is an easily achieved variant on the Sazerac, featuring Scotch instead of rye whiskey as the base, which is then complimented by a half ounce of Averna. Though Sazerac's traditionally always have an Absinthe rinse, and this drink is no different, it does start to overpower the other spirits in this case, since the spiciness of the rye whiskey is no longer there to temper the anise. Definitely a lighter absinthe would be ideal, but as an alternative, perhaps infusing the Averna with fennel or other botanicals found in the absinthe would be a good way to achieve aromatic complexity, without resulting in too many competing flavors in the drink.

As always, it is good to experiment with proportions and swapping ingredients to attain the desired result, but regardless, this drink is an approachable and delicious expression of Averna in a cocktail, hopefully leading you to discover other amari, as well.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces Famous or Black Grouse Scotch
• 1/2 ounce Averna
• 1 sugar cube
• 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
• 2 dashes Bitter Truth orange bitters
• absinthe rinse
• orange twist

Directions:

1. Put a rocks glass in the freezer
2. Place sugar cube in a mixing glass with both bitters and muddle until emulsified.
3. Add in Scotch and Averna, and then stir with ice for 15 seconds, achieving a 50% dilution level.
4. Take chilled rocks glass and rinse or spray with Absinthe, discarding excess liquid.
5. Strain mixing glass contents into chilled rocks glass and express oils from an Orange Twist, then garnish.

You Can Also Make Your Own Cocktail Easily

There's a ridiculous secret underlying the current revolution in cocktail culture: it's actually almost impossible to make a bad drink (especially if bourbon is involved). All that's really required is balance: a strong, tactile, clean note of alcohol, finished with interesting side currents of bitterness, sugar, or salt. A successful drink should land loudly but end quietly on the palate.

While it's good sport to go out specifically for cocktails, it can be even more fun to experiment with their creation and host cocktail parties at home. There are three basic approaches to take when looking to improve one's drink repertoire. You can keep your liquor shelf stocked with expensive liqueurs and other enhancers. You can also dig up obscure recipes that are no longer in general use, such as those that date back to before Prohibition. Or you can use basic cocktail recipes as a starting point, then freestyle off of them with simple syrups made in your own kitchen.

The basic approach for making syrups is to dissolve sugar into water and then flavor the solution with herbs or other aromatics. Since the herbs can come from your garden, enhanced syrups are a great way to make drinks with exceedingly local ingredients. Keeping your fridge stocked with a few different flavors invites endless experimentation and spontaneity.

The basic formula for each of these simple syrups is a one to two ratio of sugar to water, and then the addition of an ounce of fresh or dried aromatics. Included below are recipes using shiso leaves, lemongrass, mint, dried rosebuds, and dried hibiscus to create five different cocktails: a Dark and Stormy, a Rose Sidecar, a Hibiscus Vodka Tonic, a Lemongrass Cider Manhattan, and a Sake Martini with Shiso.

All of these ingredients can be found in a garden, your co-op, or your grocery store. Check the bulk section for dried ingredients, they are also available online.

Creating cocktails can be a communal event: keep your bar stocked with at least one of each of the basic liquors and a few syrups, and invite a bunch of friends over. The only limit to the number of potential drinks is your and your friends' livers' imaginations.

Recipes For Two Great Cassis Cocktails

Today you get two great cocktail recipes, similar but different, for the price of one. On Father’s Day I received a bottle of Cartron Crème de Cassis and mentioned it on Twitter. I soon received a tweet from kingvonelk (Kelvin Kong) with an interesting recipe to try: 1/3 each of Gin, Dry Vermouth, and Crème de Cassis.

It sounded like something definitely worth trying, so I gave it a go. It was delicious (a trifle on the sweet side) with the Cassis dominating the flavors. After requesting the name of this delectable cocktail from Kelvin via Twitter, I started doing some research on the web and discovered a cocktail with similar ingredients: the Magique. Kelvin soon messaged me with the name of his cocktail: the Paris. The Paris cocktail has been around a while: it shows up in the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) under the name “Parisian Cocktail”.

In the Magique, the flavor of the Vermouth comes out more as that ingredient predominates, resulting in a dryer cocktailthat still delivers that great Cassis flavor. So if you’re looking for a good Cassis-based cocktail, these two should be high on your list. Try the Magique if you want something on the dry side; the Paris if you want something a little sweeter.

The two dominant ingredients in these cocktails are the Crème de Cassis and the Dry Vermouth. When buying Crème de Cassis, you should avoid the really cheap stuff that my wife says tastes like cough syrup, and stay in the $20 or higher price range. Having a bottle of Crème de Cassis around the house is also your gateway to great apertifs like Kir and Kir Royale.

As for the Vermouth, Noilly Prat is a good, dry French Vermouth that will improve your Martinis as well provide a nice boost to these cocktails, so pick some up if you don’t already stock it.

Paris Cocktail
1 oz Bombay Sapphire® Gin
1 oz Cartron Crème de Cassis
1 oz Noilly Prat® Vermouth

Combine ingredients in a shaker half full of ice. Shake enthusiastically while remembering your last romantic night in Paris (use your imagination if necessary). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a twist of lemon. Salut!

Magique

1 oz Bombay Sapphire® Gin
½ oz Cartron Crème de Cassis
1 ½ oz Noilly Prat® Vermouth
Combine ingredients in a shaker half full of ice. Shake enthusiastically while imaging a magique night in Paris. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a twist of lemon.

Spring Holiday Celebrations Cocktail

Spring Holiday celebrations have quite often been married to excesses – from alcohol binging to indiscreet habits. Whats up, i am not one to guage, been there myself too often to fake to grasp higher. Actually, it is some of the advantages of being younger and full of vigour – you could birthday party on your heart’s content material.
These three spring cocktails from BoozeMonger.com mirror the spirit of Spring Holiday for the stressed amongst us – from a mild feeling that results in a raging fever and culminating in a sinful reprise. May additionally you’ve got rejoice, live secure and get gloriously inebriated whenever you reason a ruckus on earth at vast.Spring Feeling
This is a mild gin cocktail that needs to depart you in anticipation of the buzz that is but to come back. To make it, pour an oz. of gin, a dash of lemon juice and part an oz of Eco-friendly Chartreuse right into a shaker with ice. Paintings it wholly prior to straining right into a glass.
Spring Fever
When you might be executed with sipping it is time to commence taking pictures with this tasty unmarried-rounder. To make it, layer 1/2 an oz of chocolate almond liqueur, half of an oz of Drambuie and a teaspoon of lemon juice. One…..three…
Original Sin
This drink would seem benign nevertheless it will you raging on your seat. To make it, mixture 12 oz of DNA Alcoholic Spring Water and an oz. of Cinnamon Schnapps over ice. Stir and sin, the arena is yours!
You should want to attempt those BoozeMonger.com Shooter Recipes on Spring Holiday besides – Watermelon Shooter, and Fireball Shooter.

Cocktails Tend To Be Mentioned A Method Of Combined Beverages

Cocktails tend to be mentioned a method of combined beverages. Today the phrase cocktails imply blending of 2 or extra sorts of liquors with a number of fruit juices and flavours. The foundation of cocktails is alleged to be within the nineteenth century. In 1806 an American Mag printed that a cocktail is stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any form, sugar, water and bitter. Step by step the time period cocktail have become very in demand and stylish. Regularly it’s made up of gin, whiskey, rum, tequila, brandy and vodka.Martini is thought of as because the first contemporary cocktail. In 1887, the recipe of Martinez which has similarities to the Martini was given as Historic Tom Gin, candy vermouth, a touch of maraschino and bitters with a slice of lemon and dashes of gum syrup. Now contemporary Martini is product of gin and dry white vermouth garnished with an olive. This cocktail is legendary and has develop into very fashionable all over the world.
There are large styles of cocktails a possibility. It differs from area to area and bartender to bartender. Even the identical names of cocktails may possibly fluctuate in flavor due to the big difference inside the parts. There are beer cocktails within which different alcohols are combined. You will find form of cocktails made by blending brandy or cognac. Such cocktails contain Brandy Alexander, Brandy New york, and Brandy Bitter, Crunk Juice, Jack Rose, 4 Rating, French Connection, Horse’s neck, Unbelievable Hulk, Panama, Paradise, Orgasm, Pisco Bitter, Piscola, Porto Turn, Singapore Sling and plenty extra. There are cocktails with cachaca like Batida, Capiriniha, Caju Amigo, and the like. Cocktails with gin are Alexander, Bijou, Bronx, Chocolate Soldier, French seventy five, Gibson, Hanky-Panky, Lime Rickey, Gin Bitter, Pall Mall, Paradise, Red Gin, Tom Collins, White Woman, Smoky Martini, Salty Female, Ramos Gin Fin, Royal Arrival, My Reasonable Girl, Ancient Estonian and so forth. Completely different forms of cocktails are available in.
Mixing cocktail is taken into account as an paintings. The style of the drink will depend on the way in which of combining the alcohols with fruit juices or milk or cream with style. Cocktail shaker is a tool it really is used to make the drink kick back beforehand serving. This system is used to combine the alcohols with ice. There are round three varied sorts of cocktail shakers are available in they’re the Boston Shaker, the Cobbler Shaker, and the French Shaker.
Like beer glassware cocktail glasses also are there. a pitcher with a cone formed bowl on a stem above a flat base is often used to serve cocktails. For cocktail fanatics glasses like highball, tumbler, white wine, beer mug or photographs can be utilized.

Have A Good Quantity Of Alternative Cocktails

There are a good quantity of alternative cocktails and new ones being shaken up frequently. But with the grand array of alternative cocktails on the market ready to be sipped it’s hard to determine what to aim subsequent. Yet cocktails, in contrast to such a lot different alcoholic beverages, are enormously flexible and may fit well-nigh any get together or time of the day. However to make definitely the right alternative we need to understand what cocktail fits what social gathering. Listed below are a couple of ideas which can make it easier to make that call subsequent time you’re at a bar and considering which drink will be pleasant quickly.A good cocktail to take pleasure in sooner than midday is the Bloody Mary. With a highly spiced tang and a beneficiant assisting of tomato juice this cocktail is good for a morning strengthen after a foul nights sleep or as a kick jump previously a protracted day. It also includes an effective hangover therapy so one can snap you from your day-after torpor.
For a long time the 3-Martini lunch have been a typical fixture in United states of america between businessmen and bosses. Taking part in a Martini over a enterprise lunch is a superb means of breaking the ice, supporting every body to sit back and grease any commercial deal that’s being mentioned. Extra as of late the Cosmopolitan has turn into a favourite cocktail to fit a lunch time rendezvous among pals due to the recognition of the hit TV collection Intercourse and the town.
If you’re internet hosting a cocktail party and generally serve the same old purple or white wine previously your dinner then why don’t you try out a cocktail subsequent time to jazz up the event. The Big apple is an ideal instance of a perfect cocktail for this time. Easy and lightweight, this cocktail will preserve the travellers more than pleased whenever you upload your completing touches in your meal. In addition it serves as an aperitif, an urge for food stimulant, so your meals ought to cross down with further enjoy.
There is a cocktail that’s fitted to all instances of the day. So subsequent time you end up fancying a cocktail yet are undecided as to which one from the myriad on the market attempt the sort of instance complimenting guidance and notice in the event that they give you the results you want. Simply do not pass excessive and feature them all, the odds are you’ll on no account attain it to the lowest of the listing.
There is a cocktail that’s fitted to all instances of the day. So subsequent time you end up fancying a cocktail yet are undecided as to which one from the myriad on the market attempt the sort of instance complimenting guidance and notice in the event that they give you the results you want. Simply do not pass excessive and feature them all, the odds are you’ll on no account attain it to the lowest of the listing.
There is a cocktail that’s fitted to all instances of the day. So subsequent time you end up fancying a cocktail yet are undecided as to which one from the myriad on the market attempt the sort of instance complimenting guidance and notice in the event that they give you the results you want. Simply do not pass excessive and feature them all, the odds are you’ll on no account attain it to the lowest of the listing.
A cocktail throughout you meal is a brilliant manner of including a anything the several in your banquet. Carried out smartly you could pair the problematic flavors of a cocktail together with your dish notwithstanding there’s a lot of trial and blunder worried right here to find the proper cocktail to fit your meal. a secure wager will be to compliment mild and fresh wine stylish cocktail equivalent to a White Wine Spritzer so as to add a different contact in your meal.
At the tip of the day there’s additionally a cocktail to fit your temper. In any case the pains and tribulations have handed and also you eventually end up with a 2nd of your individual time; or to cap of an fun night time with buddies, are attempting an evening Cap cocktail to truly chill out. It really is a superb cocktail with a kick so we can will let you wind down and unfasten any tightened nerves. It’ll additionally train you for a particularly cushty evening of shut eye.

Host A Cocktail Party

Cocktail parties may have taken a little break during the more casual decades of the 1960's and 1970's, but since then they have regained their popularity with full strength. Wine and beer are still popular beverages, but there has been a tremendous resurgence in the popularity of mixed drinks.
For the busy host, a cocktail party is a convenient way to entertain any kind of guest list ranging from neighbors to business associates. The typical time for this party is only two hours. Because of the fluid nature of this party (no pun intended!) you can mix guests who might not feel comfortable sitting across from one another at a three-hour dinner party.
My favorite part of hosting a cocktail party is that you can experiment with a wide variety of food on your menu. Since everyone will be eating only little tastes, if they don't like something, you can be confident that there will be plenty of other choices for them. Everyone is likely to find something they will enjoy.
But returning to the most important part of the cocktail party, the cocktails, I asked fellow guide Colleen Graham, About's Cocktail Guide, to let us in on what the most popular drinks are these days on the cocktail circuit. Below is a list of her choices for current favorite cocktails. Be sure to check them out along with her tempting photos for each drink.
Cosmopolitan - A fun, pink drink that was popularized on the HBO series Sex and the City.
Dirty Martini - Don't worry, you won't need to wash after this drink. But with the addition of olive juice, this drink has a salty bite to it.
Chocolate Martini - This drink has special appeal to anyone with a sweet tooth. But it doesn't look like what you'd expect.
Apple Martini - I don't know if this would count toward your 5-a-day fruit and veggie requirement!
Whether you're an experienced cocktail party host, or are just stepping into the stylish world of cocktail party entertaining, here are tips to help make your next party a successful event.
Stock up on plenty of ice. You'll need it for chilling bottles of wine or champagne as well as serving in drinks on the rocks. A good rule of thumb is plan to have 1-pound of ice per guest.
Be prepared with an assortment of glass styles to cover the type of drinks you plan to serve. These include wine glasses for wines, juice and water; straight-sided highballs for tall drinks; tumblers for spirits and juices; and martini glasses.
Have twice as many glasses on hand as guests. For wine, champagne and martini glasses, wine glass charms will help guests to keep track of glasses as they mill about your party.
For a 2-hour party where you only plan on serving wine and/or champagne, you'll need to have one bottle for every two guests. Have a mix of white and red varieties. White used to be the predominant favorite, but red is becoming just as popular.
For a basic bar you'll want to stock up on vodka, whiskey, wines and beer. For a more complete bar you can add gin, tequila, rum, bourbon, vermouth, sherry, and brandy.
Don't forget to stock up on mixers including orange juice, soda, tonic, ginger ale, cola, tomato juice, Tabasco, lemons, limes, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce.
If you anticipate your guests will be wine drinkers, you can prepare by uncorking a few bottles in advance, and then replacing the corks.
Consider hiring a bartender to mix the drinks for your party. That will allow you much more time to socialize with your guests. There are even caterers that specialize in bartending services only.
Have coffee available for any guests that may need a little assistance at the end of the party. Your local taxi company phone number should also be handy and offered to any guests you believe shouldn't be driving.
As our Cocktails Guide points out, a cocktail party is not a family event!

The Return of the Cocktail Party

A cocktail party is meant to be short and sweet. Inviting your friends over for cocktails should be a two hour chance to catch up and unwind. You and your guests can get together for just a short time; reconnect and then still have most of the evening to yourself. And when you consider a shorter cocktail party to celebrate instead of a big party with drinks, dinner and dessert, you might be looking at saving a little money, too. Consider some of these cocktail party ideas for your next birthday, graduation or next big event. Pick the perfect urbane cocktail party invitation and you’re well on your way to a suave, grown up party.
The Classic Cocktail Party
When you think of cocktails, the Martini is generally the first libation that comes to mind. Celebrate the Martini and its sophistication with a charming Martini invitation. Your guests will be feeling debonair right from the start. Treat your guests to an updated ‘Martini Bar’ with gourmet stuffed olives and garnishes. You might need to break out the bartending book to find some other great cocktails that need a revival. Consider putting a new twist on the Manhattan, the Side Car and the Brandy Alexander for a cocktail restoration.
Custom Cocktail Party
If swank is not your style, but you still love the idea of a cocktail party you’ve got a few other options. Get your guests involved by making and naming custom cocktails for your guests. If your friend Jack likes vanilla vodka and chocolate, combine the two for a ‘Jack-hattan.’ When inviting guests ask them RSVP with some of their favorite flavors. Stock your bar accordingly and you’ll be mixing up custom creations in no time. Keep some fun non-alcoholic juices and sodas on hand, too.
Summer Cocktail Party
Once the weather turns hot, you’ll need some cool beverages for your cocktail party. Margaritas are the perfect summer cocktail. Mix up the flavors with peach, mango, strawberry or whatever fruity concoction you can think of. Another cool favorite on a hot, summer day is the mojito. And don’t forget a chilled fruity punch for added kick. Add some finger foods or skewers from the grill you’ve got a red-hot summer cocktail party.
Cold Weather Cocktail Party
Winter doesn’t have to put a damper on your cocktail party. Add a little heat to your next cold weather cocktail party with spiked apple cider, egg nog or peppermint hot chocolate. Sipping cocktails by the fire is a wonderful way to celebrate the cocktail and the spirit of the cocktail party. It won’t matter if the weather outside is ‘frightful’ you’ll have a hip winter cocktail party to keep you and your guests warm.
Whatever event you’re celebrating, a cocktail party just might be an inexpensive and low-key way to enjoy the occasion. A few cocktails and some finger foods are all you need to celebrate the cocktail and the company of friends. And don’t forget – just about any cocktail can be made into a ‘mocktail’ for your guests who want to join the fun, but don’t drink alcohol.

Moms Enjoy Cocktail Parties

It's a lovely Friday afternoon in Boca Raton, Fla., and as the kids enjoy time in the backyards, their moms gather – to raise a glass.
"Getting together with the girls and the kids running wild … It's just mommy's Happy Hour Friday night get-together," Jill Thompson, who has two children, told "Good Morning America."
The mothers meet once a month, and just as babies enjoy their bottles, the mothers enjoy theirs.
"You have a glass of wine. You take off your shoes. The kids are having a great time … What's better than that?" Kelly Donoghue, the mother of two children, said.
These Florida mothers are not alone. "GMA" assembled a panel of six mothers, and several said cocktail play dates are not only the new norm, but something they've grown to look forward to.
"You know, it's kind of is a nice opportunity to … sort of, know, loosen up and take our mom hat off for a minute," one mother told "GMA" contributor Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
"Especially a first-time mom," Holly Mitchell said. "You're all so exhausted, you're so nervous, you're so scared you're messing up … And to have a little sense of ourselves, that glass of wine does it ... it sort of-- makes you feel like an adult. Because you're completely surrounded by nothing that is adult, right?
Joelle Siek, a mother of three, put the get-togethers into perspective."No one's getting, you know, bombed or anything like that," she said. "Just sitting back, relaxing, having a drink or two with your girlfriends and their kids. "
The panelists all agreed that cocktail play dates should only be done when no one is driving. But only one mother -- Nicole Profis Dalven -- said she's uncomfortable mixing a glass of wine with child care.
"My boys are so active, I have to watch them constantly. And I would never, obviously, do anything to put them, you know, in harm's way …," she said.
Asked how they would feel if they were deprived of playtime with their glasses of wine with the other mothers, one panelist replied:
" Crabby."
Another said: " Miserable."
"Nuts," one mom chimed in.
Another panelist said she'd feel "bummed out."
Babies in Bars?
The Internet is full of sites devoted to women who believe motherhood and alcohol aren't mutually exclusive.
But some women are horrified by the idea of a play date involving wine. A post on "GMA's" Facebook page set of a firestorm of comments – with some people calling the pay dates "risky" or a "recipe for disaster."
Laura Deutsch is the founder of Baby Bites, a mom support network that hosts cocktail gatherings. She says society applies a double-standard to mothers when it comes to alcohol.
"You hear dads taking their kids to the baseball games … and enjoying a beer with their friends. And nothing has ever been said. Nothing, you know? And all of a sudden, the moms who do the exact same thing, it's this whole big phenomenon," Deutsch said.
Studies suggest there's a basis for the concern. A survey conducted by Working Mother magazine last fall found that 40 percent of mothers say they drink to cope with stress.
So how far is too far when it comes to moms and alcohol?
How about babies in bars? Believe it or not, that, too, is a growing trend.
In New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and other areas, "a lot of people are going to local pubs where they can just sit with their friends, bring young babies," said Rory Halperin, editor in chief of Time Out New York Kids.

Learn How To Appreciate Your Cocktail

Learn how to fully appreciate your next cocktail with these tips from Bartender Misty Kalkofen.

Having mastered sacred texts as well as the cocktail shaker, Kalkofen chose to focus her energy on the latter. While attending Harvard Divinity School, she began bartending to finance her education. Two years ago, she founded the Boston chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails, which celebrates the art of classic cocktails and raises money for women's charities. Now, Kalkofen mixes at chef Barbara Lynch's new bar, Drink.
What is your favorite fruit or vegetable to use in summer cocktails?
Strawberries are always among the first fresh berries of the season, and it's great to see the bright color after a winter of drab. I usually muddle or puree them-a strawberry batida is delicious and refreshing on a warm day.
20 refreshing summer drinks you'll love.
How do you dream up new cocktails?
Sometimes I look to cookbooks for inspiration. For example, while trying to come up with a drink using Plymouth Gin and Laird's Applejack, I started looking at recipes for apple pie. I kept seeing recipes that used Chinese five-spice powder, so I made a syrup out of it and added it to the cocktail.
Any advice on exploring an unfamiliar cocktail menu?
Don't write off a cocktail just because it's based on a spirit you don't usually drink. If someone had a shot of, say, Fernet and didn't like the bitterness, then they would probably avoid cocktails that include it. Unfortunately, they'd miss out on great cocktails like the Hanky Panky, which uses Fernet in small doses just as you would angostura bitters.
What's an easy way of getting seasonal flavors into cocktails at home?
Try to work in fresh herbs like mint, rosemary, basil, or thyme. They can add depth and dimension to your drink.
What to drink during a financial crisis.
As a Harvard Divinity School graduate, have you found any parallels between religion and cocktails?
Humans seek comfort in many ways, two of which are the rituals of organized religion and the rituals of social drinking. Martin Luther wrote, "Who loves not woman, wine, and song remains a fool his whole life long."

Yamazaki-Cocktail

Sometime last year, I received an e-mail in my inbox that resembled so many e-mails I get nowadays, that read — and I’m paraphrasing here — “We have a kind of booze you don’t have — want some?”
Unless the liquor in question is some lame-ass bubblegum vodka or a candy-colored liqueur that gives me hives from just looking at the press photo, I usually reply, “Well, okay.”
As I did in this instance. Several days later, a bottle of Yamazaki 12-year-old single malt Japanese whisky arrived, along with a plastic ice-ball mold that I promptly lost at the back of my freezer somewhere. I tasted the whisky, thought, “Mmm, not bad, kinda pleasant, s’okay,” and mostly forgot about it. Nothing against the whisky, you understand, it’s an absolutely pleasant sipper, but nothing about it yelled, “Drink Me Now!”
Until early this year, when at a whisk(e)y event here in Seattle, someone poured me a taste of the 12-year-old’s elder cousin, and I came away thinking “Well, damn…okay, ummm…wow. Now THAT’S a whisky to think about.”
As I did, until this weekend, when my story on Asian whisky came out in the San Francisco Chronicle.

I’m a relative newcomer to much of the single-malt category — more on that soon — but the realm of Japanese whisky had always kind of appealed to me. Once I started digging — thanks in large part to people like Stan Vadrna, who introduced me to Nikka whiskies in December, and to Andrew Friedman, who just collects whisk(e)y that nobody else seems to have, as well as Gardner Dunn, who earned a medal for “best presentation while hungover” the painful morning after my Yamazaki 18 introduction — I realized this is a part of the whisky world I really need to get comfortable with.
And with good reason. Not only are spirits such as Yamazaki 18, Hibiki 12 and Yoishi “From the Barrel” kind of startlingly good, there’s some really interesting things taking place with malted barley in Asian distilleries.
I’d read of Jim Murray’s interest in Amrut, a whisky made in Bangalore, but it wasn’t until talking to Amrut’s U.S. importer that I realized how fucking serious a whisky this was: single malts, in bottle- and cask-strength, one peated and the another not, with another bottling, “Fusion,” representing a more-than-figurative link between India and Europe.
These whiskies finally entered the U.S. last month; unlike the Japanese whiskies, which seem to be appearing in the U.S. very cautiously, one expression at a time, the Indian whiskies are coming (mostly) all at once, with five expressions in the initial release, and god knows what else to come.
I’m pretty excited about it, and I haven’t even tasted them yet — hopefully they’ll expedite the West Coast release and I’ll actually be able to find a bottle around here at some point.

Anyway. Please read my article, if you’re so inclined, and if you haven’t tasted the Yamazaki 18-year-old, or the Hibiki 12-year-old — which, by the way, finished for two years in re-charred plum-liqueur casks? Holy shit! — then do so. And, uh, that’s it.

Tether's La Dame Blasée

I want to say that last month's cocktail contest has been one of my favorites to date. There were some fantastic absinthe cocktails submitted and I thank every one for participating (check out the entries here).
As contests go, we have to have a drink that takes the top honor and for this round it goes to Mixologist Nick Tether of MixSensations who shared La Dame Blasée.
In Tether's design of this drink he includes an aromatic back of sorts to create a complete sensory experience. Before you make the drink, you will prepare a small tea-like mixture of the cocktail's botanicals then right before serving you would pour this concentrate over dry ice and a mint leaf.
This little foggy bowl is meant to open your nose to an enhanced fragrance of what is in the drink before you. It's a nifty little trick and I can see these fog-filled bowls laid out at a dinner service, especially as we hit the Halloween season.
La Dame Blasée (or The Jaded Lady) is the epitome of great absinthe cocktails and the panel of Mayhew, Milligan, and myself were unanimous on its value. When it comes to absinthe drinks it is important to find balance and flavors that compliment the anise without loosing the taste of any of the ingredients.
In La Dame Blasée, Tether found this balance by using La Fee Absinthe with Sauvignon Blanc and Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka. Add in a little parsley and lemon simple syrup and a touch of mint bitters and a cocktail star is born. Unique? Yes. Tasty? Yes. There's more, though.
Give Tether's La Dame Blasée a try yourself, it's simply delightful. The full recipe with complete preparation is here: La Dame Blasée Cocktail Recipe. And, his original submission is here.
Once again, I must acknowledge the runner's up in the contest. As I said, all entries were impressive, these two just a touch above the rest.
First was Justen Lenig's Le Fee en ete, which is a delightful mix of Bombay, St. Germain, Mansithe, and a lovely kumquat fennel shrub that has potential in other drinks - I just have to find them.
Again, I appreciate every cocktail submitted and offer a warm Cheers! to Nick Tether whose drink I will likely be bringing up often in the coming years as I pull from the cocktail database.
Next up was Anne Bourg's Van Gogh's Roommate and she had me a hibiscus and pineapple - yum! With those two flavors (via syrup, vodka, and juice) she mixed Sorciere blue absinthe - admittedly difficult to obtain - and Chambord, and a muddle of pineapple and sugar in homage to the absinthe ritual.