The Blood & Sand is the sort of cocktail that you look at on paper and question why someone would put those particular ingredients together. The start seems fine, scotch and sweet vermouth puts us well on the way to a Rob Roy. A bit of cherry liqueur, a little unusual, but it seems reasonable. […]
Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation is the fifth release in Jim Beam’s curated collection from Eighth Generation Beam Master Distiller Freddie Noe. “The Invitation” invites tasters to explore interesting blends, ages, and flavors in the evolving world of whiskey. The blend is meant to highlight the diverse influences that have influenced Freddie Noe’s journey […]
The Hanky Panky originated at the Savoy Hotel under the leadership of head bartender Ada Coleman between 1903 and 1926. Reportedly, the drink was made for an actor, Charles Hawtrey, who exclaimed, “By Jove! This is a real hanky panky”. The name stuck, and the drink ended up in the Savoy Cocktail Book. While the […]
Compass Box is well known for some of the more interesting blends in the past couple decades, including their Peat Monster and Hedonism. What some individuals don’t know is that Compass Box also offers a truly affordable daily drinking / cocktail scotch in their Great King Street Artist’s Blend. Great King Street Artist’s Blend Great […]
Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love, and one of the most well recognized symbols of love is the rose. As precedes their association with love, roses are sold by the dozens for those seeking to curry their lovers favor. This of course means a huge demand for roses – in February, a month where […]
Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum has London on the label, but is actually produced by Hampden Estate in Jamaica. The rum is produced from two separate pot stills, Wedderburn and Plummer. One is purportedly barely aged, while the other purportedly spends 3 years in ex-bourbon barrels. The result is a “Navy Strength” rum bottled […]
Welcome to our annual return to Valentine’s Day cocktails! Over the past two years, we’ve created a handful of drinks to help enhance your romantic celebration. We started with some riffs on a Love Potion using rum, before turning our attention to chocolate vodka with lots of strawberries in our Chocolate Covered Strawberry. The syrup […]
To the unfamiliar observer Maker’s Mark 46 appears to just be the next step up the line in Maker’s line up of bourbons. While it does represent an increased cost to purchase, Maker’s 46 should be considered an extension of the standard Maker’s Mark line up, and their entry point into their wood finishing series. […]
The Rusty Nail is yet another cocktail that seemingly explodes out of nowhere and enjoys a (in cocktail terms) long run of popularity. It shows up somewhere between 1940 and 1950, before being introduced to the Rat Pack. The result was people across the country enjoying Rusty Nails, before suddenly, they disappear from restaurant menus […]
Grey Goose Vodka is a status symbol. Walk into any bar, and you’re likely to find it on the top shelf. The marketing obviously work, as folks that you used to grab Svedka or Stoli suddenly reached upward to a trend avian based vodka. It didn’t just grab vodka fans either. Beer drinkers like my […]
Named after an iconic LA Restaurant, the Brown Derby is a classic that can highlight the impact of grapefruit juice with aged spirits. While grapefruit juice normally serves as a refreshing note with unaged liquors like rum and gin, with spirits like whiskey it can add weight and complexity to a drink. When working with […]
Perhaps the first thing to note about Mellow Corn is that it is not labeled as bourbon. The reason is that Mellow Corn is actually produced to the specifications required for a lesser known spirit classification, Straight Corn Whiskey. These whiskeys require that at least 80% of the mashbill be made of corn and can […]