Infusion is the key to making home mixology sparkle.  Half the fun is making drinks that I can’t get in a restaurant or bar.  My home drinks are mostly distinguished by quality: most bars use mixes and shortcuts.  But increasingly, they are also distinguished by unique ingredients. I’ve made mention of using various infusions already, [...]

The Bevvy Alexander.  A cocktail for cold nights. I’ve been needing to get this up for a while, and now I’ve just about missed the season, but there are some chilly spring nights to come. The excellent request made by a lovely guest: a great cocktail that’s warm, for when the weather is cold I looked [...]

When I make drinks for people, I am frequently asked how or why I created the drink.  To me the answer seemed obvious: grab some bottles, pour, mix, taste.  Upon reflection, however, I realized that I do always have some sort of target.  The inspiration for that target can take many forms.  A drink target could involve [...]

I was only able to participate in Saturday’s Manhattan Cocktail Classic events, but am very glad to hear that MCC will be making a full-week run in spring 2010. EE and I attended the Employees Only “Tales From Behind the Bar” seminar.  It was spectacular.  Jason and Dushan told the entire EO tale, which they [...]

I read some articles earlier in the summer about punch making a comeback in the cocktail world.  I was generally discouraged by many of the suggested recipes because I don’t like my drinks that sweet.  Besides, I’m not typically making drinks for enough people to justify a punchbowl. Luckily, all that changed this weekend. Fully [...]