Drinking a spirit isn’t just about getting sloshed. It’s about tasting something hand-crafted to open up a new part of your mind. It’s an experience. At least, that’s what I tell myself when I’m feeling pretentious.
But from the moment that glass touches my lips until I feel that warming glow from head to toe, I’m consumed by - well, a spirit. Go figure.
The French 75 cocktail bears a fascinating, but hazy origin—which only fuels intrigue for this delectable drink.
But what is the French 75? The liquid mercenary is often served in a Collins glass and consists of gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar—a combination that may sound too mild and simple to be compared to weaponry of any kind, but appearances can be deceiving.
It's 1849 and a teenage Jerry Thomas climbs 100 feet to the crow’s nest of the Ann Smith, a merchant marine vessel headed from New Haven, Connecticut to San Francisco. With the open seas roiling beneath him, he looks out and waits to see the new city, which promises him much more than what he has on that ship: gold.
September 25, 1865. Winter winds were just beginning to swirl, but not as briskly as they did out in the wilderness beyond Brooklyn, or the land rumored to exist north of Albany. But at least until mid-October, Manhattan would chill slowly; retaining the warmth of its masses, more and more immigrating each day, within the confines of its streets.
Is there a recipe you would brawl over? A cherished tradition you would provoke the masses for? A way of doing things that, if averted from, you would shake a fist at your own mother?
I think we all have at least one of those.
Are you missing those long summer nights like I am? Never fear, dear reader, as I share with you the nostalgia of sipping a cool, refreshing, and slightly boozy delight as we run from the beams of the sun. In other words, It's Pimm's O'clock! (As they say in England.)
What cocktail do you think is most associated with glamour? The upper class? The glitz and glam of Hollywood? I'm sure you may have guessed more than a few, but if your first guess wasn't a Martini, then you were wrong.
Only those who have never done it would think that bartending is an easy job. You need the right ice, the right amount of shakes, the right garnish! It goes on and on and on.
It takes a special drink to impress Italian royalty, a famous actor, and to make guest appearances in films from Hollywood's golden era.The Negroni is a riff on the Americano.
May 16th might be National Mimosa Day, but every day is Mimosa Day if you’re living life right. (Drink responsibly) A mimosa is many things.
During the heat of the summer, there's nothing like having an ice-cold drink in one's hand to sip and slurp while at the beach or walking on an 85-degree day through the city streets–even better if it's spiked with a generous amount of rum.
Hola, mi gente! Or, hello, my people! We’re feeling festive over here, so take a load off and let’s talk a bit of one of the most popular, if not THE most popular, cocktails ever made. That, my friend, is the one, the only, Margarita.
Get in, loser, we’re going bar hopping. Need a drink recommendation? Let’s take a little blast from the past to launch our evening like a Saturn V rocket!. Bartender! We’ll have two Sidecars!
With green rivers, green beer, green getup, and a ruckus that could be caused by a horde of leprechauns, St. Patrick's Day is the very meaning of joviality.
Wherever there are people with Irish blood (or at least pretending to have Irish blood)
How much effort would you put into making your perfect cocktail? Going back to the 19th century, bartenders believed the Gin Fizz should be shaken so long it would induce headaches in the bartender. That might be an embellishment on the part of some mixologists.
Have you ever been punched in the face and said thank you? If you want a chance at that experience, try Chatham Artillery Punch. This boozy concoction from Savannah, Georgia may have many origins and variations.
I have worked as a bartender on and off for over twenty years. During that time I never once thought to myself, who’s the most famous bartender? I never even wondered who my favorite bartender is; it’s just not something I ever thought about.
Some cocktails were made for summertime sipping, and one of those cocktails is the one and only Tom Collins. I don’t know about you, friends, but I’m dreaming of summertime when the living is easy.
Long before the time of Professor Jerry Thomas there was a man who was known across the land as the man to find if you wanted a libation constructed better than you could ever dream.
Cocktails have been at the center of social hours for years. Usually made from scratch in their own homes, people would create dazzling concoctions that have made the classics, well, a classic.
So you finally made it. You’re in The Hostess City of the South, and you are ready to party hard. Where to even begin?! Let me give you some fun facts about some unique cocktails born and bred in Savannah that are simply a must-have when you visit the city.