Stories about drinks – where they come from, why they work, and how to make them
The first Christmas that I spent at my in-laws after getting into making drinks was my first introduction to kirsch. This German spirit is included in many of my mother-in-law’s Christmas cookies (which all come from her mother), so there’s always a bottle around. She asked me if I knew what else we could do … Read more
I’ve loved ginger beer since I accidentally drank one at a family vacation when I was 15 thinking it was a real beer (what a rebel…). That was some too-sweet, mass-produced version in a can, but I was all-in. It took about another decade until I had my first homemade ginger beer at the now-closed … Read more
When we moved into our new house, I was really excited that we had healthy citrus trees. I had spent enough time here in the past several years to know that backyard citrus was the real deal, and my dad has always told me stories of snacking from the trees on his walks home growing … Read more
Winter was all about citrus and managing acid. Spring was all about bitter roots and herbs. We’ve had 6 months of intense flavors, but now summer is all about fresh fruit. Melon, berries, stone fruit (or drupe if you want to get fancy) – bright colors, sweet flavors, right from the farm. I grew up … Read more
A lot of my friends are in NOLA for Mardi Gras or Rio for Carnival, and we had paczki at work this week, so it felt right that while I’m in the sunny PNW I should make some drinks that would fit with those celebrations. Those happen to work great as flask cocktails, so one … Read more
Triple Sec generally, and especially Cointreau, have featured heavily on the blog this winter. With winter citrus comes good pairing with a spicy orange liqueur, and that’s the primary theme I’ve explored for the last two months. What’s definitely been missing is any discussion of Grand Marnier; like Cointreau, it’s French and tastes like oranges. … Read more
After messing around with the Cosmo last week, I was looking for a good riff on that drink. Essentially, this means incorporating citrus and cranberry. It helps that cranberry will almost certainly make the drink pink, which felt right for Valentines Day. This is an original cocktail that, while certainly informed by reading a whole … Read more
The Corpse Reviver #2 is the more popular of the two corpse reviver drinks that were created in the late 19th century. The drinks are extremely different, with #1 being a riff on a Manhattan and #2 being its own beast entirely. #2 is tailor-made for this blog because it combines vermouth and triple sec … Read more
Some cocktails take a lot of work. There can be juicing, shaking, stirring, and straining in even the most classic of recipes like the negroni or margarita. More intense drinks involve making custom syrups and infusions which take even more effort. And while I think the juice is usually worth the squeeze for these drinks, … Read more
I love being outside. Cycling, running, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, golf, I love it all. Get me out where nature is thick, people are sparse, and I’m breaking a sweat. But I also run a (mostly) cocktail blog, so I obviously love drinking as well. For a while, the only thing that really sounded good … Read more