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 was planning to write this before Twitter started talking about the Aperol Spritz. That was driven by a pretty bad take from Rebekah Peppler in the New York Times, which I won’t spend any more time on expect to say this: If your take hinges on the idea that something is bad because it’s … Read more
I’m watching the Masters, so a dad joke in the title felt seasonal. Get it? Cynar, artichokes, choke, chalk… Anyways, as I mentioned, Spring is all about growing things, but not much is actually ready to eat yet. Artichokes are an exception; these thistles are best in April, and right around now you’ll see them … 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
Once Thanksgiving is over, I expect to eat soup at least once a week until (probably) April. My wife loves soup all year, but especially when it’s cold. And she’s an amazing cook, so I can’t complain. She has a particular fondness for French Onion Soup (using the classic Julia Child recipe as a base). … Read more
I was in San Francisco last week for meetings, and you don’t know me if you didn’t expect me to hunt out a unique cocktail incorporating vermouth to write about. So I finished work, headed out into the smoke, and went hunting for a speakeasy. The Place Local Edition is (kind of) in SoMa. SoMa … Read more
The Manhattan is one of the more riff-able cocktails, and the Brooklyn may be my favorite riff. It take the Perfect Manhattan idea, but it replaces the sweet vermouth with maraschino, a cherry liqueur. Context I’m not entirely sure where the drink comes from (a lot of cocktails can be traced to a specific bar/bartender’s … Read more
1,500+ words still wasn’t enough to dive all the way into the world of vermouth, but it’s a good start. To help give a better idea of how each category compares and differs, here’s a side-by-side of two excellent Italian sweet vermouths. I’ll describe how each acts by itself (with ice) and in an Americano, … Read more
I’m a sucker for a cocktail bar in the back of a no-longer-operating restaurant that still serves (what looked like) good Chinese food. If that bar happens to serve interesting cocktails incorporating seldom-used Asian ingredients, then I’m all in. That’s exactly what Dynasty Room in Seattle’s International District is, and it’s awesome. The Place A … Read more
Vermouth gets a bad rap. It seems like most people, and a good number of bars, keep it around as a necessary evil. If it’s in your kitchen, it’s most likely there for cooking and it’s been open for months on the counter. This is a travesty. Vermouth is amazing and deserves some more respect. … Read more