Spirited Cocktails

I love a good tweetup. As you probably know, I’m a Twitter addict, and I’ve met so many great people on the Twitter machine. Every once in a while though, it’s nice to crawl out of one’s cave and actually hang out with people in person!

Last night, we were lucky to have two amazing tweetups back-to-back. The first was the evolution of what has become our awesome monthly event (which began with our brown liquor tweetup in Brooklyn, followed by our clear liquor tweetup at Double Crown last month). This month’s tweetup focused on Rum – Tiki-style cocktails in particular. @Sweetblogomine was kind enough to get things organized at Elettaria in the West Village, which has a Mahalo Monday tiki special. My favorite of the evening was the Black Pearl – a twist on the Old Fashioned which includes Old Forester bourbon, Curzan black strap rum, demerara sugar and bitters. Outstanding. Read More

We’re sorry to report that it looks like LeNell – of LeNell’s Wine & Spirits Boutique in Brooklyn – is packing her bags and leaving NYC for good. In an unguarded moment at a tasting of American Whiskey last night at Louis 649, LeNell Smothers admitted to the gathered aficionados that she had given up on finding a new space for her famous store and was taking the show to Mexico. Read More

The fact is, there’s so much going on here at Tales of the Cocktail that I barely have time to blog (at least not in a way that will do the event justice.) So here’s the deal: I’ve decided to provide regular updates via Twitter (which will constrain my thoughts to 140 characters each), and I’m going to share initial impressions here with you now. Then when I get back to New York, I’m going to write up a detailed post that covers all of the nitty-gritty, and highlights the best of what I’ve seen. Read More

I had the extreme pleasure this past July 4th weekend to journey 90 miles north of New York City to visit Tuthilltown Spirits – the home of one of my all-time favorite whiskeys, Hudson Baby Bourbon.

Physically located in the heart of the Hudson Valley, near New Paltz, NY, Tuthilltown Spirits is the spiritual center of a revival that has been a long-time coming. Humility takes over when distillery partner Ralph Erenzo talks about his craft. He says, “There’s nothing magic here – It’s just whiskey. Really good whiskey.” But one need only set foot on the grounds of Tuthilltown Spirits to know differently, and none other than the New York Times agrees. Read More

Father’s Day strikes me as a good time to celebrate the classics. I’ve mentioned before my own father’s love of the classics (ahem – Frank Sinatra). So it occurs to me that the best way to celebrate Fathers Day is with a classic spirit – whiskey. I’ve chosen Canadian Club Classic (see – it’s even in the name!) It’s a blended whiskey, aged 12 years in oak barrels. It can certainly be used in cocktails (some of the cocktail recipes in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book even call for Canadian Club by name), but I’ve chosen to just pour a shot in a solid, heavy-bottomed glass, and enjoy it neat.

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers out there – especially mine :-)

Cheers!

Any time I’m in a conversation about cocktails and I start extolling the virtues and importance of good ice, I get made fun of. Not to worry, I can take it. But finally, I’m getting some support in the press! Good ice is important, and New York Magazine has backed me up on that, complete with a slideshow of the best ice in New York City.

And before you ask, yes, I already have the spherical ice molds available from the Design Store at the Museum of Modern Art.

OK. So I am an ice geek. I’m OK with it.

Well sure, mistakes exist. But as far as I’m concerned, not when it comes to mixing cocktails. Just as in the culinary arts, recipes are templates. They’re guidelines that reflect the goals and tastes of the artist, but they’re never carved in stone. The purpose of the resulting dish (or cocktail, in our case) is to be enjoyed, and one must always adjust accordingly.

The other night, I set out to make a Queens Park Swizzle – one of my favorite rum-based cocktails – which I was preparing to introduce to you here. However, what I ended up making was a mixture of lime, sugar, mint, angostura bitters (all of which belong), and gin (which most certainly does not). I poured gin instead of rum by mistake. The funny thing about it is that I was already a sip or two into the drink before I realized it (I swear, I wasn’t drunk!) Read More