Spirited Cocktails

I make no attempt to hide my true love for Angostura bitters. A wonderful, proprietary blend of roots and herbal extracts, bitters are the perfect modifier to so many cocktails. They were originally used to mask the taste of quinine in tonic water. Supposedly, they’re also thought to cure a number of ailments, including the hiccups or an upset stomach. Personally though, I just love the taste, the look, and even the smell (they’re a terrific aromatic when used in cocktails such as the Pisco Sour, for example.)

The Fitzgerald, designed by Dale DeGroff, is one of the most straightforward demonstrations of Angostura bitters. This cocktail is essentially just a gin sour with bitters added. While it may sound simple, and while a gin sour on its own is great, something wonderful happens with that last little touch. Read More

I’m always a little bit hesitant to pick up a new spirit when I can only think of one cocktail in which I might use it. Gin, bourbon, rye, and rum are all staples, and I have no doubt that I ill make good use of them (to put it mildly) regardless of cost. However, I wasn’t so sure when I came across a bottle of Pisco at my favorite liquor store recently. I was certainly familiar its namesake cocktail, the Pisco Sour, but was that enough to justify the purchase?

Yes. Yes it was. Read More

Being a New Yorker, one doesn’t need much convincing to try something called a Brooklyn Cocktail. So when Lush Life (Follow @livethelushlife on Twitter) posted a new video in their 12 Second Cocktail series, I had to follow their instruction and try my own.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

1.5oz Rye
1/2oz Dry Vermouth
1/4oz Maraschino Liqueur
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Simply combine the ingredients in your shaker with ice, shake well, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Read More

If you do any reading at all about the art of cocktails (and I assume you do, since you’ve ended up here!), you’ve probably come across the name Dale DeGroff. If you haven’t, you need to read more! And you should start with Dale’s book, The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks.

Anyway, Dale is commonly known as the King of Cocktails (rightfully so), and you really can’t go wrong mixing one of his recipes. Among my favorite is his take on the classic Gin Sling. Read More