Spirited Cocktails

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

In my last post, I discussed the Earl Grey MarTEAni – an inventive cocktail from the mind of Audrey Saunders at Pegu Club. Today I’d like to cover another Pegu Club classic – the French Kiss (gotta love that name!)

The French Kiss uses an interesting liqueur called Pernod. Pernod is a pastis – an anise-flavored aperitif that was created as a substitute for Absinthe in the early 20th century. Pernod can certainly be consumed on its own – though to do so it is usually diluted with water (about 5:1). In mixed cocktails however, it lends a great anise (licorice-like) flavor, which I personally really enjoy. Read More

The Badminton Cup (also referred to at times as an East Side Cocktail), is the ultimate summer drink. The refreshing combination of cucumber, lime, and mint, along with a healthy dose of quality gin of course, makes for an instant favorite on rooftops, decks, poolside, or wherever you might be enjoying sun and warm weather. Read More