Of all of the truly classic cocktails available to the modern drinker, few are as venerable as the Old-Fashioned. The drink itself is close to 200 years old. Back then, if you wanted one, you would ask the barkeep for a whisky cocktail. Back then, the term “cocktail” had a…

When I need some kitchen or bar inspiration, one of my favorite things to do is head to an international grocery store. With such a dazzling array of unusual ingredients at my beck and call, I’m sure to find something to kick myself out of whatever rut I might be…

Brazil has some noteworthy exports. There are those who consider its soccer team one of the finest things to come out of Brazil. Others will argue for the tendency of comely Brazilian women to use something resembling a length of unwaxed dental floss as swimwear. However, since this is the…

Some of my cocktailian brethren and I were recently bemoaning the lack of authenticity in some cocktails. Take the Manhattan, for example. Long ago, it was a 50/50 mix of rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, with a couple of dashes of orange bitters. Over time, the cocktail has evolved (or…

It is often said that rules are made to be broken. Some rules seem more breakable than others. For example, I’m pretty sure that the speed limit on the Scottsdale leg of Loop 101 is but a mere suggestion. And I have an inkling that not all of the, ahem,…

It amuses me to no end to watch local news outlets treat summer in Phoenix like a newsworthy event. The Sonoran Desert gets hot in July? The hell you say! Give me something else to think about besides an oppressive climate. Give me a tropical cocktail by a pool surrounded…

I’ve long been amused by people’s culinary prejudices. Earlier this week, I had a discussion of the finer points of using raw egg in cocktails. As it so often happens, the people who hadn’t experienced egg-inclusive cocktails met the idea with a revulsed shudder. As anyone who has experienced a…

I’m having lots of fun with Old Tom gin lately. So much fun, in fact, that I had to do two weeks in a row of Old Tom cocktails…

For decades, vodka was the “it” spirit. While there are a galaxy of flavored vodkas available, discerning drinkers have recently been turning to the original flavored vodka: gin. Now that modern drinkers no longer see gin as something to fear (largely thanks to cheap Windex-flavored gin and long-oxidized vermouth bottles…

I’ve been on a serious iced coffee kick lately. A tall, cold glass of a brew as inky as midnight is a perfect pick-me-up on a stifling summer afternoon. For some time, I’ve been inhabiting various coffee houses, enjoying their variations on a theme. While I enjoy iced drip coffee,…

The umbrella drink is one of the most derided categories of cocktail. People say that they’re foofoo, that the garnishes are ridiculous, and that drinks shouldn’t be a color not found in nature. Do you know what? They’re right. A serious drink shouldn’t be any of those things. The thing…

Satan’s Whiskers is sure one hell of a name for a drink. (Pun most definitely intended.) It’s yet another in the long line of drinks with lurid names to get a drinker’s attention. These days, the name Satan’s Whiskers almost seems quaint instead of titillating. Still, the drink is a…

The only think better than going to a pool party is hosting a pool party. Attitudes at a pool party are a lot more relaxed than at a formal cocktail party. From a hosting standpoint, they’re great because the drinks are much lower maintenance. Instead of swizzling pitcher after pitcher…

Pool party season is definitely upon us. My tiki torches are primed and ready to go. All I need now is something delicious to serve my party guests. I could always put out a big ice-filled bucket of beer, but what’s the fun of that when I could make a…

If you take a trip to Chile or Peru, you’ll find that the Pisco Sour is a massively popular drink. It’s so popular in both countries that each has designated it as their official drink. Moreover, both Chile and Peru claim that they are the birthplace of the Pisco Sour…

For some reason, the misuse of the term “martini” really gets my hackles up. A martini has two or three ingredients: Gin, vermouth, and possibly a drop of orange bitters. Back in the late 1990s, people realized that cocktails were fun to drink, and all of a sudden anything served…

The name of the Ward Eight cocktail has some interesting possible connotations. What could the history of the drink entail? Was there a sanitarium wing that treated heavy tipplers who tended to enjoy this particular drink? Did a church ward make a non-alcoholic drink that was later tainted with demon…

This weekend is one of the more popular drinking holidays of the year, the Kentucky Derby. On Saturday, folks everywhere will hoist mint juleps, preferably in silver cups. See Also: How to Make the Best Mint Julep, Ever Of course, it seems like there’s always someone who’s not too keen…

As summer descends once more upon the Valley, my mind shifts to tropical drinks. Well, it’s never really shifted away from tropical drinks. I guess the better thing to say is that my tropical drink instinct is getting into high gear. It’s not quite time for me to break out…