Two At The Most

The fine folks at Buffalo Trace have asked me to tell you about the Buffalo Trace Saloon. If you sign up for a free membership by March 31, you’ll be entered for the Derby Big Shot weekend. If you win, you and a friend will be flown down for the Kentucky Derby, squired around in a limo, and get a great tour of the distillery to boot.

In the meantime, take a look around the Saloon. There are some flash games to play, message boards, recipes using Buffalo Trace, and something called Bourbunnies.

And what’s … Continue Reading

This month’s Mixology Monday is hosted by Sonja Kassebaum over at Thinking of Drinking. In addition to running a fine boutique distillery, North Shore, with her husband, Sonja is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

This month she’s chosen the topic that’s near and dear to my heart:
The topic for February is Absinthe. That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful … Continue Reading

BarSmarts WIRED is again open for registration, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to truly understand the basics of the craft cocktail world, bartender and enthusiast alike.

Last fall, I was invited by Pernod Ricard to try out the BarSmarts WIRED program. This is a study at home version of the highly respected BarSmarts certification put together by Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR), LLC, a group that includes such cocktail luminaries as Dale DeGroff, Doug Frost, Steve Olson, F. … Continue Reading

It’s Mixology Monday yet again.1 This month is being hosted by Frederic & Co. over at Cocktail Virgin Slut, and our topic is tea. Fred’s instructions:
Find or concoct a drink recipe that uses tea or tisane (a herbal “tea” which lacks tea leaves) as an ingredient. This can be hot tea, cold tea, tea syrups, or infusions and use it … Continue Reading

Mixology Monday is here again, and this month is being hosted by one of my favorite Seattle bartenders, Kevin Langmack.1 Kevin has given us the theme of Money Drinks. We had two directions we could go. First:
A “Money” drink is something you can put in front of anyone, regardless … Continue Reading

I’ve been experimenting with cranberry relish recipes for well over a decade now, and have finally found one that works well for me. It has the advantage of being incredibly easy to make, and well, bourbon!

It’s best to make this the night before. If you do, I recommend that you first make yourself a bourbon old fashioned to really enjoy the beauty of the bourbon while you prepare the relish.

Bourboned Cranberry Relish

1 orange
1 lemon
1/2 cup bourbon (Bulleit is an excellent choice)
1/2 cup sugar
1 dash salt
1 dash fresh ground pepper
12 ounces fresh cranberries

zest orange and lemon. obtain 1/2 cup … Continue Reading

This week’s Thursday Drink Night promises to be a lot fun.

It’s sponsored by Crystal Head Vodka. Vodka may get a lot of derision from cocktail geeks, but it can present a true challenge when trying to create a well balanced cocktail. And, just in time for Halloween, it comes in a gorgeous bottle in the shape of a crystal skull!

Here in Seattle, we’ll … Continue Reading

Fall is closing in fast, but October refuses to leave until we honor it with a Mixology Monday. Over at Cocktailians, Vidiot is hosting a most excellent theme, Vermouth. He bids us:
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to present a delectable vermouth cocktail for us all to drool over. Sweet/Italian or dry/French vermouth are fair game of course, as are quinquina, aperitif wines like Pineau des Charentes, or for … Continue Reading

I love Beefeater 24 Gin, and I love Bitter Truth bitters, so I was a bit bitter that I didn’t seem to have much of a chance to get my hands on my very own bottle of the Bitter Truth’s Beefeater 24 bitters.

Bitter Truth Beefeater 24 Bitters

That was until Michael Dietsch announced his “Don’t Be Bitter” contest over at A Dash of Bitters. All I have to do is give some link love to … Continue Reading

It may barely still be September, but it is definitely Monday, so it must be time for Mixology Monday! This month, we are hosted by the kind folk over at eGullet. Chris Amirault has chosen the topic of “Dizzy Dairy,” declaring:
Any drink using a dairy product is fair game: milk, cream, eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt, curds, you name it. Given the importance of dairy products in drinks dating back centuries, there are lots of … Continue Reading