I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that last week, Esquire magazine published its list of the best bars in America. Among the top-ranked establishments are fine-cocktail havens such as Pegu Club, in New York; No. 9 Park, in Boston; The Matchbox, in Chicago; and, of course, Seattle’s Zig Zag Cafe. Credit where credit… Continue Reading
Grenadine Face-off
Grenadine is one of the most common and versatile sweeteners and flavorings in classic mixology; it’s also damn difficult to find — the real stuff, anyway. Originally a pomegranate-based syrup, grenadine has been hybridized and bastardized out of existence, so that virtually all commercial versions contain little if any actual pomegranate juice. This is a… Continue Reading
Painkiller
Another adventure from Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log. I’ve been thinking about this drink for a few days, for three reasons: it was mentioned by a couple of folks during a recent-ish discussion over at Tiki Central about the top 10 tiki drinks; in the past week or so I’ve come into the possession of some… Continue Reading
Burnt Fuselage
Screw eBay. Over the past few years, I’ve put together a modest library of drinks-related books, most of them out-of-print and many fairly old and somewhat rare. Apparently, I haven’t been alone; as I check out the usual places on eBay and other online sources for old books, I’ve seen prices rise exponentially, just in… Continue Reading
The Other MM
In tomorrow’s (Wednesday) New York Times, a lengthy story in the food section about the trend toward molecular mixology. If you’re new to the idea, that’s the whole approach to using the magic of modern chemistry to convert cocktail ingredients into foams, jellies, beads, etc., in the pursuit of a more interesting drink. While I’m… Continue Reading
