Thanks to Robert Hess for reminding me of this drink in a post over at The Spirit World. As Robert points out, the Japanese Cocktail is one of only ten “cocktails” listed in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 The Bartender’s Guide. It’s unfortunate that this drink has fallen by the wayside–its flavor is deep and evocative, yet… Continue Reading
Demerara Dry Float
For Christmas, my sister-in-law expanded my cocktail library by giving me two books I’d had on my list for quite a while: Grog Log and Intoxica!, both by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. For the uninitiated, Berry is the reigning king of tiki drinks, with an approach to researching the history of these drinks as rigorous as… Continue Reading
Drinks Index is up
Just a quick note that the drinks index page (listed in the bar up top) is now complete. I’ve indexed every drink on the site by name, alphabetically, with a listing of ingredients and a link to the drink’s original posting. Later on, I may offer further breakouts (drinks sorted by base spirit, drinks by… Continue Reading
Ode to Hangover
This week’s poem on Slate, by Dean Young Ode to Hangover Hangover, you drive me into the yard to dig holes as a way of working through you as one might work through a sorry childhood by riding the forbidden amusement park rides as a grown-up until puking. Alas, I feel like something spit out… Continue Reading
Golden Dawn revisited
Okay. Maybe that whole idea of “Perfect Balance” had some element of wishful thinking about it. As I mentioned when I first approached the Golden Dawn, the idea of a cocktail composed of equal parts–five of them, at that–was compelling and, ultimately, irresistible. But as a couple of folks noted in the comments, as intriguing… Continue Reading
