I wanted to try something a little less hidden, and the cabinet seems to be overstocked with whiskeys, so a bit of research unveiled the Revolver. It was originally created with Bulleit (bullet/revolver…get it?) Bourbon in San Fran back in the early 2000s as a reversal on the old tradition of adding a shot of…
Author: bee
The Cortez
It was hot and muggy, the end of a long week, and we had a surfeit of tequila — so I went looking for something simple yet refreshing that might help make a dent in the tequila supply. I came up with a few options but the one that struck me as eminently suitable was…
Easter Pitchers
Easter is a bit of a tradition around here. Lots of friends and family, lots of food and an opportunity to take out all the best linens and china. This year we decided to whip up a few pitchers of cocktails along with some charcuterie to start the festivities before sitting down to a delicious…
Bourbon Renewal
The Bourbon Renewal was created by bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common. “It’s been a staple of mine for nearly fifteen years, and was one of the first drinks I ever created.” I came across it on a website iterating a list of modern drinks that deserved to be classics. Who could resist? A…
Black & White Russian
The Black Russian dates back to 1949. The cocktail owes its name to the use of vodka, the prototypical Russian spirit, and the blackness of the coffee liqueur. The addition of cream in the mid 60s resulted in the White Russian. Both were once cocktail hour standards although they eventually faded in popularity. The White Russian…
The Martini
“Shaken not stirred…” However offensive to the martini purists, this has to be one of the most evocative references in history to a cocktail. (For the uninitiated, martini’s are stirred—generally only cocktails needing texture and aeration [things with egg yolk, juices, cream etc.] are shaken.) And since my only familiarity with this most classic of classic…
Singapore Sling
For our solstice dinner we decided we wanted a classic cocktail. I felt something tropical and sunny was called for to mark the shortest day and longest night of the year. The Singapore sling is truly a classic, developed more than one hundred years ago in a hotel in Singapore. There are numerous variations on…
Rusty Apple Toddy
“One sip of this hot apple-and-Drambuie cocktail will warm you to the core.” With a sell line like that how could you resist. With two out of the four suffering from a cold and us expiring the first cold blowy day of the winter we were looking for something soothing. I discovered a selection of toddy’s…
Paloma Brava
The Paloma is a classic tequila highball everyone should try: just tequila with the addition of grapefruit soda, lime juice, and maybe a pinch of salt. But since tequila is a Halloween tradition, we decided to try a little harder. The Paloma Brava is a variation on the classic that is bit more complex, but with a…
The Bee’s Knees
The Bee’s Knees cocktail is an easy cocktail of gin, lemon and honey that dates back to Prohibition era. The phrase “bee’s knees” was prohibition-era slang for “the best.” The story goes that the addition of citrus and honey were used to cover the often pungent smell and taste of bathtub gin. Improving the taste…