According to my beautiful advent calendar, it’s December 1 and family dinner night. And though those two things are reason enough to pour a cocktail, we’re also all too aware that the month is about to fly, and so are we, in non-coordinating directions. So! Raise a glass, we shall. Tonight’s offering, The Smash, found…
Champagne Cocktail
Well it had been a while since we had been able to gather so we went all out with Prime Rib roast, fresh focaccia and a really delish walnut and avocado salad. And so we decided to start with an oldy, but goody cocktail. You can find a lot of Champagne cocktails if you go…
Paloma
Well it turns out that after more than two years of making and tasting cocktails we haven’t actually tried a traditional Paloma yet. And since Halloween is traditionally tequila night, it made sense to rectify this oversight. This is in fact the 10th year we have all gathered together on Halloween night and indulged in…
Cinnamon Rosemary Old Fashioned
So, there’s no good way to say it: It’s been snowing here at least once a week for the last month, and it’s only the first week of October. Cue the bourbon cocktails! I searched online a few different times, but everything seemed to lead to the same variation of a bourbon-pear-sage libation, until I…
Bocce Ball
We were still looking for some lower alcohol cocktails and this pairing of citrus and almond fit the bill. It certainly sounded refreshing. Named after the Italian ball sport, Bocce Balls showed up in the early 80s almost certainly invented by Di Saronno to help popularize their amaretto. It appeared in numerous advertisements placed by…
The Americano
One of us had an evening engagement so this week we were looking for something “light.” With only about 9% alcohol, the classic Americano fit the bill. Turns out it was first served in the 1860s at Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan and originally named “Milano-Torino” because of the origins of its two ingredients. Then…
Brown Gin
Brown Gin adds a hefty dose of bitters to the classic Pink Gin. In the 1800s, British Navy sailors treated sea sickness with Angostura bitters. Since they are pretty strong solo, they’d mix it with their gin rations to make it go down easier, creating the original Pink Gin. This version more than doubles down on the…
Cachaça Spritzer
The weeks have completely flown by for me this summer, so when I blinked and discovered it was Sunday again, I decided to make time to shake, rattle, and pour. The pantry was a little bare, and I didn’t want to again default to tequila, so I settled on making a spritzer of some kind…
Cuba Libre
We were three for dinner, and it was one of those evenings when no one had any energy. What’s a good go-to cocktail for that situation? Well, the Cuba Libre, for one. The Cuba Libre is a storied cocktail. It originates in Cuba, of course; Jamie Oliver calls it a “legacy” cocktail, and its creation…
South Slope
We were looking for something with a summer feel and I wanted to use some more of the Cocchi Americano. So I hit the internet and came up with a whole lot of oldies, but not that many newer, more refreshing-sounding mixes. Then I came across the South Slope, a modern cocktail found in the…