Pegu Club
In the 1920s, the Pegu Club was a bar in Rangoon, Burma (at the time a British colony) that served a drink of the same name. And while this drink was popular through the ‘30s, it largely died out after…
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Rusty Nail
A classic but oft-forgotten cocktail, the Rusty Nail is a smooth, scotch-based drink that’s much tamer than its name suggests. By adding Drambuie—a honey- and herb-flavored scotch liqueur—to scotch, you are able to cut some of the biting peat flavor…
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Martini Recipe
The martini is one of the world’s best known and most popular cocktails, having been immortalized by such drinking greats as Winston Churchill, James Bond and Frank Sinatra. However, nowadays, half the martinis made in a bar use vodka instead of…
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Vieux Carré
The Vieux Carré was born sometime prior to 1937 in New Orleans at what would later become the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone Hotel. According to Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, the cocktail was named for the old…
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Seelbach Cocktail
The Seelbach is a pre-prohibition cocktail that originated at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY. Lost to drinkers for nearly 80 years, the recipe was rediscovered in 1995. The drink is simple to make but fairly complex in flavor, with…
Read MoreKentucky Bourbon Festival Recap
With the Kentucky Bourbon Festival two days behind me, my blood alcohol level is finally fighting its way back to legal levels of sobriety. And while I may abstain from bourbon flights and bourbon pancakes for a few days, I…
Read MoreKentucky Bourbon Festival: Day Three
Day three of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival began with what’s become a common theme in these parts – bourbon for breakfast. After a great trip to Maker’s Mark yesterday, on Friday morning my group headed to the Jim Beam Distillery….
Read MoreKentucky Bourbon Festival: Day Two
Day two at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival started with a trip to the Maker’s Mark distillery in Loretto, KY. Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Kevin Smith, our tour guide for the day, took us around the distillery grounds while articulating the…
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Kentucky Bourbon Festival: Day One
It’s official. I love Kentucky. In the six hours since my plane landed in Louisville I’ve become a Kentucky convert. An ambassador of southern hospitality and easy living. After making my way to Bardstown, KY, my home base for the…
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The Last Word Cocktail Recipe
The Last Word is a prohibition-era cocktail that was first served at the Detroit Athletic Club to great acclaim. But following its short-lived success, it faded into obscurity for decades before making a recent resurgence in some of the better…
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Corpse Reviver #2
This aptly named cocktail traces its origin back to the days when drinking in the morning didn’t have a stigma. When cocktails were breakfast drinks and every man, woman and likely a few children started their day with a smile…
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Vesper Martini
The Vesper Martini was first popularized in the James Bond book by Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, and gained further, more recent notoriety in the 2006 film of the same name. The drink was named for Bond’s love interest Vesper Lynd,…
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Review: Don Q Grand Añejo Rum
For decades, the Don Q brand was only available in Puerto Rico. Luckily for American drinkers, Don Q established its USA headquarters in Dallas, TX in June 2009, making this rum readily available in the states. Don Q Grand Añejo,…
Read MoreReview: The Dalmore Scotch
I recently had the opportunity to taste four bottles of The Dalmore, a collection of single malt scotches distilled in Alness, Scotland since 1841. Somehow eluding me over the years, my first experience with The Dalmore was long overdue. The…
Read MoreMaximilian Affair
Many drinkers have one liquor they just cannot stomach. The one spirit from their past in which they “had a bad experience.” For me, and many others, that liquor was tequila. Though I’d learned to tolerate tequila over the years…
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Tom Collins
The Tom Collins recipe first appeared in print in 1876. It was created by Jerry Thomas, the “father of American mixology,” and famed author of The Bartender’s Guide. Tom Collins 2 ounces gin 1 ounce lemon juice 1 teaspoon of…
Read MoreLong Island Iced Tea
Don’t worry, you won’t find any tea in this hard-hitting collection of booze. Long Island Iced Tea 1 part each of vodka, tequila, gin, rum and triple sec 1 part lemon juice Cola Lemon slice Shake vodka, tequila, gin, rum,…
Read MoreBald Eagle Cocktail
Our country’s bird in cocktail form. Not sure how the name applies, but we’ll go with it. The Bald Eagle is very tart, but the flavors come together into a pretty refreshing package. The Bald Eagle 2 ounces reposado tequila…
Read MoreAmerican Pie Cocktail
A little slice of America, in a rocks glass. American Pie Cocktail 2 ounces whiskey 2 ounces apple liqueur 4 ounces cranberry juice Shake whiskey, apple liqueur and cranberry juice with ice. Pour mixture into a rock glass.
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Americano Cocktail
Though the name has been popularized by coffee houses, the Americano cocktail predates the coffee drink. It’s a refreshing, easy-to-make drink that’s a wonderful introduction to the deliciously bittersweet Campari. Sip these on your patio during summer, or anytime you’re…
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