City - Friday, November 20, 2009 10:30 - 1 Comment
Thanksgiving Cider
I’m not going to lie: the cider cocktail requires time and effort. However, next week is Thanksgiving and this drink is made in batches, which I guess implies sharing. I think it’s a pretty insidious way to contribute to a holiday about goodwill and gratitude, plus it is a great holdover while you wait for the damn turkey to roast. The weather has been pretty mild recently, but it’s useful to have a couple of winter cocktails like this one in your arsenal to help you (and those you love) keep warm.
Ingredients (serves six)
City - Friday, November 13, 2009 12:00 - 0 Comments
White Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitans have a bad reputation. I blame the magazine and Carrie Bradshaw. I’ve had some nauseatingly sweet Cosmos at bars in New York (lowbrow ones, admittedly) that you’d probably be safe serving to a kindergartener. But when made correctly at home or at a bar for more than $10, Cosmopolitans actually taste quite sour.
This is a slight variation on the traditional Cosmopolitan, using white cranberry juice instead of the regular red. I’m not a fan of colored cocktails, because I have a tendency to stain (read: drench) my clothes with drinks as I make them.
City - Friday, November 6, 2009 13:00 - 6 Comments
The Bee’s Knees
Adding yummy ingredients you normally wouldn’t associate with alcohol is a great way of jazzing up your drinking experience at minimal cost. Honey is one such ingredient and I like to believe including it in a cocktail makes consuming one before noon socially acceptable.
Ingredients
City - Friday, October 30, 2009 11:30 - 2 Comments
Absinthe
What better liquor is there than absinthe to celebrate a Halloween weekend? But the problem with absinthe in America is that it lacks an essential ingredient. Thujone, a chemical derived from wormwood, is responsible for those cinematic green fairy hallucinations. The FDA banned it in the 1950s, so all absinthe exported to America has to be “Thujone-free.” Such a modification to the recipe alters not only the experience but also the taste of absinthe.
The absence of wormwood transforms absinthe’s usually bitter taste into a sickly sweet one. Here are two drinks to try this Halloween, depending on which concoction of absinthe you manage to lay your hands on.
Disclaimer: The traditional method of preparing absinthe is a bit of a fire hazard, so you might want to do so outside and while you are still relatively sober.
Continue…
City - Friday, October 23, 2009 13:00 - 0 Comments
Chelsea Sidecar
Sidecars are wonderful and come in countless regional variations. The Chelsea Sidecar hails from London, but the original version was conceived in Paris during World War I.
The ratio of base liquor to the triple sec and lemon juice is often contested. The 1:1:1 ration is a safe bet for most palates, but if you want something stronger 2:1:1 is not too drastic a change. Famous 1940s mixologist, David Embury, believed drinks were best made extremely sour and used an 8:2:1 ratio.
Disclaimer: I don’t ever recommend an 8:2:1 ratio unless you have no taste buds, an extremely high tolerance for alcohol and exuberant amounts of money to spend on it. Or you just want to get fucked up after midterms.
Ingredients
City - Friday, October 16, 2009 10:00 - 0 Comments
The Kamikaze
This drink has two variations. Both are delicious, but I prefer the shooter to the cocktail simply because this is one of the few shooters than doesn’t set off my gag reflex. The name Kamikaze is Japanese for a suicide mission; I assure you consuming a Kamikaze does not emulate that feeling (well, not anymore than any other kind of drinking).
The Shooter
- 1.5 shots of vodka
- 1 shot of triple sec (orange liqueur — invest)
- 1/2 shot of lime juice
- Optional sugar (if you really cannot handle bitter drinks)
- Couple of ice cubes (just to cool things down)
City - Thursday, October 8, 2009 10:45 - 1 Comment
The Mint Julep
Enjoy the act of drinking, not just its comforting consequences. Savor every sip, or at the very least grin instead of grimace as you gulp down that cocktail. All that is required of you is the forethought to go to a supermarket or deli before you pregame. I assure you the extra effort is well worth the satisfaction of your taste buds.
Ingredients
