DIY Sour Mix

[The Monthly Mixer is a new column by M. Quinn Sweeney who writes about crafting cocktails at LibationLab.com]

Bottles of fluorescent fluids labeled “sour mix” can be purchased at any grocery or liquor store but what you are buying has no actual fruit or anything else found in nature. It’s an artificial conglomeration of crap that tastes like the description above implies. It’s like stirring up some Tang and calling it orange juice. Bars use … Read more

Monthly Mixer: Syrup Made Simple

[The Monthly Mixer is a new column by M. Quinn Sweeney, who writes about crafting cocktails at LibationLab.com]

Simple syrup, is called simple for a reason. It is the easiest way to sweeten a drink, and blends into a cocktail much easier than plain sugar. You can make it at home in five minutes and store it in the fridge for weeks. In a pinch, you can even mash in some fruit and pour it … Read more

Monthly Mixer: Grenadine

The Monthly Mixer is a new column by M. Quinn Sweeney who writes about crafting cocktails at LibationLab.com.

That never-expiring bottle on your shelf isn’t really grenadine. That bastard stepchild of the classic cocktail mixer, which comes in a color not found in nature and is comprised almost entirely of sugar, may be ubiquitous but it’s not authentic.

Thanks to the public demand for antioxidants and the year-round growing season in California’s Central Valley, 100% … Read more