I love a nice Cognac cocktail in the winter! Here’s a classic that you don’t see around much that’s worth a try. The Brandy Crusta is a 19th-century cocktail that was the predecessor to the Sidecar.  Like many great cocktails, it originated in New Orleans, so Peychaud’s is the perfect bitters for this concoction. Courtesy of Absolut Vodka.… Read more

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If you’re loving the summer farmers market as much as we are, this is a drink for you! Apricots in the store are often hard and sour.

We used the homemade cherry bitters from this recipe. It’s a super-easy recipe, but you can definitely substitute store-bought cherry bitters. If you use commercial cherry bitters or another type of bitters, such as Angostura, be aware that they will be a little stronger and so you will … Read more

Rob Roy MacGregor (1670-1734) fought to protect the farmers’ way of life, earning the respect of this fellow Highlanders and a prison sentence for treason. He escaped (several times, actually) and lived the remainder of his life as an outlaw. The Rob Roy cocktail was created in 1894 to celebrate the opening of the Herald Square musical that paid homage to this Scottish folk hero. Courtesy of Dewar’s Scotch Whisky.… Read more

If you love a good Manhattan like we do, make your next one with your own homemade bitters.

With only a dash or two, bitters add complexity and balance to your cocktail.

This simple recipe is made with everyday ingredients you can find at the grocery store. Just a pinch of each ingredient goes a long way, so you can make larger batches and bottle them as gifts.

Ingredients

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
¼ … Read more

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It’s time to celebrate with a champagne cocktail! What are you celebrating? That’s up to you. But here’s the drink to do it with. It is like a Manhattan meets a champagne cocktail. If that sounds good to you, get those cherries ready.… Read more

The sazerac is one of my favorite cocktails. So I was hesitant to mess with it.

But I had some raspberries in the fridge and a funny name in my head — Razerac … sounds like Scooby Doo saying “Sazerac.”

Thus the Razarac was born. And it is awesome.

It’s still quite a stiff cocktail. Just like a sazerac, it’s just rye, simple syrup and bitters. However, it has a little sweet twist.

Accounting for … Read more

The first session I attended during last week’s Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans was a panel titled “2009 Big Trends in Cocktail & Spirit Service.”

The panel consisted of Jim Meehan, Michael Waterhouse, Devlin Tavern, and Simon Difford (Source Guide) and was moderated by Ryan Magarian (Aviation Gin).

The program covered the 4 Ps of Cocktail Service Success, not unlike the 4 Ps of marketing: product, precise execution, promotion, passion.

It was here … Read more