When it comes to new products – or at least products which are new to me – I feel like the best thing to do […]
An Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove; How the Hand in Glove was the result of a ‘happy accident’
When I was working at Fresh Kills in Brooklyn, I would regulatory make the Velvet Glove, one of the lower ABV cocktails that was on […]
Ingredient to Watch: Calamansi
Ingredient to Watch: keep your eye on the Calamansi, a citrus fruit yielding form Southeast Asia and popular in Filipino and some Malaysian cuisine. Having […]
This Just In: The Glenlivet “Tide Pods”
Pernod Ricard’s flagship single malt brand The Glenlivet scored some major PR points during the recent annual London Cocktail Week. Claiming that their revolutionary product […]
This Just In: Untouched By Light
Due to be released in 2020, a Slovenian sparkling wine called “Untouched By Light” is made and bottled in complete darkness. Produced in Radgonske Gorice, […]
This Just In: Atomik
Utilizing rye grown on the local land and using uncontaminated groundwater from the surrounding area, Atomik vodka has been triple distilled and is like most […]
ICYMI: Crossing Catagories
In case you missed it: Something we have been keeping our eye on over the past two years is the continued effort of alcohol brands […]
ICYMI: Sustainable Spirits
In case you’ve had your head under a mixology stone over the last couple of years, the term “sustainability” is everywhere, especially in the Food […]
A Hundred Years Young and Still Going Strong; Here’s to the Negroni
The first time I ever tried a Negroni, I’d been bartending for less than a year, maybe only about six months or so. One of […]
The Cold Hard Truth About the Dry Martini
For me, the Martini is the jewel in the crown that is the holy trinity of mixology that sits not alongside, but above even the […]
The Rebirth of the Rusty Nail
When Saul Goodman sits down with a drink in hand in the opening episode of Better Call Saul, never did anyone think that the trajectory […]
Why the French Connection Deserves Some Love
History is often written by the victors as they say, and in the case of the two-ingredient French Connection cocktail, this almost certainly seems to […]
Mentorship, Internship and Apprenticeship ; a Podcast with Bartender at Large
During my younger days in the beverage profession, I was very lucky to be surrounded by good people who wanted me to do well in […]
The Best Way to Make a Ramos Gin Fizz? Ignore Everything You’ve Read About It’s History
When David Wonderich released Imbibe! wrote and released several years ago, the impact that it had on bartending was profound. The book acted towards […]
How to Use Coffee Liqueur in Cocktails; Part 3
When I first came across the Mulata daiquiri several years back, I thought it looked like a terrible drink, on paper at least. Cacao and […]
How to Use Coffee Liqueur in Cocktails; Part 2
In the previous post, I talked about how awesome coffee liqueur is and how many awesome brands there are on the market, but how little […]
How to Use Coffee Liqueur in Cocktails; Part 1
Along with a couple of the Rocky films, Phil Collins and the ubiquitous mullet, the Espresso Martini – the luscious coffee-laced drink from the late and great […]
Why the Maid in Cuba Needs A Makeover
In October 2017, during my four-job/90 hour week, the Maid in Cuba officially turned five years old. Which is quite a feat, mainly because I still see it […]
Are Cocktail Blogs Relevant Anymore?
When I stared bartending in Fall 2008, I was lucky enough to land a job as a glass collector at one of the premium bars in Newcastle in Northeast England. I’d been living there for over three years and had just graduated from the University of Sunderland with Journalism degree not only at a stage when the print media was starting to downsize, but also in an era when the Great Recession started to impact on those coming out of higher education.