The Mushiest MxMo Ever

Now, this whole Mixology Monday thing is complete. At first it was mostly strangers getting together for a couple of drinks — a few folks, a few photos, a few recipes. We sat and sipped politely, shared what we knew, and got home early enough to watch a little TV before bed. Then it grew into a cocktail party, with people chatting back and forth in each other’s comments, referring to each other on the blogs, and generally getting a lively hubbub of conversation skittering around the Internet.

Then came “Blog Love.” The cocktail party turned into a late-night session; a few glasses got broken, somebody started putting tomatoes in their daiquiris, some sort of photo contest broke out on the veranda, a couple of folks decided to get deep into the creme de mure, a cab-load of eGulleteers took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up at another party — and by the end of the evening, everyone was getting misty and slurring, “You know what? You know what? You know what? You’re awright — no, not awright … you’re great. *sniffle* I loooove you, maaaaan!”

We had a lovely, expressive turnout this month, and as many folks kept saying, the posts just underscored what a great group of people are engaged in the drink-blogging community. I’m proud to be a part of the group, and happy we had such a great time.

In no particular order, here’s what went on:

Chris Bunting at Nonjatta joined the party this time, and made himself right at home. Chris normally covers the world of Japanese whisky, but made an exception for Mixology Monday and decided to mix up one of Jeffrey Morgenthaler‘s Nacionals — except he couldn’t, due to lack of ingredients. After wandering through Darcy’s Strawberry Daiquiri post at The Art of Drink and taking an unsuccessful detour involving cherries, Chris makes his way back around to Jeffrey’s Tomato Daiquiri. Before figuring out a way to connect the Tomato Daiquiri with Japanese whisky, Chris wrapped up his tribute with the statement, “So, there we have it, a big, saliva-dripping, tongue-down-the-throat Blog Love snog for Jeffrey and Darcy. Or their blogs at least!” That pretty much got the party started.

Scott Steeves from Scottes’ Rum Pages was another newcomer, and as soon as he arrived he mixed up one of Beachbum Berry’s $100 Mai Tais. He then blamed his whole blogging effort on Rick, whose photos and coverage have certainly turned many people to the bottle.

Anita and Cameron at Married … with Dinner whopped up a bunch of mojitos, following the 15-minute preparation routine perfected by Murray Stenson and recently blogged about by Jeffrey Morgenthaler. Yes, they take a long time to make, but oh, so good, so good.

Lauren at Drink Boston shows up late for the party but brings a big, whoppin’ bowl of Martha Washington Rum Punch — the recipe for which she nabbed from LUPEC Boston — along with a few Champagne Juleps. I’ll have one of each, please.

Doug at The Pegu Blog was another new face, and he showed up thirsty. First, he took a stab at Darcy’s strawberry daiquiri, then Michael’s Lemon Cooler from A Dash of Bitters. Still seeking something that would finish the evening, Doug turned to that old standby, the Corpse Reviver #2, which he’d read about on Cocktailnerd. That, apparently, was the ticket.

Phil at Lamb Martini arrived and realized he was wearing the same Richmond Gimlet that I’d mentioned in the MxMo announcement. Undeterred, he mixed up the drink using different gins, and wound up the life of the party.

Jay at Oh, Gosh! prepared a classic Pegu Club, which he’d read about, suitably enough, on The Pegu Blog. Introductions made, Doug and Jay hit it off right away.

Gwen from Intoxicated Zodiac celebrated the summer with blackberries, and mixed up a Blackberry Noir Martini she’d seen on World On a Plate. Fresh, and very seasonal.

Robert at Explore the Pour explained his accidental slide into cocktail blogging as he prepared an Apple-Blueberry Collins, developed by Jamie Boudreau at Spirits & Cocktails. Sorry for the sleepless nights, Robert — I was wondering who actually read my blog.

Speaking of sleepless, the anonymous drinker at A Grandiose Blog had a feverish dream that involved a conversation with Mixology Monday, in which they discussed the Clover Club, from, uh, this very site. Along the way, two important lessons were learned: first, don’t order one of these from a clueless bartender; and second, always, always use a fresh egg when mixing drinks. Perhaps now we know where the feverish dream came from.

Gabriel at Cocktailnerd reached deep into the past, and deep into the archives, to bring out the Golden Age Martini, as posted by Brad at BarMixMaster. Gabriel also toasted a handful of other bloggers, while obliquely warning Jeffrey to stay away from his wife.

Soon, though, Gabriel was chatting with the ladies from Liquor and Libations, who were enjoying the Tart Gin Cooler he had recently covered. A gin and tonic tarted up with grapefruit and Peychaud’s bitters — a perfect summer refresher.

Darryl from Natural Born Cynic brought out the heavy guns with a Painkiller, which he describes as a “pina colada on steroids” and which he read about on Married … With Dinner. Any thoughts that the party might end early and quietly died with the appearance of a drink fortified with three ounces of rum.

Keith Waldbauer at Moving at the Speed of Light came in explaining the lengthy route he took to cocktail blogging, which includes an education at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. He then stunned the crowd with a delightful Gansevoort Fizz, which he read about (woot! woot!) here at my place. Thanks for the blog love, Keith!

Dr. Bamboo flipped through the online recipe book before settling on a Gin & Tonic, referring to posts from Darcy and Jimmy Patrick to make his point. He then mixed another in tribute to Rick, who Dr. B credits (blames?) for sending him down the drink blog path.

Old-timer Darcy was there, too, of course. After almost-but-not-quite blogging about drinks from Jamie, Jeffrey or myself, Darcy reached deeeeeep into the past of drink blogs and retrieved the Knickerbocker, from the slumbering Slakethirst blog. Slakethirst was a participant in the very first Mixology Monday, and hasn’t really been heard from since; perhaps a little trackback will encourage him to join the party next time around.

Michael Dietsch from A Dash of Bitters showed up later in the evening, and promptly flattered the host by mixing up one of my favorites, the Police Gazette Cocktail. Apologizing that he won’t be able to join us in New Orleans, Michael made it a point to brighten up the pre-Tales party with the story of how he came to the blogosphere.

Jimmy Patrick from Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour strolled in with his arms full of booze, and proceeded to mix up a Bramble, created by Dick Bradsell in London and originally blogged by George at Thinking Bartender (speaking of which — GEORGE! Where the hell were you? You missed a hell of a party!)

Jeffrey Morgenthaler came in, saw all the glowing references to his blog and thought the party was being thrown for him. Upon realizing his error, he looked at Jimmy and said, “Uh, those Brambles are from both of us.”

After giving up on his cohorts from eGullet, Erik cabbed over and announced his undying love for the Hoskins, a drink created by Chuck Taggart and immortalized on his blog, The Gumbo Pages, and which currently graces the cocktail menu at Zig Zag Cafe, here in Seattle.

As for me, I also went with a drink I first learned about from Chuck’s site, the Fancy Free. It’s rather simple, but what it lacks in complexity of preparation it makes up for in complexity of flavor. I also said a few nice things about Jimmy, Rick and Jeffrey, which makes me part of the chorus around here.

That’s it — did I miss anyone? Drop a comment if I did, and I’ll include you in the mix (though since I leave for New Orleans at 3:15 a.m. tomorrow, it may be a while before I get any changes made).

And speaking of Blog Love, stay tuned for Saturday, when Darcy, Rick, Chuck and myself participate in Cocktails and the Blogosphere at Tales of the Cocktail. Hope to see many of you there–