A sample cocktail from George J. Kappeler’s Modern American Drinks. I don’t know if this is a Kappeler original, and I haven’t checked to see if it’s in other cocktail manuals, but this one caught my eye as something period-appropriate, with the added benefit that I happen to have the ingredients on hand. Here’s Kappeler’s… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Spirits
Algonquin
I sincerely doubt this was a favorite at the legendary round table. A bit too indirect and a bit too fruity to be a regular tipple of the Parker, Benchley and Woollcott group, I suspect. Still, this one tastes like history. It’s a deceptive cocktail–a counterintuitive blend of three distinctly flavored ingredients that, when combined,… Continue Reading
Perfect Balance
So much of mixology is simple mathematics. Creating a drinkable cocktail is typically nothing more than reaching the right proportion of ingredients in the mixing glass (sure, the method of chilling, type and brand of spirit, and a number of other variables enter into the equation, but stay with me here). Of course, this means… Continue Reading
Delmarva Cocktail No. 2
I’m only slightly taken aback by the name (which, as Slakethirst so kindly reminded me when I first posted this writeup, is short for “DElaware, MARyland, VirginiA”). I’m sure there’s some excellent story behind the awkward acronym–or at least a good excuse–but at first take, “Delmarva” sounds like the half-remembered name of your great-aunt in… Continue Reading
January
It’s over. The lights are coming down from the windows, the ornaments are going back in their boxes, the tree is destined for the compost heap. From here on out, there’s no gaity to winter–it’s all leafless branches, bitter mornings and sullen gray skies until April. I’ve spent most of my life in drier, colder… Continue Reading
