The Spirit World

While Mardi Gras might be known for drunken revelry, it’s not an obvious beer celebration, like say, St Patrick’s Day where hoisting a pint of Ireland’s finest is almost obligatory. Of course the first thing that people think of when you say Mardi Gras is New Orleans. While New Orleans is the historical […]

It’s hard not to think of New Orleans and Mardis Gras without also thinking of the rum cocktail made famous by Pat O’Brien’s restaurant, the Hurricane. It’s also hard not to spend some time on Bourbon Street and not run into some store with barrels full of packets of Hurricane Mix that you can pick […]

If you will be the designated driver or if you are throwing a Mardis Gras party and would like a good option for those who are designated drivers, there are a few beverages that you can offer while staying with the New Orleans theme.
One of the easiest drinks to make is Ice Tea. […]

This month the Cocktail Club met at Marcus’ Martini Heaven in Pioneer Square. This place has been open for several years but this was my first visit. Located in a building that gives you a peek into Seattle’s past it has the feel of a special little secret place.
On street level […]

Looking for more ideas for your Mardis Gras Party?
Check out one or more of these sites:

The Gumbo Pages
New Orleans Cuisine and NOLA Cuisine
Food Network’s Fat Tuesday Menus
Epicurious Mardis Gras Planning
Emeril’s Mardis Gras Menu
Throwing a Mardis Gras Party

Or for a slightly different twist check out this information on Carnevale, the Italian version […]

This unassuming looking little cocktail packs a big serving of flavor. This is The Sazerac. There are some that say it was the first cocktail invented, at least in the U.S. I don’t know how anyone could know that for sure but the point is that it is a very old and honorable […]

Last year one of our Cooking Club themes was New Orleans. Now the first drink that comes to mind for many people when they think of New Orleans is the Hurricane but I wanted to do something that felt more traditional. I chose the Ramos Gin Fizz for a couple of reasons. It […]

I don’t have any problem with a slice of lemon or lime when drinking a Corona, but please save me from the bartenders who automatically slap a slice of lemon on the rim of my glass of wheat beer.
The world beer and whiskey authority, Michael Jackson, says that the custom of having a slice of […]

Over the last several weeks, we’ve covered a variety of cocktails. My intent with these weekly investigations is to encourage each of you to pick up just what you need for that week’s cocktail and experiment with it on your own. The end result will be not only an understanding of an increasing range of […]

A rose by any other name is still a rose and the celebration that precedes Ash Wednesday, otherwise known as the first day of Lent, is a party no matter how you look at it. Since, by tradition, the revelry must end at the stroke of midnight Tuesday night, you need to be prepared […]