The Spirit World

Tickets for the seventh annual Tales of the Cocktail conference and gathering for aficionados of well-made mixed drinks, went on sale last week. Tales brings together bartenders, restaurateurs, distillers, brand managers, cocktail enthusiasts, and anyone interested in learning and practicing the fine art of cocktail-making. As in years past, the event will feature seminars for […]

For those of us in the US, the quadrennial political season is drawing blessedly to a close. I suspect it is not outside the bounds of reason to think that some folks out there may be planning election night returns-watching parties. And while it is a completely valid option to plan a drinks menu around […]

I won’t take it personally but neither this humble drink blog, nor my own lovingly created Spittoon make it into MM’s ‘Blogs You Should Be Reading’ section; Fermentation, Pinot Blogger and Appellation Beer do though. This disappointment aside a joy to find that the second issue of Mutineer Magazine is now available!
“It is the mission […]

The Widow’s Kiss Project is dedicated to scouring the tomes of classic cocktail literature to find and taste the least-likely-looking recipes, in the hope of finding and reviving odd-sounding gems (like the applejack, yellow Chartreuse, and Benedictine of the Widow’s Kiss) that might otherwise be overlooked.

Today’s drink comes from Harry Craddock’s huge and mostly swiped […]

Calling New Orleans a good place to hold a cocktail convention is a little like suggesting that the folks who make slot machine might want to meet up in Vegas. Can you say “duh?”
Here in the Big Easy, where go cups on Bourbon Street, and festive dining everywhere are  the rule, the sixth annual Tales […]

Very soon, cocktail geeks from around the world are convening in New Orleans for the sixth annual Tales of the Cocktail. As mentioned in earlier posts, July means its time for the annual celebration of all things cocktail and spirit, held in the birthplace of American cocktails. I’m so excited to be attending this year!
If […]

We recently partnered with one of the best restaurants in the Chicago area to offer a cocktail and food pairing dinner. Only a few places here are doing anything with cocktail pairings - it’s a very new concept for most people. Given the movement toward culinary cocktails and artistry in beverages, we hoped to show […]

So mixed drinks have made a comeback and you are thinking “what am I to do with all my brandy, vodka, absinthe, etc. that I have been enjoying neat (without ice, by it’s onesies)? Well, sure you could buck the trend and keep on with being a neat-freak, or you could experiment with ingredients that […]

Someone recently told me that there is a new lollipop company out there making absinthe-flavored lollipops, so I figured I better investigate. Turns out, its true.
Lolliphile is a new candy company in San Francisco making unusual flavors of lollipops. So far, they’re making absinthe-flavored ones, as well as maple-bacon. They’re working on more flavors too, […]

Tales of the Cocktail is an annual gathering of spirit and cocktail experts in New Orleans, which is now in it’s sixth year. In addition to the regular sessions, seminars, panels, tastings, as well as general partying, last year they added a new element, the “Spirit Awards” to identify and recognize significant achiements and efforts in various […]