The Spirit World

Veev is a spirit made from Brazil’s National fruit, the Acai (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee) berry. The Acai is a packed with antioxidants, Omega3s, calcium, vitamin C & E and protein. The spirit also contains prickly pear and Acerola Cherry. I found Veev made from the Acai berry to be very refreshing and clean on the palette.  […]

These were actually gifts from a friend for my birthday, hence the adorable little labels (I’m sure those bottles look familiar, though…) He has a lavender bush in his backyard that’s about to get zapped by frost, so he steeped some of the flowers in gin and simple (made with half white sugar, half brown […]

Man oh man if it’s not the season for making awesome cocktail ingredients from the farmers’ market. Food, too, I guess, if you’re into that sort of thing. Pictured is my Thai basil schnapps, which couldn’t be simpler to make: take some basil, put it in a jar, cover with high-proof neutral liquor (vodka or […]

I almost missed the sour cherry season this year—bad booze nerd! All the smart cocktail geeks know that now is the time to put up cherries for this winter’s Manhattan season. There are many different schools of thought as to how best to make these treats. What is universally agreed upon is that anything is […]

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 […]

This classic recipe for preserving the short seasoned-yet-delicious raspberry comes from The Vintner’s, Brewer’s, Spirit Merchant’s and Licensed Victualler’s Guide (1826), but looking through old housekeeping or inkeeping instructional manuals, it seems to be a pretty standard one. The result is a sort of brightly-flavored brandy cordial, as opposed to a dry fruit brandy or […]

The farmer’s market gives us seasonal and tasty foodstuffs, and for that we are grateful. But if human history has taught us anything, it’s that if it can be eaten, then it can be turned into booze. Of course, the quickest way to get some farm into your glass is to muddle the fruit, vegetables, […]

These days, cocktail folks the world over are brushing the cobwebs off classic cocktails and returning them to circulation. Their digging into dusty drink books of yore have given us such delicious new-old hits as The Last Word, The Aviation, and The Clover Club, just to name three. Research in this area surely continues, to […]

New York girls have reinvented the ancient act of dressing. Perhaps inspired by the lushness of Sofia Coppola’s divine Marie Antoinette, an enterprising group of Manhattanites have begun throwing dress up cocktail parties complete with the sparkling addition of an on call hair stylist.
A pre-nightlife event, fulfilling that childhood game of make believe, each girl […]

The cocktail shaker for your mid-century modern ranch is undeniably the 870 by Luigi Massoni and Carlo Mazzeri for Alessi.  The perfect combination of beauty and functionality has made it a classic in bars worldwide, and its sleek design will look stunning in your home regardless of your décor aesthetic. 
Designed when Luigi Massoni was only […]