The Spirit World

The festive period is nearly upon us and, as the drinks begin to flow during the ultimate party season, how can you be sure that your Christmas party shines brighter than the rest? Throwing the perfect party and making sure your guests have a good time is always stressful but worry not because help is […]

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 […]

With Plymouth finally exporting their sloe gin to the U.S., American drink enthusiasts no longer need to make their own—if you can get your hands on one of the few bottles, that is—yet there’s something awesome about putting up summer fruit for holiday cordial. This traditional British recipe can be made with sloe berries or […]

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 […]

Ok, so I got really sick of having the choice of paying out the wazoo for true maraschino cherries or needlessly suffering through the lye-soaked mess that they pass off as “cherries,” so I made my own. I made a mishmash of brandied cherries and maraschino cherries, and they turned out fantastically.
Cherries A La Kincke […]

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 […]

Today we visit another one of Leo Engel’s “specialties.” Perhaps you remember the Girard Flip from his American and Other Drinks (1878) Crazy ol’ Leo advises us to
Fill up a sherry wine glass two-thirds full of Maraschino, yellow Chartreuse, Kummel in equal proportions, and one dash of Kirschenwasser. Having done this, add the white of […]

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, […]