The Spirit World

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit The Merchant Hotel in Belfast Northern Ireland. Wow. What an experience.
The bar manager at the Merchant is Sean Muldoon, and he is clearly a man with the sort of passion, drive, and vision that I love to see coordinating the activities behind the cocktails that I order. Through his […]

It wasn’t that long ago that the majority of cocktail books verged on the side of being comical in nature, with little in the way of any substance beyond simply trotting out a variety of fanciful drinks. It was usually even suspect if the author had even tried, much less even familiar with, the drinks […]

It is fair to say that there are thousands, no several thousands of different cocktail recipes out there, and it often seems like more and more being concocted every day. It is equally fair to say that far more than just a small percentage of those really never deserve to see the light of day. […]

Photo by Gary Regan
Used with permission

Having been pontificating about spirits, cocktails, and specifically cocktail recipes for what? Ten years now? I clearly have a wide variety of information and details spread all over the web in various forms and locations. Recently, somebody pointed out that the recipe I just presented for a particular cocktail differed […]

Finding new and interesting cocktails is always a challenge. There are far too many drinks coming onto the scene which are almost as though somebody tossed some trendy ingredients into a glass with some vodka, and thought it was a pinnacle of craftsmanship. Clearly not.
There are two ways which I like to rely on for finding […]

It would be difficult to pay attention to bartending and mixology, without running across the name “Cheryl Charming.” Her first book, published in 2000, was “Miss Charmings Book of Bar Amusements,” and was a collection of the various magic tricks, amusements, and challenges that some bartenders use to entertain their customers, and some customers use […]

I wrote about the “Old Fashioned” in the early days of “The Spirit World.” I mention that it perhaps represents the oldest form of cocktail known, and reflects the original definition of the cocktail which was described as “…spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.” When the label “Old Fashioned” was first being applied to […]

To help folks along with this month’s “Raiders of the Lost Cocktail”, I thought it only appropriate that I expand upon some details regarding this month’s challenge ingredient, Strega.
Italy appears to be a fount of diverse and wonderfully complex liqueurs. Some of them, such as Vermouth, Campari, and Galliano, are widely known if not commonly […]

For many, “Whisky” immediately brings to mind Scotch Whisky, and its often robust, smoky, peaty flavor. Like all other whiskies, Scotch is made from grains which have been fermented, and then distilled. But what sets Scotch apart from the others is that the heat it uses to halt the pre-fermentation germination process comes from peat […]

The debate continues. Was whiskey first distilled in Ireland, or in Scotland? It is possible that we may never truly know the answer to that question, but when you are in Ireland, be sure to give them the benefit of the doubt.
From a historical perspective, things always get murky the further back in time you […]