The Spirit World

We are going to stretch this idea of harvest just a bit, as the harvest for this specialty liqueur actually takes place in July. However, it’s a rather fascinating story and process and deserves to be included in harvest series.
The liqueur is found in the Alps of Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland […]

Last week it was all apples, this week we are focusing on another fruit of the season, the beautiful pear! Lara has already provided you with the Pear Nectar Martini which would be a great choice for this weekend but here’s another alternative, the Pear Brandy Champagne Cocktail.
I first had this cocktail at one […]

With the coming of the fall weather our thoughts turn to those things that remind us of the season. Apples play a big role in these thoughts. For this weekend’s Happy Hour at Home we are going all apples!
We’ll start with our cocktail for the weekend - an Apple Manhattan. […]

By now you’ve no doubt come to realize that I’m a little fond of drinks that use some of the commonly found, but lesser known ingredients. In many cases, these are ingredients which were once extremely popular, but have sort of fallen by the wayside in favor of some new trendy (and heavily marketed) product […]

Just as summer clothes are disappearing from the department stores in preparation for fall, so too should we start thinking about libations that we can use to celebrate the turning of the season.
I’ve got a standard drink that I always march out at the beginning of Fall, and use it to celebrate this time of […]

Some time ago, Drinks around the World covered the topic of Slivovitz, a plum brandy popular in several Eastern European countries. Known by various names in various places (Slivovica, Slivovitz, Slivovice…) it is not the only indigenous liquor in the area.
Borovička a juniper brandy, similar to gin, is a national drink in […]

In the spring, when the sap starts running in the trees, the maple producers of the Northern US and Canada start their gathering. Probably everyone has seen photos of buckets hanging from taps on trees, and the maple sap running, or sometimes dripping, into them.
That sap is then boiled for hours to […]

One of the email newsletters I subscribe to recently featured a bevy of beverages supplied by Dale DeGroff for springtime imbibing. You’ll notice that pink plays heavily in this theme… as do flowery names. Perfect for spring!
Cherry Blossom
1/2 oz. Peter Heering Liqueur (cherry brandy)
1/2 oz. Curacao
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
5 Sour Cherries
Muddle […]

Bolivia is one of two landlocked countries in South America. On the east it is bordered by the great land of Brazil and on the west by the Andes Mountains of Peru and Chili. About half of the population lives on the Altiplano, a great plateau on the east. This is the […]

Although most people think of Ouzo when they think of Greece there are other drinks and beverages which one could associate with the island country. As with many areas in Greece, the island of Cyprus (Southern Cypress is Greek; Northern is Turkish) has seen many civilizations come and go and each has left some […]