In Defense of Lillet Blanc

Lillet Blanc has been taking a beating in the cocktail press for a long time, now, and I think it is time to reconsider Lillet’s position. It can’t help being what it is… Continue reading →

Just What the Doctor Ordered: Prescription Mint Julep

“For to say truth, he has been shrewdly heated, the gentleman no doubt will fall to his juleps.” The julep (or “Jewlip,” or “Julipp” or “Julap,” or any number of other spellings) has… Continue reading →

The Tailspin Cocktail

Having already written about the Burnt fuselage cocktail (see) and the Aviation Cocktail, it only makes sense to include the Tailspin as well. Aviation-inspired named drinks became popular in the teens and twenties… Continue reading →

Bitter is Better: Aperitifs and Aperitivos

Sitting down to supper one evening in a modest cafe, I happened to notice over my companion’s shoulder a young couple in their early twenties at a nearby table enjoying an Irish coffee,… Continue reading →

Young Man Cocktail

“I have been told that a young would-be composer wrote to Mozart asking advice about how to compose a symphony. Mozart responded that a symphony was a complex and demanding form and it… Continue reading →

Metropole Cocktail

Bat Masterson, the wild west gunfighter who eventually settled in New York, was a frequent visitor to the Metopole Hotel with other raconteurs of the theatrical and sporting crowds. Pugilists, show girls, cardsharps, confidence tricksters, and… Continue reading →

Bijou Cocktail

Bold, herbaceous, and boozy. When cocktails were not afraid to be cocktails and bartenders were not calling everything a Something-tini. The Bijou (jewel in French) comes to us via Harry Johnson’s New and… Continue reading →

Morning Cocktail

The hair of the dog remedy is largely a myth.; sort of like drinking from the wrong side of the glass to cure hiccups. I have my doubts these potent potations were actually… Continue reading →

12 Mile Limit Cocktail

Prohibition made it illegal to manufacture, sell, or transport intoxicating beverages within the United States. This included the waters three miles from any coastline. Well, that was easy enough to circumnavigate, sail out… Continue reading →

A Perfect Aristocrat: The Baron Cocktail

Sometimes while researching cocktails, you stumble across one, usually while looking for something else, that strikes your fancy for one reason or another, so you quickly jot it down and move on with… Continue reading →