About a century ago, to call something "the bee's knees" meant you considered it to be of top notch quality. It's an apt name for this week's cocktail, a simple combination of gin, honey, and lemon juice that proves sophistication...
A simple blend of Byrrh (a fortified aromatized wine similar to a sweet vermouth with quinine), Crème de Cassis (a black currant liqueur), and soda water, the Byrrh Cassis was among a number of light aperitif style cocktails that...
After a long hard day of work, sometimes all you want is a beer and a smoke. Unfortunately it's no longer possible to enjoy those two pleasures simultaneously if you're in a bar (at least in most American...
Although summer doesn't technically end until the autumn equinox on September 21, New Yorkers generally regard Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer. This week's cocktail, the Beachbum, is thus quite appropriate because I can't think of a better way...
The Aviation is one of the last great cocktails created before Prohibition, having been invented just a few years before the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment. It made its first appearance in print in 1916 in Recipes for Mixed Drinks by...
Before Jim Meehan opened PDT, he honed his craft behind the bar at a few different bars and restaurants in New York City. One of those places was Gramercy Tavern, and the Astoria Bianco was among the notable cocktails...
The Archangel cocktail was created in 2006, and is the collaborative effort of bartenders Michael McIlroy and Richard Boccato of Milk & Honey fame. After an enthusiastic discussion about soccer legend Gabriel Batistuta, the two bartenders came up with the...
The PDT Project rolls on with the Apple Malt Toddy, a delicious drink that you'll want to bookmark for the colder months, unless you're one of our readers from the Southern Hemisphere. Or maybe you really enjoy hot drinks...
"Did you say you'd like an Apple Martini? I'm sorry but we don't carry any Apple Puckers, and the year is not 2002." -Me Perhaps you've been in jail for most of this century and you've recently been set free,...
When it comes to knockoffs and variations, perhaps no cocktail has been the subject of more unflattering imitations than the classic Daiquiri. As with most cocktail crimes, the origins of these transgressions trace back to Prohibition, when an...
It's 95˚F right now in Brooklyn and my air conditioner is busted, so the timing for this refreshing drink couldn't be any better. Like the Americano highball I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, the Aperol Spritz fills...
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy." --Dorothy Parker The Algonquin Round Table is the popular name of a small group of young writers, actors, and comedians in New York City who met daily at the
With the Summer Solstice having just passed, we are officially in the picnic days as they call it. And I am officially in summer mode, which makes the Americano the perfect drink to talk about because when the dog days of...
Last weekend we hosted some people from my husband’s work for a little late afternoon cocktail party. While Jack set up the bar on the deck, I put together some snacks. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I went for colorful and...
Albert Mathieu was a French mining engineer, who in 1802 proposed a plan to build a tunnel beneath the English Channel connecting France and England. Since the two countries were not the greatest of pals at the time,...
Once you understand basic cocktail recipe structure (without going off on too deep a tangent, it boils down to two general categories: sours and aromatics, first outlined in detail in The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by...
According to Aztec tradition, the eagle warriors were an elite unit of the Aztec army, considered the most brave and fearsome. They mostly comprised of the bravest noble-born men of Aztec society, but commoners who displayed notable courage on the...
At its core, the art of mixing drinks involves the skillful ability to balance flavors. Sometimes it's a simple task involving three ingredients that are prima facie playmates, resulting in an instant classic--the Daiquiri or Manhattan cocktails come...
I want Washio's Awamori Wasabi-wari to be world famous, so I've gone ahead and named it "The World Famous Awamori Wasabi-wari." It's been out there on...
In the universe of consumer products, the spirits category is perhaps the most beset with mysticism, misinformation, and consumer ignorance. And there is no spirit more shrowded in mystery and mysticism than absinthe. Much of the modern misinformation involving spirits is perpetuated by the PR...
