The holiday season seems like as good a time as any to address the Bloody Mary -- the quintessential (almost to the point of cliché) morning-after hangover remedy.
You probably already have a fairly strong opinion on the Bloody Mary -- either you love it, or you can't stand it. Some people find the salty, spicy bite from the drink wakes up a bleary palate after a too-short night of boozy sleep. (Personally, I'm not sure it works any better than a strong cup of coffee.) Some people feel like the tomato juice, along with the celery garnish, make the
Posts Tagged ‘recipe’
Eggnog
by Dennis Mayer on November 30th, 2011 | Cocktails, Events
Today's subject is a dicey one for a lot of people, and for understandable reasons. For one, eggnog's a punchline more often than an actual holiday drink -- countless Christmas-themed movies and television shows use it as a shorthand for getting too drunk at a holiday party (which portrays it as a ridiculous drink and stigmatizes it for teetotalers and novice drinkers.) For another, there's the raw egg, which many people find disgusting, and even a little scary. (Eggs have salmonella, right?)
I can't help with eggnog's reputation, but I can give you a few words of comfort regarding egg.
I can't help with eggnog's reputation, but I can give you a few words of comfort regarding egg.
Zombie
by Dennis Mayer on October 21st, 2011 | Cocktails
Let's take a break from talking about seasonally appropriate cocktails and liquor, and just have some fun for a bit. Because between Halloween and the premiere of The Walking Dead, it seems like a perfect time to talk about zombies.
Now, we've talked about rum cocktails before, and as we discussed then, the Zombie can be hard to decipher from just about any other strongly mixed rum grog. As a singular recipe, though, it's hard to beat. The drink is almost all liquor, but deceptively fruity - obviously, a dangerous combination that should not be taken lightly. And that's
Now, we've talked about rum cocktails before, and as we discussed then, the Zombie can be hard to decipher from just about any other strongly mixed rum grog. As a singular recipe, though, it's hard to beat. The drink is almost all liquor, but deceptively fruity - obviously, a dangerous combination that should not be taken lightly. And that's
Sea Breeze
by Dennis Mayer on October 4th, 2011 | Cocktails, Liquor, Mixed Drinks
In French cafés you have to drink the least offensive of the musical comedy drinks that go with them, and Bond always had the same thing–an Americano–Bitter Campari, Cinzano, a large slice of lemon peel and soda. For the soda he always specified Perrier, for in his opinion expensive soda water was the cheapest way to improve a poor drink.
- Ian Fleming, Casino Royale
James Bond (whose tastes ranged much more widely than the vodka martinis most associate with him) was right - an expensive mixer is the best way to perk up a cheap drink. The
Sangria
by Dennis Mayer on September 6th, 2011 | Red Wine, Sparkling Wine, Wine
Some day, I will probably hate myself for saying this, but no drink really has a "correct" recipe.
Most drinks have a traceable "original" recipe (cocktail writer David Wondrich has tracked down many of them on Esquire's drinks database.) Many have a popularly accepted recipe, and some even have a "sanctioned" recipe from the International Bartender's Association (which I picture to be something akin to SPECTRE in the James Bond movies.) But the "right" recipe? Drinks change over time, as do tastes, and at the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is my recipe (if
Most drinks have a traceable "original" recipe (cocktail writer David Wondrich has tracked down many of them on Esquire's drinks database.) Many have a popularly accepted recipe, and some even have a "sanctioned" recipe from the International Bartender's Association (which I picture to be something akin to SPECTRE in the James Bond movies.) But the "right" recipe? Drinks change over time, as do tastes, and at the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is my recipe (if
