April 24, 2007
The origin of the Bee’s Knees cocktail is lost to history, but we do know that it popped up sometime during Prohibition. The recipe doesn’t appear anywhere in my copy of The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book by Albert Stevens Crockett, but my Trader Vic’c Bartender’s Guide shows two recipes, one for a Bee’s Knees made | Read More
April 18, 2007
We’ll never know if I came in fourth or dead last in the Tales of the Cocktail Drink Competition yesterday, but we can gaze longingly at the winner’s circle regardless. Congratulations to those who won, and I hope the rest of you losers will post your own recipes in the comments. Here’s mine, the Brazil | Read More
February 18, 2007
Created by bar manager James West at Marché Restaurant, Eugene, Oregon I had this drink tonight and was completely blown away. You won’t find many drinks on this blog that were created by bartenders other than me (it is my website after all) but this drink deserves to be the exception to the rule. I | Read More
February 14, 2007
Sometimes a drink idea takes days of adjusting and tasting to finalize the recipe, but sometimes it will just come to me. When someone mentioned that Valentine’s Day was coming up in a week and that I should come up with a set of special drinks for the occasion, my wee brain somehow managed to | Read More
January 8, 2007
Well, about six years later, I finally got around to making a video about my Brandy Alexander story. Click below to watch the Small Screen Network video about my dad and his first experience with Brandy Alexanders. Then come back to read the post and grab the recipe. All this talk of Chocolate Martinis | Read More
August 3, 2006
Victor Bergeron – Trader Vic – created this drink back in the 40s, and is quoted in the 1947 edition of his Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide as saying, “Anyone who says that I didn’t create this drink is a dirty stinker.” When I visited Trader Vic’s in Beverly Hills, I watched their skilled mixologists closely | Read More
July 3, 2006
Update! Click here to learn how to make this and other drinks for a slushie machine! It’s summer here in Oregon, which means barbecues, camping trips and river floats are on the agenda for the next few months. I always love showing up with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas for the party, so I’ve | Read More
May 5, 2006
Since it’s Cinco de Mayo and everything, I figured I’d post the margarita we use at the bar. I worked on my margarita recipe for a long time until I found that perfect balance between sweet, sour and strong. It’s been very good to us over the years. I learned early on the famous 2:1:1 | Read More
March 30, 2006
I started making this drink back when I first heard about it in 2006. I used to favor some pretty hefty proportions, but I’ve tamed my version of the drink down just a little in recent years. This drink was created at the Pegu Club in Rangoon, Burma, probably in the 1920s. According to Harry | Read More
March 17, 2006
I’ve got to admit, I can’t stand this whole green apple cocktail phenomenon. I think these product lines of Jolly Rancher-flavored schnapps are ridiculous and do nothing for the world other than encourage binge drinking among teenage girls. And when a man walks into my bar and orders one, well, personally I think he becomes | Read More
February 17, 2006
The origin of the Margarita is lost to history, but there are several stories vying for the title. The one I like involves a showgirl named Marjorie King, who was apparently allergic to grain alcohol. In 1938, Marjorie was visiting the Rancho Del Gloria Bar in Rosarita Beach, Mexico, when she asked one of the | Read More
January 30, 2006
The Manhattan allegedly has a documented history. When Samuel J. Tilden was elected Governor of New York in 1874, socialite Jenny Jerome threw a party at the Manhattan Club in New York to celebrate his victory. The bartender created a special drink for this occasion; one half ounce bourbon, one quarter ounce each sweet and | Read More
January 17, 2006
The Sidecar is rumored to have been invented at Harry’s American Bar in Paris some time in the early teens, and must have taken a popular turn very quickly, as it was a well-established drink by the time Prohibition arrived in the United States. Arguably the greatest cocktail of all time and the basis for | Read More
January 16, 2006
There’s a long-running joke behind the bar that goes like this: “It’s not called ‘Complicated Syrup’!” and it’s just about every bartender’s go-to joke when one of our coworkers screws up the simple syrup. There’s a reason why it isn’t called “Complicated Syrup”. If you can heat water on a stovetop, you’re on your way | Read More
December 18, 2005
This cocktail has no history. Sara Willis, owner of Red Agave and Vaquero, came to me with a vision of a simple drink that used these three ingredients, so I came up with this. It is light and refreshing, and a wonderful alternative for drinkers accustomed to Cosmopolitans and Greyhounds.
These are the books and tools I use every single day to make drinks at home and behind the bar. Clicking on a product takes you to Amazon, which helps me keep this site running, so thank you in advance!
