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Tools of the Trade: Knives

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I own a small library of books on the subject of bartending. Some of these books are geared toward the professional bartender, while others are written for the home mixologist. But regardless of the intended audience, almost every book I own heartily recommends that we use paring knives for cutting fruits and garnishes. The Art | Read More

East of Eden

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When I found my first bottle of St. Germain elderflower liqueur last year, I was – like many of you – inspired by its unique flavor and wanted to use it in a cocktail. I mixed it with vodka, I mixed it with gin, I mixed it with lemon juice, and I sweetened it with | Read More

The Dos and Donts of Sazeracs

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The Sazerac has been making a big comeback over the past year. It’s popping up on cocktails menus, bartenders are recommending them to their customers, and it’s even being suggested as an official state drink. But after being served a warm shot of rye with a drop of Peychaud’s last week at a restaurant here | Read More

Sazerac

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I like to use Buffalo Trace’s Sazerac 6-Year rye in my Sazeracs. The nose is sweet and fruity, but the palate is nice and dry with a lot of spice – a perfect choice for the Sazerac experience.

A Tribute to Jerry Thomas

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One interesting fact about nature is that there are hundreds of near-Earth asteroids hurtling through space right now as we sit here and play on our computers. What is of particular concern, though, is that if one of those asteroids had landed on the Teardrop Lounge on Saturday, Murray Stenson would have had to teach | Read More

Ask Your Bartender: Old Age

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Hey Bartender I have a question for you, do spirits (rums, bourbons, whiskies, gin, etc.) improve with age in glass bottles? Is it possible for the spirit’s taste to change over time after being bottled? Or, is it the case that after being taken from the wooden barrels that, that is it, the spirit won’t | Read More

How to Make a Daiquiri – The American Bartending School Way

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I found this video on the DrinkBoy forum this weekend, posted sometime last year. Those of you who have been reading for a while will know that I always love a good instructional video, as I’ve remarked upon time and again. To recap, here’s the recipe: 1. Chill an 8-ounce cocktail glass. 2. Pick your | Read More

Mixology Monday: Variations (Mix-treme Makeover Edition!)

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There are a few reasons why I’m more excited than ever for Mixology Monday this month. First of all, I’m beside myself because our host is Jimmy Patrick, who is a fellow bartender and a good friend. Bartenders are a surprisingly rare breed in this little cocktail blogger community of ours, so he and I | Read More

Hold On To Your Hats, I Found a Vodka I’ll Actually Drink

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I don’t drink vodka. Most of you know that by now. I don’t care for spirits that strive to taste more like nothing than their competitors. I don’t care for drinks made with vodka, which taste merely like alcoholic versions of whatever fruit juice has been added to the glass. It’s boring liquor for boring | Read More

Introducing… The Oregon Bartenders Guild

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Last month, I followed seven other bartenders into the Teardrop Lounge on a cold December afternoon in Portland, Oregon. The eight of us had previously spent a lot of time talking online about our common interest in craft bartending, advanced techniques, housemade ingredients and specialty spirits, but this was going to be a different sort | Read More

Mixology Monday: Brandy

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Well, here we are at Mixology Monday time again. Our host for this round is Marleigh over at Sloshed! and in my mind she’s picked a real winner of a theme: brandy. I love brandy. I love to consume it, I love to sell it, and I love to mix with it. A few months | Read More

Scottish Breakfast

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A couple of months ago, my friend Kevin from The Scotch Blog sent me a bottle of Pig’s Nose scotch in the mail. As an aside, I highly recommend making friends with people who do things like, say, run the world’s biggest blog on scotch whiskey. Really. Anyway, Pig’s Nose is a fun, easy-to-drink, everyday | Read More

New Year, New Digs

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It’s official! Starting on Monday, January 7th, my co-bartender Scott Butler and I will be officially heading up the bar at Bel Ami, located in the Midtown Marketplace at 1591 Willamette Street here in Eugene, right across the street from the bar where I learned to mix cocktails all those years ago. This is a | Read More

Seven Grand, Los Angeles

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One of my favorite things about the holidays is getting to spend a lot of time in airports. Since I’m usually stuck safely behind a bar five nights a week, it’s nice for me to get right in there with a swarming throng of people and be corralled through a series of lines for an | Read More