June 18, 2007
After a brutal weekend of making drinks for what seemed like every single graduate of the University of Oregon this weekend (and their parents), I’m propping myself up at my computer to once again take part in the Mixology Monday festivities. I did some advance planning (a first) and started working on this recipe last | Read More
June 10, 2007
There are so many bad Mojitos out there that I just had to share what I think is the most perfect, simple Mojito recipe. While a lot of people want to overthink the drink, I think it’s important to take a step back and look at the cocktail for what it truly is: a Rum | Read More
June 4, 2007
While working on a host of new drinks for the El Vaquero drink menu, I found several references to a Nacional Daiquiri, created at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba using apricot brandy. Never able to leave well enough alone, I fooled around with proportions and flavors until I came up with this twist on | Read More
May 13, 2007
I’ve kicked myself many times for never participating in the brilliant Mixology Mondays that Paul over at the Cocktail Chronicles put together last year, but my lack of participation has more to do with the fact that Sunday is my one day off – the one day I never seem to have a computer in | Read More
May 13, 2007
I’ve been playing with making my own bitters lately. I love bitters and have a small collection of them in my liquor cabinet, from Gary Regan’s Orange Bitters, to Fee Brothers’ Mint Bitters. After reading this article online about making grapefruit bitters, I decided to try it, with my own variations. We’ve been using these | Read More
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
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