Of all the names one could choose for a cocktail, the Blood and Sand is one of the oddest. It sounds odder when you consider the stuff that goes into the drink–Scotch, cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth, and orange juice, all in equal proportions. But of the relatively few classic Scotch cocktails out there, the […]
Author Archives: Payman Bahmani
March 31, 2010
Happy Hour: The Coronation
Looking for an angle when writing about a cocktail is for me the most time consuming–and sometimes agonozing–aspect of blogging. Well, today I’m dispensing with the longwinded introductions about the reasons for talking about a particular cocktail, and instead featuring a cocktail for no reasons other than it’s deliciousness, and the fact that it’s a drink […]
March 24, 2010
Happy Hour: Aviation
Classic cocktails make frequent appearances here, as dedicated readers are well aware. Since many of you aren’t cocktail geeks like myself, I do my best to keep that in mind when I write, particularly in terms of tone and content—believe me, we can get pretty esoteric if you let us. I’ve also come to realize that some […]
March 17, 2010
Happy Hour: Persian Rose
 Today is St. Patrick’s Day, which along with Cinco de Mayo, make two of the year’s best excuses to get hammered early. Like other revelers, I’m looking forward to a day filled with shots of Irish whiskey and pints of Guinness, and harassing whoever dares walk into the bar without sporting any green. This […]
March 10, 2010
Happy Hour: El Diablo
This morning I left the house without a coat, beanie, or scarf. While savoring the fresh air and sunshine I realized Spring had arrived early to the party, and DJ Mother Nature (who’s the one throwing the shindig) was shouting, “Let’s get this party started!â€Â Well Big Mama, I thought you’d never ask. A party […]
March 3, 2010
Happy Hour: Metropole
In the world of mixology, there aren’t many cocktails based on Cognac relative to the other spirits. I can count less than twenty old recipes off the top of my head, which is really not much, considering a quarter are mere variations of each other, and another quarter or so share the stage with other […]
February 10, 2010
Happy Hour: The Sazerac
So the Saints finally won a Super Bowl, and while many of you surely pounded Hurricanes to celebrate, here in the Eastern Seaboard, the weather conditions don’t quite call out for something so tropical. In other words, there’s a blizzard happening right outside my door. Of course when it comes to celebrating the storied American […]
February 3, 2010
Happy Hour: Rusty Nail
We’re back! If you’ve made it here then you already know that what you’re seeing is the new, faster, stronger, hotter, umami-er, relaunched Umamimart, and that the old UM has been forever cast off into Blogger oblivion (or Bolivian, as Mike Tyson would say). To the loyal readers who patiently waited for our return to glory, I have nothing […]
January 13, 2010
Happy Hour: The Detox
It’s mid-January and by this point many of you are off to the races as far as your resolutions are concerned. You’ve detoxed, cleaned up your diet, and are hitting the gym as frequently as a Playboy bunny who’s about to be cut from the squad. However if you’re like me, 2010 didn’t really start […]
January 6, 2010
Happy Hour: Still Hungover
It’s safe to say I haven’t quite got the jump on my New Year’s resolutions yet. In fact I think I need to call in a do-over. You see, in my case New Year’s Eve was only the beginning of the holiday madness, as all week long I played host to my brother and some […]