Umami Mart

Another Labor Day has come and gone. Although summer doesn’t technically end until sometime around mid-September, many generally regard Labor Day as the finish line. This is especially true in New York, where the holiday is regarded as seriously as the expiration date on a carton of milk–here, the prep set make their final Hamptons […]

Last week, while reminiscing about the various fun summer activities I engaged in as a child, I remembered a game some kids liked to play which I was not so fond of–Leap Frog. I remember lots of kids getting a huge thrill from the game, but never me. Frankly, the idea of kneeling down and […]

Since childhood, the end of summer has always made me a little sad. I grew up in Los Angeles, so it wasn’t so much about the weather since the weather wouldn’t shift much after Labor Day the way it does here in New York. Rather, it was about the change of the feeling in the […]

*This post was updated on June 16, 2011, as it relates to Pusser’s vs. Painkiller. I’ve never been a big believer in alternative medicine. While there are centuries-old practices like acupuncture–and even relatively new ones like chiropracty–that seem to deliver on what they promise, I can’t really get down with all the new-age therapies that […]

The Mai Tai is one of the most important and enduring drinks in the continuum of the American cocktail–it is an indelible piece of the ever-changing mosaic called “Americana.” That it instantly conjures images of tropical sunsets, surfboards, and other props fitting for the mis en scene of Beach Blanket Bingo is the reason it […]

I am, I must admit, a Negroni man through and through. As far as cocktails go, the Negroni is probably the closest a libation comes to inducing what smokers refer to as the “munchies”–in other words it’s a monster of an aperitif. Yet despite its simple and to the point manner, in these dog days […]

Our month long jaunt into the world of classic Cuban cocktails concludes this week with the most famous yet simplest of them all, the Cuba Libre. Named in honor of Cuba’s struggle for independence from Spain, “Cuba libre!” or “free Cuba!” was the battle cry of Cubans seeking freedom from Spanish rule, whose centuries-old grip […]

Yes indeed, the Mojito is finally making its Happy Hour debut. You may have wondered what took so long–ok, so maybe you don’t ponder the decision-making process of Happy Hour columns in your spare time, but I’ll tell you anyway. I was waiting for the heat of the NYC summer to really unleash itself before […]

Last week I shared with you the history and recipe of one of the most refreshing cocktails on the planet (in my humble opinion), the Daiquiri. Last Sunday, as I was sitting out on my Brooklyn balcony (read fire escape) and throwing one back I thought to myself, the readers deserve more Daiquiri action! So […]

It is difficult to think of a classic cocktail that has gone through as many unflattering permutations–to the point where nearly all resemblance to the original has vanished–as the Daiquiri. That the word Daiquiri instantly conjures images of umbrella-laden, too-sweet-for-consumption slushees served to retirees on cruise ships only punctuates this point, since this modern-day mutation […]