Umami Mart

  Every few years or so it seems the brains of the folks down in Arizona (aka God’s underwear chafe) burst with a brilliant idea that seems to justify the rest of the world’s perception of them as backwards ass, gun-toting, cactus-chewing clodhoppers. In the early 90s they decided they’d rather not recognize the Martin Luther King, […]

  I have yet to come across a cocktail that epitomizes the adjective rustic like the Caipirinha does.  Derived from the Brazilian Portuguese word caipira (meaning “country people”), even the drink’s name references its rustic nature.  Some refer to the Caipirinha as the cousin of the Mojito.  My liquor-warped brain sees it slightly differently. To me […]

  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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

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!”  Well Big Mama, I thought you’d never ask. A party […]

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 […]

On Frenchmen Street, NOLA. Check out all Mardi Gras Mayhem here.

I made it! After a horrible 15-hour trip yesterday to get here (SFO –> LAX –> DFW –> MSY; Damn you, American Airlines!), I’m here! My first night was totally awesome– fireworks, bloody marys, red beans and rice, waving to Harry Connick Jr. and Sean Payton on floats. We made a pitstop for a drink […]