Category: Spirits

Spirits, brandy, cognac, gin, rum whiskey – Scotch, Irish and Canadian. How and when to drink them and which ones are best.

The Goose Speaks

Had a conversation with Dimi Lezinska, Grey Goose’s mixologist and brand ambassador, this morning. The most surprising insight he offered is the rise of sherry as a cocktail ingredient. Both dry and Amontillado apparently.   Here’s the trendy drink du jour: – 1.25 oz Grey Goose l’Orange – 0.25 oz Grand Marnier – 0.50 oz… Continue reading The Goose Speaks

Gin & It

This was a popular European cocktail at the dawn of the jet-set era. Like most cocktails, it was gin based. (Smirnoff had yet to hit their stride, substituting for all white liquors.) Vermouth (wine and wormwood and other spices and sugar) and gin was the first martini. But there are huge varieties in vermouth. Cinzano… Continue reading Gin & It

Chinato, the Ur-Campari

If you ever drink vermouth, either on the rocks or in a cocktail, you’ve probably come across Campari. Unlike all the other vermouths, it is extremely bitter. You either like it or you don’t. The classic cocktail with it, is Gin and Campari, or a Negroni, gin, sweet red vermouth and campari in equal measure.… Continue reading Chinato, the Ur-Campari

The Perfect Cocktail

If you really want to make a cocktail (‘martini’ in the current parlance) that stands out, you’ve got to get away from gimmicky liquor (goldschlager anyone?) and alco-milkshakes. These appeal to the adolescent drinker with their undeveloped craving for sweets and fat. Hey when your bodyfat is under 15% this makes perfect sense. Those of… Continue reading The Perfect Cocktail

Angostura Bitters & the Banshee!

The thing you have to understand with cocktails (and all food) is that astringency is important. Celery is astringent. Grapefruit is astringent. Romaine is astringent. The absence of astringency begats a palate for fat people. Angostura Bitters is widely available and perhaps the most useful cocktail ingredient ever invented. It is gentian extract. Apparently it… Continue reading Angostura Bitters & the Banshee!