Why do certain people recoil in horror at the taste of Italian bitters and why do others gag on super sweet drinks? Then of course we've all know the guy who can't get enough suicide sauce in his Caesar (Bloody Mary) or the Dirty Martini addict. Maybe you are one of them. Have you ever wanted to understand how people taste and why there is such diversity.  If you are an aspiring mixologist or a professional who wants an edge, then knowing how people perceive flavours is a very important thing. Luckily, I'll be discussing this very stuff at Tales of the Cocktail in July and in this session we'll be doing a genetically specific taste test to help figure out who you are plus a whole lot more. Read on for more details.

I've asked this question a lot over the past two months and you may have been too, so here is the answer. Well, it is a bunch of things that have created a giant time vortex that's sucked all of my minutes from me, for the last couple of months. Some of it fun, some of it work and some of it just headache inducing, nauseating, not so fun and it doesn't pay, type stuff. Too bad you can't just go to the store and pick up one of those card for extra life minutes instead of cellphone minutes. So on with the list of excuses!

No, really, I do need a strong drink. Rick, with his forethought decided on a "Limit One" Mixology Monday theme, which couldn't have come at a better time. There are times when you just need the powerfully sedating properties of alcohol, and over the past few days I've come to the conclusion, one of those drinks is needed today. I haven't decided which creative libation to mix up, but chugging from any of the bottles on my liquor shelf is a possibility. Hmm, I think Rick meant one drink, not one bottle.

No, really, I do need a strong drink. Rick, with his forethought decided on a "Limit One" Mixology Monday theme, which couldn't have come at a better time. There are times when you just need the powerfully sedating properties of alcohol, and over the past few days I've come to the conclusion, one of those drinks is needed today. I haven't decided which creative libation to mix up, but chugging from any of the bottles on my liquor shelf is a possibility. Hmm, I think Rick meant one drink, not one bottle.

The March edition of Eat Drink is now available online. The mixology column looks at trends behind the bar, and in particular the resurgence of classic cocktails. Nothing exceptional for my regular readers, but hopefully this article will plant the seed that spurs the development of a cocktail culture in southern Ontario. It seem this area is still in the “martini” phase, but I’m pushing for better drinks. 

The results are in and the majority of people (80%) like the new site, which is encouraging. Of those, 49% thought it was a very good design and 31% said it made the grade. A small portion (10%) of readers liked the old site better and 3% thought the new design was crap. The rest are wishy-washy or don't really care, because it is just a blog. The new poll is up, so which trend are you following in the cocktail world?

Tales of the Cocktail and the W New Orleans Hotel invite movie buffs and libation lovers to indulge in two evenings of celebrating cocktail in film. Cheryl Charming, cocktail writer and founder of MissCharming.com, plays hostess for the screenings of three classic movies with accompanying cocktails.

Movies:

Friday March 21 at 8PM - Casablanca
Saturday March 22 at 5PM - The Seven Year Itch
Saturday March 22 at 8PM - Guys and Dolls

Tickets are $25 per film, per person and include drinks, cocktail food and snacks. A weekend package including all three movies is $65 per person.

For tickets visit Tales of the Cocktail or call 504-377-7935.