At one point in time Claret Punch was an immensely popular concoction. It was the punch of choice for parties and the drink most enjoyed by the British in the 1800's. Today, if you sauntered into a North American bar and asked for a claret cup, you'd be hard pressed to find a bartender that could make it, let alone one that knows what claret is. It's too bad because claret cup has a lot of potential and is one of those drinks, like the Caesar (Bloody Mary) that has a basic recipe structure, but beyond that can be modified in so many ways.

I've slowly been adding reviews from my inventory. The most recent additions are Wray & Nephew Overproof rum and Cockspur Bajan Crafted 12 Year Old rum. Both are great products, and two that I purchase myself. The Cockspur is a fine sipping rum that is as fine as any rum out there, including Ron Zacapa Centenario. The Wray & Nephew is great for swizzles or as a float on a tiki drink, but not recommended as a straight sipper.

After writing the article on the Dawn of Tiki, I had about a litre of prepared fruit juice leftover, so I've continued to make the drink from the Philippines. Even though I'm on my sixth or seventh one, the drink still has a peculiar property that makes me enamored with it. I've finally figured out one of the unique properties that makes it so enjoyable: fruit pectin.

When you think Tiki, you think tropical drinks from exotic locations like Polynesia, and people such as Donn the Beachcomber. You may also know that the tiki fad didn't begin until 1934. So, if Don the Beachcomber started the tiki fad, what were his influences? Obviously, the Caribbean and south pacific were big influences, but what exactly were these people drinking, in those countries, that made an impression on Donn Beach? Well, it is quite possible that the following common drink from the Philippines did.

Everything that is old will eventually become new again. This seems to be prove true in the cocktail world right now. For a period of time, old cocktail book would sell for pennies, now they can reach stratospheric prices on places like eBay. Locked within these books are many of the original cocktail creations from the 1800's which provide a wealth recipes and ideas for creative bartenders. One of these lost recipes is the Bengal Cocktail.

I have updated the links to other bloggers / cocktail sites. The list was too long to put in the sidebar anymore, so I had to create a links page. I pulled this from Cocktailnerds comprehensive list, but someone probably got missed. So if you are that person, let me know and I'll add you to the link section. Feel free to link back, you don't need my permission. That is all.

Digging up old cocktail, or in this case, fizz recipes, has led me to this interestingly named drink, the Peach Blow. The article is from the May 2^nd, 1909 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. A reader asked for the recipe of the Peach Blow and the Lilac Fizz. The newspaper was happy to oblige. Now, almost 100 years later, and right in the middle of peach season, I'm happy to bring it to you. I'd do the Lilac Fizz to, but I don't have any Creme de Yvette.

After browsing though hundreds, if not thousands, of old newspaper articles, I've come across some interesting cocktails. One of the neat things is the news reports on cocktail competitions. Some of these are as early as 1888. In my brief review of the winning cocktails, not many, if any, have made it to the modern era of bartending. Some haven't made it because the ingredients no longer exist (i.e. Montana Cordial, anybody?) or they were just lost to time. Well, I'm going to fix that and do some posts on these lost cocktails.