Author: Darcy O'Neil

bar

Last Gasp of a Dinosaur

There is an interesting post over at the Bartending Magazine blog about the new complex nature of cocktails. To summarize the post, the author laments the fact that progress is interfering with “;classic cocktails”, like the Rum and Coke and Screwdrivers, because these newfangled cocktails require things like egg whites and uncommon liqueurs. From the post one thing is apparent, […]

Soda

Lactart

Acid Phosphate may have been all the rage during they heyday of the soda fountain but that didn’t mean it was the only alternative beverage acidulent. There were actually a number of competitors, most of them trying to cash in on Acid Phosphates popularity. Some used hydrochloric acid, a not so great drinking option. Another one was called Lactart and […]

Travel

Tales 2010 Summary

Wow, what a week. This year was bigger and better than last year. In fact there were so many people I wanted to have a drink with that there just wasn’t enough time. But I did manage to drink my fair share and chat with a lot of people. This year I went as a presenter and not media. I […]

Cocktails

Feliz Natal Christmas Cocktail

It is the holiday season and Mixology Monday, being hosted by The Spirit World has decided it should be a festive occasion. There are so many great drinks during this season, some people turn to punches, other the ubiquitous egg nogg and others a Hot Buttered Rum in front of the fire place. Well I don’t have a fire place, […]

Bitters, Cordial

Montana Cordial Bitters

One of the hot topics in the cocktail world is rare or lost ingredients. Most of these rare ingredients are referenced in early recipe guides or still exist, somewhere in the world, in small quantities, sometimes even just a few bottles. Amer Picon and Abbott’s bitters are perfect examples. But occasionally you come across ingredients that no longer exist and […]

Blog Post

50 Signs You Are a Bad Bartender

I’ve been reading Waiter Rant and the good Waiter has posted a couple of good articles: 50 Signs You’re Working in a Bad Restaurant and 50 Signs You Might be An Asshole Customer. These posts inspired me to write one for bartenders, since I’ve worked with more bad bartenders than good ones. Your not a bad bartender if only a […]

A recipe for the classic gin and tonic cocktail.
Cocktails

Gin and Tonic Recipe

The Gin and Tonic is a highball that seems to meet the classic definition of a cocktail, in a loosely defined way. A cocktail in the 1800s was the combination of a spirit, sugar and bitters plus a diluent for the weak part. In a Gin and Tonic, you have gin, which is, of course, the spirit part of the […]

Vodka

Kleiner Feigling Vodka

A couple of days ago I received a package at my front door, and in it was a sample of Kleiner Feigling fig flavoured vodka. I had previously not heard of this vodka, but the idea of fig vodka piqued my interest. Flavoured spirits are a staple in the cocktail world, but you can only be as creative as the […]