Recent Posts

Cocktails

Manhattan Cocktail Redux

Recently I’ve been musing about the Manhattan Cocktail and with Woodford Reserve and Esquire Magazine launching the “Craft the Ultimate Manhattan” contest, it has given me an opportunity to put my thoughts to pixels. Why? Because the recent trend in Manhattans has been to make it the most flavourful drink it can be. Flavour is great, but balance is import […]

Manhattan Cocktail Rocks Glass
Cocktails

Manhattan Cocktail

The Manhattan is still widely regarded as one of the greatest cocktails ever created. Personally, a well made Manhattan is a cocktail I truly enjoy. It’s perfectly in balance, simple and I can drink this cocktail anywhere and not feel out of place. It’s as strong as a properly made Martini, but it started out differently. The Martini is based […]

The history of the New York chocolate egg cream.
Soda

Egg Creams

The New York egg cream started its life at the soda fountain in the 1870s and contained both egg and cream, which is much different than today.

Cocktails

Copyright & Cocktails

The topic of protecting ones creative cocktail works has amped up lately. After Eben Freeman’s session on cocktails and intellectual property (which unfortunately I couldn’t attend due to a conflicting event) the conversation has started to polarize and two camps are forming – for protection and against protection. Articles have been written in The Atlantic, and I’m sure elsewhere, as […]

Cocktails

Champagne Smash

In the world of drinks, a smash is usually a drink that contains a spirit, mint, sugar and sometimes lemon or lime. The Mint Julep and Mojito are technically smashes. From this basic recipe, you can make a wide variety of drinks that encompass a corner of the cocktail world. The key component is obviously mint, but the name eventually […]

How to make a Vodka martini cocktail with vermouth and olives
Cocktails

The Big Old Boring Vodka Martini

Why do people order dry vodka martinis? Is it because they don’t know what else to order? Is it the herding effect? Or do people actually think they taste good? This is as much a study in psychology as it is in drinking trends. Remember the term “monkey see, monkey do”, that’s how I sometimes feel at the bar. People […]

Cocktails

Top 10 Cocktails

Being in the industry I get requests for many drinks, but rarely are they unique requests. Most of the time it is for a list of classic drinks that doesn’t seem to change. Why is this the case? Well, of course, I have an opinion and you may be surprised why a list of old and tired drinks rarely changes. […]

Whisky

Wiser’s Deluxe Whisky

Wiser’s is the fifth most popular whisky brand in Canada. Wiser Deluxe is also available in most US states and select market around the world. It was originally distilled in 1857 by J.P. Wiser and is aged for 10 years in oak barrels. It is a traditional Canadian blend. It is also the fastest growing Canadian whisky brand, and that […]

Tequila

Patron Anejo Tequila

Tequila is a schizophrenic spirit. On one hand, it is some people’s worst nightmare, on the other hand it can be regarded as a super premium spirit to be savored and enjoyed like the finest of scotches. Patron 100% agave tequila falls into the later category. This tequila is not the one from your college nightmares and doesn’t have any […]

Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe (Original)
Cocktails

Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe

The Mai Tai is an often misunderstood cocktail. Many people think this is a tropical fruit juice cocktail, but really, it is a strong rum-based drink. The confusion comes from a hotel in Hawaii that modified the original formula in the 1950s and added pineapple juice—sometimes called a Hawaiian Mai Tai—then someone added guava and orange juice, and eventually, the drink […]

What is Italian Soda? And what is the history behind it?
Soda

Italian Soda

Italain Soda is a modern take on the American soda, but with a shrewd attempt to remake it as an Italian invention.

Orgeat Syrup recipe
Ingredient

Orgeat Syrup

As the key ingredient in the Mai Tai, orgeat syrup has a pleasant almond flavour with a sweet perfumed aroma, most likely from the orange blossom water. It is an excellent ingredient in cocktails and has a long history.