French

Occasionally, at the new bar I work in, I get requests for a French Martini. Prior to this I had never heard of one, nor had I made one, but after a quick look through Difford's Guide to Cocktails, it was a simple effort to shake one up. What strikes me odd about… [Continue]

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… [Continue]

This is another quality liqueur from the house of Grand Marnier. Instead of their flagship product made from the distilled essence of wild oranges and fine cognac, or the vanilla infused cognac called Navan, Cherry Marnier is made from cherries and quality eau-de-vie. This cherry… [Continue]

You know the world of the cocktail is changing when a vermouth company reformulates their product to the original recipe. This seems to be happening more frequently now that people have started to appreciate more complex flavours and less syrupy sweetness. Noilly Prat Original has just hit the airwaves in Ontario, with their rediscovered love for the past. Prior to this epiphany, Noilly Prat had… [Continue]

Valentines day is a wonderful commercial holiday. If the governments of the world wanted to fix the economy, they’d just make Valentines a week event and everything would be fixed. But alas, only Hallmark had that level of ingenuity. Flowers, chocolate, cards, diamonds and a dinner out now represent the modern definition of love, which is paid in one annual lump sum, due on February 14th.… [Continue]

When it comes to drinks, a good cup of coffee is probably at the top of the list for many people, mine included. Like cocktails, there are decent cups of coffee, bad coffee and great coffee. A decent cup of coffee would be from a coffee shop… [Continue]