Having a good name for a cocktail is essential, especially if you want to get it into a bar or publication. Part of the fun, if you can call it that, is creating a name with a meaning. The problem with that is people just don’t get the connections and then the name gets lost to time.Well, the Internet has

Few people know the difference between these two drink because they both contain gin, lemon and soda water. Some people throw the Gin Rickey into the equation to make things even more confusing. Just for the record, Gin Rickey’s use lime in place of lemon and sugar is optional. The Tom Collins and Gin Fizz are both good refreshing drinks

No discussion on cocktails is complete without discussing the Singapore Sling. The history of the Singapore Sling was thoroughly documented by Mr. Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh in the Journal of Mixology (a book in which I also contributed an article). However, this post is going to deal with flavour and why the Singapore Sling is a great example of a

I’m not sure who decides these things, but today (June 11th) is World Gin Day. So what does one do on a day that celebrates gin? I’d hazard a guess that we’d enjoy a gin cocktail. The obvious choices are the Negroni or Martini, but may I suggest The Filby? Yes, I’ve written about this cocktail before, but that was

I’m not sure who decides these things, but today (June 11th) is World Gin Day. So what does one do on a day that celebrates gin? I’d hazard a guess that we’d enjoy a gin cocktail. The obvious choices are the Negroni or Martini, but may I suggest The Filby? Yes, I’ve written about this cocktail before, but that was

A fan of Anthony Burgess, Stanley Kubrick or possibly Rob Zombie may understand the name of this cocktail, but for the unenlightened the phrase “red red kroovy” comes from the book/movie “;A Clockwork Orange”. It is used by the main character, Alex, to describe blood in the fictional Nadsat language. The phrase was subsequently used in the chorus of Rob

Since I acquired a bottle or Luxardo Maraschino, in New Orleans, I’ve been on a mission to make some of the key classic cocktails that I’ve been missing out on. This is partially to see what the classics tasted like and also to fill out my resume as a knowledgeable bartender. I like to think of bartenders as “liquid chefs”,

Bartending competition results can never tell the whole story, nor do they reflect the true strengths of each competitor. However, numbered rankings often seem harsh, especially to those who didn’t come in first. Like those old "No Fear" t-shirts from the 1990s that claimed "second place is the first loser", numbers are merciless. So for a little more balance, and

And here are the final bartender summaries for the top six competitors. Sometimes circumstances have an interesting effect on the final positions in any competition. There is no doubt that things like jet-lag, smoke inhalation and the sniffles can make or break a competitor. But, the top competitors always find a way to rise above these things and still give

With the James Bond flick Casino Royale having been in theaters, many cocktail enthusiasts eyes were looking for the appearance of the Vesper Martini. This cocktail is a “James Bond” original, actually an Ian Fleming original, but who cares. For the most part, it is a variation on a Martini, and all bartenders know what Mr. Bond did to the