The Seven Year Itch

Posted by Darcy O'Neil on February 05, 2014

Ever hear of the seven year itch? It's a term that suggests happiness in a relationship declines around year seven of a marriage. I think that term applies to more things than relationships, like jobs and writing.  Many writers pen articles on multiple topics and I've decided to do the same to keep life interesting. I'm still going to write about drinks, but I'm now adding… Continue

Honey Phosphate

Posted by Darcy O'Neil on January 29, 2014

Acid Phosphate is a cool ingredient to work with since it provides a pure sour taste without added flavours, like the oils in lemon or lime contribute. It also enhances flavours because it contains salts of calcium, potassium and magnesium. This means it can either crank up the flavour profile of a strong drink or enhance a more delicate flavour, like honey.

Having moved out to the country I have taken to doing things, like… Continue

Murder, Soda and Intrigue

Posted by Darcy O'Neil on January 24, 2014

We all know the history of alcohol's prohibition, but did you know that the soda fountain also had its own prohibition? When I was writing Fix the Pumps, and detailing the effects the Pure Food & Drug Act of 1906 had on the soda fountain, I wondered what effect pulling all those drugs from circulation had on the mood of the country. I didn't dig into this aspect at the time as it didn't fit into the story line, but I always wondered.… Continue

Behind the Scenes at AoD: Photography

Posted by Darcy O'Neil on November 27, 2013

I've always liked photography, though I'm not necessarily great at it, but I am getting better. When I started writing Art of Drink I envisioned more photos in posts, but the "work flow" has been too time consuming for a non-paying blog post. However, posting photos to Art of Drink still seemed like a reasonable idea. What I needed was a fast simple method to do so, and here is how I came up with a solution.

Social media has brought slacking… Continue

Ortona Cocktail

Posted by Darcy O'Neil on November 11, 2013

(First published in December 2006) While I was reading my morning newspaper, I came across a drink from 1943 called the Ortona cocktail. This drink was created during World War II by the Royal Canadian Regiment while they were fighting German forces to take control of a strategic junction near Ortona, Italy. Two days before the regiments 60th birthday, they fought a considerably difficult battle with a great loss of life. But being war the regimental brass decided that it was still proper… Continue