Month: December 2010

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Five Drink Predictions for 2011

It is that time of year where people like to predict what’s going to happen in the near future. And since I’ve been jumping on a number of bandwagons lately, why stop. Most of my predictions are less Nostradamus prophecy and more progressive thinking about where drinks are going. Or more likely, where I’d like drink trends to go. Feel […]

The History of the American Soda Fountain
Soda

Book: Fix the Pumps

Fix the Pumps tells the real history of the soda fountain, starting with its invention, through its golden era of creativity and into its dependence on patent medicine and narcotics. The history of the soda fountain is as vibrant as any other period in American history. Fix the Pumps provides a wealth of information on techniques employed by soda jerks. […]

Blog Post

Darcy O’Neil

Darcy S. O’Neil was born in Sarnia, Ontario and spent many of those years living near the beach. A cold Canadian beach, but a beach none-the-less. After high school, the decision of a career choice was whittled down to chemistry or the culinary arts. Chemistry was the winner. At the time it seemed logical that laboratory skills were more transferable […]

Blog Post

About Art of Drink

Art of Drink was spontaneously created in October 2005 as a way to document information on all things drink related. Darcy O’Neil had been bartending for a few years by this time and was unsatisfied with the drinks he was making and serving. This led him on a path of discovery, but having come from a scientific background, he felt […]

Soda

Soda Fountain History

Carbonated beverages are a resounding success, with Americans drinking 13 billion gallons (58 billion litres) of soda-pop every year. That’s about 3 quarts (3 L) per person, per week. Americans account for about half of the worldwide consumption. Considering that the US is only 5% of the world’s population, it’s safe to say Americans love their soda. Drinks are one […]

History

Hot Chocolate (1911)

December 12th seems to be National Cocoa day in the US. Why? I don’t know, but I’ll jump on this bandwagon because I came across an old and interesting recipe from an article in the Kansas City Star (December 1911) entitled “Hot Holiday Drinks to Serve”. This particular drink piqued my interest because it was titled “Cocoanut Milk Chocolate”. Coconut […]

Cuba Libre (Rum & Coke) Highball
Rum

Rum and Coke Taste Test

As simple as a rum and coke is, this drink can be vastly improved by using different rums. The best rum is a matter of personal choice, but here are a few suggestions.

Cocktails

Hot Toddy

It seems that the cold and flu season is now upon us. It appears that the Hot Toddy is in order.  The Hot Toddy originated in Scotland and is a mixed drink that is served hot. Now I made this one for the big baby. The little baby is stuck with some TLC. The Hot Toddy contains three key ingredients […]

Cocktails

Punch Recipes

Now that David Wondrich has made the punch bowl popular again, with his new book Punch, I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and post a few holiday punch recipes I discovered in Baltimore Sun article from 1898. Actually, I found them while looking up eggnog recipes, but since they were in the article, I decided to share them with […]

Cordial

Cherry Marnier

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 aroma and the taste is amazing. Unlike cheap cherry brandy, Cherry Marnier is made without […]

Cocktails

Rusty Nail

Here is a drink that has an image of a hard-nosed cocktail that will put hair on your chest. Even the word cocktail doesn’t seem to go with the Rusty Nail since it is only two ingredients. Non-drinkers will have you believe this drink hearkens back to the day when men were men and dogs slept in the garage. After […]

Cocktails

Silver Fizz with Gin and Lemon

Another month, another Mixology Monday. This round is all about Fizz and is being hosted by Gabriel over at Cocktailnerd, so go check it out and see what other fizzy drinks you can imbibe. This topic can be about anything that is fizzy which includes sparkling wine-based cocktails or plain old vodka soda’s. For this edition, I’m going to look […]