Author: Darcy O'Neil

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.

Blog Post

Skinny Girl Margarita

The Margarita is most likely the number one requested summer cocktail. The problem is that very few people actually enjoy a genuine Margarita. Early in its history, it was a simple drink–related to the Daisy class of alcoholic drinks–which consisted of tequila, triple sec, lime and salt. Sadly, over the last 30 years, this poor cocktail has been maimed and […]

bar, bartending

Bartender’s Resume

When you first decide you want to be a bartender, you usually pick up a book or two about cocktails and then maybe sign up for a bartending course. All of this effort will get you started, but bar schools usually don’t impress employers, they want experience. Knowing all of your cocktails is great too, but just because you know […]

Blue Lagoon cocktail recipe
Recipes

Blue Lagoon Cocktail

The idea of being stranded on a tropical island with another attractive person gives people visions of paradise. It also inspired a cocktail that reflects the colour of the blue lagoon paradise.

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.

Blog Post

Fix The Pumps Amsterdam!

If you happen to be residing in Europe, or loitering around the area on vacation or other such adventure, there is a little event happening in Amsterdam on August 23rd at Vesper. Philip Duff has offered to host this intimate soiree and introduce attendees to some lost drinks and interesting soda fountain ingredients from the book Fix the Pumps. Philip […]

Soda

Seltzer Works

Very rarely do I post PR material, but in some cases the information is actually interesting and useful. This one isn’t even about a product, more about a TV show on PBS looking into the world of seltzer and the people / companies that sell it the old fashioned way, in glass syphon bottles. For anyone who liked Fix the […]

History, Soda

They Thirst for Cocaine

The title of this post may sound like something out of a fictional tabloid you get at the grocery store checkout, but it comes from the Los Angeles Times (February 25, 1902 edition). I’ve posted the newspaper article because it is an excellent example of what soda fountains were really like at the turn of the 20th century. Plus it […]