Every year as winter cedes into the past, the maple tree sap starts to run. A time-honoured tradition in the north is to tap a spile into these maples and siphon off a few buckets of sap, then boil it down into a syrupy brown liquid and drizzle it on everything. That is the taste of spring. Since I’m in […]
Cocktails
Fallen Angel Cocktail
A great name for a cocktail, but like the original recipe is a bit of a disappointment, but with a few adjustments it can be fantastic.
Pina Colada Recipe
Possibly the most recognizable Caribbean cocktail, and for good reason, the Pina Colada combines rum, coconut and pineapple—what’s not to like?
Vodka Pays the Bills
Simple vodka cocktails are an easy way to get people to try new things. Not everyone likes brown, bitter, stirred so the trick is to use something they are familiar with.
French Martini
When Chambord decided to do a promotion to help sell their liqueur, the French Martini recipe was born, and it is one of the few corporate creations that has developed a loyal following.
Summer Beverages for the Thirsty of Gotham (1884)
Before I began my long hiatus on Art of Drink, I had accumulated hundreds of old newspaper articles about drink and cocktails in the 1800s. My intentions were to write about and share/transcribe them, but cocktail blogging kind of died with Facebook taking over, and I never wanted to post stuff to Facebook, because that would be like working for […]
Margarita Cocktail Recipe
This cocktail has similarities to a number of drinks, but it is the refreshing lime, combined with salt, that makes this cocktail an all-time classic.
Diablo Cocktail
While I was thinking about what to write, I glanced up and notices my collection of Food & Drink magazines from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). I decided somewhere in one of those magazines there must be something that would inspire me to write. The first issue I pulled out was from the summer of 2004 and had […]
Protonic Cocktail
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 […]
The Bull
Some days I like an ice cold beer. It is easy to make, especially when it is a twist top. Most of the beer I stock is microbrew because I like flavour. After I had come home today, I went to the fridge and popped the top off of a J.R. Brickman Pilsner and headed to the computer to read […]
Burnt Island Cocktail
This drink was wholly inspired by an aged whisky barrel. When creating a new drink, the inspiration should come from something, and not just the random mixing of fruit juices, which is happening too much lately. Whisky can be intimidating to a new drinker, partially because they usually buy the cheapest stuff and secondly because the modern palate is geared […]
Hussar Sour
Bullets and grenades was what I was thinking when I whipped up this cocktail. As samples arrive on my desk, they sometimes gather into little groups. The Bulleit Bourbon and Zwack bitters were hanging out, which looked like they were plotting a coup or something. For those in the dark, Zwack is a Hungarian company that makes a range of […]