Four I'm Under My Host

Rob, Shannon and I have recently been enjoying a classic cocktail called The Last Word. You can find lots of cocktail experts raving about it, from Scott Beattie in his Artisanal Cocktails book to the Cocktail Chronicles blog. And Rob recently had one at Bourbon & Branch. It even merits a Wikipedia entry, although most [...]

Last week my colleagues from Sakai were in town and, of course, I had to make them a few cocktails. In particular, I wanted to make something that would be easy to serve up at the BBQ that Oliver Heyer hosted on Saturday afternoon. Being a cocktail fan himself, I knew Oliver would have the [...]

If you’ve read this blog recently you’ll know I’ve been enjoying Scott Beattie’s Artisanal Cocktails, an excellent book for those who like to do a little cooking with their bar-tending. At this point I’m not simply following the recipes but, rather, creating variations based on my own personal tastes as well as the ingredients that [...]

Like many cocktailians, I’ve been inspired by the availability of genuine imported and domestic absinthe since the U.S. ban was lifted in 2007. Michael and I actually co-invested in a lovely absinthe fountain that we’ve utilized at a couple of parties to provide traditional absinthe service with the serrated spoons, sugar cubes, etc. While a [...]

It was warm last weekend (by Berkeley standards) and will be again this weekend, so the “Creole Watermelon” from Scott Beattie’s Artisanal Cocktails seems timely. As you can see from the picture to the left, there are some interesting ingredients in this one.
I adore spicy cocktails. Not on an everyday basis, but I do like [...]

If you read this earlier post I’ve started experimenting with recipes from Scott Beattie’s excellent Artisanal Cocktails. This past weekend it was the Pelo Del Perro, which means “Hair of the Dog” in Spanish. I picked this one because the weather was warm and a grapefruit juice cocktail sounded refreshing. And because it is garnished [...]

My mother-in-law just gave me a new cocktail recipe book called Artisanal Cocktails by Scott Beattie, former bartender (or cocktail chef) at Cyrus, a fantastic restaurant in Healdsburg where I have had the pleasure of dining in the past. Needless to say I was eager to try it out.
The perfect opportunity presented itself almost immediately. [...]

So we returned from our year in Paris a few weeks ago and it was only a matter of time before the mixology started. A Corpse Reviver #2 here, an Albert Hofmann there and even a great party at Rob’s house featuring his very own Triolet (not to mention his brother’s smoking-hot band Afrobeat Down). [...]

We just spent a few days in Valencia, Spain, with Shannon’s mother. Valencia is a fantastic city for a family vacation, with the new City of Science and Industry, the fantastic Gulliver play structure, a beautiful beach with very fine sand, great food, good art and good prices all around.  More details on our other [...]

One of the things that keeps me going in life is my search for the cocktalian holy grail, the perfect cocktail that has it all: complexity, balance, and that refreshing drinkability that upon finishing one makes you immediately feel like you’d like another. Well, recently I feel like I’ve discovered just that drink.
One Saturday night [...]