Sunday Cocktail

Wet your whistle with a Whistling Straits Championship Martini

Published by admin on Tue, 08/24/2021 - 10:09am

The rescheduled 43rd Ryder Cup is weeks away! Sure, a lot could happen in the coming weeks, but it appears that the biannual event will begin on September 24 at the beautiful Straits course at Whistling Straits. You could make the short drive to Kohler, WI or join me in watching the tournament on either NBC or the Golf Channel. Let's toast our neighbors to the north as we celebrate the 43rd Ryder Cup with one of the Whistling Straits Club's signature cocktails, the Championship Martini.

Try this green herbal cocktail, the Last Word

Published by admin on Tue, 08/17/2021 - 1:03pm

“It's not easy bein' green”. Kermit the Frog was the first to ponder this conundrum in song, and he was followed by Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, Diana Ross, and many others. There are many spirits dressed in green on the shelves of your local spirits retailer, but only one is completely naturally green. That distinction belongs to one of the most unique, and most mysterious spirits on the planet, Green Chartreuse.
How unique is Chartreuse? Well, it is so unique that there are no substitutions for it. None.

Refresh yourself with this 150 year old cocktail, the Canchanchara

Published by admin on Tue, 08/10/2021 - 12:05pm

When you hear the phrase “Cuban cocktail”, more than likely you think Cuba Libre, Daiquiri, Mojito, or Ernest Hemingway sitting near the end of the bar sipping his signature cocktail on a hot Havana afternoon. Sure, all of the aforementioned Cuban cocktails are well known, however, none of them were the “first” Cuban cocktail.
To find the earliest known Cuban cocktail, we'll have to go all the way back 1868. During the Ten Years' War between 1868-1878, a mixture of rum, honey, and citrus was warmed over a fire and served to battle weary guerilla fighters.

Toast former Cub Rizzo with a Crown Royal and ginger cocktail

Published by admin on Tue, 08/03/2021 - 11:09am

Last week marked the end of an era, at least it did for fans of a certain baseball club on Chicago's North Side. Last week Cubs ownership began the rebuilding process by shipping out the core of 2016 World Series team including the man that many regard as the face of the modern-era franchise, Anthony Rizzo.
There's a cocktail in here, and we'll get to it. First, a few words about the beloved but now former Cubs first baseman.

A game changer cocktail, the Brandy Crusta

Published by admin on Tue, 07/27/2021 - 12:05pm

The term “game changer” is not one that is merely thrown around. When I hear “game changer” I think of Elvis, The Beatles, Apple Computers, and Michael Jordan. Game changer status in the cocktail world is difficult to achieve, but there are a few cocktails on that short list that changed the way that we prepare and enjoy cocktails. This week we salute a true game changer, the first cocktail to utilize citrus juice: the Brandy Crusta.

The new and improved Hanky-Panky cocktail

Published by admin on Tue, 07/20/2021 - 11:36am

Ada Coleman was a trailblazer. She was the first (and only) female bartender at The Savoy Hotel's American Bar from 1903-1926 during which time she created a classic gin cocktail that has been featured on bar and fine restaurant menus for over one hundred years. Ada's creativity and some on the spot feedback from a movie star gave us one of the most enduring gin cocktails, the Hanky-Panky.

Bring on shark week with a Shark’s Tooth Cocktail

Published by admin on Tue, 07/13/2021 - 11:54am

It's that time of year again! Yes, it's summer, but it's that special week of summer that I have looked forward to each summer since I was a teenager: Shark Week. This is the 33rd installment of the iconic Discovery series, and Shark Week 2021 will not disappoint! We'll toast this year's Shark Week with a classic Donn Beach creation, the Shark's Tooth.

Beat the heat with the Ranch Water cocktail

Published by admin on Tue, 07/06/2021 - 12:11pm

Looking for a something to beat the heat? Let's consult the experts in West Texas where the mercury regularly rises above 100 degrees in the summer months. Texans will tell you that the best way, and for some the only way to beat the heat, is with a tall glass of Ranch Water.
It's hot in West Texas. You may or may not have experienced the Texas desert heat in person, but the fact that it's a “dry heat” really doesn't help. Ask the folks in Monahans, TX where the mercury hit 120 degrees in 1994. Having a way to cool off in the Lonestar State isn't a want, it's a need.

Turn those fresh blackberries into a Bramble

Published by admin on Mon, 06/28/2021 - 10:06am

Did you plant blackberries in your garden this year? If you did, how is your crop doing? In the coming days you will likely have plenty of berries for pies, smoothies, and desserts, don't forget to save a few for cocktails!
Summer is “Bramble” season, both at home and abroad. In 1984, London bartender Dick Bradsell was so moved by fond memories of summer blackberrying on the Isle of Wight during his youth that he created an inspired British cocktail to keep the memory alive.

Nothing more refreshing than the classic Margarita

Published by admin on Tue, 06/22/2021 - 11:16am

Summer 2021 has officially begun, and I hope that yours is off to a great start. The days are long, the nights are warm, and it's time for Margaritas on the patio. We'll pour a classic Margarita this week as we do here each summer, but this year we will toast Francisco “Pancho” Morales: the man with the most credible claim to the invention of the Margarita.