Along the the warm(er) weather that accompanies most of us into the month of May comes Mark from Cardiff Cocktails with his herb-inspired theme for this month's MxMo, Witches' Garden, as described:
As far back as we can look, the use of fresh herbs have been prevalent
in the world of mixed drinks. From the early days of the julep, through
Williams Terrington’s 19th century Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks,
to Don the Beachcomber’s ahead of their time Tiki drinks, fresh herbs
have always been at the forefront of mixology. So lets take influence
from the bartenders that once ruled the world of mixology, raid your
herb garden that too often gets neglected, and start mixing. I don’t
want to put too many limits on this theme so get as creative as you
please, want to use roots, spices or beans as well? Sure thing. Want to
make your own herbal infusions or tinctures? Sounds wonderful.
For this month's Mixology Monday, host Rowen of Fogged In Lounge tapped into the health conscious minds of cocktail enthusiasts when he put forth the following descriptor for his theme, Drink Your Vegetables...
Want to get more vegetables but you’re always eating on the run?… Well
then, how about a vegetable cocktail? No, not that nice little glass of
red stuff Grandma put at each place setting—we’re talking something with
a kick in it. You can definitely start with the little glass of red
stuff and expand it to a Red Snapper-style drink like a Bloody Mary. Or
how about a cucumber-scented cooler like a Pimm’s Cup, or maybe a
cocktail featuring a vegetable-based ingredient like Cardamaro or celery
bitters? Maybe you’ve been wondering if you can get more mileage out of
that juice extractor before consigning it to the garage sale. However
you get them in that glass, be prepared for the most fun with vegetables
ever.
For this month's Mixology Monday theme, in steps Scott Diaz of Shake, Strain & Sip ..... He throws out a very interesting concept, as so described in his post..
"The evolution of the cocktail has been a wondrous, and
sometimes, frightful journey. From its humble beginning, to the "Dark
Ages" of most of the later 20th century, to the now herald "Platinum Age" of the cocktail, master mixologists and enthusiasts
alike have elevated its grandeur using the best skills, freshest
ingredients and craft spirits & liqueurs available. But with all
this focus on "craft" ingredients and classic tools
& form, it seems we have become somewhat pretentious. The focus on
bitter Italian amari, revived and lost ingredients such as Batavia
Arrack or Creme de Violette, the snickering at a guest ordering a
Cosmopolitan or a Midori Sour; has propelled us into the dark realm of
snobbery. Many scratch bars and Speakeasies have gone as far as to
remove all vodka and most flavored liqueurs from their shelves. Some
even go as far as to post "rules" that may alienate most potential
imbibers. Remember, the bar was created with pleasing one particular
group in mind: the guest. As such, this month's MxMo LXXI theme, From
Crass to Craft, will focus on concocting a craft cocktail worthy of not
only MxMo but any trendy bar, using dubious and otherwise shunned
ingredients to sprout forth a craft cocktail that no one could deny is
anything less. There are a plethora of spirits, liqueurs and
non-alcoholic libations that are just waiting for someone to showcase
that they too are worthy of being featured on our home and bar shelves.
So grab that bottle of flavored vodka, Jagermeister, cranberry juice,
soda, neon colored liqueur, sour mix or anything else deemed unworthy of
a craft cocktail, and get mixin'!
Valentine's Day...that typical time of year when flowers abound, chocolates are gifted, and other gifts of questionable significance are gobbled up by the masses in celebration of unity. What a waste. Why not do something unique and non-traditional to distinguish one year from the next? For sure, it is a challenge, but one well worth taking on in my opinion. And yes, the same goes for the cocktail.
Perhaps one of my favorite uses of grenadine in a cocktail is reflected by the Jack Rose, essentially an apple brandy sour with lemon juice and grenadine, first published in William Boothby's The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them (1908). It is a fantastic combination of boozy apple with a crisp citrus finish, the grenadine adding a distinct fruity sweetness.
Yes it is the middle of Winter in Chicago. Yes I, like many, have a preference for brown spirits and cocktails composed from such during these cold, light-starved days. And yes, I have been staring at an unopened bottle of Lillet Rose on my shelf since mid October. While the wind chills here in the Midwest might not be screaming, 'mix me up a Spring-influenced aperitif cocktail'...this month's Mixology Monday, graciously hosted by Chemistry of the Cocktail spurred me to think otherwise. As proposed by Jordan...
Fortified wines began, in large part, as a way to deal with the difficulties of shipping wine long distances in the holds of sailing ships. Without the rigorous sterilization that is possible today, wines would often spoil en route. However, increasing the alcohol concentration to around 20% ABV was enough to keep them from going off. Coincidentally, this also made it possible to age those wines for very long periods, increasing their richness and depth.
These wines held an important place in the ur-cocktails of punch and have continued on in cocktails proper, the personal punches of the past several hundred years. Though less common nowadays, sherry, port, and, to a lesser extent, madeira and marsala, all find their way into various mixed drinks.
For this month's Mixology Monday, I'd like to see what you all can do with these versatile wines. They can play many different roles - from taking the place of vermouths in classic drinks, to providing richness and sweetness in winter tipples, to serving as a base for lighter aperitifs. Whether forgotten classics or new creations, let's see what you can put together.
After a brief hiatus from the monthly Mixology Monday, I am back in full swing for JFL's Humbug! theme. As described in his post...
Lets face it the holidays suck, yeah I said it. You put yourself in debt buying crap people will have forgotten about in a month. You drive around like a jackass to see people you don’t even like, or worse they freeload in your house. Your subjected to annoying music, and utterly fake, forced kindness and joy. Plus if you work retail your pretty much in hell, so don’t we all deserve a good stiff drink? So for this Mixology Monday unleash your inner Grinch. Mix drinks in the spirit of Anti-Christmas. They can be really bitter and amaro filled. They filled with enough booze to make you pass out in a tinsel covered Scrooge heap. They could be a traditional holiday drink turned on it’s ear. Or they could be a tribute to your favorite holiday villain. If you celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa then you still suffer through the holidays, so feel free to join in with your Anti-Holiday drink as well. Whatever it is add a hearty “Humbug!” and make your drink personify everything annoying or fake about the holidays.
