08-24-2024

I know it is only Tuesday, but this has been the longest start to the semester for me. This cocktail, by Elliott Clark (@apartment_bartender), is my attempt at manifesting Friday comes soon. It has all the tiki flavors: from the ingredients to the fragrant garnish. Cheers y’all!

08-23-2024

This tequila martini was created by Phil Ward in 2008 at Death & Company. This drink pays homage to the legendary Portuguese writer José de Sousa Saramago. I love the bit of smoke and fresh burst of grapefruit oil on the nose. The vermouth and elderflower help bring some sweetness and floral flavors. Cheers y’all!

08-22-2024

This cocktail was created by Elliott Clark (@apartment_bartender) while guest bartending at a bar near Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood (Bibo Ergo Sum; now closed). This drink was a hit that night and I can see why! It’s tropical, herbaceous, and so crushable. I’ll be making many more! Cheers y’all!

08-21-2024

This cocktail was created by Dick Bradsell at Alfred’s (London, England), who also is known for creating the espresso martini. I loved this one for its rum base, herbal complexity, and name (I’m continually trying to convince my partner to get a golden). I love attempting zest shots, so enjoy those precious oils and stir one of these up! Cheers y’all!

08-20-2024

Welcome to the series where I show how you can swap one ingredient, in this case the fruit liqueur, for another and create a “new” cocktail. Vodka is flavor neutral, which allows you to use it when you want to accentuate the flavors. These tropical flavors are balanced by the bright lemon and vermouth. Cheers y’all!

08-19-2024

I keep thinking of what my buddy Matthias Soberon (@servedbysoberon) once said, “The quest to find the best rum combination in a Mai Tai is like a Tikilover's search for the Holy Grail." I made this one for my birthday, and the blend of rums I used were *Hampden Estate 8 yr and Smith & Cross. A Mai Tai may be one of my deathbed cocktails (let’s be real, if I’m dying, I’m having more than one drink!). Cheers y’all!

08-18-2024

This cocktail is a twist on the famous Donga Punch (by Don The Beachcomber), which is rhum agricole based. This riff is by Matthias Soberon (@servedbysoberon), who subs in gin and lemon (instead of lime). The Peychaud’s is optional, but I love the aromatic and bitter notes (and color) it adds. Cheers y’all!

08-17-2024

I was introduced to this drink by a Portland friend and bartender, Luis Carrillo. This one was featured on the menu at Flying Fish Co. The dry vermouth is what does it for me here. It simply works. This drink will be a part of a series of drinks where the specs are the same but the liqueur changes. Cheers y’all!

08-16-2024

This drink was created by John Fry at Rumba (Seattle, WA) and was featured on Imbibe in 2021. There are many layers of flavor here: rich molasses rum, fruity banana, and nutty orgeat, which are balanced by the tart lemon and spiced Angostura bitters. The mint adds wonderful aromatics. Cheers y’all!

08-15-2024

This drink comes from Tara McCarron who made it in 2017 at Hale Pele (Portland, OR). If you’ve never tried cachaça, this is your sign to go buy a bottle. It comes from Brazil and is a sugarcane distillate (think Brazilian rum). The name of this drink is a nod to Costa Rica and its tropical environment. Cheers y’all!

08-14-2024

This one is by Jason Alexander, owner of The Devil’s Reef (Tacoma, WA). This drink will surely have you breathing fire. Three full ounces of Rum Fire is no joke. When you taste it, you get a lot of tropical fruit notes and a touch of bitterness in the end. The high ester rum can be polarizing, but it’s my favorite! Cheers y’all!

08-13-2024

Happy National Rum Day! Here’s a split based daiquiri with some lovely Islay scotch. This drink comes from one of my favorite Portland bars, Scotch Lodge, thanks to Jessica Braasch. This one is a smoky tropical delight. The tea syrup gives it an extra layer of flavor. Cheers y’all!

08-12-2024

This low-ABV summer cocktail is by Pranthik Samal (@parttimemixologist). As soon as I saw blanc vermouth as the base, I had to swizzle this one up. This one is tropical, fragrant, crushable! Depending on the sweetness of your white vermouth, you may want to up the lemon to ¾–1 oz. Cheers y’all!

08-11-2024

This cocktail comes from Idlewild, a speakeasy in Charolette, NC. I stumbled across it via Frederic Yarm (@fredericyarm), who has one of my favorite cocktail blogs (Cocktail Virgin). This sipper is packed with botanicals from the amaro, fruity funk from the rum (Smith & Cross), and sweetness and dryness with two vermouths. Cheers y’all!

08-10-2024

This cocktail is a twist on Ryan Margarian’s Pineapple Trainwreck. In this variation by Ebby Kurian, he swaps aged rum out for mezcal. This one, like the original, is a winner. A high quality spicy ginger syrup works wonders here. Cheers y’all!

08-09-2024

This delightful drink was created by Fanny Chu for Donna (Brooklyn, NY). In this Mai Tai riff, banana and cinnamon are added in place of curaçao and simple syrup. This clearly makes it a breakfast drink…or at least something I’d drink while on vacation. Cheers y’all!

08-08-2024

This is an original that Isaiah LaBelle (@onesipclub) and I created. We loved the smoke the mezcal brings here. We went with an acid-adjusted pineapple juice (lime acidity), which balances the two liqueurs and pairs wonderfully with agave. This green drink is a must this brat summer. Cheers y’all!

08-07-2024

Milk punch Mondays? Sure! This is a clarified version of a classic tiki cocktail circa 1950s by Trader Vic. It is not very often you see whiskey in tiki drinks, so this one is fun to try. Omit the milk and serve on crushed ice if you prefer. Cheers y’all!

08-06-2024

This drink was created by the founder of Novo Fogo, Dragos Axinte. He created this one as he pitched his cachaça to Seattle bars. He had no bartending experience but knew bartenders loved taking shots of fernet. I love the balance of tropical flavors, sweet fruit, and bitter herbal notes. This one works with either an aged or silver cachaça. Cheers y’all!

08-05-2024

This modern classic was created by Audrey Saunders in 2006 for Pegu Club (New York; now closed). As the name suggests, this is an excellent introduction to the Italian bittersweet aperitivo. I’ve made this for so many folks and they all enjoy it. It is low(er) in ABV and will take your palate on a delightful ride. Cheers y’all!