Coming off of last month’s International Whisky Day, you may want to spend this month sipping some cool new experiments. Waterford Whisky in Ireland has been exploring how historic farming and growing techniques impact their whisky. Luna is the first single malt ever to be made from biodynamic barley, which has been farmed using techniques that treat the land as a single ecosystem. … Continue reading
Category Archives: cocktailfriend
cocktailfriend: creamy scotch
Normally I drink my scotch neat (or with a small ice cube), and am dubious of adding anything that would dilute or spoil the taste. But scotch cocktails are handy when you want to stretch your drink and not have so much alcohol, plus they can be very refreshing pre-dinner. I recently tried a few mixers with Speyburn … Continue reading
cocktailfriend: the hugo spritz
Love me some Aperol spritz, but every once in a while you need an alternative and the Hugo fits the bill on hot summer days. Invented in 2005 in Northern Italy, it’s light and floral with lots of effervescence from the Prosecco bubbles. And, super simple to make! 1 ounce Elderflower syrup or liqueur like St. Germain … Continue reading
queen’s park swizzle
Had no idea Angostura made rum in addition to their omnipresent bitters. Made in Trinidad, the 5-year-old Rum is a blend of light gold rums, aged for a minimum of 5 years in used bourbon oak barrels. It was great in this Queen’s Park Swizzle cocktail, which was created over 100 years ago at the … Continue reading
sip your apple
I did a winter binge pairing post a while ago, where I included pairings for Ted Lasso, Tehran, and Losing Alice. Since then I’ve gone even deeper into Apple TV and just went on We Have Notes, the definitive podcast for the pop culture obsessed, to debate our favorite series (and tell the hilarious story of when we went … Continue reading
4 awwwwesome bourbons for whiskey day
Today is International Whisk(e)y Day, one of those made-up holidays that celebrate a certain type of alcohol. I’m all for it, of course. You can learn about all the different types of whiskey (or whisky — learn why in the post) here, but since Mardi Gras wasn’t allowed to happen this year because of Covid I’m … Continue reading
cocktail friend: la hora del vermut
Hailing from Madrid, La Pivón Vermouth was inspired by the daily 11-12pm Spanish ritual of La Hora del Vermut (“Vermouth Hour” for those who need that translation). La Pivón is made with local herbs and botanicals like cardamom, wormwood, cinnamon, clove, orange peel, lemon peel, gentian, as well as oranges from Valencia, Spain. The perfect cocktail for Vermouth Day on May 15, serve it … Continue reading
cocktail friend: fino collins
Fino sherry is super refreshing for summer – light, dry almond skin and served cold (often with a plate of great jamon) – but you can also put it into a cocktail. Make a bare-bones version with just fino sherry and soda water, or you can follow the official recipe: 2 oz Tio Pepe Fino … Continue reading
cocktail friend: to spritz or not to spritz
If you walk through a piazza at apertivo hour in Italy, it’s a sea of orange with this cocktail in seemingly every table. The trend has caught fire stateside too and has even sparked a fierce debate over if it’s good or if it sucks. Grapefriend has been drinking them for years since the slight … Continue reading
cocktail friend: sazerac
Today is Mardi Gras, so make what’s known as the official cocktail of New Orleans! In the 1800s, apothecary owner Antoine Amedie Peychaud used to make his friends brandy toddies with his family’s bitters. (To measure the ingredients, he used a double-ended egg cup called a “coquetier,” which is where the word “cocktail” comes from!) … Continue reading