Today I have to start with a confession that will probably surprise some but then again not too many people as I do not stand alone with my opinion across the cocktail and bar scene: I do not think very highly of vodka and I am also using it only on very few occasions. Nonetheless, I must also admit that I am no vodka expert but perhaps I know just enough about it to be able to issue a judgment about certain brands. Anyway, I consider vodka to be rather uninteresting. Nevertheless, today’s article is about a vodka which I recently became aware of and which really interests me. Read More →

Cocktails and grilling – this sounds like a good combination at a cool and nice summer party. And of course there are numerous, especially summery cocktail recipes out there for such an occasion. But only few people would think of using grilled ingredients inside a cocktail. Don’t worry, of course I do not want to stuff a pork belly in the shaker or blend a steak with crushed ice into some awful cannibalistic tiki swill, I am speaking about the aromas that are created when grilling and roasting certain ingredients, which can lift some cocktails on a whole new level. I would like to briefly show you how easily this can be done. Read More →

Once again: Gin is still on the greatest roll since its original historic triumphal march through England. Even if the end of this development is prophesied almost every week and the “throne” of being the trendy spirit these days is regularly attributed to other spirits, the demand for gin is still unabated. Against this background it is, of course, particularly important to stand out from the masses of other gins. Today’s gin succeeds in this respect in a quite innovative way. Read More →

Some time ago I did already introduce the Hoos London Gin by entrepreneur Heiko Hoos from the German city of Karlsruhe. This gin did absolutely please me and therefore I am glad to announce that I am able to present two more bottles from Heiko Hoos today. These are two very different products, of which both are a very exciting approach and will be further described in the following. Read More →

If you have read my article about the very recommendable Banksy Cocktail you will have noticed my extensive remarks on the combination of pineapple and coconut, which was a very important one for the history of cocktails and, of course, especially for the Piña Colada. However, although the Piña Colada is still the first association you’ll get from the triad of rum, pineapple and coconut (and will probably always be), there are of course many possibilities to use those ingredients differently. For example you can combine them in a very simple yet very elegant way, like today’s cocktail, the Cofresí, will doubtlessly demonstrate. Read More →

Pineapple and rum – this combination is surely familiar to almost everyone who has ever been to a Tiki bar and the whole Tiki segment would be unimaginable without it. But while the two are usually married inside of a cocktail shaker, here and there you can also encounter aromatised rums which already come with a pineapple flavor. Unfortunately those flavors are very often artificial. However, the Plantation Pineapple Stiggins’ Fancy Original Dark proves that it does not have to be that way. Read More →

If you take a closer look at the history of cocktails, it is quite obvious that from the very beginning it was strongly connected to whiskey. Whiskey is something like the historical heart around which old classics such as Old Fashioned respectively Whiskey Cocktail, Sazerac or Mint Julep have emerged. But since the cocktail history of the 18th and 19th centuries was nearly an all-American one, whiskey did almost always mean bourbon or rye whiskey (or also Canadian whiskey during the Prohibition in the early 20^th century). Scotch whisky, on the other hand, hardly played a role and is still rarely found in cocktails. Especially if peat smoke is part of the game. Read More →

After a few more or less turbulent days of moving my stuff from my old place to the new one it is finally time to continue blogging. The last days have once again shown to me how much I hate to move because of all the things that have to be done. Especially as a lover and collector of spirits this is anything but fun since the transportation of all the bottles is not necessarily free of risk and also you simply have to carry a lot. Of course there’s also the usual stress that comes with furniture, boxes, etc. However, when you’ve finally made it, this is the ideal opportunity to enjoy a moment of peace and to open yourself to the new environment. And what could be better than a glass of Scotch Single Malt Whisky while doing that? Read More →

Galumbi Drinks & More takes a short break because I am moving to my city of birth in the coming days. By the end of the week the next article should be online and everything will be back to normal. Why not enjoy a beautiful cocktail in the meantime? You can find lots of suggestions over here.

The current state of the gin market and the correlating question whether you like the situation or not is certainly subject to a lot of discussions. However it is hard to deny that the demand for gin is still very high and almost everywhere the people ask for the trend spirit. Therefore it is only of little surprise if you are also frequently asked for good gin recipes. So today I would like to introduce such a recipe. One that is really not difficult to make or complicated. And in addition to this, it almost certainly meets the taste of the masses. However, it also meets my own. Read More →

Anyone who has ever dealt with the Japanese culture and its aesthetic ideas or its culinary tradition will certainly know that almost everything is about the seasons. Not only the food, but also the dishware is designed according to the seasons. As I have already mentioned briefly in my article about the Hibiki Japanese Harmony, traditionally there are even 24 seasons in Japan. However, in order not to confuse you too much, for this article I will stick to the usual four seasons. And since autumn has started, today’s cocktail is also dedicated to this time of year. So basically it is only about one particular season. Read More →