Pure Spirits: Clément Rhum Vieux Agricole VSOP

clement-rhum-vieux-agricole-vsop

First and foremost today’s rum is not a rum but a rhum, which I will explain further in the following. It also teaches us a little about geopolitical affiliations, at least if we are not an expert in this field. We are dealing with a French product, as we can read it on the bottle and on the packaging. Nevertheless, this rhum comes from the Caribbean, strictly speaking from the island of Martinique. This is not a contradiction at all because Martinique – as perhaps not everyone is aware – belongs to France as a French overseas department. Read More

Testicular Navigator

testicular-navigator

Today we’re once again making a slight detour to the world of Tiki. And indeed it is a crisscross detour since different sugar cane distillates from different parts of the world are used in today’s cocktail. The recipe is one of my own and it is really an aromatic voyage of exploration. And if you’re wondering about the unusual name of this cocktail, you’ll find out what it’s all about below. But do not worry, no one will be hurt. Read More

Spring Fling

spring-fling

Tequila cocktails are, just like tequila itself, unfortunately not as widespread as one could hope. This is a pity since Tequila is an absolutely multi-facetted and promising spirit and cocktail ingredient. Of course there are a lot of good recipes for such drinks out there, especially in the Americas, but they are not really popular in Europe at all. Besides Margarita and Tequila Sunrise most people will certainly start sweating when asked to name some drinks based on the agave spirit. Today I would like to present a simple, yet sophisticated recipe which, in my opinion, is a really good recommendation especially for very high-quality tequilas. Read More

Pure Spirits: Casa Noble Reposado Tequila

casa-noble-reposado

After my recent article about the really great Mezcals from the Miel de Tierra series, I would like to finally take up the topic of Tequila here. Basically, I sometimes wonder myself why I have written so little about this spirit down to the present day. It is all the more wondrous since I am actually a very big friend of the agave spirit. Ok, I have to admit that this is not true since forever because for a long time Tequila has been the same for me as for most people: a clear Mexican booze that comes with lemon and salt (and should better be left untouched). Read More

Sierra Madre Sunrise

sierra-madre-sunrise

Like most other bloggers, I myself like to read a lot of other blogs as well, especially those that deal with a similar topic, of course. And although the German-speaking cocktail bloggers’ scene is growing steadily and contributes many high-quality articles, the sheer number of blogs and articles as well as the blogging tradition itself is much bigger in the English-speaking world (especially in the “cocktail nation” of the USofA). Today’s cocktail is once again an example of a drink I discovered on a blog that immediately aroused my curiosity. Read More

Wisdom of Pelé

wisdom-of-pele

As I had already announced: today its time for another cocktail recipe. And once again it is a drink from the Tiki genre. What will certainly come to many people’s minds as soon as they think about Tiki drinks is surely rum – and that they are usually quite strong. Often this is indeed true. But what may not sound very appealing to everyone at a first glance does not have to be a sign of a bad drink. There are many examples proving the opposite. Today I would like to introduce such an example for a good, strong and rum-based tiki drink which is not so widely known. Read More

From the Brewkettle: Schoppe Holy Shit Ale

holy-shit-ale

It’s been quite a while now since I last wrote about a beer here. This is not because I have no more interest in the subject or because I have no more beer reports in the bag, but much due to the fact that in the last few weeks and months there were just so many exciting spirits and correlating cocktail recipe that beer fell a little by the wayside. So today I would like to present a beer I really enjoyed much: the Schoppe Holy Shit Ale. Read More

Pure Spirits: Auchentoshan American Oak

american-oak

Actually, I intended to present another cocktail recipe here today, but now I would like to postpone that into the next days. The reason is that I’m still quite happy about the release of the “The New Single Malt Whiskey” book and so I was more in the mood for a Single Malt Whisky than for a cocktail. And besides that, today’s whisky is certainly a “New Single Malt Whisky” in several respects. On the one hand, the whole bottle is not yet on the market for very long and on the other hand the malt itself is a quite young one. But more on that below. Read More

The New Single Malt Whiskey

the-new-single-malt-whiskey

For the first time I would like to write a few sentences about a book today. I do not want to write much about it or bore you with a whole review and also I do not intend to discuss extensive book reviews here in the future (although these naturally have their place in the world of bar culture). But today’s book is a very special one for me, since I could contribute a small part to it. Read More

Pure Spirits: Stobbe 1776 Black Currant London Dry Gin

stobbe-gin

Most of the time we’re talking about German gin, we’re also talking about the current market situation. Nevertheless, gin is not a spirit that is available only since a few years in Germany as it is for example the case with Mezcal. And if you really want to be concerned with the matter, there is no way around also remembering the oldest German gin. Well, today’s bottle is not exactly the oldest gin in Germany but it still has a lot to do with it. Read More

Guna-Guna Cocktail

guna-guna-cocktail

Tiki cocktails are not always an easy thing to deal with, at least for me. There are some really good ones among them and if you really have found a bar that interprets the tiki theme with sophistication and artfulness, even the whole thing is a true revelation of flavors and joy. Nevertheless, there is hardly another part of the world of cocktails where so many bad adaptations and unloved interpretations can be encountered. If I’ve never been at a place before and order a Mai Tai for the first time, I’m always a bit nervous about what I’m going to get. But today’s cocktail is different at all. It is a drink which would probably be capable of expelling some of those expecting sweet juices with a little booze in it – it is rather a border crosser. Read More

Pegu Club Cocktail

pegu-club-cocktail

Today’s cocktail is a real legend. Its history is very closely linked to that of a club in today’s Myanmar, the historic Burma. I have written about the Pegu Club in connection with the Gin Gin Mule – which is also a very recommendable cocktail by the way – so I do not want to repeat it here. Only the following should be mentioned once again: The historic Pegu Club is long gone. Read More

Pure Spirits: The Miel de Tierra Mezcals

miel-de-tierra-mezcals

There is a certain type of spirit that I actually did not really devote myself to in its pure form here in the blog. Although I have already published and presented some recipes here in which I have used that spirit category and although I myself have been using it as an ingredient for some years now, in Europe it has not really arrived yet. I’m talking about Mezcal, a Mexican spirit whose variety and taste profile is a true El Dorado for the bar world. Read More

Bénazet Fizz

benazet-fizz

Some cocktails are doubtlessly a magnet for your guests, whether in a bar or at home. This may be the case due to a certain flavor, but there are also other reasons, for example because a particular cocktail enjoys a general popularity as a “trend cocktail”. Often, however, it can be something quite trivial like the outward appearance of a drink. Of course “trivial” is not always the right word because you can ultimately put a lot of effort and sophistication in the exterior of your drinks. But anyway some drinks which are not very difficult to make are simply impressive as well. Today I would like to introduce an example which also is quite convincing in terms of taste. Read More

Pure Spirits: Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao

ferrand-dry-curacao

Before I start writing down words about the content of today’s bottle on the imaginary paper, it is certainly useful to make a brief excursion into the world of terminology. Unfortunately in the wide field of orange liqueurs there is quite a mix of brand names, generic names, regional designations and manufacturing differences. And if you even should intuitively have asked yourself why the bottle of “Dry Curacao” in the picture is not blue, you should continue reading very urgently. Read More