Le Normand Épicé

The variants of the Moscow Mule are unquestionably numerous and there are quite innovative ones among them, no doubt about that. While the drink has been part of the established bar repertoire for decades in the USA, it is still a “brand-new” trend cocktail in Germany and other parts of Europe, which is due to the previously poor availability of ginger beer. Nowadays there are of course also other variants of this drink on the bar menus and sometimes even older drinks find their way back into common knowledge, such as the Mamie Taylor. Read More

Pure Spirits: Scheibel Moor-Birne & MoBi Sour

The Scheibel distillery from the Black Forest region in Germany is above all known for its high quality fruit brandies. Since 1921, the banner of traditional fruit distillates has been held up by the family company which is now led by Michael Scheibel. But also other, innovative and contemporary spirits (such as vodka, barrel-aged gin etc.) are produced there. However, if you are a little interested in the world of spirits, you might have heard about a specific fruit brandy that has come to quite some fame in Germany in the recent year: Scheibel Moor-Birne. Read More

Spiced TNT

Gin & Tonic has, of course, long since overcome its existence as a drink of older British gentlemen and also a gin & tonic is no longer the niche product in bars outside of Britain it once was. The times are gone when you got 2 cl of Gin with plenty of tonic in a longdrink glass. The opposite is now the case: Gin & Tonic has become a science in itself and the number of gins and tonics is not manageable any more. But of course, Gin is not the only spirit that harmonizes with tonic. Have your ever tried Tequila & Tonic? Read More

Montenegro Sour

Today’s article could easily seem a bit like an article that was written out of embarrassment because basically the recipe presented here is neither particularly elaborate nor anyhow innovative or trendy. It is a very ordinary sour and those are probably the simplest cocktails to make. You can actually mix sours with almost any spirit or liqueur you choose and at least in its basis that’s really not a high art I’m talking about. But it does not always have to be high art. Read More

Pure Spirits: GINSTR Stuttgart Dry Gin

If a Dortmund resident like me is writing something about the city of Stuttgart in these days, in most cases this will probably have to do with football. And in 90% of these cases it is about Kevin Großkreutz, a former Borussia Dortmund player who is now playing for 2nd Bundesliga team VFB Stuttgart. And even though I can at least say that I have managed to somehow mention the name Kevin Großkreutz in a more or less meaningful way on a cocktail blog, today it is neither about football nor about the said player. Read More

Just another Lemon Tea

If you have fallen sick for a few days, you are usually drinking a lot of tea at this time. At least I am. I also like tea on a regular day but nonetheless I usually drink far less tea when I’m in good health. And when such a sickness has vanished, there is always something left behind. In this case it was simply the idea, to play around a little bit with typical tea aroma and to create a suitable drink. And even if Earl Gray is not necessarily a tea you’d drink when you’re sick, it is still the sort of tea which a lot of people think of first. Read More

Lakrids and Spirits


So after a few days of having the flu I finally would like to present an article to you that deals with a very special topic: liquorice. But of course it is not just about liquorice, but liquorice (or “Lakrids”) in combination with spirits. This is an idea that I first had to get used to but turned out to be of such an aromatic substance that I could not withstand its seductive nature. The “Lakrids” I am using here comes from the young Danish entrepreneur Johan Bülow from the isle of Bornholm, where he originally opened a liquorice store in the town of Svaneke. Read More