Pure Spirits: Alpestre & Le Mer de Glace

This year I have already presented some Italian herbal and bitter liqueurs on this blog. In general, hardly any other country seems to have such a complex tradition in this field as Italy. Amari (Plural of Amaro) are as indispensable in Italian culture as they have become in the international bar world – and for good reason, because they are not only elementary basic ingredients in great cocktail classics, they also enrich the repertoire of mixing possibilities with their wide range of flavors. Read More

The Old Judge Falernums & some Tiki thoughts

 

I can still vividly remember the time when I occasionally came across the term “Falernum” while browsing through cocktail books and recipe collections. At that time, my personal horizon was hardly comparable with today’s and somehow I must have categorized this particular ingredient as “something totally special” and simply avoided any recipes that called for it. Anyway, I can still recall the feeling when I first decided to research what it is: “Caribbean spice liqueur or spice syrup” – where the hell can I find something like that? Read More

Pure Spirits: Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry & Te-Ohia-Hemorere

Comparing rum with whisky is basically a futile undertaking. Of course it is understandable that this is tried again and again, but in the end it really does not make sense. Just like the famous comparison of apples and oranges. Nevertheless, today I would like to try a small allegory from the whisky world to point out a special circumstance in the world of rum. Read More

Pure Spirits: Revolte Swedish Punch, Lasky Cocktail & Chutes & Ladders

Most of the times you’re looking for inspiration in old bar books, you’ll come across some ingredients that don’t necessarily are familiar to everyone. Although the availability of traditional cocktail ingredients has developed very positively in the meantime, such products usually do not count among the starlets in the cocktail world. One of these ingredients is the Swedish Punch – and I would like to present a very special revival attempt in this category today. Read More

Ti’ Punch au Café

It may seem like cliché bartender talk when I state that I most often decide to mix the classics at home. But that does not change the fact that this is true. On the other hand, however, the desire for variety is always present, which seems to contradict each other at first glance. The logical consequence is to regularly vary classics. And of course the number of endless variations found throughout the world of drinks shows that most people probably think that way. Read More