Fantastical fables and other bits of cock-and-bull chronicling: the historical records of spirits and of cocktails are littered with them! Too often the big innovations from behind the bar that dot the timeline can all claim multiple creators, sometimes even thousands of miles or decades apart. But you can keep your grains of salt reserved…
Tag: craft cocktails
The Ballad of Irish Whiskey
Gather ’round for the tale of an old whiskey—perhaps the oldest—that’s become quite new again. For a great long time, Irish whiskey found itself face down on the mat. If it wasn’t a war with Britain, a civil war, and then a trade war that all but extinguished the star export, then US Prohibition surely…
Totally Tequila!
There’s nothing niche about tequila today. Whatever confounding reputations that’ve marked the spirit throughout the low-variety early days of its international debut have been well surpassed for the bright lights of the top shelf. So what to do with our bottles of clear and pristine blanco next month? Why, walk away from the winter hunker…
Cocktail Syrups: What You Need to Know
Simple syrup is an essential ingredient called for in a wide variety of classic cocktails, and a bar staple that is so simple to make, riff on, and use, you’ll always want to have some around! “Simple syrup” refers to a syrup composed of equal parts water and sweetener. The sweetener can be pretty much…
Rye’s Up
The signpost up ahead reads January, that uniquely loaded month where we seem to exit linear time and exist between the borders of the past and future. It’s a time to recover from the mad dash of the previous year and enjoy the promise of the new one beginning to unfold. In the world of…
Rum for the Holidays
For all the frantic rushes that the holiday season ushers in (mall madness, travel tribulations, and the like), it only serves to make quiet time with loved ones around the glow of the hearth that much more radiant. So gather ’round and hear the story unfold of an impending visit from three benevolent visions in…
BRRR-bon
In a fantastical feat of reverse thawing, the autumn influencer has officially awoken. We’ve all seen them dotted across our feeds like leaves along the ground. Flanked by foliage, fully flannelled, and sipping on something steamy, they’re absolutely primed to serve all things ultra-seasonal until the first flakes flutter. And is any fall-weather kit complete…
Mezcalloween III: A Shocker in Oaxaca
It’s alive! IT’S ALIVE!! It was a recent dark and stormy night when the beakers bubbled over and the comically oversized switch was flipped, shooting sparks everywhere and slowly reanimating the most magical and monstrous occasion of all: Mezcalloween. So far we’ve somehow survived two eerie installments, but we offer no guarantees when three more…
The Speakeasy Box
Fans of true crime, improv comedy, and long-form interviews unite! The podcast space has, in just 20 years, arrived at a place where every niche interest imaginable can now be explored with episode after episode of either exhaustively researched dissection or an extemporaneous shooting of the breeze. Not to be left out, there’s a great…
Summer Scotch 3
Garden parties are a beautiful summertime treat, but come August, conventional wisdom’s always been that the pool rules and the beach is king. With ever-popular aquatic activities abounding, there’s a reason why the Beach Boys remain a classic go-to to soundtrack for the season; we don’t recall a quintet called the Greenhouse Guys topping the…
Pisco Inferno
Getting hot enough for ya?! The dog days of summer sure do have a way of bringing out the languor in all of us, and it’s enough to make you want to buy your AC a thank-you gift for getting you through another long afternoon. But there’s more than one way to enjoy some cool…
Behind the Duppy Conqueror
We sat down with Jordie Ho-Shue to chat about growing up in Jamaica, what to drink when you visit, her work, and of course, rum! S&S: Could you share a bit about some of your favorite memories from living in Jamaica? JHS: That’s such a great question. For context, my mom flew to Florida to…
Shaker & Spoon Blog 