The Overall Julep

Have you ever mixed gin and rye whiskey before? 

I didn't think it sounded good either. Now I want to do it always.

The overall julep (St. Louis style) is a summer garden party in a glass.

Sweet, sour, tart, fizz, it's a complicated taste in a tasty approachable little drink.

All Right Cocktail

The All Right cocktail: better than it sounds, honest!

This is a real winner. Honestly, there's no reason this isn't as popular as the Manhattan or the Old Fashioned. It must be the name -- nobody wants to order something that's just "all right." But the All Right cocktail belies its name. 

Genius DIY Muddler

You know what’s super annoying?  Crappy muddlers.  

Believe it or not, this is one of those times when neither looking elegant and tasteful, nor looking bright-colored and plastic, actually makes a thing more effective. 

You can guess from looking at these items what they’re meant to be for, but can you actually accomplish that job by using them?  Oh, no.  You can’t smash a sugar cube with such a thing, or make a lime wedge give up what it’s got.  You might be able to crush some mint leaves, but even that’s not easy – unless you really apply yourself, they’ll wind up only mildly irritated.  And when even the herbs don’t respect you, man…

Enter this genius idea I just discovered.  This is the real deal, the right tool for the job.  All business, no frills.  I first noticed this style of muddler being wielded by the bartenders at the Royale.  But it never occurred to me to wonder where they came from till now.  I'm certain Mr. Morgenthaler must be right: a 20-inch maple French rolling pin, cut in half and sanded a bit, would be perfect.  He suggests the wider end and the narrower end are good for slightly different things; I'm curious about that.  But I'm already sold on this idea -- I'm ordering my rolling pin right now.  

Tom and Jerry

Latte lovers, this is the winter cocktail for you.

Hot Tom and Jerry, a Christmastime drink made famous in song and story, has been out of fashion for – well, a couple of generations.  I think it’s high time this delicious drink made a comeback.  It takes a bit of assembly, but one frothy, boozy sip, scented with warm spices, and you’ll be hooked.    

Gin and Tonic!

After our last post, it's time to make some drinks!  As promised, we're going to show you how to use our homemade tonic concentrate.

For a change, we're not reproducing or redacting a recipe from The Ideal Bartender.  Why did Bullock not include the gin and tonic in his book?  Was it not a popular beverage in Saint Louis in 1917?  We'll never know.  In any case, the following is an original recipe.

Tonic time!

Who doesn't love a good G&T? The combination of botanicals, sweet, tart, and bitter makes for a complex and interesting drink.
Gin and tonic is one of my favorite drinks -- not only because of my love of gin!  It's also just a nice session cocktail that's easy to make and easy to keep ingredients on hand for.
A few years ago, I said (and if we're going to get to know each other, you'll quickly learn how often I say), What would it take to make that myself?  In this case, I said it about tonic.  We've been making our own ever since.  That's exactly what we're doing today.

The Baldy Cocktail

Today we tried a largely forgotten cocktail, the Baldy.

It sounded promising: a mix of orange juice, gin, and orange bitters.