Always a hot holiday gift, I’ve expanded my offering of DIY Cocktail Bitters Kits to include new flavors and Mini Bitters Booster Kits. (Underlined text all links to the corresponding item in my online store if you are looking to purchase) If you’re wondering how to use them, you can start off by replacing the Angostura, orange or […]
Category Archives: Mixers
Simple Citrus Soda Syrup Recipes
I’m buried under cheap, excellent winter citrus and before it ends, I want to bottle every flavor. Everyone’s making seltzer at home, but the commercially available soda syrups are gross, so here’s an easy and inexpensive way to make your own. These also lend themselves to crafting epic highballs, spritzers and even work in beer cocktails.
Bitters Making Workshop at Batch Made Market
I was invited to present a workshop on how to make cocktail bitters at home during the inaugural Batch Made Market in San Francisco, and it was a big success! We did a quick overview of bitters’ history and uses, then dug into the tools, processes and testing methods for making bitters. It was a […]
Cranberry Bitters for Thanksgiving and Christmas Cocktails
Problem: too much Beaujolais at family Thanksgiving last year, and too few cocktails. Solution: homemade cranberry bitters to craft some festive holiday drinks. The holiday season – and the stress that comes with it – are nearly upon us, so most of the instructions in this recipe involve hitting ingredients with a hammer or jabbing them […]
Rapid Bittering (With Citrus Bitters Recipe)
I’ve been experimenting with bitters recipes, and the biggest challenge is time (second is finding obscure herbs). Bitters need to sit a few weeks for the alcohol to fully extract flavors, so my latest quick-fix was high pressure.
Ice Cream Bar Pairings
Ice Cream Bar (815 Cole St. at Frederick), a throwback to the 1930’s soda fountain/ice cream parlor is just about to open in Cole Valley, and while the ice cream sundaes deserve their own write-up, the soda program from Texas/Rickhouse barman Russell Davis is mind-boggling. Everything on the menu is reconstructed from century-old recipes. More […]
Aromatic Garnish
Last week I attended a tasting for Bloom Gin, a floral London Dry from the world’s only female master gin distiller (update: or so they claim. See Chad’s comment below), which is about to launch in the US. Among a flight of cocktails, there was something simple yet remarkable. The Bloom G+T was garnished with […]
Properly Pickled: Vinegar in Cocktails
I’ve mentioned using vinegar in cocktails before, and it remains a pretty prevalent trend. Most often you see these cocktails described as containing a shrub, but sometimes the menu will come right out and list vinegar as an ingredient. This may keep the weak-of-heart at bay, but it is a time-honored and chemically sound approach to […]
Homemade Bitters
I’m setting out to divine my own recipes for cocktail bitters, so the first logical step was to start with a standard, traditional recipe before branching out to make my own magical concoctions. I have plans for a batch of smoked lemon bitters, and maybe some barrel aged banana bitters for tropical tiki drinks, so […]
Maraschino Cherries
The florescent pink orbs you find in jars at the supermarket are an affront to the proper cocktail. Rather than buying “maraschino cherries” from your grocer, buy firm, fresh cherries when they are in season, or a bag of dried bing cherries if you are too late, and then soak them in booze. Maraschino liqueur […]