Previously on the Rituals: We dutifully marched through the ADDINGTON (a nothing drink) and the ADIOS AMIGOS (a worse-than-nothing drink) without feeling any sense of life fulfillment. But we still need to meet the Admiral—or three creepy versions of the Admiral, anyway, like some boozy version of The Prestige. So, like gluttons for punishment, we soldier on to…
We have all had bad liquor at some point in our lives. When you were young what was the first booze you tasted? Peach schnapps? Communion wine? In college you didn’t go out and buy Jewel of Russia vodka or Bambu rum to make jungle juice. No you went and bought whatever was the cheapest….
Prohibition was a double-edged sword. Organized crime and bootlegging were bad for the United States but they were great for the world of cocktails. Would we have the cocktails we have now if there was no Prohibition? Questionable. If I had a DeLorean that could take me back in time to the days of Prohibition…
If you live in Seattle a craft distillery might not seem like a big deal—there are 24 to choose from. But if you live in Los Angeles, like us, you have nothing—or you had nothing, at least, until 2011 when Greenbar Craft Distillery ended a 95-year spirits-making drought for L.A. by moving downtown. The company’s story reads like a…
ADAM AND EVE 1 oz. gin (Bombay Dry) 1 oz. cognac (Hennessey) 1 oz. Forbidden Fruit (Rituals DIY) A few drops lemon juice Combine with ice; shake. Strain over ice. It’s called this because of the FORBIDDEN FRUIT in the recipe, and though it seems like some kind of modified Negroni, we immediately question if our…
I arrive at Brian’s thinking how grateful his wife Amanda must be now that we have finished the cooking and bottling portion of the Rituals (at least for awhile). The ACADIAN MEAD is aging in his closet, sure, but it’s out of sight and out of mind. We’ll be using our homemade ANISETTE today and our DIY CRÈME…
Last week was Negroni week—a week of Negronis, Negroni variations, and charity brought to you by Imbibe and Campari. Bars across the United States that participate in Negroni week donate a portion of their proceeds to a charity of their choice. Negroni week is a wonderful reason to drink up and give back. I recently…
The A section of The Complete World Bartender Guide has 113 cocktail recipes, 8 liquors, and 7 punches for a grand total of 134 beverages we need to make and consume. Not every session can be cocktails and fun. Some days we need to make the liquors and punches. This week we have decided to tackle a liqueur…
ACE .75 oz. gin (Plymouth) .25 oz. grenadine (Jack Rudy) 2 tsp. cream .5 egg white Shake with ice, pour, sprinkle nutmeg, and serve. Hands down this is not a good cocktail. Eric picks up on this right away. I, however, don’t really taste the drink and just slug back a mouthful. My second sip is…
ABSINTHE AND EGG 1.5 oz. Absinthe (Vieux Pontarlier) .5 oz. Gin (Plymouth) 1 Egg White Add sugar to taste Shake with ice, pour over shaved ice, and serve. Egg whites impart a smooth creamy texture to the cocktails without having to resort to using actual cream, which would change the flavor and have a fatty feel…
In the world of cocktails there is nothing more Ritualistic than absinthe. After the first session Eric and I are optimistic for the next few drinks in the book, which all contain absinthe. While we are attempting to follow along with the drinks in the book, there are a few we can’t get to because…
ABBEY COCKTAIL 1 ½ oz. gin (Bombay Sapphire) ¾ oz. orange juice ¼ oz. sweet vermouth (Punt E Mes) 1-2 dashes of Angostura bitters (Rituals DIY House Bitters) Combine with ice; shake. Strain, add ice, top with a cherry! This sometimes seems to be referred to as an Abbey Martini; it’s also related to the…
ABBEY 1 ½ oz. gin (Bombay Sapphire) 1 ½ oz orange juice 1-2 dashes orange bitters Combine with ice; shake. Strain over ice; top with a cherry! From CocktailMusings.com: “Reminiscent of oranges, this drink is a mixture of juniper and orange flavors on the tongue, with slight other floral notes pulling through thanks to the…
Since the first few meetings were consumed with getting the dreaded A-1 PICK-ME-UP off the ground, we are tingly with excitement to get started on the first four cocktails after the A-1: the A.J., the ABBEY, the ABBEY COCKTAIL, and the ABERDEEN ANGUS. We will be mixing, and talking, and consuming, and comparing, and contrasting,…