The title says it all. What beers do you typically drink? What is your favorite beer? What beers do you tolerate? Continue reading
alcohol
11 posts
We have a wonderful lime tree in our front yard. Recently we trimmed some large oak trees and all of a sudden the little lime tree has been getting a lot more sun and being very generous with its fruit production. We have limes coming out of our ears! Trying to find uses for the limes, I decided to make homemade limoncello, but using limes instead of lemons. If you’ve never had limoncello, it is a crisp and refreshing liqueur made with lemons and grain alcohol. After doing some research, I decided to try this Gizmodo/Franny’s in Brooklyn method because I like the idea of letting the limes infuse the vodka over several weeks. Continue reading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jidziKYG9jk
Gin is an interesting spirit in that there are people that love it (cough, cough Ofkie) and those who have had a bad experience with it. Despite having a few gangry moments (gin + angry = gangry), I do love gin. Since Saturday is World Gin Day and I spent the better part of Thursday writing gin tasting notes. Here are a couple of my favorite gins that should be readily available in most areas in the US. Continue reading
“I am day drunk with the people I don’t care about,” I complained once to my friend who lives far away. He said it would be a good sentence to start a novel. There’s a very important lesson to be learned here. It’s so much more fun to drink with people you care about. It leads to adventures, to fun, to life long memories. Continue reading
It’s that time of year, when friends and family, many of whom might not be experienced imbibers, will be stopping by or having you over.
Sid helps you be a good host/guest with these time-tested, festive cocktail concoctions. Enjoy!
Continue reading
I admit it, I’m a vodka snob. Not because I have such discerning tastes, but because I hate a hangover, and I like to drink a lot of vodka. Nothing better to me than a (or some) nice, crisp, straight up, vodka martini just a little dry. Must have three olives, an even amount is bad luck, you know. (Learned that one from an old time bartender friend, who served them when it was still okay to have martini working lunches.)
To me, the vodka cannot taste too starchy or sting like rubbing alcohol when it touches my lips. Obviously, as a martini drinker, I like a vodka that I can drink straight. I find the starchier and less smooth the vodka, the greater the hangover. Continue reading
It’s been a long hard week, what with the Olympics, Mars, pastrami-guacamole sandwiches, women with six pack abs, black socks at the gym and cats. It’s all over now, but one thing’s certain: you need a drink. Or several. Continue reading
Here is a second installment to the snack guessing game that posted awhile back. A few of you had said that you would like to see others here’s another one coming atcha. This time we are guessing alcohol, which is perfect for a Saturday, don’t you think? This crowd definitely knows its libations so I’m sure you all will be fabulous. I’ll post the answers in a bit.
GO!!! Continue reading
Happy cocktail time, Crasstalkers. It’s been a rough week for some of you, and it sounds like everyone needs to forget about Tuesday. So let’s booze it up, shall we?
Here are three ideas to get you started.
Cilantro and Cucumber Martinis
4 ounces of vodka (the better, the better)
1 inch of finely diced English cucumber
¼ cup of cilantro
Ice
Crush the cucumber and cilantro in a mortar and pestle to make as fine a paste as possible. Pour the vodka, cucumber and cilantro paste into a martini shaker. Let it sit for about an hour, then add the ice, shake, and strain infused vodka into martini glasses. Garnish with cucumber and cilantro.
A Gingered Highball-Julep
Chop and crush one tablespoon of fresh mint and six or seven slivers of fresh ginger. Put two ice cubes in a large glass. Add two shots ginger ale and stir vigorously to make a quick infusion. Add two shots “good” bourbon (Basil Hayden or Knob Creek are preferred, but Rebel Yell is good too. Note for the poors: Rebel Yell is cheaper than most bottom shelf whiskeys and it’s the best of the bunch, even served just on the rocks. Note to snobs: don’t knock it till you’re poor enough to try it). Add one drop of bitters and a few slivers more fresh ginger for a crunchy, spicy treat.
Salty Dog
Treat a rocks glass like a margarita glass and rim it with salt. Then add equal parts vodka to pink grapefruit juice.
I’m not going to lie, I just had my first Salty Dog this week, and holy. The salt with the grapefruit juice is incredible. I was on the phone with my mother-in-law while I had my first sip and –- for the first time since we have known each other — I think she thought I was fervently agreeing with everything she said because I said “Yes!” and sighed happily (For the record, I was blissed out and I’m not sure what I agreed to). But let’s not think about any unpleasantness, because it’s Friday, and we all deserve a cocktail.
If you’re looking for some simple cocktails to make this New Year’s you’ve found the right place. With four ingredients or less these classic cocktails are quick to make, and easy to cater to personal tastes. Perfect for when you’re serving a crowd. Fair warning, while these drinks may seem easier to assemble than more complicated cocktails, they can actually be much harder to master. Everyone knows what they should taste like, and you have high expectations to live up to when serving them. So before starting to assemble your drinks make sure you have the appropriate hardware, and high-quality ingredients. So go make some ice, grab you cocktail shaker, THROW AWAY those pre-made mixes, and join me for this classic edition of Let’s Get Boozy. Continue reading