ChurchKey

Instead of cocktails, I've been focused solely on beer for the past week. This is because a new bar, ChurchKey, opened in my neighborhood. My friends and I have taken to calling it "Beer Heaven." It's amazing, 50 taps + 5 hand casks + 500 bottles. So very many good beers.

I have a backlog of posts to get to, so I'll be working on that while wishing I was back at ChurchKey. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, "Mmmm beer."

Long time

Time flies when you're not updating your blog. Suddenly it's August and I haven't posted since the beginning of May. At least this way I have a lot of content saved up and ready to discuss. I was distracted for much of the summer by my new favorite easy warm-weather highball, the Paloma. I've also been mixing up a few cocktails using Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice including a tasty pomegranate caiparinha with Leblon cachaca and a Jack Rose with fresh-made grenadine. I celebrated National Rum Day last Sunday with a Ti Punch made with Habitation La Favorite Rhum Agricole Blanc. All that along with mixing up some classics for a Mad Men gathering last weekend has kept me busy. I'll be posting some photos, recipes, and reviews soon. No, really.

Cinco de Mayo

So tomorrow at work we are having a Cinco de Mayo party at the end of the day, and what would be better than a cold margarita? Nothing. I mixed up a batch of margaritas to take in to the office, using Jeffrey Morgenthaler's (http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2006/a-gallon-of-margaritas/) recipe for a gallon of margaritas (I halved the amount). I made one change, using agave syrup instead of simple syrup (basically because I was out of sugar but had a healthy amount of agave nectar in the pantry). Having tested it myself, I say it turned out well. We'll see how the coworkers like it tomorrow.

3 cups tequila (Cazadores Blanco)
1.25 cups triple sec (Patron Citronge)
1.25 cups fresh lime juice
1.25 cups fresh lemon juice
1 cups agave syrup

One night at my favorite bar...

I started off the evening with a couple of cocktails featuring Plymouth Sloe Gin. First, straight from the pages of the latest Imbibe magazine, a Modern #2. The combination sounded strange, but the drink was really tasty.

2 oz. sloe gin
1 oz. scotch whisky (in this case, Dewars White Label)
1 dash absinthe (Kubler)
1 dash orange bitters (Angostura)
1 dash grenadine (homemade)

After that start, I moved on to one of my recent favorites. It's basically a Charlie Chaplin, but made with lemon juice instead of lime. I'm not sure what that makes it (maybe a Robert Downey Jr., because I love him?).

Anyway, it's:
1 oz. Plymouth Sloe Gin
1 oz. Apricot Brandy
1 oz. fresh lemon juice

Two drinks down, and I had run the bar clear out of Plymouth Sloe Gin. Sad. Anyway, I switched to a concoction involving Dubonnet Rouge called The Dandy.

The Dandy
1 oz. rye (Templeton)
1 oz. Dubonnet Rouge
1/4 oz. Cointreau
1 dash Angostura bitters

I figured this was a solid drink to finish the night off. Slightly different than the usual Manhattan, even a Dubonnet Manhattan, anyway.