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Tequila has come a long way from the days when every college kid did a shot of Cuervo. It has become one of the favorite spirits used by top mixologists around the country and even high-end bars. The selection of brands and premium brands has tripled in the last decade. But there are still so many misconceptions about this mysterious liquor.  So with the arrival of Cinco de Mayo, I decided to de-bunk some myths and set the record straight with facts and not-so-facts of this agave-based spirit. Salud!

There’s a worm in the bottle.

(Cover photo - courtesy of liquor.com)

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd and to honor what it stands for I am offering up truly "green", farm-fresh, organic ingredients and cocktails for spring. As an added bonus, I list the best fruits, veggies, herbs, spices, and florals to be used in cocktails, infused spirits, syrups, purees, and juices for the season, best way to prepare them, and what base spirits pair best with them.

(Cover photo courtesy of Ping Pong Dim Bar - revamp.com)

If you ever walked in to an American bar and asked for an Asian cocktail you would probably get a blank stare from the bartender. It’s a pretty vague request, but so is asking for an “American” cocktail. If you say that you would like a cocktail that uses Asian ingredients or flavors, such as ginger, jasmine, or lychee, you may experience the same result.

Woody Creek Distillers (WCD) makes ultra-premium American spirits grown, distilled and bottled in the Aspen Valley, Colorado. WCD is the only craft distillery in the United States to have control over every element of vodka production from farm to bottle. Our vodkas are made with only three ingredients: our own alpine potatoes, mountain spring water and yeast, to produce WDC’s ultra-premium American vodka.

I recently did a country western-themed cocktail party at a private residence, which included an unofficial bourbon tasting for newbies and more experienced bourbon drinkers and signature bourbon cocktail called “The Wrangler” (recipe below). It was a fun time. This post is dedicated to my good friend and client, Alan Weinstein. The offerings were spread out across the spectrum of bourbon choices, i.e. small batch, single barrel, straight, reserve, high wheat, high rye, and traditional mash.

What is Absinthe?

In time for "National Absinthe Day" on March 5th...The term “absinthe” comes from Artemisia absinthium, the scientific name for its key ingredient, wormwood. Long before distillers discovered it, the herb was used for medicinal purposes.

Celebrate with a classic Black Russian or White Russian or Screaming Orgasm or in a modern-day cocktail...

Toast that distinctively coffee-and-sugarcane laced liqueur from the Veracruz state of Mexico this February 27th. That’s National Kahlua Day.

For nearly 80 years consumers the world over have been enjoying the deliciousness that is Kahlua. Today, with international sales reaching two million cases per year, Kahlua is a popular choice for cocktails, in recipes both sweet and savory or in coffee. Its name is derived from the Arabic slang for coffee, kahwa.

In celebrating “National Margarita Day” on February 22^nd, I give you a fully loaded post with info and recipes galore.

I have been very busy lately putting together specialty cocktail menus for clients. We now have over 25 events for 2015 and 4 more events already booked for 2016. My cocktail menus have been a real difference maker for clients wishing to have something extra, special, and unique for themselves and their guests. Below you will find a collection of cocktails with recipes that we are serving right now for the winter and early spring months. This is the time of year when darker spirits are in vogue and can make some really good cocktails.

http://liquor.com/video/boulevardier-cocktail/