This blog was born of a realization I had soon after delving into the true nature and history of the cocktail approximately 2 months ago. You see, in messing about the Internets browsing for something different to try, I’d finally discovered the ‘Aviation’ cocktail. ‘Maraschino liqueur? Hmmmmmmm, this is something I have to find,’ I told myself. Then, being in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I had to shop around no less than 6 different liquor stores to find it (Stock’s unfortunately, not Luxardo’s) and, of course, it smelled and tasted nothing like what I expected. Then, when mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a good gin – heaven.

It was the first mixed drink I’d ever had that that had a depth and sophistication of flavor that rivaled the best wines I’ve tasted. Before this, I had finally turned to champagne almost exclusively as my drink of choice despite the fact I had an extensive bar. It was consistent, there were good buys to be had, and it was easy to drink – no wasting expensive spirits on insipid and poorly inspired ‘cocktails’.

Soon, a flurry of used books dedicated to the art of the cocktail arrived in the mail (to my wife’s upturned eyebrow) and I devoured themover and over again searching for fields of pleasure I’d not known existed, finding ingredients I coveted available only in far away and strange places, and happening upon others of my own persuasion; my tilling my meager plot of knowledge amidst their well-established, and well-tended, gardens of decadence. Sidecars, Martinez’s, Golden Dawn’s, and many others later I realized I’d turned my nerd nature towards a new object of fascintation – the true cocktail.

So, this blog is an outlet for my exploration of books about drinks, ingredients in drinks, and the experiences imbibing said drinks as I continue my journey. I hope to meet like-minded people and generate some ideas of my own along the way.

Prosit.