“UV Lemonade”, eh? And it’s pink…hmmmmmm, a boy’s tempted to stop accepting samples from companies at this rate. It’s like they’re subtly implying, ‘It’s ok, we sent it in plain-brown-paper packing… No one has to know what a little sorority girl you are inside…’ Hmph, okay then, ‘Little girl self, let’s do this!’

And do it we did. The first thing I wanted to do in sampling this product was test it against a known quantity. And as you can see from the picture on the right, known quantity; thy name is Skyy Citrus! Skyy Citrus is what I use for my Cosmopolitans and little else. It does a fair job and I’ve not really given it much thought, but now it’s got a contender; a new lass in town ready to take it to the mat. So, how does my crusty, dusty, and heavy blue bottle hold up to the pink lady of ultraviolet trendiness? It doesn’t. Drinking them both neat, UV Lemonade has a much cleaner, crisper, and truer “lemon” flavor than Skyy. Skyy Citrus came across as extremely dry, and not in a good way. It was harsh with a chemical timbre where UV Lemonade is sweeter but also cleans and leaves the palate in a way you appreciate; unlike the Skyy which leaves your tongue feeling like The Joker after a good bath in a warehouse. This, I was not expecting. Read More »

Ahhhhhh, the sidecar; conjuring images of old Indian, Triumph, and BSA motorcycles and vintage scooters tooling about the countryside in a carefree and breezy manner, a lass at the side, and a bottle of your best hooch in the boot. Ok, perhaps that's laying it on a bit thick, but the Sidecar, a wonderful Brandy (or Cognac) drink that is a precursor and close cousin to the ubiquitous Margarita, is precisely that; fresh, warming, and a little on the naughty side.

The Sidecar received middling to good reviews when I served it at my cocktail tastings a couple of months ago (and I was particularly pleased) so when I saw a variation in Difford's Quarterly (Spring '07) called the 'Chelsea Sidecar' that - and of course this is what caught my eye – included gin (!) I was anxious to try it. Now whether or not Difford's prescribing Plymouth Gin exclusively in all cocktails requiring gin (and Ketel One for all Vodkas, Partida for all Tequilas, etc.) is a matter of taste, contracted promotion, or ease I'm not sure, however, I do believe it affected this drink in ways that will soon become clear. Read More »

This is my first time participating in a Mixology Monday and for me it was quite a challenge. I'm not a huge cream liqueur fan as I tend to find them too muted for my taste and I tend to favor the sours and highball families of drinks. However, you dance with them what brung you and it was an interesting experience to experiment with the various cream-based liqueurs I have available; namely Bailey's Mint Chocolate, Cask & Cream Caramel, Amarula, Bailey's Irish Cream, Dooley's Toffee Cream, and several others. So, where to start?

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This is simply one of my favorite cocktails. The ‘Corpse Reviver’ set of drinks actually belongs to a class or family of cocktails used, particularly in the morning, as ‘pick me ups’ (think Bloody Mary), presumably from a night of many other non-pick-me-up cocktails. I can think of no better way to start my day than with one of these fine drinks no more than I can actually imagine doing so. For example, the ‘Savoy Corpse Reviver’ was a brandy-based cocktail with equal parts brandy, fernet branca, and white creme de menthe. While I haven’t tried it, I can almost guarantee it won’t satisfy as well as ‘#2′.

This is a drink that, like the Aviation, is a great introduction to how gin can be used to wonderful effect for the ‘But I don’t like gin!’ crowd, is a fantastic example of how the true cocktail craft can create something far greater than the sum of its parts, and exemplifies just how damned much we’re missing in the insipid and limp cocktails served in most bars and restaurants today.

I’ve found only a couple of variations on this drink and I greatly prefer one over the other: Read More »