This isn’t a proper Rickey, but it’s delicious and I don’t know what else to call it. This was born from the fact that I had a lot of cherries that I needed to do something with.
In a lowball glass…
10 bing cherries (pitted)
1 lime
2 oz Vodka
3 oz ginger ale
Pit the cherries, quarter the lime, and [...]

Not much to pontificate on… this was leftover basil-infused Beefeaters gin, and it made a lovely martini that goes perfect with steak.
In a cocktail glass
3 oz basil-infused gin
.75  oz dry vermouth
Shake thoroughly with ice, garnish with basil flowers.
To infuse the gin, take about 6 medium sized basil leaves cut into strips (about .25″ wide) and [...]

The Strong One was the third and most popular of the signature drinks that I made for Jesse’s pastry party. It’s the flavors that are strong, not the alcohol content, which confused many of the guests. But the popularity was more due to the fact that the list of the ingredients for this drink just [...]

Gillian’s friend Jesse just returned from four months of pastry school, and to celebrate she threw a “Pastry Party”. Knowing that I always love the challenge of making new drinks to match the occasion, Jesse asked me to come up with something special. But when I saw the menu, I was overwhelmed – she [...]

This is one of the three drinks I made for Jesse’s Pastry Party to celebrate her graduation from Pastry School in San Francisco.
On its own, the name “The Weak One” makes little sense. It would be better to call it the Light One or the Fresh One, but those names don’t flow quite as well [...]

Far less sinister than it sounds – this name conjures images of a smoking clay jar of bootleg mescal, leaded gasoline and dysentery. At least, that’s what I pictured when I saw the name while scanning Trader Vic’s 1947 Bartender’s Guide (a recent Amazon acquisition).
The reality is not so devilish, or really even Mexican. But [...]

Well, it’s getting hot again, and the popular rotation of cocktails is shifting to the taller and weaker varieties. Especially after switching to a reel mower, I just can’t kick back in the hammock with a Manhattan like I used to. Light, refreshing drinks are the order of the day. So I thought I’d do [...]

Wisconsin summers are hardly notorious, except for their brevity. But keep in mind that, at least while I was growing up there, air conditioning was a rarity. So that week or two of 90° and high humidity can be pretty uncomfortable. Besides, after the long winter, 75°and sunny feels like Aruba.
A favorite drink of my [...]

“Because what I say is simple to understand and to do, there is no one able to understand or do it.” -Lao-tse, Tao Te Ching #70
The simplest things are the most difficult. When something has a dozen parts, you can break it down and make sense of it and believe that you understand it. But [...]

I may be good at making drinks, but I am bad at naming them. So, apparently, is everybody else because I have yet to hear a good one for this drink.
I’m hesitant to even get into the story of how this drink came about. It was commissioned for an evening of watching the 90’s TV [...]