Author: Keet

Commentary / Vodka

Smith’s Union Bar, December 6, 1941

Saturday Evening, December 6, 1941, 9:30 PM, Honolulu: Strolling into Honolulu’s Smith’s Union Bar, just a few miles away from the military docks and ports of Pearl Harbor, one is greeted by a calmer, more open-area bar than the other...

Aperol/Campari/Cynar / Daily Mix / Grenadine / Scotch / Whiskey (blended)

Cave Creek

The CAVE CREEK cocktail has a similar theme as the Boulevardier, but balances the Campari with grenadine, and substitutes rye and Scotch whisky for bourbon. Nate Dumas, at the Shanty (NY Distilling Co., Brooklyn, NY), originally mixed it to be...

Bitters / Cognac / Brandy / Daily Mix / Orange Juice / Throwback Thursday

Brandy Sour

A BRANDY SOUR is a an ages-old alternative to the standard Whiskey Sour for those not fond of whiskey, or for those who seek the fruitier zest of brandy. Since brandy is produced by distilling wine or fermenting fruit juices...

Blinker

Bitters / Daily Mix / Grapefruit Juice / Grenadine / Whiskey (blended)

Blinker

The BLINKER is one of the few cocktails that uses grapefruit juice. It’s a medium-strength alternative to having a Boulevardier if you have no Campari. It’s simple to make, easy to remember, and a very nice way to use rye...

Cointreau (orange liqueur) / Daily Mix / Seasonal Sunday / Whiskey (blended)

Irish Sidecar

IRISH SIDECAR: Instead of mixing your Sidecar cocktail with cognac or brandy, celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day or any day by substituting with Irish Whiskey. Irish whiskey is noted for being light and smooth because it’s triple distilled and is made...

Daily Mix / Rum / Vodka

Kahlua (and its possibilities)

Kahlua has so many useful drink variations that everyone should have a bottle in their household. Its arabica coffee and rum combination can be a perfect dessert substitute, a tasty compliment to a cigar, or an anytime coffee-flavored refresher. It’s...

Bitters / Daily Mix / Demerara / Rum

Rum Old-Fashioned

To the traditionalist, the Old-Fashioned is the classic worldwide drink going back more than a century and is whiskey based. But its recipe is also a guide that allows personalization and some opportunities that could be missed. The RUM OLD-FASHIONED...

Bourbon / Daily Mix / Seasonal Sunday / Shots on Saturday / Whiskey (blended)

New York Sour – Shots

I’ve always tested new mixes with shot-equivalent portions . Truthfully, I sometimes enjoy these “shots” more than drinking out of the correct glassware, maybe because I know it’s freshly shaken and I can go back to another fresh portion whenever....

Bourbon / Daily Mix / Throwback Thursday / Whiskey (blended)

Old-Fashioned

The OLD FASHIONED is still a favorite 200 years after being introduced. It’s one of the simplest to make, but might have been the first step into the world of mixed drinks.  It props up your favorite whiskey-rocks drink with...