After a short weekend trip to Berlin I want to continue with a new cocktail and two related spirits today! If you should expect a “Berlin Special” or something like this, I must disappoint you. There are plenty of reports on the Berlin bar scene or articles with recommendations on this topic out there so I don’t want to launch just another article like that. But there is a really nice recipe in this article that has all it needs to please the crowds! Read More →

And once again an article is dominated by a Japanese product. It was only yesterday when I wrote about the Choya “Extra Years”, the Choya “Extra Shiso” and the Choya “Royal Honey”. However, today’s article has a slightly different focus because besides a cocktail based on Umeshu there is also a Yuzu liqueur which also comes from the house of Choya. Read More →

Today’s bottles are certainly one of the most striking bottles in any rack of liqueur. Presumably, many people have already wondered about these bottles during a walk through a well-stocked supermarket’s liqueur department. They might have asked themselves: What kind of liqueur is inside those tall bottles with the fruits in it? And what can you do with it? Well, I would like to concentrate on these and also on other questions today and introduce three bottles which I particularly like very much! Read More →

It’s been a while since I wrote about the Stobbe 1776 Black Currant London Dry Gin. At that time, this gin really convinced me with its flavor and I have also used it in some cocktails, for example in the Smuggler’s Cove Straits Sling or in my Just Another Lemon Tea. Last year, another Gin from the house Stobbe appeared on the market: the Stobbe 240 Black Currant 1776 Barrel Dry Gin – today I’m not only going to review that gin, I will also present a very nice and well-fitting cocktail. Read More →

In today’s article I would like to talk about the two remaining Single Malt Whiskys of the G. Rozelieures series. I had already presented two bottles of this series from the Grallet Dupic distillery in Lorraine. On the one hand there was the G. Rozelieures Origine Collection and on the other the G. Rozelieures Rare Collection, each together with a cocktail. Today you will find some information about the G. Rozelieures Fumé and afterwards also about the G. Rozelieures Tourbé Collection. And, of course you don’t have to go without some nice cocktails – this time I opted for two twists on a modern classic! Read More →

To create a twist on the Mint Julep is, of course, not a particularly difficult thing. The cocktail does not have a lot of ingredients anyway, and most variations are not really the most complex of all recipes. On the contrary, when preparing a Mint Julep (and also its variants) it is most important to do all necessary steps precisely and correctly. Against this background mixing today’s cocktail felt a little bit like reinventing the wheel, but it is nonetheless a very nice variation of my all-time-favorite among the classic American cocktails. Read More →

Anyone who thinks of Norway or generally of Scandinavia does not necessarily think of beer or alcoholic beverages in this context. The reasons for this are probably quite simple: the country itself is of such enchanting beauty that fjords and fjells will likely come to the mind before anything else. And in terms of alcohol, a very restrictive policy contributes to a reputation that is regarded as what I would call an internationally not really leading one. But nevertheless, the descendants of the Vikings of course brew their own beer and for this special article I have visited parts of northern Norway to have a closer look on some of the beers made there. And by the way today is the International Beer Day. Read More →

When it comes to creating new drinks with particularly high-quality spirits a lot of people (including me) tend to think about rather simple drinks in which the base spirit takes on a prominent role and is not overpowered by other ingredients. So you quickly create some twist on an Old Fashioned or something similar and I have done this may times in the past. But sometimes it has to be a somewhat more complicated drink with a sophisticated, yet mature character and a rather small potential target audience. Read More →

If someone asks me for a cocktail with blackberries, my first reflex is probably the same as the one of many others in that case: I usually tell something about the Bramble cocktail, about Dick Bradsell and basically just all the stuff I also wrote in my article about the Bramble. But, of course, there are numerous other variations on how to use blackberries in cocktails. And what better way to combine the full-bodied blackberry with a spicy and high-quality rye whiskey? Read More →

And again I would like to review a bottle of liquor today. It contains a spirit which I was really excited about beforehand: the Pow-Wow Botanical Rye. I love a good rye whiskey and when I heard about this rye whiskey infused with “botanicals” my curiosity was immediately aroused. But can the Pow-Wow also keep what it promises? Read More →

Huge, hard-fought, attractive for newcomers and bloated: many observers describe the international (and also the particular German) gin market with such words. And also for me it is not an easy task to decide which gins I want to write about at all. Some are already “over-reviewed”, others are not that interesting for me personally and with all this in mind I have to admit that my gin enthusiasm is put to a test by the constant flood of new releases. Read More →

It was only yesterday when I was thinking about the conditions for actually calling a cocktail a Tiki drink in the context of the Mango Overboard cocktail. And while yesterday’s cocktail was something like a border crosser, today’s drink is different: it is Tiki through and through and there can be no mistake about it. Read More →

What is the point where we actually start calling a drink a Tiki cocktail? Sure, if there is a whole series of exotic juices intermingling in a potpourri of different rums and a burning volcano of overproof alcohol is loudly shouting “TIKI !!!!” directly in your face, you might be dealing with a tiki cocktail. A cocktail umbrella is usually an equally reliable sign. And for some “purists” Tiki is probably everything with a touch of pineapple or other exotic fruits. Read More →

It is not very long ago that I have written about the Revolte Rum here on the blog. A rum that has caused quite a great stir in the German-speaking bar and cocktail scene. Now I am notorious for not really being a person who is directly up to date in terms of the hottest trends in bars and clubs but today I am all the more happy to be up-to-the-minute. Who now thinks I’m stupid to call an article about the Revolte Overproof Rum “up-to-the-minute” in July 2017 can calm down: I was not thinking about the Revolte Overproof Rum I am also writing about today but of the Revolte Falernum, which indeed is brand-new and which I bought last week. Read More →

Today I want to write about a bottle that is near and dear to me. In fact, it includes one of the first Kentucky Straight Bourbons I came in contact with since seriously being concerned about spirits and bar culture. And to this day it belongs to my undisputed favorites: the Booker’s Small Batch Bourbon. What makes this bourbon so special? And how should you drink it? Read More →

A few days ago I had already announced to write today’s article about another Single Malt whisky from the G. Rozelieures series. Well, I did like the previously presented G. Rozelieures Origine Collection and this was not taken for granted since continental Single Malts have disappointed me more than once in the past. However, the G. Rozelieures also stand out a little bit with their smoky character (which is rather unusual for continental Single Malts). So the Single Malt I want to talk about today listens to the name “G. Rozelieures Rare Collection”. Read More →

I have to admit that today’s article is making quite an issue of a rather simple drink. Actually the cocktail presented here is nothing more than a variation of the classic Martini. Whether it therefore deserves its own name can certainly be challenged. But ultimately it is a very special Martini in this form, which is why I finally think it should have its name. Especially since the name leaves no doubt that it is essentially a Martini. Oh, and if some of you might think that the cocktail may have something to do with “Game of Thrones”, I must disappoint you. Read More →

I have been thinking back and forth for a certain time what particular cocktail I finally want to mix with the Hudson Baby Bourbon. I am well aware of the fact that I am quite inclined to think of Old Fashioned cocktails every time I am dealing with spirits which I liked very much and which stand out from the majority of their siblings. And of course this is the case because these spirits don’t lose much of their character in an Old Fashioned. But this time I decided differently. Read More →

“If you think of whisky (without the small letter of e), of course, you will most likely think of scotland first.” Those were the words I used to introduce an article on the G. Rozelieures Origine Single Malt from Lorraine two days ago. But whoever thinks of whiskey with the small letter of e will – next to Ireland – certainly also think of the United States. And there, of course, it is especially Kentucky, where the famous straight bourbon whiskey comes from, that will come to mind first. Some will perhaps also name Tennessee or Canadian Whiskey, but I guess that would finally be the end of the first associations.  Probably no one would think of New York in connection with whiskey. Except, of course, it is about whiskey bars. Read More →

If you think of whisky (without the small letter of e), of course, you will most likely think of scotland first. Perhaps you’re also thinking of Japan or mistakenly of Ireland. And in a few cases, some may even think of continental European whiskys (such as the McRaven Whisky for example). However, the fewest people will think of France as a whisky nation, especially when it comes to smoky whiskys. But it is ultimately a French whisky today’s article is about. Read More →

The history of cocktails in a very broad sense is, of course, much older than the word cocktail itself. (Alcoholic) drinks that are mixed with other ingredients are presumably as old as alcoholic drinks themselves. Well, I know that this is not in accordance with Harry Croswell’s definition of cocktails in The Balance and Columbian Repository of 1906 (“Cock-tail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”) but today mixed drinks of almost every kind are referred to as cocktails. But who has ever thought about a cold, Andalusian vegetable soup when it came to the word “cocktail”? Read More →

Sometimes it can become a little tricky if you have earned the reputation for being well-versed in cocktails. Especially when this reputation raises expectations on you as a host. So it happened to me recently that I was about to ask a friend of mine on a sunny and warm day whether he wants to drink a cocktail and I was already thinking about some possible suggestions for classical refreshing drinks, but then he answered: “Given the weather I’d love to have something really innovative made with white wine! Do you have any ideas?” Well, I was caught red-handed since honestly I did not have any idea at first. Read More →

Whiskey and cola is quite a traditional combination of flavors. Although It is not necessarily a combination every self-appointed connoisseur is particularly happy with, but undoubtedly it represents a success story. Although I do not really belong to the people who would order a whiskey and coke at a bar, I have to agree that in some cases the combination is a good one! Read More →

If you are concerned about the world and the history of (Caribbean) rums, there is, of course, no way around certain countries respectively islands. Cuba, Barbados, Trinidad and the Virgin Islands are among them, but of course there is also the island state of Jamaica. And whoever thinks of Jamaican rum very likely also thinks of Appleton Estate. While Jamaica is mainly associated with the particularly strong, intensive “High Ester” rums, it is all the more surprising that the (supposedly) most famous brand name of Jamaican rums has so little in common with the famous characteristics of a Jamaican rum. Read More →

Normally, I do not participate in PR campaigns or any international events, but when Campari calls for the international Negroni week, I have at least to take note of that. In a way I feel obliged to that particular cocktail, which is probably my dearest and most favorite drink among them all (well, I definitely also love my Mint Julep, but a Negroni is definitely made a lot quicker). But what can I contribute to the international Negroni Week? Basically nothing really new or innovative, but still something very enriching. Read More →