Sometimes I feel the desire for a certain cocktail although I do not really know if it yet exists. In such a moment I usually don’t do any research for a specific recipe in books or on the Internet but rather let myself be guided by intuition and start mixing with certain – mostly very simple – ingredients. But sometimes my curiosity wins and I am doing some research afterwards – and surprisingly realize that I can’t find a suitable recipe. Read More →

1776 – Of course this number will immediately bring a unique historical event to the mind. While in the United States of America every child knows what happened in that year, also outside of the US most people will associate this particular year with the American Declaration of Independence as the most important event of 1776. Can there be a more obvious idea than naming a series of whiskeys that are supposed to transport the very American spirit in liquid form after that year? Read More →

Coffee as a cocktail ingredient usually is a rarity, but nonetheless it is also a classic. The idea of ​​using coffee in mixed drinks is very old and in the end you have to ask the question whether the simple coffee with a dash of brandy is already a cocktail in a broader sense. Personally, I like to drink a coffee cocktail from time to time, especially since – it may surprise you – otherwise I do not drink any coffee at all (at least almost). Read More →

Although I have always planned to do so, I actually never took my time to write about vermouth. I’m feeling a little bit ashamed since it is such an elemental ingredient behind every bar and there are only few things that are so closely interwoven with the history of cocktails as vermouth. To this extent, it is almost impossible to provide a comprehensive or even encyclopedic treatise on that subject. Anyway I’m writing today’s article that is mainly about three special vermouths but also about vermouth itself. Read More →

Single Malt Whisky has developed quite rapidly over the past few decades – from a product that has always had a very fanatic but rather small community of connoisseurs into a product with a large and global fan base. And Scotch Single Malt Whisky has always been the center of attention. And although Scotch Single Malt Whisky wasn’t my first love, it was my first really big one. Read More →

In a sense, today’s rum was already subject to one of the articles here one the blog in the past. However, that did not happen directly. Anyone who will perhaps remember my article on the Plantation Pineapple Stiggins’ Fancy Original Dark might have noticed the word “Original Dark” in connection with the brand name Plantation. And at least the Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum looks quite similar, doesn’t it? Read More →

Today it’s once again about a very interesting product from the French overseas department of Martinique. It has a certain affiliation with Curacao (such as Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao), but is ultimately different. And if you think you already know what a Shrubb is, you may only be partially correct. Read More →

Without any doubt: some drinks are more eye-catching than others and are therefore also more frequently asked for. Of course this always depends on the image of the epitome of a cocktail that you have in your own mind. For many people it is still the colorful and opulent glass with all sorts of decorative elements. Well, today’s cocktail is certainly a compromise here because on the one hand it comes with only a small garnish (apart from the head of Espuma), but on the other hand it is nevertheless a real eye-catcher. And it tastes absolutely awesome. Read More →

When blogging about spirits, cocktails and bar things you have to deal with different bottles on an almost daily basis. Some of these bottles are more appealing, others are less. Usually you can see what ambition the creators of a certain spirit put into the design of the bottle in order to create a special flair. Occasionally I do mention in my articles when there is a bottle that I really like. But the bottle of today’s gin has impressed me even more and I would not hesitate to call it a masterpiece in terms of shape and design. But I am not the only one. Read More →

Since yesterday’s article made some waves because of the close proximity of the product to a gin of the German global discount supermarket chain “Lidl” (much criticized for being a cheap imitation product), today I feel almost obligated to state once again that I am of course not a fan of discounter products or even want to propagate the sell-off of artisanal premium spirits. However, such products represent a very attractive alternative (due to their prices, of course) for a very large number of people and so I think it is legitimate to review them. However, today’s cocktail shows that it also can be different when it comes to money. Read More →

Recently I received a small package containing a bottle of gin. As I curiously opened the package I found out that it was another gin from the Black Forest, where German gins seem to spring up like mushrooms. And, of course, also this gin has a „special feature“ in the form of a certain unique “botanical”. And since the gin is called Needle Blackforest Gin, the botanical I’m talking about as an eponymous one: Read More →

If you are dealing with cocktails on a regular basis, especially with Sours and Tiki drinks, you will inevitably come across a certain group of fruit varieties or fruit juices. One or two of the usual suspects are always involved. A fruit variety, that is however hardly known to many people (and can also very rarely be found in the supermarket) is the common medlar (the German word is “Mispel”). Read More →

It was back in the year of 2013 when the German Mixology magazine titled “Pink drinks for gentlemen” in an article (only in German language) about today’s cocktail. And while I usually refuse categorizations such as “women’s” or “men’s cocktails” in my articles, I must admit that this headline was not chosen without reason when it comes to the Clover Club Cocktail. The cocktail itself is nonetheless an extraordinary good drink that can be made even better with a small trick. Read More →

There is a particularly intimate relationship I have to some cocktails because they have been personally important experiences for me – if not enlightening experiences – on my way to real cocktail enthusiasm. Most of the time I do mention this in such articles or at least I indicate it during a cocktail presentation here on the blog. And in my article on the Mint Julep I also mentioned the importance of a certain video series which initially had a great influence on me. Read More →

In the last few weeks I have launched several articles about various bottles of rum. Those included the white Plantation “Three Stars”, two Rums from the Plantation Vintage Edition, the groundbreaking Revolte Rum from the German city of Worms and the powerful Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum. A little longer ago there was also an article about a Rhum Agricole from the house of Clément and it is exactly this article I want to refer to today. By introducing two more bottles from this house. Read More →

Since I had already announced to create a cocktail based on the very nice Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon, I want to keep a word today and present that drink to you. I would also like to give a short “warning” in advance that this is a cocktail with a bit more “hullabaloo”, but it is really worth it! If the effort is too much for you, I can of course also recommend using the Basil Hayden’s in a well-made classic drink such as an Old Fashioned or simply a Whiskey Sour. Read More →

Are some spirits simply bought because of their outward appearance? Don’t you know these bottles on the shelf that you simply keep staring at every time you pass by? Of course there are such bottles, although everyone who is concerned with high-quality spirits for a certain time knows that the exterior should not play any role for the final buying decision. But the sales figures of some bottles clearly speak for the designers responsible for those bottles. Read More →

I know, today probably almost everybody expects a special Easter drink or something suitable for the festive occasion, but quite frankly I had no real desire for such things today. When I have a look around, I get the feeling that Easter specials are lurking almost everywhere and personally this has become a bit too much of the good. But if you really want to, you can of course also take one of the cocktails presented here on the blog to celebrate the Easter time, I am quite sure the Easter Bunny will for example like the Dr. K. Nickel’s Delight. Well, perhaps even today’s cocktail could be an Easter drink somehow. Read More →

I have to admit: the review of today’s product comes quite late. If you take a look at the blogs of some of my blogging fellows, you will most likely recognize that almost everyone has already written about the Revolte Rum. At the German cocktail contest Made in GSA, the Revolte Rum was used in many competing recipes in 2016 and also the two winning drinks included Revolte Rum. It is therefore not really surprising that almost everywhere people speak of this rum as a distillate that has long been established in the German bar scene. Read More →

I must admit: after my latest review of two spirits and a carrot brandy from the Sauerländer Edelbrennerei, my thoughts were circling around possible cocktails to use them in. Therefore, it was important to get a little structure into my thoughts in order to systematize the whole approach. So I decided to start making a drink from the outstanding carrot brandy, but before I could start with that I had to answer two fundamental questions. Read More →

Today’s article is one I was very excited about as it once more offers the chance to write about some products from my immediate, regional proximity. Besides that, it is about three really interesting bottles and some of them contain real, fluid innovations. And although it is not long ago that I’ve presented some fruit brandies here from the Feiner Kappler series, today’s bottles are slightly different. Read More →

It was only yesterday when I presented a very simple and classic cocktail from the category of Smashes: the Rum Smash. Even though I have already mentioned it several times here on the blog, the basic principle of the Smashes can be explained as follows: While it was originally a variant of the Julep and was prepared without (citrus) fruits, today’s variants almost always are made with lemon or lime juice (or pieces) and make the Smash something like a Sour with an herbal supplement. The famous American bartender Dale DeGroff is considered to be responsible for this modern development of the Smashes. But a Smash can of course also have quite a few more ingredients than just spirits, sugar, lemon juice, and herbs as today’s example will hopefully show. Read More →

After having introduced some rums in the last weeks (and there are more that will follow), I would like to write about a small, yet flexible rum cocktail today, that is most suitable for experimenting around with your favorite rums a little bit and try a new one every now and then. The cocktail is by no means a representative of complicated or airy-fairy recipes, but a simple and honest drink which is nonetheless simply fantastic. And which can be easily produced by anyone: the Rum Smash. Read More →

Today it’s once again about rum; in combination with another cocktail recipe. And since many people still have to recover from the all those April fool hoaxes, I did not want to take the matter too seriously and therefore decided to create a Tiki cocktail. The rum I’m talking about once again comes from the Plantation series and is certainly the most potent ship in this fleet. Read More →

At the beginning of last month I did already publish an article on that subject and today I’d like to continue with that. So if you should now be asking yourself: What? Liquorice and spirits? – I can only recommend you to first have a look on that article. I hope that I am briefly answering these questions in there. Today, however, I will present some new combinations with limited, seasonal varieties of Lakrids. Read More →

The concept of “terroir” is not as common in the context of high-quality spirits as it is in the world of wine, but it is a concept most connoisseurs a quite familiar with. The lack of a corresponding word in many other languages ​​has led to the fact that it has become an internationally accepted term for the particular characteristics of a certain place and their effects on the characteristics of a certain product. The fact that this is also very important when it comes to rum is becoming more and more known in recent years. Today’s rums follow exactly this idea. Read More →