About Me

It seems only fair to give you some background. I'm a man in my early forties, I have three young daughters and I'm not an alcoholic. Good enough there. More importantly you should know my tastes in mixed drinks.

If a restaurant has a martini menu, I'll almost always order off of it. If they don't I'll usually be a Cosmopolitan. Yes, I know "Sex and the City" made that a chick drink - the pink probably doesn't help either. However, it's not too sweet, doesn't require fresh ingredients and can be made well by every bartender. In short, it's good and reliable.

At home, I've mastered a few drinks.

I've been absolutely ruined for almost all restaurant margaritas. I use a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. The secret is to infuse the triple sec with lime/lemon zest. Phenomenal.

I like a few bourbon drinks. I make something I call "lemony-bourbon drink" which was actually called a "Ben Baker" when I had it had Vidalia restaurant in Washington, DC. It also uses lemon rind to add flavor. I make something I call "nasty bourbon drink" which is reverse-engineered from a restaurant in Boise, Idaho called Bittercreek. It uses bourbon, Benedictine and bitters. They called it a "Derby" and I assume I was the only one who ever ordered it because it's been taken off the menu. I also reverse-engineered a pink grapefruit martini from a now closed restaurant in Richmond, VA called Stella's. After a trip to Brazil, I learned to make a caiparinhia. I'm also a big fan of Mojito's, but who isn't? Finally, on a trip to India I was talked into an Old Monk (rum) and Coke. I'm not a rum and Coke fan, but now whenever I find someone going to India I ask them to bring me some Old Monk. That just about does it.