Kevin's Cocktails 

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here is a green cocktail from Kevin's Cocktail Compendium. Enjoy! HOW GREEN IS MY COCKTAIL 2 parts Beefeater Gin 1 part Midori Melon Liqueur ¾ part Ocean Spray White Cranberry juice ½ part fresh-squeezed Lime juice 3 cucumber slices (muddled) dash of Hella Bitter citrus bitters Shake everything over ice. Fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish by floating a thin slice of cucumber on top. And check out the VIDEO for this drink

I must confess, I'm a big fan of St. Germain, from the liqueur itself, to the bottle, to how it's made. (The image of those rustic men gathering the elderflower blossoms from the Alpine cliffsides, then descending with them stuffed in sacks slung over their shoulders, then mounting their bicycles and speeding off to the collection depots. It can't get much better than that.) Also, I'm a diehard New York Jets fan, so this upstart elderflower liqueur called St. Elder, made a co

There are so many instances of Teddy Roosevelt's badassitude. From his exploits in the American West, to San Juan Hill, to the arduous trek through the Amazon that nearly killed him (not to mention that his mother and his wife both died on the same day). But for me, the best Teddy Roosevelt badass story is when he was campaigning for a third term as President. On his way to the podium to deliver a speech, an assassin burst through the throng and shot him. The bullet went thro

The 1976 Formula One season was one of intense excitement and controversy, as arch-rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda battled throughout, with Hunt winning the World Championship in the final race by a single point.* Being an avid F1 fan, in honor of these two champions and this season for the ages, I've created this cocktail. *After making this drink, you can check out what inspired it by watching the excellent BBC documentary Hunt vs Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals, and R

Since last summer, I have been working on perfecting my own version of a Margarita, and it was realized in February (just in time for "National Margarita Day") with the addition of "the secret ingredient". When creating a cocktail, it is often the subtle final flourish that brings it all together—that unexpected addition, that splash of liqueur, that dash of bitters—and suddenly it's complete, like a painting after that final brush stroke, when you stand back, nod your head,

Amsterdam is my favorite place in the world. The canals, the houseboats, the architecture, the history, the people riding bicycles, the way it feels like a global village. And of course, Tess Posthumus and Door 74 (see The Making of a Mixologist, the BLOG entry for March 2, 2016). In keeping with my love affair with all things Amsterdam, I've created a cocktail in its honor... AMSTERDAM 1½ parts Cîroc Redberry Vodka ½ part Sauvignon Blanc wine ½ part Chambord ½ part Triple Se

Recently, I celebrated the invention of my 200th cocktail, which I will share with you now. My first cocktail was created in the summer of 2012, and now, almost four years later, here is Number 200, from Kevin's Cocktail Compendium. A blonde sexpot of a drink, that’s sultry, sexy, beguiling, and French. Enjoy! BRIGITTE BARDOT IN A CONVERTIBLE 1 part Reyka Vodka 
 1 part Green Chartreuse
 ½ part Domaine de Canton
 ½ part St. Germain 
½ part fresh-squeezed Lemon juice


Perhaps no drink in the annals of, well, drinking, has inspired such experimentation as the simple martini. Its origins are hazy. Somewhere back in the 19th Century—perhaps in San Francisco; perhaps in New York City—there are rumors of a drink made with "half a wine glass of Gin, half a wine glass of Vermouth." This, of course, is a half century or so before the iconic “martini glass” was even created, which now at times defines the drink itself over its contents.* (More abou

Stills from the episode "The Italian Job", from KEVIN'S COCKTAIL MINUTE. Click on the link below to watch... "THE ITALIAN JOB" Thanks to my beautiful Italian friend Fabi, who told me that my drink has the same colors as Rome's football team. Salute, Fabiana!

We live in what may be called a Golden Age of Vodka, where from the point of view of the mixologist, anything goes. Certainly we are light-years from the days of bottom-shelf two-buck Popov and OJ concentrate. Today, the shelves at the liquor store extend from one end to the other, from top to bottom, loaded with every imaginable kind of vodka, from the steadfast veterans like Stoli, to the up-and-comers like Tito's. There are vodkas made from potatoes, wheat, rye, corn, rice