With this preposterous election year careening to an anti-climax, I was inspired to make a cocktail that hearkens back to a time long ago, to a man who seems strangely familiar. For all of his faults (like murdering thousands of people, including priests, who disagreed with him), Benito Mussolini wasn't all bad. He practically invented Fascism, which is no small feat. And he had no qualms about posing shirtless in the Italian Alps on a skiing trip (as a well-deserved respite from the demands of dictatorship). And I imagined being part of the coterie of admirers of his hairy, barrel-chested governance. And after a sweaty time on the slopes, we would all gather at the ski lodge to down well-cr
Outside of my best pal, Jack Morgan, e.e. cummings is my favorite poet. And he was also a novelist, playwright, and painter (like someone else I know). Today's drink I created in his honor... i will wade out till my thighs are steeped in burning flowers I will take the sun in my mouth and leap into the ripe air Alive with closed eyes to dash against darkness in the sleeping curves of my body Shall enter fingers of smooth mastery with chasteness of sea-girls Will i complete the mystery
Perhaps I've been reading too much Schopenhauer... "There is only one inborn error, and that is, that we exist in order to be happy… What really gives life its wonderful and ambiguous character is that two diametrically opposed aims are constantly at war with each other—that of the individual will, directed to chimerical happiness in an ephemeral, dream-like, and delusive existence in which the present is every moment becoming the past; and that of fate, visibly directed to the destruction of our happiness, the mortification of our will, and the abolition of the illusion that holds us chained in the bonds of this world. The peculiar effect of the tragic drama is that it shakes this inborn er
To the uninitiated, their worldview of cocktail bitters begins and ends in the refrigerator with that weird bottle with the over-sized wrapper. But since we’re in the kitchen, imagine just one spice in the spice rack. This is how the dedicated cocktail enthusiast, the mixology maven, the drink-making mad scientist looks at cocktail bitters—as a vast array of spices on the shelf. And exactly like that perfect seasoning you would add to your favorite dish, choosing the right bitters for a drink is often the difference between that supremely rewarding “Ahh! This is it!” moment, and that most disappointing “Meh.” Another cooking analogy: that meal you painstakingly prepared, you take the first
A drink that is more than the sum of its parts, this cocktail is as smooth as it gets. The disparate tastes of Averna (with its caramel undertones), Byrrh (with its bitter complexity and hint of quinine), Domaine de Canton (with its invigorating splash of ginger), and Disaronno Originale (with its touch of almond). Add to this, lemon and spiced cherry, and you have a drink that’s how dating should be. Relaxed, easy, drama free. Click on the link below to watch the video from KEVIN'S COCKTAIL MINUTE... "Dating is Hell on Earth" And on a related note... Check out this crazy cocktail video: "I Fell For a Nutcase" AND read my article in The Huffington Post: "Why I Hate Online Dating" "I'm so
The "Manhattan" is one of the most remarkably versatile drinks in the repertoire of Classic Cocktails. Here are three of my own variations on a theme. The first, with Cynar, the disarming Italian amaro flavored with artichoke (see the BLOG entry of April 7, 2016 entitled: "What the Heck is Cynar?"). The second, my current favorite, that combines the assertively bittersweet Italian Vermouth, Punt e Mes, with the deliciously subtle walnut liqueur, Nocello. The third, my take on "The Perfect Manhattan", where instead of Sweet Vermouth, I offer the exotically flavored, grappa-based Amaro Nonino from northern Italy, and instead of Extra Dry Vermouth, I substitute Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, with
Enjoy these still photos from the shoot for our latest video in KEVIN'S COCKTAIL MINUTE! Click on link below to watch! "How Green is My Cocktail" Measuring out the good stuff, as Anna looks on... Oooh, that's a big muddler you got there! The muddler in action! So sweet and innocent. But then... Tess! Help! (Click on: Tess Posthumus, my mixology mentor) Finger-lickin' good! I want to ride on this, the Hendrick's Cucumber Blimp!
A drink that is as beautiful to look at as it is to consume, this signature cocktail blends the subtle taste of muddled cucumber with Hendrick’s gin, along with melon, lime, and white cranberry. Click on the link below to watch the newest cocktail video from KEVIN'S COCKTAIL MINUTE... "How Green is My Cocktail" Yes, it's as delicious as it looks! And be sure and try these other delicious green drinks: Enough Politics! Here's an Appletini! The Jets Suck Again: A Sour Cocktail (& Video) for Another Season of Suckatude
Here are some completely amazing shots from the newest episode of KEVIN'S COCKTAIL MINUTE: "Don't Rob Banks in Bolivia"... Ready to bang the gong and get it on, cocktail-wise. Movers & Shakers. Drink Fernet because Sky Jack Morgan says so! Peppers... and Alcohol! That thing he does with sour oranges...
Our Retro Cocktail for September is the more famous of the two "reviver drinks" still extant from the Prohibition Era. (See the BLOG entry for May 1, 2016... Retro Cocktail for May: Corpse Reviver No. 1) Supposedly, there was so much drinking during Prohibition that so-called "reviver" drinks were created as salutary hangover cures. Although the inventor of today's cocktail, Harry Craddock himself, stated, "If you drink three or four of these in a row, then the corpse will no longer be revived but will revert back to being a corpse." Ah, modern medicine! CORPSE REVIVER #2* 1 part Beefeater Gin 1 part Cointreau 1 part Lillet Blanc** 1 part fresh-squeezed Lemon juice Shake over ice, then
Inspired by Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, this cocktail is complex, with a spicy sweetness that’s just right. With the flavors of aged rum, vanilla and citrus, coffee and chili peppers, sour orange and chocolate, balanced by the unique herbal bitterness of Fernet-Branca. Click on the link below to view video... "Don't Rob Banks in Bolivia" "Who are those guys?!"
