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Month: July 2017

Monday Classics: The Bee’s Knees

Monday Classics: The Bee’s Knees

Today’s Monday Classic cocktail is The Bee’s Knees, a very simple and straightforward drink that dates back to the Prohibition era. It is thought to have been developed at a time when most of the gin being made was completely uncontrolled and its taste and aroma left quite a bit to be desired. The honey and lemon helped to mask the off flavors and make the gin more palatable. The Bee’s Knees follows a simple sour formula of 2 ounces base spirit, 3/4 ounce sweet ingredient, and 3/4 ounce sour ingredient. It lends

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Friday Musings: Parallel Tracks

Friday Musings: Parallel Tracks

I was in a restaurant in Princeton, NJ last week called The Dinky Bar & Kitchen that’s in a former train station. Most of the original architecture of the station remains intact: the high arched ceilings, the windows, the pass through areas where you would have purchased tickets. Even the menus resemble the old black and white train time schedules, that would change with that quiet whirring kind of noise. It made me think of a recent conversation that I had with my youngest son about the way things like

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Summer Thoughts Cocktail #3: Al Fresco

Summer Thoughts Cocktail #3: Al Fresco

Is there really anything better than eating outside on a beautiful night in the summer? I can’t think of very much. There’s just something magical about sitting under the stars, with twinkling lights and candles, and your significant person, or a really close group of friends. And cocktails, of course. It can be at a restaurant that has outdoor seating, which I happen to love, especially when you find a place in the city that has courtyard seating in the back that you didn’t even know about. Or it can be in someone’s

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Monday Classics: The Jungle Bird

Monday Classics: The Jungle Bird

The Jungle Bird is a fairly modern cocktail that falls into the classic category of tiki drinks that was extremely popular back in the 1940s and 50s, and has been experiencing a resurgence since then. I read a recent article written by Colleen Graham for thespruce.com in which she does an excellent job of defining the tiki category. There are a number of things that characterize a tiki drink and give it it’s signature taste and presence. First, there’s usually rum, and often more than one kind of it. This thrills

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Friday Musings: Kicking and Screamng

Friday Musings: Kicking and Screamng

As you all know, I have a new granddaughter who is just one-month-old as of yesterday, and she has brought such a particular sense of joy into my life. It continues to amaze me that there is a new little person in the world who is connected to me in such a profound way. That joy doubles for me because I have a son and daughter-in-law who have shared her with me so willingly, right from the experience of her birth, and I already feel as though we have something special going on between us. Everyone said

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