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Month: November 2017

Monday Classics: Midnight Coffee

Monday Classics: Midnight Coffee

For many cocktail drinkers, myself included, an Old-Fashioned epitomizes the idea of a classic drink. Its basic recipe provides a blank canvas that invites us to explore the idea of putting our own artistic spin on things. While working this past Saturday behind the bar at Cooper River Distillers, I had the opportunity to experiment with creating an Old-Fashioned with our Rye Oak Reserve rum, a distillery-made coffee liqueur, a rich simple from True Syrups & Garnishes, and a dash of orange bitters. You

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Tuesday Classics: November Storm

Tuesday Classics: November Storm

My search for today’s classic cocktail was motivated by the idea of landing on something that could work for Thanksgiving. I wanted it on the lighter side, and wanted it to be full of spice and thoughts of fall. The book Speakeasy has been an endless source of inspiration for me, and I’ve found myself reaching for it first when looking for ideas, especially recently. This week was no exception. There is a cocktail in it created by Employees Only bartender Milos Zica that is a riff on a Dark and Stormy that

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Friday Musings: My Favorite Jeans

Friday Musings: My Favorite Jeans

I think it’s fairly common to think of love in terms of analogies. Writers, poets, and song lyricists do it all the time. I’m particularly fond of comparisons, like those I made over the summer in the Parallel Tracks and Head-On Collision posts that talked about the different ways in which relationships begin. I found myself thinking about love recently in terms of clothing. Strange, you think? Maybe. But hear me out. Some loves are like that fabulous black dress that you wear on New Year’s Eve. It’s tight and

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Monday Classics: New York Sour

Monday Classics: New York Sour

One of the most accessible drinks for home bartenders to begin making and to begin putting their own personal spin on is the sour. The standard recipe of base spirit and equal parts sweet and sour ingredients on either side of that creates the perfect blank canvas to begin experimenting. The egg white is always optional, whether it’s because you simply don’t relish the idea of it your drink, or because you are a vegan. Always remember that in the latter case, you can substitute one teaspoon

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Friday Musings: Queen Bee

Friday Musings: Queen Bee

One of my very favorite books is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I happen to love the movie too. For me, it’s one of the greatest stories about the impact mothers have on their children’s lives. In this particular case, the main character’s mother leaves her behind with a very abusive father, and although she returns, she dies that same day, leaving little Lily Owens completely uncertain as to whether her mother ever really loved her. Was she returning for just her things that day, or was she

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