I first encountered the Negroni during my junior year of college when I was studying abroad in Italy. I was in Siena for a long weekend away from my program in Rome, and while my friends and I sat on the ground of the clam-shell shaped Piazza del Campo in the center of town enjoying …
The Boulevardier is a regular around these parts. It’s a drink that straddles the line between Negroni and Manhattan. Depending on how you frame it, it’s either a Negroni with whiskey swapped in for the gin or a Manhattan with half of the sweet vermouth swapped out for bitter Campari. It’s welcome cocktail, especially in …
I recently watched the first episode of the new season of Netflix’s excellent documentary series Chef’s Table. It focused on Grant Achatz, the highly acclaimed chef behind Chicago’s own Alinea, Next, The Aviary, and Roister. It was a compelling episode, in part because it is so satisfying to watch a person doing what he so clearly should be …
A few years ago, bartenders went crazy for barrel-aging cocktails. The idea is simple: make a large batch of a cocktail, put it in a barrel (preferably one that’s been used for aging bourbon or wine) and let the cocktail age, mellow, oxidize a bit, and take on the flavor of the wood. It’s basically …