- First, have you entered our Reader Survey yet? You could win a $50 gift card to Cocktail Kingdom just for telling us about yourself!
- We’ve got lots of Thanksgiving ideas for your week! Like how to dress up your bar cart.
- Here’s a Cranberry and Black Pepper Shrub
- Cranberry and Sherry are a fine match
- If you’re at your in-laws and you just have one bottle to work with, get the One Bottle Cocktail book!
- Serving wine and have NO IDEA what glasses to use. Check out this guide from Wine Enthusiast.
- Here’s some appetizer ideas to pair with wine for the day after Thanksgiving...
- If you have guests staying with you this week, make them happy with some Bourbon Salted Caramels. It’s easy to make. Promise!
- Flying out of town? Here’s how airlines are upping their beverage program.
- And finally, if you really want to be lazy and still have drinks for guests this week, just make some punch.
notes
Monday Booze News Crazy Bar Patrons, New Bar Openings, and a Reader Survey
- First! We have a reader survey going on through the end of the month where we want to hear from YOU! Stir and Strain website likes, dislikes, cool things about yourself you want to tell us. Also, one random reader will get a $50 gift card to Cocktail Kingdom as a Thank You (but really, thank you to everyone for participating)!
- Hey look! It’s Ross from Friends possibly stealing some beer!
- Intrigued by Reposado Mezcal? Us too! Here’s a list of 10 brands to check out!
- Also, if you’re looking to purchase a special bottle of whiskey for someone this holiday season and you’ve got some money in your pocket, here’s 13 bottles over $50 that won’t disappoint.
- A great read on the first soda pop—guess the flavor!—and the chemistry behind it (fun fact: I was going to be a chemistry major in college but decided to get a BFA instead).
- When bar patrons go wild...
- Someone let David Wondrich know I’d be more than happy to write a chapter on girl garage band songs that should be played in bars.
- Get your passports out! Here’s some new bar openings from around the world!
- And on a final note, we remember Tom Vaught, icon in the bar world.
Monday Booze News Why oak... Why cocktail onions... Why don't you go vote tomorrow...
Starting November off on a somber note…
- First, remembering Dave Pickerell.
- Not concerned with climate change? Well, maybe you will be when your beer prices sky rocket (although you already should be concerned)!
- Uhhhhh….. looks like someone has been perusing my “adding aroma to cocktails” column on the site...
- Dinner party tidbit: why do we age spirits in oak barrels? VERY INTERESTING!
- A brief history on cocktails garnishes and maybe a push to get simpler again.
- And in case you missed it in the above article, please go read about punch biscuits and then everyone start making them.
- Ok, ok… servers? Is this true? Do you treat a guest like royalty if they give you their leftover wine?
- An argument for keeping the Old Fashioned simple.
- But since we don’t always like simple, just look at all the entries for The Old Fashioned Week over at TheOldReFashioned Instagram!
- Lastly, zero to do with cocktails but tomorrow are the midterm elections. Go vote. Go schedule it on your phone so you don’t forget. DO IT NOW.
Monday Booze News Spooky drinks and links!
Here’s some spoooooky drinks and links this week!
- First, if you enjoy candy, and cocktails, we’ve got THREE drinks on the site that will satisfy your candy cravings without a trip to the dentist.
- Kate from Drinking with Chickens has a very moody, and very delicious cocktail you should drink. There’s also some spooky chicken feet in there.
- Drinking the rainbow is very on trend.
- Natalie from Arsenic Lace wins this week for most scary/awesome garnish game.
- Nope. Hard pass on Tesla flavored tequila.
- The folks over at Honestly Yum have a skeleton charcuterie board and no, it’s not cocktail related, but you should serve this at your next wine party!!!
- Charcoal in cocktails can be too spooky so Ashley from Craft and Cocktails would like to remind us that you can get black cocktails with squid ink.
- The Boozy Bungalow has a Halloween cocktail that looks like someone bled in your drink and just stop what you’re doing and check it out.
- Katie from the Garnish blog serves up some Day of the Dead inspired cocktails and an excuse to get some cute skull cocktail picks.
- And finally, what spooky sh*t is actually hiding in your can of La Croix?
Monday Booze News Drinking at Disneyland! Cocktail Onions! Ax Throwing Bars!
Happy October! Put on a sweater and let’s read some news…
- First, we celebrated #NationalCoffeeDay this past weekend by mixing it into a cocktail.
- You may or may not be excited about the Star Wars land coming to Disneyland next year, but we can all be excited for cocktails being served there for the first time in the park’s history!
- GIVE ME ALL YOUR COCKTAIL ONIONS!!!
- Are you a believer in screw top wines? I AM.
- Would you drink from a reusable beer bottle? Or would you bottle your beer with one? Oregon is trying that out right now.
- Audrey Saunders gets real technical about drink ratios, ice, and the perfect Daiquiri.
- I have so many questions about an ax throwing bar here in Los Angeles, but mainly what does their insurance policy cost??
- As we gear up towards holiday party season, here are some good food and wine pairing tips you should learn now.
- If you’re a fan of Japanese whisky, get ready for their gin!
- And finally, science says NO amount of alcohol is good for you. So… I guess I’m out of a job now?
Monday Booze News Last chance to vote us best drinks blog, mental health in the bar industry, and what is the grossest thing you can make beer from
- First up, voting closes September 12th (this Wednesday) for Saveur’s Best Blogs. We’re up for best drinks! Give us a vote if you like us!
- Second, did you know it’s Dale DeGroff who coined those cocktail glasses Nick & Nora glasses? He also gives the budding cocktail enthusiast some good advice….
- We just wrapped up a whole week of outfitting you home bar around a house cocktail for under $50 (including booze!). Catch up on all the guides here!
- Here’s some good advice for making an Old Fashioned cocktail.
- I am so behind in my edible gummy cocktail recipes.
- See also Ginhound.
- Should you judge a whiskey by its color? Maybe not. Unless it’s green. Then walk the hell away.
- Here’s something kinda gross: beer made from belly button lint.
- And finally, the more people who can talk about mental illness and addiction in the bar community, the more people will be helped.
Outfitting a Home Bar Under $50: Rum Edition
Welcome to the final installment of our “Outfitting a Home Bar Under $50 (including booze!)†series. These guides are meant to be used either as is, or as a starting point to at least get the essentials in order so you’re not stuck with guests and no cocktails. If you have some extra change we’re also including one way to upgrade it as a bonus at the end of the guides!
Today we’re looking at the rum cocktail, the classic, the Daiquiri. You might only be familiar with the frozen kinds you get at the bar by the beach, but let me tell you, a simple Daiquiri is deceptively good, and super easy to make. And no, you don’t need a blender. (Also, realizing there’s a LOT of limes in these cocktail this week, so if you’re not so into those, shoot me an email or leave a comment below that you’d like a different, easy to make cocktail, and I’ll get back to you!) Hope you’ve enjoyed this series!
Daiquiri Home Bar Under $50 ($47.04)
- Rum: there are some great under $20 light rums out there now. Pick one you’d like to drink cause you’re going to taste it in this drink.
- Jigger: can’t stress enough how important an accurate pour is.
- Sugar: go ahead and make a large batch of simple syrup (1:1) and keep it in the fridge for up to a month.
- Pairing knife: there’s lime juice in the recipe so you’ll need to cut up some fruit.
- Limes: like I said…limes.
- Cocktail glass: again Ikea comes to the rescue. However, hit up some Goodwill shops or Etsy for my creative finds.
- Cocktail shaker: no need for a separate strainer as these have the built-in kind (Also, use your refrigerator’s ice maker to fill this with ice. No need for fancy cubes here).
- Citrus reamer: you need a lot of lime juice here so get it all out with a reamer.
Upgrade to an El Presidente ($32.05)
**Prices on products are subject to change and we cannot guarantee that you’ll still be able to score all this under fifty bucks come holiday season. Or two years from now. Pricing not including shipping and local taxes.
Monday Booze News Almost labor-free Labor Day Edition! With Rum! And goldfish crackers!
- Oh hey! We’re a finalist for Saveur Magazine’s Best Drinks Blog! If you like what we’re doing here, please consider voting for us.
- Like drinking cocktails but want a beer? Try these cocktail-inspired beers for your next drink.
- Is that fancy French rosé really cheap Spanish wine?
- This article has convinced me I need some cocktails with gold flakes in them. And also need to stock up on goldfish crackers.
- Sometimes I wished I lived near a forest so I could make foraged cocktails.
- If you’ve got some marmalade around, I’ve got a cocktail for you.
- Let’s take a journey down the long, funky road of Jamaican rum.
- This “underrated” list of liquors has me confused. When are gin and rum underrated? But yes, the takeaway here is we should all be drinking more Aquavit.
- My guide for how to enjoy an almost labor-free labor day (with drinks).
- And lastly, the Joy of Mixology was my BIBLE when I first started getting into mixology and now there’s a newly updated edition and I’m SO EXCITED. This is a must have in your cocktail book library.
Monday Booze News World's largest gin and juice, science gets you to beer faster, and whiskey sex cults
- Looking for a two-ingredient cocktail? I’d like to introduce you to the Suze and Soda.
- I spritz, you spritz, we spritz. Here’s 10 Spritz(es).
- Is that tobacco on the cocktail menu? RUN AWAY!!!
- It’s still hot out. Let’s go drink some frozen cocktails at a bar.
- Get your wallet! Best Asian Whiskey under $100 (and not just from Japan).
- Snoop Dog made the world’s largest gin and juice and no one was surprised.
- This cocktail book has both alcoholic and nonalcoholic versions of drinks for days when you do and days when you don’t. Get it!
- Science saves the day! Here’s the quickest route to visit the top breweries in the U.S.
- If you can paint by number, you can learn wine types by color! And not just red, white and pink.
- And finally, WTFFFFFF is going on with the Seagram’s family?! Two words: sex cult.
Monday Booze News COCONUTS! Amaro Parties! Aperol Spritz Deliveries!
Welcome to your August Booze News. Enjoy.
- It’s summer. You should be drinking your cocktail out of a coconut.
- We all enjoy cocktail umbrellas in our drinks (yes, even you). Here’s where they came from.
- Ever wonder how a tiki mug gets made? Check out how Lono Hollywood got theirs with Tiki Farm.
- Get to know your rum types… and how to drink them!
- What some high-speed video of citrus fruits spitting oil 30 feet per second because… why not?
- For those of us who might be buying their wine picked on the bottle, here are some wine’s with epic, and creative, packaging.
- Taking a break from the booze this summer? Here are a few mocktails you should really try.
- The bar industry is doing its part to become greener. Here’s how!
- Need a fun idea for a night in with your friends? How about a DIY Amaro Party?! Yes, you CAN do this.
- And finally, if you’re in London this month, you’re very lucky, as you can get an Aperol Spritz DELIVERED to you.