bitters


March 9, 2011

Happy Hour: March Cocktails: In Like a Lion’s Tail

by Fredo Ceraso

Lionstail1

March, as the idiom goes, comes in like a Lion, and goes out like a Lamb. This month may bring us spring-like temperatures, but also one more blizzard for the road. Winter’s last blast requires a libation celebrating the flavors of the season and is worthy of the ferocity of the month’s namesake, Mars, the
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February 16, 2011

Happy Hour: The Vesper

by Payman Bahmani

Vesper Cocktail

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

“Certainly, monsieur.” The barman seemed pleased with the idea.

“Gosh, that’s certainly a drink,” said Leiter.

Bond laughed. “When I’m…er…concentrating,” he explained,
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February 2, 2011

Happy Hour: The Old Fashioned

by Payman Bahmani

Old Fashioned

Before we had bars, we had places called taverns and saloons. And before we had Manhattans, Martinis, and other fancified cocktails, there was a drink which people simply referred to as a ‘whiskey cocktail.’

It was the early 19th century, and the term ‘cocktail’ referenced a simple drink composed of a spirit along with a bit of sugar, water,
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December 22, 2010

Happy Hour: Cielo de Jalisco

by Payman Bahmani

Cielo de Jalisco

I really wanted to do a special Christmassey cocktail for you all but in the end I couldn’t really get my mental mojo into it– sorry, folks. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always enjoyed the special feeling the season invokes despite being an avowed atheist.
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December 8, 2010

Happy Hour: The Charlie Sheen

by Payman Bahmani

Charlie_Sheen

“Slash sat me down at his house and said, You’ve got to clean up your act. You know you’ve gone too far when Slash is saying, ‘Look, you’ve got to get into rehab.” - Charlie Sheen

What do you do when you have trouble coming up with a name for a
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November 3, 2010

Happy Hour: Rikuo Cocktail

by Payman Bahmani

Rikuo Cocktail

Sometimes I hear or read about something while going about my every day business and it inspires me to hit my liquor cabinet and create something. Sometimes it’s the other way around, where I’m playing around with different spirits and ingredients and I come across a combination I really enjoy. In the case
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October 27, 2010

Happy Hour: Blood and Tears

by Payman Bahmani

Blood & Tears

Halloween’s only a few days away and many of you still haven’t bought or made your costume, or worst yet, haven’t even figured out what you’ll be dressing up as.  Unfortunately I can’t help you in that department. However where I can be of
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October 26, 2010

Umamiventure #29: Bitters Tasting with A.B. Smeby Bittering Co. (NYC)

by Kayoko

smeby_bitters_04.jpg

Photos by Erin Gleeson.

On a balmy, quiet Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, we had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Louis Smeby, founder of A.B. Smeby Bittering Co., for a tasting of his extensive line of bitters. When we all settled down in Quarter Bar‘s charming back yard, there was one
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October 20, 2010

Happy Hour: Return from the Dead!

by Payman Bahmani

Bear Trap

Our Editor has named “death” as the theme for the remainder of October here on Umamimart, and it’s quite fitting because for most readers death is an apt description of the state of the Happy Hour column. As some of you know I haven’t
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October 14, 2010

Best of UM: Happy Hour: Metropole

by Kayoko

Metropole Diptych

By Paystyle Originally posted on March 3, 2010

*I am especially fond of this post because it has reunited long lost family members (almost). Please make sure to read the comments. It’s incredible.

In the world of mixology, there aren’t many cocktails based on Cognac relative to the other spirits.  I can
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