A blue plastic cup filled with a Lillet spritzer. An orange paper umbrella is hanging over the rim.

Lovely Lillet

August 17, 2011 · by · in bar essentials, busman’s holiday, recipes, recommendations, taste tests

Melba comes over to the *DnU HQ* to drink some cocktails made with her bottle of *Lillet,* before Fervere finished the bottle.

The Manhattan

The Manhattan

April 3, 2011 · by · in bar essentials, recipes

Fervere mixes up a perfect Manhattan.

By Badagnani - Own work, CC BY 3.0

Grenadine

February 4, 2011 · by · in bar essentials, recipes

Grenadine is a standard liqueur in the basic bar, but it’s not such a simple syrup.

American Drink on basic bar tools

American Drink on basic bar tools

December 16, 2010 · by · in bar essentials, drink pieces

There’s a Tumblr site called American Drink that I highly recommend. They’ve just posted an article on basic bar tools that is pretty much spot on—it reminds me to get a long spoon. I have one exception to their advice,…

Q Tonic bottle with rocks glass partially filled with ice and a small amount of gin. A lime wedge is on the rim of the glass and the black Q Tonic bottle cap is off the bottle, upside down, next to the rocks glass.

Q Tonic

October 2, 2010 · by · in bar essentials, recommendations, reviews

**Q Tonic** is an artisan tonic water. Let’s try it in a gin and tonic!

Cover image from Frangelico Facebook page

Frangelico

May 29, 2010 · by · in bar essentials, recommendations, reviews

There are a couple of liqueurs that I can not do without: triple sec; an almond liqueur; peach schnapps; and a coffee liqueur. Between these, and the five pillars, I can make dozens of drinks. But I like to keep…