The Cocktail Artist

Traditions are what define the holidays. Traditions are comforting, they ground us, but they can also become a bit of a burden. It’s wonderful to have your entire family over for a huge Thanksgiving feast, but by the time you’re done washing up the last of the pots and pans you probably have had at least fleeting thought about eating at a restaurant next year.  Last year we took a non-traditional approach to Thanksgiving and left the country to visit our youngest daughter - who was doing a semester abroad in Seville, Spain. It turned out to been of the most enjoyable holidays we've ever had. Yes, we did miss getting together with our extended family, but having our nuclear family together in such a beautiful place was truly memorable. The Artist had plenty of time to paint, the Mixologist/cook was able to truly relax, and our grown children got to spend time exploring the city and savoring a glass of nice Spanish wine with us at the end of the day. This year we’re at home fo...

Portrait of Lady with a Hat - original watercolor by The Cocktail Artist We are still working on recipes using the array of ingredients that we were introduced to at the Virginia Spirits Festival in September. This is where we discovered a very  unique version of aquavit. We've used Linie Aquavit in several of our cocktails (the Basil Gimlet and the Split Rock Cocktail ), and we certainly think that  Virginia's  James River Distillery Oster Vit would be an excellent choice for those cocktails. James River Distillery uses oyster shells in the steeping process of their aquavit - hence the name “Oster Vit”. This might sound like a bit of a gimmick, but the end result is a terrific herbal (caraway and fennel) clear spirit with a crisp mineral taste. We tried it as a substitute for vodka in our District Martini recipe with excellent results. We're  planning  to continue to experiment with Oster Vit in place of  gin or vodka in some traditional recipes...

Cherry Capital Old Fashioned - original watercolor painting by The Cocktail Artist If you've read some of our previous posts (such as the Up North Raspberry and Rye or the Grand Mariner Cocktail) you know that we're fans of the bourbon and rye produced by The Traverse City Whiskey Co . Traverse City, Michigan is known as the "Cherry Capital" for being the area with the largest production of tart cherries in the United States. In Traverse City, you will find wonderful freshwater beaches, lots of summer tourists, and (of course) cherries! You can attend the Cherry Festival in July, go to the Cherryland Mall, and fly into Cherry Capital airport. So the folks at Traverse City Whiskey (naturally) produce an American Cherry Edition of their bourbon. Here in the Nation's Capital we were lucky enough to find this cherry bourbon at our local liquor store. It's a nice bourbon for sipping neat, but during #OldFashionedOctober we also tried it in an Old Fashioned and...