Author: Bob Westal

As promised last time, this week we have the single most famous daiquiri variation which is named for the single most iconic alcoholic author. Jeffrey Morgenthaler relates one legend behind the drink: Nobel Prize-winning super-author Ernest Hemingway wanted a low-sugar beverage since his array of health problems included diabetes — not to mention depression, a  long history of concussions, and anything else you can think of that excessive drinking might worsen over the long-term while relieving in the short-term. Many believe, however, that it was the even lower sugar Floridita from the last post that Hemingway drank in double-doses (hence…

If you follow your local PBS station, you may have caught the characteristically sober and longwinded Ken Burns-Lynn Novick biodoc about the frequently drunk and legendarily terse Ernest Hemingway. The Nobel Prize-winning uber-author, who was plagued by multiple maladies and more demons, drank less for recreation than self-medication. He nevertheless had famously good taste in bars and bartenders and eventually had his own namesake daiquiri – but that’s not what we’re covering this week. First, I want to start with the bridge between the Hemingway Daiquiri to come and the standard daiquiri I covered a million moons ago. El Floridita…

The popularity of Negronis since the 2010s notwithstanding, lots of people are Campari haters. Even diluted somewhat in a cocktail,  the digestif is just too much for lots of people. If that’s you, you’re going to just loathe The Italian Gentleman. I, on the other hand, get a bit of a kick even out of drinking Campari straight — a fruity sweetness bomb followed by a bitterness tactical nuke. If you’re similarly friendly to this well-known but not universally beloved digestif, you should definitely be on board with this week’s beverage. The Italian Gentleman 1½ ounces Campari 1½ ounces bourbon ¾…

Last week we talked about the tequila-based beverage, the Prado. The origins of the drink and the name are vague at best – other than the fact that prado is the Spanish word for a meadow. The one other clue I was able to find was in a short Bevvy article. It credits Hotel Del Prado, an establishment that was torn down in the wake of the devastating 1985 Mexico City earthquake. The additional confusion is that the recipe is pretty different from the others. But that’s fine. The cocktail I’m calling the Del Prado is a little more inviting…

It would have been cool if the Prado was named for the great Cuban-born mambo-maestro Perez Prado – but that drink would probably call for rum. Our DOTW for today is tequila-based and was concocted in the 1970s, after the decline of mambo music’s popularity in the rock era and before its revival by aspiring lounge lizards in the early 1990s. So, no relation. As per the Tuxedo No. 2 blog, the non-Prez Prado was revived in the 21st century and here it is. It’s probably not the inspiration for this sour’s name, but a prado is the Spanish word…

Roughly 27 hours after this post goes live, the horsies will be running the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Believe me or don’t, I had forgotten about derby day when I chose this drink. That’s what film critical studies people call “the intentional fallacy.” It was simply supposed to be that way. The Derby is a nice alternative to the traditional – and more labor-intensive – mint julep. So what if I was thinking about the hat all week? The Derby was rescued from obscurity by Dr. Cocktail himself, Ted Haigh, who found it in a 1947 edition of a bartending guide…

Everyone online seems to call this drink Cunningham, as opposed to “the Cunningham.” As someone who never got used to saying “Pretenders” instead of “the Pretenders,” I’m going to err on the side of prejudice and stick with the article. (I know no one says “the Depeche Mode” or “the Duran Duran” but I don’t like those bands anyway!) The Cunningham is credited to bartender Marco Dionysos of the long-defunct Tres Agaves – making this my second drink in a row invented in a venerable San Francisco Mexican restaurant. As per Difford’s Guide, the Cunningham is named in honor of…

It’s a relative latecomer among classic cocktails but the standard margarita, as opposed to its insanely popular Slurpee-like variations, has as much clout these days as any respected member of the sour family of cocktails. If anything, it’s surpassed its cousin, the daiquiri, also a victim of slushization. Tommy’s Margarita might be one of my favorite margarita variations yet for its clever sweet-and-sour simplicity. It comes to us from Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco – an institution I’ve somehow missed completely despite having spent a lot of time in the Bay Area. Tommy’s Margarita drops the usual orange liqueur and…

What is a bebbo? It’s the Konkani word for “frog.” What is Konkani? It’s the official language of the Indian state of Goa. The cocktail archeologist sometimes called Dr. Cocktail, and sometimes referred to as big-time Hollywood graphic designer Ted Haigh, is not a fan of the random name of this week’s beverage, which lacks the slightest hint of frogginess or South Asian flavor – at least with most base spirits. I say a drink by any name would taste as sweet; I’d go as far as to say that the Bebbo Cocktail is one of the most refreshing experiences…

My DOTW today is a simple beverage that I initially had mixed feelings about, but I’m happy to say I found a simple cure for what ailed it. More booze! Attributed to celebrity bartender Jeffrey Morganthaler, for me, the Caneflower started as a partial answer to the question: “Golly, I have an enormous bottle of St. Germain Elderflower liqueur and I’ve barely touched it! What now?” The initial versions of the recipe I tried were a little too sweet for my taste, though my in-house guinea pig was okay with a flavor he likened to fruit punch. Since it wasn’t…