The highball is perhaps the easiest cocktail ever. One glass. Ice. Spirits. Top with pop, water, club soda or tonic. Stir and done. The variations are endless—bourbon and ginger ale (my parents’ standby), Jack and Coke, rum and Coke, whiskey and soda, vodka and tonic—yet hardly varied. Until now. SodaVie launched its line of naturally… Continue Reading
Liqueurs are big these days. Elderberry, apricot, honey, ginger, pine—there seems no end to the sweet libations flavoring our cocktails. And now, into the fray, comes Dumante Verdenoce, an Italian-made pistachio liqueur. Although bartenders like Van Zarr of bluestem have been playing with Dumante for months, I didn’t get my first taste until last week,… Continue Reading
I love gin. I love whiskey. Those statements combined can make it hard to order a cocktail. Now that Old Tom gin is back on the market, though, we can enjoy the best of both worlds. (For details on how this came to be, see my column in today’s Kansas City Star.) Two brands are… Continue Reading
My cocktailing went on holiday hiatus amid the baking, bows and boxes of Christmas. Sure, there was the odd glass of rum-spiked eggnog, but I was largely out of drinkin’ mode. That all ended with last week’s trip to New York, ostensibly to cheer on the Kansas State Wildcats in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl. Slogging… Continue Reading
Kansas City cocktail lovers have been panting for Manifesto to reopen all year. And they’re very, very close, co-owner Ryan Maybee promises. They’re just waiting on Missouri to rubber-stamp their liquor license. But, in the meantime, chef Howard Hannah is set to start serving lunch next week upstairs at The Rieger Hotel & Exchange. Continue Reading