The Dude Imbibes

This post goes out to my intrepid friend Neil, who has very recently taken up residence in China’s largest city. Best of luck over there across the pond. This is one of those cocktails where the name doesn’t really match the drink.  I usually don’t think of China with a drink containing rum or anisette, [...]

As I’m sure you’ve heard, we here in Los Angeles have been dealing with one hell of a fire as of late.  As I write this the air is looking more and more like Beijing around here.  It’s keeping me from venturing outside and as a consequence, closer to my home bar.  I decided to [...]

Because it’s a really good cocktail.
Because I’ve been craving one lately.
Because I needed one (or more) after a hellish week of work.
The Aviation
2 1/4oz London Dry Gin
3/4 oz maraschino liqueur
3/4 oz lemon juice
Shake all ingredients together with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Happy birthday, Mr. Hemingway. Aside from an unfortunate shotgun incident, today would be Ernest’s 110th birthday…although I doubt his liver would have lasted this long. If you haven’t finished your summer reading list, now is your chance to catch up on a hero of American literature.  As I suffer through an endless heat wave here [...]

Apologies for not posting in a while.  We here at TDI had the last-second opportunity for a much needed vacation and decided to jump on it.  The Iberian peninsula…Spain and Portugal for a couple weeks.  We had a fabulous trip filled with great food, wonderful drinks, late nights and great times.

Huge thanks and love to [...]

Ah yes, it has arrived. I am, of course, talking about the summer solstice. The end of spring…the start of summer. Death and birth. All you pagans and wiccans are probably shuddering with delight. Not only does the solstice oddly fall on father’s day this year, but my friends Kari and Nick are getting married [...]

I know there has been a lack of posts, but I’ve been tending to some family things here in the outskirts of New Orleans for the past week or so.  Alas, I won’t be able to stick around for Tales of the Cocktail…as I’m sure some of you are attending.  I guess I’ll just have [...]

First things first.  I just want you to know that this dish is so simple and sooooo good that we’ve had it two nights in a row.  We were craving some seafood and Leila spotted this tasty recipe.  We can’t get enough.  Seriously.  I could eat this again.  Right now.

Oh, how I love curry!  Sweet [...]

Oh yes, there will be blood.  I decided to see what all the hullabaloo was about for the HBO series “True Blood”.  I put in the first episode and began…and lasted about halfway through before the mangling of the southern accents had me thirsting for a drink. (*Note to the General Public:  Contrary to what [...]

A classic New Orleans cocktail.  It was invented in 1938 at the Monteleone Hotel in the French Quarter by its then head bartender, Walter Bergeron.  If you haven’t been to the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone, well, you are missing out.  Get to it.  The name “Vieux Carre” means “old square” and while the French [...]