Bittersweettoast

When my son was nine or ten, he discovered James Bond and was desperate to see the latest film. I, as the parent who was still hoping that Disney films would suit his fancy, suggested that he be introduced to Bond the right way by starting with the original, Sean Connery. In the back of my head I was hoping the older films might just be a little more tame, a little more suitable for a pre-teen. That, it turns out, was wishful thinking. But once we viewed Dr. No, there was no turning back. My son was destined, at the ripe old age of ten, to understand the finer points of making a martini a la Bond -- shaken not stirred.  Little did I know that my son would be led astray on the finer points of making a martini because only drinks containing citris should be shaken. The martini, a spirits-only brew, should technically be stirred. Sorry 007. Now my sister, purveyor of all fine things, helped me learn (by accident I believe) that there are two ways to shake a drin...

For such a tiny contraption, the shot glass has a very elusive background. Take your pick on which one most appeals to your imagination. One theory suggests its origin is from the Old West when cowboys would trade in a cartridge for a small amount of alcohol.  Or there's the idea that a shot glass was originally part of a place setting and used as a receptacle for diners who found pieces of lead shot in their meal. Another theory associates it with the use of quill pens, which were stored in small glasess filled with lead shot (taken from the previous night's dinner?) so that the pen would sit upright when not in use. If I had to write with a quill pen, I, too, would keep a shot glass close at hand to deaden the sound of the scratchy pen on paper. There's also the notion that shot glasses originated from Friedrich Otto Schott, a late nineteenth century glassworks factory owner. His last name apparently wasn't phonetic enough, and so the "Schott glass" became t...

Angostura bitters are old, really old. Dating back to 1824, the original recipe was developed by a German doctor who was living in Angostura, Venezuela and working as Surgeon General in Simon Bolivar's army. What slowly started as a medicinal concoction eventually made its way into food and drink. The centuries- old recipe is made today in Trinidad and Tobago. So why name a blog after Angosturo bitters? Well, for starters I just like the name. And how often do you use a product from Trinidad and Tobago? How often do you even think about that little country, other than every four years during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics? My sister, purveyor of all important information, was the first to introduce me to bitters when she shared her love for champagne cocktails. Upon tasting the sparkling concoction, I understood what the big deal was about this dark, medicinal liquid. Angostura bitters impart that special flavor that words cannot describe, and this lack ...

Quinquargenarian. Not a word that easily rolls off the tongue. It's appropriate, though, for the way most people feel when they crest the hill to their 50th birthday.  I met a retired gentleman this weekend who was amazed that I had a child in college. His eyes showed the double-take going on in his mind. My eyes smiled back, and I secretly thanked the hostess for having a home with dark lighting. And so I begin an adventure in blogging. I'm breaking all the rules and don't really have a clear path ahead of me, a clear voice, or a clear audience. In a flippant manner, I dared a friend last August to share fifty drinks with me between her 50th birthday and mine -- a feat that would be a little challenging given the 4 months  between the two dates. We laughed and moved on. Then six lovely friends, upon hearing this tale, suggested I give myself the year to delve in, and celebrate, my fiftieth year. Find fifty really great drinks that expand beyond the wine ...