let me first say what cocktails often are but should not be: cocktails should not taste like cough syrup. they should not taste like rubbing alcohol. they should not be sickly sweet, nor should they taste artificial. they should not taste of a common commercial product such as Coke, Tang, Froot Loops, or Lemon Pledge. they should not be watery.

cocktails should, instead, taste lively. often complex, yet clean, clear, and bright.

unless you are at a purposefully kitschy tiki bar, drinks are not made better with toothpick umbrellas, fruit wheels, elaborate glasses or bowls or props. they are, however, often improved with rimmed glasses, with ignited or twisted citrus peel, with herbs, spices, or fresh or candied fruit stirred it or floating atop.

key moments from my history of drinkery

margarita from picante. the first time i’d had a margarita with fresh lime juice. my world was rocked. a group of us put away three pitchers. later, someone fell into a pile of tires.

sidecar from michael mina. this was the first time i’d had a non-margarita cocktail that didn’t taste like cough syrup. i felt very old-school sophisticated and $15 poorer.

things from cyrus and west. my current favorite bartenders are scott beattie (formerly of cyrus) and colin macdougall and david wolowidnyk from west. from scott, i love the waverly place echo (mandarin, kaffir lime leaf, five spice) and pelo del perro (grapefruit, coconut, and smoked salt). the latter might be my favorite drink of all time. from colin and david: kaffir fling (kaffir, ginger, orgeat, lime), pie (pumpkin and spice), four o’clock (bourbon, vanilla, orange blossom foam), passage to india (mango, jalepeno, cilantro, curry), and a dozen others they’ve invented on the spot.