Editor's Note: It's Friday, and it's been a long week - we could all probably use a drink. Here to help us is Greg Best, the mixologist and partner in Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch Public House and H&F Bottle Shop in Atlanta. Visual aids provided by Mark Hill, the Director of Photography for Turner Broadcasting.

This drink was conceived in an effort to be contrarian to the contrarians. It’s no secret that there are many affiliated to bar culture who can’t help but cringe when the word "vodka" is mentioned in their presence. I’ve never understood this, because it’s the first thing most drinking folks ask for. Sure, I understand that it’s not the most expressive or exciting spirit to play with, but let’s face it, it’s not going anywhere.

Enter the Punch Wagon. Delightfully refreshing, bright and snappy, this is a perfect example of what I’d call a "gateway cocktail," or "trust-building drink." Using well-known ingredients in a playful recipe allows for the feel of a user-friendly cocktail experience without some of the more eccentric trappings that we drink geeks are prone to.
FULL POST

5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Spring may have sprung (Ok Punxsutawney Phil, whatever you say), and that means outdoor party season is just around the corner.

Refreshing, tiki-inspired cocktails are in order, whether it actually feels like spring or you just want it to. Throw the ultimate tiki party with these tips and easy libations by mixologist Nate Howell of Cusp Dining & Drinks and Hiatus Lounge in La Jolla, California.

How to Throw a Tiki Party: Nate Howell
FULL POST

Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

Consider the Shamrock Shake. It’s green, it’s creamy, you can get it during the month of March, and since McDonald’s introduced the thing in 1970, they’ve sold more than 60 million of them - the equivalent of 39 gallons of Shamrock Shake for every single person currently alive in Ireland. That’s a whole lot of shake goin’ on.

But of course there are other things you can drink for St. Patrick’s Day. Green beer, well, yeah. I think we can safely move on from that addled inspiration. Ditto the giant foam leprechaun hats. So how about a green cocktail, then?
FULL POST

Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

Because there is apparently a fierce battle to the death over who can make the most expensive cocktail in the world, recently a fellow named Joel Heffernan at Club 23 in Melbourne, Australia, created a cocktail called the Winston. The Winston sells for $12,916. Per cocktail.

This was in an effort to blast from its perch the Salvatore’s Legacy, invented by a fellow named Salvatore Calabrese at London’s Playboy Club (of course), and it succeeded, as the Salvatore’s Legacy concoction sells for a mere $8,388 per drink. Of course, this is all tomfoolery for people with way too much cash, but you have to admit it gets you thinking.
FULL POST

5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

"Don't mess with a good thing."

"There's no need to reinvent the wheel."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

However many adages there are that extol the virtues of the classics, there is always room for minor tweaking - especially when it comes to matters of taste, like cocktails.

According to Adam Bernbach, the bar manager of Proof and Estadio restaurants in Washington, D.C., there are a couple of things experimental imbibers should pay attention to when riffing on the classics.

Five Tips on Getting Creative with Classic Cocktails: Adam Bernbach
FULL POST

While you were scribbling down your 2013 resolutions, is there any chance you thought to include "Get really good at making cocktails"? Nope?

Well, the year is young and we're here to help: "we" being Turner's photography director Mark Hill and Greg Best, mixologist and partner in Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch Public House and H&F Bottle Shop in Atlanta.

In a 62-33 vote, Louisiana House of Representatives declared the Sazerac to be New Orleans' official cocktail. It's a potent blend of rye whiskey, sugar, two kinds of bitters (including the city's native Peychaud's), lemon peel and a little hint of absinthe. For many years, that last one got in the way because it was banned in the United States. New Orleanians made do with Herbsaint - a kindred licorice-tasting pastis - until absinthe's legality was reinstated in 2007.
FULL POST

At 5:31 p.m. Eastern, exactly 79 years will have elapsed since the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, officially ending 13 years of Prohibition and re-legalizing the production, purchase and consumption of alcohol in the United States.

“What America needs now is a drink,” quipped President Franklin D. Roosevelt when Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah ratified the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933.

Of course, numerous “speakeasies” - named because patrons often had to whisper a password through a locked door to gain admittance - sprung up in Prohibition’s wake. Police Commissioner Grover Whalen estimated that New York alone had over 32,000 speakeasies, and the neo-speakeasy fad persists in cocktail bars. (You can also drink in bars that were speakeasies in the ‘20s and ‘30s and that are still serving today.)

Other things arose out of Prohibition, including the real creativity with which determined drinkers evaded the law. Popular songs of the era just before Prohibition included “What’ll We Do On A Saturday Night (When The Town Goes Dry),” “Everybody Wants A Key To My Cellar” and even Irving Berlin’s “You Cannot Make Your Shimmy Shake On Tea.”
FULL POST

5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

It's monster mash-planning time, but don't let your to-do list scare you.

Nate Howell, head bartender at Cusp Dining & Drinks and Hiatus Lounge, has all the tricks and treats to raise the spirits of you and your guests this Halloween.

Oh, and did we mention the killer punch recipes?

Five Tricks for Throwing a Halloween Cocktail Party: Nate Howell
FULL POST

Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

It’s the 23rd of October, which means that once again the birthday of Edison Arantes do Nascimento, much more widely known as Pelé, is here. The man is considered to be the greatest soccer player ever, which, if you ask me, is a fine excuse to celebrate.

Since he’s Brazilian, why not raise a toast to him with a caipirinha? Pelé himself doesn’t drink, but that’s as may be - Caipirinhas, made from muddled limes, sugar and cachaça (the distilled spirit made from sugarcane juice that’s Brazil’s national drink), are refreshing and potent in equal measure. Muito bom!
FULL POST

5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Autumn, to Jamie MacBain, marks the start of bourbon season. When the head bartender at Bourbon Steak in Washington, D.C. is not drinking the brown spirit neat with a splash of water, here are some of his favorite cool-weather cocktails to fall into.

Five Bourbon Cocktails for Autumn: Jamie MacBain
FULL POST