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Hello Cocktails!

Books and booze. I live in Philadelphia, but I get around.

Month: January 2018

Suds and Spirits at District Space

On the lookout for weekend plans, an acquaintance reached out over Instagram (I take pictures too folks) to inform me that the pros from the 1 Ounce or 2 Cocktail Club had set up residence at District Space to sling cocktails incorporating beer from the Flying Dog Brewery. She had me at beer! The late… Read More Suds and Spirits at District Space

January 21, 2018 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

High Art at the Columbia Room

It was on a freakishly balmy early January evening in Blagden Alley that we headed to the Columbia Room to sip through their fall tasting menu; temperature wise, it was eerily reminiscent of the last time I’d visited the bar in August. But we cast off our global warming concerns and threw ourselves into the 5-cocktail… Read More High Art at the Columbia Room

January 18, 2018 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

Christmas Cocktails Came Late This Year

My little Christmas cocktail party was all set – early December Saturday reserved, tons of alcohol procured, and a dozen homemade ingredients in the preparation process. But one winter morning I woke up with a horrible fever, and my holiday season was transformed into an fierce battle between my immune system and a hellspawn virus.… Read More Christmas Cocktails Came Late This Year

January 14, 2018December 23, 2018 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

Paris je t’aime

“There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even—the French air clears up the brain and does good—a world of good.” – Vincent van Gogh Upon returning from my week-long trip to Paris, I felt silly telling friends how wonderful it was. The last… Read More Paris je t’aime

January 1, 2018January 21, 2018 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment
"We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred." Made a wonderful discovery in South Philadelphia this weekend - @irwinsupstairs is a super fun restaurant built atop the Bok school, a mastepiece of New Deal-Art Deco architecture. The aesthetic, the views, the service, and the food were all on point. Can't wait to return in the warm weather for some rooftop drinking. This is the "Fig-Getaboutit" with Dark and Overproof rum, fig, allspice, dram, and lime. "Hour by hour the caissons reach down to the rock of the earth and hold the building to a turning planet." No better view of my new city than from  @jgskyhigh - luxurious, fun, and I saw Ja Morant in the lobby. This is the "Pomegranate Storm" with Bacardi white rum, pomegranate, ginger, and lime. “Night was come, and her planets were risen: a safe, still night: too serene for the companionship of fear.” It was a wonderful Valentine's night in the low light of the legendary @theransteadroom with special guest and DC guy @deke_dc from @allegory_dc. The drinks were spectacular, including the "Down the Rabbit Hole" with @absolutelyx, chocolate biscotti, clarified milk, and coffee. "With people you can never tell, will they have changed when next we meet? But here in my dear old home at least, the plums still smell as sweet." Was blown away by @royal_izakaya - amazing food and a beautiful bar to boot! This gem is the "Panda Creamsicle" with pandan-infused white rum, calpico, and orange liqueur. “Nothing is made, nothing disappears. The same changes, at the same places, never stopping.” Had a delightful time sitting at the bar @fiorellaphilly, a cozy and warm pasta restaurant that exudes old Philadelphia. Housed in a sausage store founded in 1892, I ate and drank while staring at a mammoth golden cash register built in 1904! True to form, this is the "Dirty Pasta Water Martini" with gin, pasta water, and olives. “New York gets god awful cold in the winter but there's a feeling of wacky comradeship somewhere in the streets.” Had a nice time in Greenwich Village living the wannabe bohemian life @theupandupnyc. Now quite stylish, @theupandupnyc was previously the Gaslight Cafe, a hub for the legendary folk music scene and the downstairs neighbor of Mr. Jack Kerouac. This is the "Barricaded Mountaintop" with Bimini gin, amaro sfumato, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, lime cordial, and orange bitters. “When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is. Clean is not enough.” It was one of those magical New York nights, full of good cocktails and fun people. I finally made it to the legendary @katanakitten_nyc, and it was everything you hear about. Truly amazing place. This is the wonderful "Ichigo Milkshake" with Remy Martin 1738, Mount Gay run, l'orgeat almond, strawberry cream, and Dale's pimento bitters. "Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home." Had a great time escaping the cold @wphiladelphia and enjoying the wintry @slowdrinks offerings! This is the "Dry Cranberry Ginger Ale" with gin. "These fragments I have shored against my ruins." @thefranklinmortgage was one of the first "fancy" cocktail bars I ever visited way back in 2016, so it was a joy to return and start making new memories. This pretty one is the "Drinking Before Dawn" (we were) with gin, passion fruit, and lemon.

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