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Hello Cocktails!

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

Author: HelloCocktails

You Should Drink Here – Grace and Proper

You Should Drink Here (#YSDH) is where I write about cocktail bars that you should, you know, drink at. It means I’ve visited the bar 3 or 4 times and sampled most if not all the drinks, so you can be pretty confident it’s legit. Grace and Proper, a beautiful new-ish Eurobar tucked away in Philly… Read More You Should Drink Here – Grace and Proper

May 4, 2023 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

Diving Into Philly – Part 3

We’re at the six-month mark of this Philly jawnt, and I still find myself intrigued and energized. The city’s distinct and diverse neighborhoods offer varied sights and experiences from block to block. For a completionist like yours truly, the sundry little worlds of Philadelphia motivate me to run through as much of the town as… Read More Diving Into Philly – Part 3

April 15, 2023 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

You Should Drink Here – Southwark

You Should Drink Here (#YSDH) is where I write about cocktail bars that you should, you know, drink at. It means I’ve visited the bar 3 or 4 times and sampled most if not all the drinks, so you can be pretty confident it’s legit. I’ve been a Philly resident for almost four months now,… Read More You Should Drink Here – Southwark

February 18, 2023 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

One Night in Manhattan

“New York gets god-awful cold in the winter but there’s a feeling of wacky comradeship somewhere in some streets.“ – Jack Kerouac New York City is crime-ridden, no fun, dead. Since the pandemic, doomsayers have hammered this narrative over and over again, jumping at any chance to pour dirt on the Big Apple’s grave. No… Read More One Night in Manhattan

February 3, 2023 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

Diving Into Philly – Part 2

Happy New Year! The beginning of 2023 also marks my first two months living in Philadelphia, and truthfully I’ve loved every minute of it (except the parking, that sucks). One of my New Year’s resolutions is to immerse myself in the city and get to know it, aggressively. As I’ve said over and over again… Read More Diving Into Philly – Part 2

January 13, 2023March 14, 2023 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

Diving Into South Philly

After roughly 18 years living in and around the nation’s capital, I decided to pack my bag and dog and take the party to the distant exotic land of Philadelphia PA. There were a ton of real-world reasons for the move, but I’d be lying if the city’s rich culinary culture wasn’t a big factor.… Read More Diving Into South Philly

November 21, 2022December 21, 2022 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

A Boozy Guide to Charleston

Ah, Charleston. Finally shrugging off the frost of a long, cold winter, I was excited to travel down to the Holy City for a wedding in the woods and an extended weekend of polite excess. I’m a long-time and fervent booster of the city, boring all who will listen with over-long attestations to its limitless… Read More A Boozy Guide to Charleston

June 7, 2018June 8, 2018 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

A Boozy Guide to Pittsburgh

In my over three decades on Earth, much of it on the East Coast, I’ve never been to Pittsburgh. It’s a particularly shameful oversight for a history/sports nerd like me – after all, the Steel City has been at the cross-roads of so many formative American trends: the explosive growth of heavy industry, the waves… Read More A Boozy Guide to Pittsburgh

April 17, 2018 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

Gin School at Left Door

As a budding gin-o-phile, I’ve developed a reputation among my friends for offering long-winded, incoherent, but passionate testimonies to the glories of gin. Armed with half-baked history and indecipherable tasting notes (flowery…but not too flowery, right?), I will compel you to embrace gin as I have, no matter how many conversations/parties I must ruin. Folks, that’s… Read More Gin School at Left Door

March 26, 2018 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

A Boozy Guide to Philadelphia

Although I’ve lived up and down the mid-Atlantic my entire life, I’ve only visited the city of Philadelphia on a few fleeting occasions. So, with Philly’s rep sky high and my hankering for good cheesesteaks at a fever pitch, I jumped on Amtrak, put my feet up, and girded myself for battle with the town’s… Read More A Boozy Guide to Philadelphia

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018 HelloCocktailsLeave a comment

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"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." Excited to kick off my first summer as a Philly resident at the beautiful @bok_bar. This is the "Dirty Dio" with Delta Dirt Vodka, grapefruit, pineapple, lime, salt, and club soda. "When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious." So sad to leave Ireland. I'll depart with a long list of wonderful experiences and memories including a magic night at Dublin's @vintagecocktailclub. There, I watched Steve and Laura work a room of 15 people and just kill it. Amazing drinks and service, you must go. This is the "Zombie 1935" with Havana Club rum, Wray and Nephew overproof rum, pineapple juice and bits. "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." If I ever give up on the world, I'll be moving to the Irish countryside - nothing but fresh dairy, thick wool, and green grass. Got a wonderful glimpse of the country life at the @mountjulietestate - just south of Kilkenny, the estate is the perfect ode to Irish hospitality. This is "The Lady Helen" with gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon, grapefruit, bitters, and soda. "Out of Ireland have we come. Great hatred, little room, maimed us at the start. I carry from my mother's womb a fanatic heart." Can't say enough about Dublin - nonstop fun, fascinating history on every block, and classic luxury @merrionhotel including in the stately 23 Bar. This is the "Amour de Mure" with vodka, blackberry liqueur, lemon, and honey ayrup. "Ingen ko pa isen - there's no cow on the ice." Dreaming of Sweden at Andra Hem, the new cocktail lounge in Rittenhouse. This is the "Pears for Heirs" with gin, apricot, pear, and sparkling wine. "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.

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  • You Should Drink Here – Grace and Proper
  • Diving Into Philly – Part 3
  • You Should Drink Here – Southwark
  • One Night in Manhattan
  • Diving Into Philly – Part 2

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