Keep it cool: Using the right ice cubes

When making cocktails, simple tricks and tools can go a long way in expanding the taste and life of a drink. For many drinks, ice plays an important role; but not all ice is created equal. 

Cocktails made with raw egg whites aren’t as popular as they once were. At the end of the 19th century, New Orleans’ Ramos Gin Frizz was the craze. If you’ve recently been to upper-end cocktail bars, where they specialize in fine hand-crafted drinks, you’ve noticed a comeback. It seems that raw egg white infused cocktails have found their way back into some spectacularly elegant drinks. Shaken thoroughly and briskly, egg whites give drinks a wonderfully silky and light frothiness. It adds texture and volume to a cocktail. Drinks with whole eggs in them such as the Pisco Sour and the Los Angeles Cocktail have a creamy, rich consistency without the excess of actual cream.

High quality champagne or bubbly as some of us like to call it, doesn’t have to be expensive. At CocktailCook.com we give you an option that will deliver award-winning taste at a fraction of the price of it’s competitors. What is this French Champagne? Bollinger Special Cuvee! At $60, you get a champagne that won top honors at Frances La Revue du Vin, Paris and is the official champagne of the British Royal Court. If you’re wondering what it tastes like before you buy, it has been described by Wine Spectator as “a rich, smoky Champagne, with hints of marzipan and fennel seed accenting honeyed malt, bread dough, baked apple and gingersnap flavors.

These days there’s a popular player when it comes to tasting parties and events. Wineries and Ice Bars aren’t the only interesting ways to have some fun with your favorite types of alcoholic beverages. Lucky for beer enthusiasts, there is no shortage of breweries, pubs and brewhouse style restaurants to enjoy beer tasting and search for new flavors and styles. Before you begin drinking, read about a few basic tasting skills and get the most out of your beer tasting experience.

Whether you’re at a popular nightclub with friends or enjoying a drink with your special someone at a local bar, it always pays off to befriend the bartender. The last thing you want is to be standing at the bar waiting for a drink longer than you have to, tapping your foot as your patience wears thin, and your frustration grows high. To avoid all this, all you have to do is befriend the bartender. After befriending many bartenders myself and reading into numerous interviews with them, there are a few seemingly simple yet important things you can do.

Beau Joie (pron: bo-jwah) is getting ready to launch in the United States and set a new level of luxury Champagne.

“BEAU is a statement-making luxury champagne unlike anything previously available.” “Infusing qualities like romance, chivalry and fun into a stagnant champagne category, BEAU presents consumers an unparalleled luxury experience. The allure and sexiness of the product is unmistakable, and its price point delivers obtainable luxury. When you order a bottle of BEAU, expect heads to turn.”

Statement from Jon Deitelbaum (President and CEO, Toast Spirits):