MySideOfTheBar

Made in a Cave Just before the holidays a new member of the KCTobacPack brought us a couple of offerings from the S.D. Strong Distillery . Now to be honest this is one distillery that I had not heard much about. They advertise as "made in a cave" and my the looks of the website this is true. While I plan on a future outing to this distillery, I can tell you that for the Big Boom Bourbon they advertise as such "After nearly three years in American white oak barrels, Big Boom bursts with spice, fresh oak and soft corn notes, all underscored by a rich layer of caramel" I find this to be extremely accurate and I could have written exactly as they did after tasting. I would rate this slightly better that the Restless Distillery Whiskey that I recently tried and much, much better than the Badlands Whiskey I tried earlier this year. For the Vodka you also get a light corn flavor and according to MySideOfTheBars resident Martini expert, "It makes an excel...

Or as I like to call them "Bartender's Friends). With the Holiday Season once again upon us I thought you might be interested in a little item that will make you a hit at YourSideOfTheBar with you group of "Usual Suspects." These are great and very easy for making top shelf Cocktails. Each box contains 8 packets and you mix one packet with 1 1/2 oz. alcohol and 1 1/2 oz water. Shake in a Cocktail Shaker and pour into your favorite glass. Tip: I use 4 oz. of alcohol and 3 oz. water which makes about two cocktails and still very tasty. I have only tried the Whisky Sour, Lemon Drop, and Margarita as in the picture. (there is also a daiquiri mix) but have received great feedback from my "Usual Suspects." Priced at about a dollar each they are more expensive than you normal mixes, but in my opinion are worth the little extra. Check you local liquor store and they are also available online (Amazon) Cheers The Professor

I have tried about half of these and for the most part agree. If you are looking for Christmas gifts for your Cigar Smoker, start here. Cheers The Professor

I was reading (for the second time) A Classic Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "This Side of Paradise." The protagonist, Amory Blaine, on one of his benders went into a bar and ordered a Bronx. Of course having the inquiring mind that I do I had to find out if this was a real cocktail and if it were how to make one. I really should have not been surprised considering the time period of this novel that this cocktail contained Gin. I have to say I was really surprised how good this was and I will be making them again.  For the Gin I chose Hayman's Old Tom Gin as it is a little sweeter. The Bronx Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces gin 1/4 ounce dry vermouth 1/4 ounce sweet vermouth 3/4 ounce orange juice Orange slice, to garnish Directions: Shake the gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and orange juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the contents of the shaker into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the orange slice and serve. Cheers The Professor

Ode to Drinking Whiskey If I could have one then I would be fine Two would suffice and I would stay in line Three always makes me feel grand Four makes it a little hard to stand Five and I really feel alive Six and I really start to thrive Seven is where things start to blur Eight and I start to slur Nine drinks and I always say I will abstain Ten I fall asleep and dream of starting over again Cheers The Professor 

I was sitting here @MySideOfTheBar drinking Bourbon and listening to the 70's station. Boston - More than a Feeling Fleetwood Mac - Say that you Love Me Charlie Daniels - The Devil Went Down to Georgia etc... As I was getting my grove on I realized that this station to the kids of today is as much of an oldies station as the 50's and 60's stations I listened to as a kid. So my question is, "When the hell did I get old?" I know that 50 is far in my tail lights and 60 is the second off ramp ahead, but still. I am beginning to remember why I drink. Speaking of remembering, it seems the older I get the more I forget. Now this does not mean my memory is going it is just that the older I get the more there is to remember. Now what was I talking about? Cheers The Professor

As most of my 10's of readers know I believe anyone or any bar that uses a store bought bloody mary mix is simply being lazy. However, I do feel it is my place to review any new mixes I find from time to time. Here are my latest discoveries: The first is from the Kansas City Canning Co . "Pickled Bloody Mary Mix" While it works well in a bloody mary, this mix simply does not have any defining characteristics. You could grab some tomato juice and any spices you have on hand and make a bloody mary just as good if not better. The second, however is one of the best premixes I have every had. It is simply called "Bloody Mary Mix."  This mix has a great combination of flavors and just the right amount of spices. It comes from the Preservation Canning Company our of Sacramento Calf. One thing both companies have in common is you can purchase both at the Better Cheddar on the Plaza in KC.  and both have many great items to garnish/enhance your morning cocktai...

This was a first for Central Patti and I. We usually waste the day sitting by the pool at MySideOfTheBarATL, however this year we had something else in mind. We started the day with a charity 4 mile walk/run for the Children's Shriner's Hospital here in KC. Which would have been a whole lot more fun if it had not rained 2 1/2 inches while we participated. We both managed to finish and did enjoy our root-beer float at the end despite the pelting rain. Once we both showered and had a Bloody Mary we were off to our first stop,  Seasons 52 on the KC Plaza. This has long been a favorite stop for us and this day was no different. Central Patti enjoyed a glass of wine and I tried the Grapefruit Negroni. y We also enjoyed some Lobster Flatbread and Southern Shrimp and Grits, both absolutely fantastic. Next it was on to Coopers Hawk for a few more drinks. Then on to  Westport to the home away from home of MySideOfTheBars. Kelly's Westport Inn for ...

I get this question a lot. Cheers The Professor

Feeling this on a beautiful Summer Morning Cheers The Professor

On the cusp of Memorial Day Weekend I thought I would post a couple of refreshing Cocktails to get you started with your weekend festivities. I just finished this one as I type; The Gin Swizzle In a Collins Glass add Ice 2 oz. Gin 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup 2 - 3 dashes Angostura Bitters Club Soda Swizzle with a bar spoon between palms Garnish with a lime wedge Interestingly enough you can substitute Rum, Vodka, Tequila etc. The Bitter Dark and Stormy In a rocks glass add 2 oz. Dark Rum 5 Dashes Orange Bitters Top with Ginger Beer or Ginger Ale Garnish with a Lime Wedge Have a great Holiday Weekend Cheers The Professor

This one is so good I am adding to the book Cheers The Professor

Found this in a book and thought it was worth sharing The Great American Cocktail Perhaps it's made of Whiskey and perhaps it's mad of gin, perhaps there's orange bitters and an orange within, perhaps it's called Martini and perhaps it's called again, the name that spread Manhattan's fame among sons of men; perhaps you like it garnished with what thinking men avoid, the little blushing cherry that is made of celluloid, but be these matters as they may, a cheer confrere you are if you admire the cocktail passed along the bar. Wallace Irwin Cheers The Professor

Thought this look great with Cinco de Mayo looming Cheers The Professor

I was looking to make a different Gin Cocktail last weekend and ran across the "Last Word" very easy and very tasty. Also some great information on stocking your bar. Cheers The Professor

A while back I purchased a bottle of Dolin Blanc Vermouth. I figured what the hell I had already tried the dry and sweet so why not? I tried this Vermouth and was more than a little surprised. It actually had a sweet taste and could stand on it's own. So a couple of weeks back I was in the lab looking for a Cocktail to make with it and discovered this recipe. The Rye Vermouth Sour 1 OZ Rye Whiskey 1 1/4 OZ Dolin Blanc Vermouth 1/2 OZ Fresh Lemon Juice 1/4 OZ Simple Syrup A dash of Angustura Bitters Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice and give it a good shaking Pour into a Coup of Martini Glass and garnish with a lemon slice Happy Mixing Cheers The Professor

As most of my tens of readers know Central Patti and I just spent a month in Key West. Most people don't know it but Key West is a very small island and is only 4 miles long by 2 miles wide. On this small "Rock" are 360 bars/pubs/restaurants. We managed to hit 63 different ones in a month (several of them 2 or 3 times) and here are some highlights. We had Sloppy Joe's at Sloppy Joe's and Margaritas at Margaritaville . We had a great lobster roll at DJ's Clam shack and found an excellent pool bar in Dante's . The White Tarpon - Great Happy Hour Specials. Peel and eat shrimp, oysters, and quesadillas. They also server Key Lime Pie Martini's as fast as they make them. The 2 Cent Bar - Another great happy hour stop. Happy hour starts at 4 and at o'clock on the nose a small bucket of bacon appears in front of you. You pick your happy hour drink and then roll the dice.  a 1 = $1 a 2 = $2 a 3 = gets  you half off 4 - 6 is ...

Well we will get to that later. Shawn Sullivan A.K.A Sully, only about two years apart in age, however running in the same circles we seemed to always be on opposite sites in sports. He was a guard in basketball and I was a small forward/guard and we always seem to have the job of guarding each other. Sometimes it was not pretty as we spent a lot of time pushing and shoving and fouling each other, however after the game we could enjoy a beer together and swap stories of our individual triumphs. In the summer, we played rec league softball on opposite teams. Sully played short stop on a team sponsored by a national fast food restaurant that may or may not have served a Big MAC, or was in the Big Mic? I played short stop for a team sponsored by a small-town insurance company.   Over the years, we became very good friends and enjoyed the rivalry of our athletics as well as simply hanging out.  While I could not help Sully much with his insurance needs, Sully was most h...

So this guy crossed in front of me the other day while I was walking to the store So I had to stop and talk to him an ask the age old question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" His reply was sly. He said to his knowledge no chicken has EVER answered that question and never will. I asked him, "so it was not to get to the other side?" He replied "no sir, I just said we are all sworn to secrecy" He continued and said, "I have heard rumors of chickens, roosters, and hens, having divulged some information on the subject and the next thing I knew was they were either road kill or made it to chicken nirvana, KFC He continued to say that he was much past his prime so all he could really hope for was to end up in some locals cook pot. My last question for this cock was " you got the hen, the chicken and the rooster. The rooster goes with the chicken. So, who's having sex with the hen?" To which he replied, "we are all...

As most of my 10's of readers know MySideOfTheBar is spending the month of February in Key West. Which can probably figure means visits to many, many drinking establishments. I thought I would do some quick hits on them as the weeks go by. My first post (not stop) is the Whistle Bar which is located on Duval Street right here in Key West. The Whistle Bar is actually part of a three level bar. The Bull is the first level and hosts great live entertainments. The Whistle Bar is on the second level and along with a full service bar has an awesome outside bar rail that is worth a lot more that you have to pay to sit outside (the price of your drink) You look over Duval Street and can see perfectly all the people walking by. You have probably guessed this gets more entertaining as the evening goes by. :) The third level you will need to check out for yourself. (Caution) Cheers The Professor

There is this story sent to me by a regular contributor. The Sierra Club and the U. S. Forest Service were presenting an alternative to the  Wyoming  ranchers for controlling the coyote population. It seems that after years of the ranchers using the tried and true method  of shooting or trapping the predators, the Sierra Club had a "more humane" solution to this issue.   What they were proposing was for the animals to be captured alive. The males would then be castrated and let loose again. This was ACTUALLY proposed by the Sierra Club and by the U. S. Forest Service. All of the ranchers thought about this amazing idea for a couple of minutes. Finally an old fellow wearing a big cowboy hat in the back of the conference room stood up, tipped his hat back and said, "Son, I don't think you understand our problem here. These coyotes ain't fuckin' our sheep; they're eatin' 'em!"   The meeting never really got back to order. Cheer...

This is hard for me to believe, however this is one of the best Gin's I have ever tasted. The story is not bad either There will be much more on Hayman's Old Tom Gin in the future here at MySideOfTheBar Priced at under $25.00 a bottle it is indeed hard to believe! Cheers The Professor