diveblog

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks
May your heart be as light as a song
May each day bring you bright happy hours
That stay with you all year long.
Traditional Irish toast

Never mind that St. Patrick – who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the year 432 […]

Laissez les bons temps rouler -> French Cajun -> Let the Good Times Roll

“An American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi Gras in New Orleans.”
~ Mark Twain

From Louis Prima and muffalettas to Kermit Ruffins and Cochon, […]

“From a simple inspiration of adding citrus juice to a traditional cocktail, the Sidecar changed the way bartenders looked at what a cocktail can be. Its trip to European bars refined it, taking it from a little known regional delight to an international sensation.”
AlcoholProfessor.com

[…]

“Alcoholic drinks, rightly used, are good for body and soul alike, but as a restorative of both there is nothing like brandy.” 

–George Sainsbury, 19th Century scholar/historian

“It’s a quirk of history that, these days, people tend to think of cocktails as being made with gin, the whiskies and vodka. Everyone forgets about […]

“France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country.” ~ Mark Twain

“France is the only country where the money falls apart, and you can’t tear the toilet paper.” ~ Billy Wilder

“Dogs smoke in France.” ~ Ozzy Osbourne

“Living in Upstate New York involves wasting one’s time in a pickup truck driving 20 miles to buy a gingham dress or a Sears Roebuck suit. This rural thing – I’m telling you, it’s a joke.”  Ed Koch, 1982 Playboy interview

“Laughter is the language of the soul.” -Pablo Neruda

I’ve written about tequila before, and if you’re paying attention you know the basics: Tequila is distilled in the region surrounding the town of Tequila in the central western state of Jalisco, Mexico and can only be […]

“When it comes to innovation, listen to your customers and never deviate too far from the comfort zone that made your bar successful in the first place. Your aim should be to expand consistently without alienating your loyal customers. That’s what makes a bar – new or existing – great.”
— From ‘Essential Tips To Opening […]

“O tequila, savage water of sorcery, what confusion and mischief your sly, rebellious drops do generate!”
~ Tom Robbins, ‘Still Life With Woodpecker’

“There is a great independence, and a confident immunity to risk, in all drinks made out of cactus.”
~ Alan LeMay, ‘The Searchers’

You […]

“Lord, I have loved some ladies and I have loved Jim Beam
And they both tried to kill me in 1973
When that doctor asked me, ‘Son, how did you get in this condition?’
I said, ‘Hey, sawbones, I’m just carrying on an old family tradition’”
~ […]