One Bottle One Drink – Norwegian Wood
Before I was preparing the article on the Linie Paloma, I was made aware that it was a long time since I last featured aquavit on the blog. To change that, I mixed up Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Norwegian Wood.
Year: 2026
Unbottled – Wagner Stempel Sylvaner Reserve
Finally, I am continuing with my German wine region series. Today we visit Rhine Hesse and enjoy a Sylvaner from Wagner Stempel. Some say that Rhine Hesse makes the better Silvaners compared to Franconia. Well, we will see about that and I also have a cliché pairing with asparagus for you.
Kind of Anesthetic – Engel Szechuan Pepper
We stay a little while longer with the rather interesting Szechuan eau de vie from Manuel Engel. I knew instantly that I had to create a Penicillin variation using it. Then I heard the Villagers’ song ‘Fool’ with the line ‘[…] kind of anaesthetic for the journey’ and I instantly knew how to call the […]
Vallecito – Del Maguey Vida Puebla
Since a few years there is another Vida bottling from Del Maguey. I had to chance to compare both neat and in cocktails. Apart from that, I came up with a spiced Margarita variation using Piment d’Espelette liqueur.
Spirited News 03/2026 – Laphroaig 12 Years
I have to face it, my first love when it comes to spirits were whiskies. There is just no hiding the fact. This is why, I will try to feature a bit more of them on the blog. A new bottling which I could not stay away from was the Laphroaig 12 Years.
Naked & Famous – Del Maguey Vida
Sam Ross’ the ‘Naked & Famous’ probably is one of the most famous Mezcal cocktails out there. It has been a long time since I mixed the last one, so I had to change that. However, I replaced two bottles with slight variations of the original ingredients.
Coal Black Mattie – Cascahuín Añejo
I thought of moving ‘Agave Month’ to May to give me a bit more wiggle room, after Dry January and ‘Tropical Month’. Nevertheless, I will post a few agave-based recipes now and then some more in May. As a start, I am featuring the Cascahuín Añejo Tequila.
The Start of Spring – Linie Paloma
Here in Germany, Linie Aquavit is one of the most famous brands of aquavit. To welcome in spring, I have a refreshing recipe for you that uses an unusual combination of ingredients. However, Linie and grapefruit lemonade do work splendidly together!
Touch the Sky – Reisetbauer Wild Cherry
In this case, Reisetbauer did not get wild cherries for their eau de vie for six years. However, the wild cherry eau de vie is now back in very limited quantities! I am very lucky to have a bottle on hand.
St. Patrick’s Day 2026 – Kicking Around
In my opinion, the Cameron’s Kick cocktail probably is the most underrated Irish Whiskey cocktail. However, the combination with Scotch, lemon and orgeat just works! In this case, I decided to use the Old Comber Blended Irish Whiskey and added a bit extra.