Halloween 2026 – Orange Blood
When it comes to holiday-themed cocktails, I usually come underprepared. This time, I threw some ingredients together the day before Halloween and poured the mixture into a pumpkin-shaped mug.
eau de vie
Oats in the Water – Faude Damson
Another great spirit from Florian Faude is his damson eau de vie. While this is a great sip on its own, I decided to use it in a Manhattan variation. This also gave me the chance of opening my bottle of Faude Vermouth.
Still Water – Eduard/ Besos de Café
If you are in Berlin, you simply must visit the KaDeWe. The food aisle in particular is full of interesting things to discover. This time, I tried a black tea with coffee beans and bought some immediately! Of course, I also prepared a cocktail with it.
Tab Dancer – Engel Juniper Uno Gin
At the end of June 2026, I visited my friend Manuel at his summer party, where he let me try his new gin. The Juniper Uno is made using only foraged Italian juniper. Obviously, I had to try the gin alongside another new eau de vie in a White Negroni variation.
Snap Dog – Engel Grape Eau de Vie
Some time ago, I had the idea of combining an unaged grape eau de vie with elderflower in a sour-style cocktail. I was thinking of a Snap Dragon meets Pisco Sour kind of drink. Fortunately, my friend Manuel Engel provided me with his grape eau de vie.
The Bell – Fortaleza Still Strength Tequila
It is not so easy to find a good high-quality tequila here in Germany. Luckily, I got my hands on a bottle of Fortaleza Still Strength Tequila. This also seemed like the perfect base spirit for a White Agavoni recipe I had written down a long time ago.
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.
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.