Negroni Week 2025 – One Red Thread
I just got a hunch that fig might work well paired with the classic Negroni flavours. So, I just had a go at it. I guess it turned out pretty well.
fortified wine
Negroni Week 2025 – Cliché
Basically, I built this Negroni variation around the glass from Lobmeyr which just seemed perfect for a straight up serve. I chose the name of a random song which came up when I typed “grapefruit” into Apple Music. Yet, it seem perfect, because by know every iteration of the original just seems like a big […]
One Bottle One Drink – Bitter End
Yes, this is another Negroni variation and not necessarily one suited for summer. However, the split base of overproof cognac and overproof calvados was too intriguing to not try it. Obviously, I had to pair those powerful spirits with other strong ingredients.
Vanilla Honey – Engel Vanille
This time, I would like to present another obscure eau de vie to you. My good friend Manuel from Engel Naturbrennerei distilled vanilla beans. Naturally, I could not resist trying it. I thought the eau de vie would work best in a variation of the Manhattan cocktail.
Sealights – Casa Eva Vermut
Vermouth slowly, but steadily replaces gin as the new “it” drink. My friend Stefan Winterling decided to also have a go at it with local ingredients from Mallorca. I already tried his Vermut at the distillery during our summer vacation and really enjoyed it. Now, I also created an easy summer sipper inspired by the […]
Monsieur Valentine – Engel Clementine
I have tried a few mandarin eau de vies so far, but I never had one distilled from clementines. Of course, those two citrus varities are quite similar that is why you can only but clementines as fresh fruits. Yet, this did not stop me from using the spirit in another summer highball.
New Ceremony – Engel Yuzu Eau de Vie
The next eau de vie from Manuel Engel uses one of the most famous Japanese citrus fruits. There are not a lot of yuzu eau de vies out there. So, Manuel took a chance and added one to his portfolio. Naturally, I want to share my thoughts about it, along with a refreshing highball.
Carta bianca – Engel Grapefruit Eau de Vie
I do love eau de vies and especially the ones distilled from citrus. My good friend Manuel Engel has some new varieties, and I had to try them! The first on my list is the grapefruit spirit. For a drink I kept it simple for a perfect summer refresher.
Agave Month ’25 – No Bullets Spent
I based the drink on the modern classic Negroni Bianco / White Negroni. Yet, I went for Reposado tequila as the base spirit. My changes did not stop there, but I also used a rather nerdy liqueur as well as a split wine base of port and Cocchi Americano.
Old Team – Compass Box Crimson Cask
In fact, I wasn’t a big fan of the old sherry forward bottling ‘Story of the Spaniard’. Of course, it was not bad, but something was missing from it to make it special. Yet, the new Crimson Cask makes totally up for it! On top of that, I decided to mix a Black Manhattan variation […]