If you visit Sydney, you need to know this. If you live in Sydney, you need to be reminded of this. Just beside the northern pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is a public swimming pool that offers some of the best – and most peaceful – views of the Harbour and the Opera House. … Continue reading Negroni, how do I love thee? Let me Count the ways
Asking me to name my favourite Bourbon cocktail is a bit like asking me to name my favourite child – I know what the answer is straight away but fear you will judge me if I don’t pretend it’s a difficult task. So ahead of one of the happiest days of the year – World … Continue reading Boulevardier of Broken Dreams
Look, breaking up is never easy, I know (and dear Muddlers, at least some of you will now have an ABBA song on repeat in your heads so you’re welcome), but it may be time for Shake, Stir, Muddle to move on. The International Bartenders Association, which has provided the official list of cocktails that … Continue reading Screw you Screwdriver
I feel I need to start with an apology this week as I know our cocktail under the spotlight will cause some of you to cross your legs in discomfort. It’s a delicious and beautiful offering that almost glows. Orange juice (fresh please), gin, absinthe and grenadine. Easy to make, pleasing to the eye. And … Continue reading Ground up what? I’ll pass. Thanks
Possibly the best-known cocktail ever to have been shaken or stirred, the Martini is kind of the Quarterback of the Cocktail List. It’s so glamorous that you want to hate it a bit, but it’s just so good that you reluctantly acknowledge that it is the most important cocktail on your list. And after a couple … Continue reading Martinez: Team Cocktails’ Defensive End?
I have recently engaged in that most frustrating and futile of pastimes, arguing with someone on the internet. And it all started with a cocktail. Last week I had 24 hours to myself in London and was drawn, as though in a tractor beam, to The American Bar at The Savoy Hotel for a bit … Continue reading Hanky Panky and Ridiculous Feuds
I came to this week’s cocktail confused and trepidatious. The Stinger is an IBA Unforgettable, a category that usually brings me nought but delight. Negroni. Martini. Old Fashioned. Rusty Nail. The Unforgettables make for a happy hunting ground for Shake, Stir, Muddle. The Stinger, however, appeared challenging. Reliable sources tell me it was likely invented … Continue reading The Stinger, Sanctuary Cove and High-ish Society
In this era of striving to be more open-minded and actually considering the possibility that one’s views on something might be wrong, 2017 has seen me turning to vodka. Here’s what I know about vodka – it has no taste and is made from potatoes. And what I know about Martinis? Gin. Anything that calls itself a “Martini” … Continue reading Mission: Imposter Martinis
Dear Muddlers Our last post of the year features a festive bent – not sure if you have noticed, but it is Christmas THIS WEEKEND. Christmas Day presents a cocktail challenge in the sheer length of the event. It really is the one day of the year where it is acceptable to drink from … Continue reading Where you Bellini my whole life?
Shake, Stir, Muddle has a heavy heart this week after learning of Gene Wilder’s death. For those who can do arithmetic and have worked out that being 17 in 1986 meant I was born in 1969, you’ll know that my formative television and movie-viewing years occurred from the mid-70s to mid-80s, an era dominated by … Continue reading It’s pronounced “Fronkensteen”