Suffering celebrants have this morning two options: going it again or going without. Mr. Eric Felten of the Wall Street Journal discusses the options. I myself am partial to the “liquor-egg-dairy lines” favored by Mr. Frank Sinatra.

Some events current, some less so. Mr. Eric Felten of the Wall Street Journal commemorates the “delightfully vulgar Blagojevich affair” with the cocktails du jour–and of yesteryear. His recipe for Cohasset Punch, itself an ingredient in Saul Bellow’s Dangling Man: 1½ oz dark rum 1 oz sweet vermouth juice of ½ lemon ½ oz syrup [...]

Satisfactory “doin’s”: “It’s a common saying that no one has been able to tell if they are historians that like to drink or drinkers who like history,” said Dr. Robert J. Chandler, a senior historian at Wells Fargo Bank and a proud member of the group’s San Francisco chapter. “And no one knows because no [...]

In the Atlantic Monthly, Wayne Curtis explores the bitter truth of Fernet Branca–which, contrary to popular misconception, is not the older brother of Glenn. Other than that, it’s hard to describe what Fernet Branca tastes like; it mostly tastes like Fernet Branca. But to give you an idea: in 1960, Betsy von Furstenberg was suspended [...]

— and the taste of a good whisky as well. Doctors offer new prohibitions on drinking for the older set. I’ve been exceeding these limits since before the researchers were born, thank you very much. What doesn’t surprise me is that the “risky” drinkers are the happy ones.

Mark Bittman, writing for the New York Times, asks: Why not make cocktails from scratch, ignoring the names and acknowledging your preferences? No doubt he was schooled by one of those forward-thinking history teachers who told him that it wasn’t necessary to learn dates or, heaven forbid, facts. If a London cabbie must memorize his [...]

The painter Leopold Segedin creates not only with the brush but also with the swizzle stick. An aficianado of the gin manhattan, he has taken the time to share with us the theory and practice of martinis. I was quite taken with this quote from Bunuel: .…it was said that the making of a dry [...]

Eric Felten has finally–or once again, I can’t say–gotten ’round to the Manhattan (“Democracy in a Glass,” The Wall Street Journal). As usual, he is quite informative and generally correct in his opinions. But while he does well to call for a better class of fruit (a Luxardo marasca cherry), I’ve never regretted the day [...]

My pater sent me this article many months ago, but he lives in the Wild West, you know, and the ponies are not as express as they once were. Also, I am behind in my reading. But I was delighted to learn that I have a kindred spirit at the Grey Lady herself, the New [...]

Jason Wilson is a man after my own heart. I don’t normally care to dirty my hands in the kitchen, but perhaps it’s time for that to change. I had thought that drinking would be enow to while away my golden years, but likely I would enjoy making the drinks as well.