Cocktail Secrets

Toasting - the art of giving a witty or sincere comment before enjoying a drink - has been in decline for some time. You’ll still hear them at weddings or New Years Eve parties, but casual toasting has virtually vanished in our busy society. It’s a shame too because good toasts remind us what’s important in life and celebrate friendship. Here are a few toasts that are easy to memorize:

May we be happy, and our enemies know it.

Let us live while we live.

Here’s to cold nights, warm friends, and a good drink to give them.

May our house always be too small to hold all of our friends.

A man is only as old as the woman he feels.

Women have many faults. Men have only two.
Everything they say, and everything they do.

Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer.
Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention,
but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.

Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer.

To our friends, who know the worst about us but refuse to believe it.

Have a favorite toast you want to share? Post it! And as always, if you have a question, or want to see a particular recipe or liquor reviewed, post it. No registration required.

Most of the large liquor bottles (the 1.75L size) have a plastic doohickey inserted into the neck. What’s it for? The masterful and impressive speed pour. It takes a little bit of practice but you can easily train yourself to accurately measure out shots without having to use measuring aides, like the jigger & pony.

Here’s how you do it: Grab a container with known measuring markings - like a measuring shot glass - and holding the bottle at a 45° angle, pour the liquor into it. When the booze starts flowing, start counting by saying, “One, one thousand.” When you finish saying the phrase, tip the bottle back upright. Some booze will continue to pour out while you’re tipping the bottle back upright. That’s ok - it’s supposed to happen.

Now take a look at your measuring shot glass. If done correctly, you’ll have exactly 1 oz of the good stuff in the glass. If you’re a little low - less than an ounce - you counted too fast or tipped the bottle up too fast. Drink the shot and try again, counting a little slower. In the same way, if there’s more than an ounce, you were a bit slow. Drink the shot and try again, but speed up saying, “One, one thousand.”

To measure two shots, just count “One one thousand. Two one thousand.” It’s a silly phrase, but it works. It may take several tries to get the hang of this method, but it’s worth it for the time you’ll save and the less measuring aides you’ll have to wash!

If you don’t typically buy the large 1.75L size bottles or you can’t be bothered with all this, check out the calibrated 1 oz. pourer. It fits over any bottle and will measure out exactly one once each time!

As always, if you have a question, or want to see a particular recipe or liquor reviewed, post it. No registration required.