Dave

Don’t you love a good cocktail?
 
 
There are few things better than sitting around a table chatting about life with friends while sipping on a nice drink.
 
 
 
After college, I noticed that most people migrated towards a drink of preference. At dinner parties or out, my friends rarely ordered anything outside of their norm. This has been one source of my motivation. I want people to try simple, new drinks that they might add to their mental list to order at a bar depending on their mood or time of day. I want people to not be intimidated by massively overcomplicated bartending skills and drinks. Yes, there are years of education and training to becoming a true professional craft cocktail bartender, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be pretty amazing, amateur bartenders making a whole range of awesome drinks at home.

I don’t know when I felt the urge to start experimenting and developing cocktails, but I know the who. My brother met and brought a wonderful person into our family: Blaine. He has this passion for making cocktails and this passion is as all over the map. Early on, he would find a recipe to make for a party and then it was typically never seen again. You know how everyone brings a dish to pass for a Thanksgiving? Blaine would bring all of the ingredients of a drink recipe for everyone to try. Slowly, I started experimenting at home. Eventually, Blaine and I would kick ideas back and forth on changing or creating a recipe. I started feeding off of his energy and my own style started to develop.

But we all still typically maintain our preferred beverage of choice. Vanessa’s father indirectly taught me a valuable lesson. Once you know someone’s “go to” drink, make sure you have exactly what they drink on hand whenever they are in your home. Bob always has a nice gin for me and my father’s preferred bourbon in his liquor cabinet. It is a simple gesture that says, “I want you to feel welcome in my home.” On the surface it may not seem like much, but it absolutely cements friendships.

Homer Simpson taught us to drink beer.
Sex and the City reinvigorated the Cosmo.
Mad Men pushed the highball classics.
I am striving to bring you recipes to try and then call your own.

Go to drink: Gin & Tonic
At the bar: Local brews
Late night: Labatt’s Blue Light
Wine: Finger Lake Wines
Scotch: 12 years? Perfect
Guinness: Anytime