Cocktail of the Day
20th of February 2026
Today is Cherry Pie Day, so we are drinking a Cherry Bakewell.
Mezcalita
A Mezcal Margarita with a freshening splash of orange juice to accompany the triple sec orange liqueur that's essential to a proper Margarita.
Margarita cocktail
The Margarita can loosely be categorised as being a Tequila Sour, a Tequila Sidecar or a Tequila Daisy, but it is now so well-known and popular that it
Events Calendar for Discerning Drinkers
Canadian High Commission Spirits Tasting & Showcase, and other events and tastings for Discerning Drinkers in March 2026.
Delmonico
A Sweet Manhattan with brandy replacing whiskey, and orange bitters in place of aromatic bitters.
Creole Cocktail
Short and punchy and Manhattan-like. Best appreciated as an after-dinner digestivo or late-night sipper. Thanks to feedback and much refining, I'm happy
Sharpie Mustache
As dilution opens this cocktail, gingerbread flavours emerge.
Piccolina
A low-alcohol fortified wine-based aperitivo with pleasing honeyed fig.
Lotus Espresso Martini
Vodka-laced coffee to the fore, with maple syrup adding body.
C'est la Vie (That's Life)
A tasty apple and cognac sour with delicate herbal and cinnamon spice.
Queen Elizabeth No. 1
A Chelsea Sidecar with absinthe.
Queen Elizabeth No. 2
An orange curaçao-influenced Sweet Manhattan.
Grand Stand
No one ingredient is grandstanding in this classic brandy and gin-based, maraschino-influenced sour.
Almond Martini
A almond-flavoured Vodkatini that delivers on its name. Best when made with tonka bitters (or vanilla bitters), adding balance and depth of flavour.
Apricot Lady Sour
This seemingly soft, fluffy and apricot fruity cocktail hides a most unladylike rum bite.
Chevalier
Aromatic bitters add their distinctive flavour to a classic Sidecar.
Tinton
Equal parts calvados and port prove surprisingly tasty and better balanced than the original two parts apple brandy to one part port. I've tried tawny
Tetra Tinton
An apple-influenced, easy-drinking alternative to a Sweet Manhattan.
Vanilla Old Fashioned
Bourbon's classic vanilla notes are amplified and rounded in this simple but tasty Old Fashioned.
Banana Daiquiri
Good banana flavour without being overly sweet. Indeed, this Banana Daiquiri is more sophisticated than the uninitiated might expect.
Macbeth
Herbal, peppermint and vanilla Scotch whisky.
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine from the province of Cádiz in southwest Spain, and is particularly identified with the town of Jerez de la Frontera, where
Lustau
Lustau organises its wines into several range categories (or gamas) beyond just by style: Solera Familiar (Family Solera) - the core, house range Almacenistas
Sherry Cocktails
Sherry has been a staple cocktail since the 1800s, appearing in many punch recipes from the period. Today, sherry plays a key role in the world's leading
