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Thinking of Drinking
thinkingofdrinking.blogspot.com
1
My personal exploration of cocktails, mixology, craft distilling and the Chicago cocktail scene - intended for the thoughtful imbiber. Cheers and welcome!
#1204247 in All

TOTC2011: Nonstop to Tokyo

As I mentioned previously, my favorite thing at Tales of the Cocktail this year was the Nonstop to Tokyo. It was by luck, and the kindness of my friend Nathan Luchansky, that I was even able to atten...

18 aug 11

TOTC: Day 2 Hijinks

Another great day at Tales, filled with lots of great conversations, drinks and good times. Here are a few highlights from day two:My friend Nathan Lutchansky absolutely made my Tales by offering me ...

22 jul 11

TOTC: The First 24 Hours

After arriving in NOLA yesterday, I hit the ground running in the parties, drinks and good time departments. Perhaps a bit more than I should have, in retrospect, given that its early on in my TOTC t...

21 jul 11

Planning for Tales of the Cocktail 2011

Its a bit crazy for many folks in the spirits/cocktail/bar business, as we are preparing for our pilgrimage to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail. It will be a week of great cocktails, great food ...

15 jul 11

Illinois Liquor Tax Saga - Over for Now

Since I wrote about the increase in the Illinois liquor tax a couple of years back, the challenge leveled by Wirtz Beverage was successful at the appellate court level. This week, the Illinois Suprem...

14 jul 11

Hello Again, and Independence Day Drinks

Well hello there! Long time no write. Its been very busy at the distillery the past few months, and this blog is one of the things Ive let slip. But, Im back now and ready to get back to blogging. An...

04 jul 11

Chicago Drinks News

Lots of great things are happening in the Chicago cocktail world, but I often forget to write about them. Every night, fantastic drinks are being made all across this city, and its wonderful to be pa...

28 feb 11

More Ginger Beers - Goose Island, Diet, and More

One of the most frequently searched topics on this blog is "ginger beer." A couple of years ago, I wrote a review of our comprehensive tasting of ginger beers. You can find those posts here:T...

24 feb 11

Ilinois Liquor Tax Saga Revisited

Back in 2009, I wrote a post about the quickly proposed and passed increase to the liquor tax rates in Illinois, which was rather dramatic. In my second post, on August 25th, I wrote that Wirtz Bever...

04 feb 11

Trusting a Blogger

Earlier this week, in one of the industry update emails I receive, I noticed the following headline: " Wine drinkers trust merchants over bloggers." I scanned the article, thought to myself &...

03 feb 11

Crickets and a Cocktail Competition

Well, its been crickets chirping here for a few months. I cannot believe how fast time flies by - its just like my parents said it would be. Well, Im going to do better on the blogging front, and Im ...

25 jan 11

Liquid Nitrogen in a Cocktail. In Rockford.

Last Saturday, I was in Rockford, Illinois for a tasting event at a great little wine, spirits & beer store (the best one in Rockford, as far as I know). I have a friend who grew up in Rockford, ...

03 aug 10

Not at Tales Cocktail Crawl

This year, I did not attend Tales of the Cocktail. Instead of sitting at home drowning my sorrows alone while looking at all the updates and pictures on Facebook, I invited some friends out for a ...

02 aug 10

Terroir of Tequila?

Boy, time is going fast these days - I have a lot going on, and not enough time being spent writing! Has it been over three months already since I wrote anything? Sheesh.A few months ago now, I atten...

19 jul 10

Sodas, Sodas, Everywhere

I've written in the past about a variety of sodas, and have a habit of collecting sodas that sound interesting. Unfortunately, I sometimes let them sit around awhile before I get to drinking them.So ...

09 mar 10

MxMo XLVI - Absinthe Abundance - Part II

Before the rest of the drink submissions (part I is here), I wanted to mention one comment we received from Myriam at the Detours blog. She is a writer living in Sydney, and just visited an absinthe ...

25 feb 10

MxMo XLVI Roundup - Absinthe Abundance - Part I

Wow! By my count, there were 39 entries, and more than 50 recipes, submitted for Mixology Monday this month on our topic of absinthe. We have some new participants, including a couple of great barten...

24 feb 10

MxMo XLVI - All About Absinthe

The posts have started rolling in for this month's Mixology Monday. In what might be my earliest post ever (usually I'm posting around 11 pm or so on the Monday), here's my contribution to this month...

22 feb 10

Reminder - MxMo on February 22!

The entries have started arriving, and you've got a few days left to get your entry in for Mixology Monday this month! Can't wait to see what absinthe drinks you come up with! All the details for par...

20 feb 10

Small-batch Cocktail Supplies

There are some great little companies making quality cocktail ingredients and supplies these days. You can use them to make better drinks, without going to all the effort of making these things yours...

11 feb 10

Cheers to Chicago Mixologists

I have been remiss in writing about the achievements of our local mixologists lately, even though some great things have been happening. Here are some highlights:National Sherry Cocktail CompetitionC...

10 feb 10

You Fibber McGee, You

A few years ago, we found a recipe on CocktailDB for a drink called a Fibber McGee, and we tried it. We liked it, so we've been making it every now and then for awhile now. It's a variation on a swee...

05 feb 10

Mixology Monday XLVI - All About Absinthe!

This month, I have the privilege and pleasure of hosting Mixology Monday. The amazing Paul Clarke started MxMo in April 2006, and it's been going strong ever since. Each month, cocktail bloggers and ...

03 feb 10

Joy and Suffering at the Hala Kahiki

Recently, we went to the Hala Kahiki in River Grove, IL (just as an aside, you get a very different website if you leave out the hyphen on the web address).The Hala Kahiki has long considered the bes...

03 feb 10

Holiday Cocktails

This time of year is pretty crazy in the distillery business, so this post is going to be to the short and sweet. My blogging friends have posted some great holiday cocktails already, such as the Sno...

23 dec 09 1 person likes this

Grinch Post: When is a Honey Crisp not a Honey Crisp?

Recently, I exchanged emails with Leah Zeldes over at the Dining Chicago Blog. I happened to see that she had written about Crispin cider. In her post, she pointed out that Chicagoist had it wrong wh...

21 dec 09

Illinois USBG Holiday Party & Mixoff

Late last month, I had the distinct privilege to be on the judging panel for the 2009 Illinois USBG Mix-Off/Holiday Party, which was sponsored by Skyy. I must admit I was a bit skeptical of having a ...

21 dec 09 1 person likes this

Sweet 16 of Mixology Wrap Up

Second Semi-Final RoundBack on October 22nd, the folks at Boka Restaurant Group held the second semi-final of their "Sweet 16 of Mixology," a casual cocktail competition that's been going on all summ...

04 dec 09

Repeal Day 2009 in Chicago

This coming Saturday, December 5th, is the 76th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. On December 5, 1933, Utah (yes, Utah) ratified the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving the needed...

03 dec 09

Long Time No Write

Hi there, how are you? Good, I hope. It's been awhile since I've posted anything here. There's been plenty going on, and plenty of great drinks consumed, but I somehow fell off the writing bandwagon ...

02 dec 09

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