Ok hear me out… Pineapple upside-down cake… but a cocktail 🤯

In honor of #NationalVodkaDay, I’ve teamed up with my friends at weberranchvodka to make a cocktail that I swear tastes almost exactly like a caramel-y pineapple upside-down cake. The secret is all in this “Upside Down” juice which was inspired by this respetoagave syrup that was recently shared with me. Respeto is made from mature agaves that are slow cooked in hornos (ovens) then crushed using a tahona, bringing out that deep/rich caramel notes that you’d only find at a hacienda in Mexico. When mixed with spices, pineapple and smoked sea salt, you have something thats sweet, fruity, savory and surprisingly balanced.

Comment “JUICE” and I’ll send you the exact recipe I used here.

This mix is then simply shaken with one of my favorite vodkas recently in Weber Ranch (also made from 100% agave) which produces a delicious, rich cocktail with a natural foam from the agave and pineapple. Give this one a shot, you’ll love it.

Cheers and happy national vodka day, y’all!

Ok hear me out… Pineapple upside-down cake… but a cocktail 🤯 In honor of [#NationalVodkaDay], I’ve created to make a cocktail that I swear tastes almost exactly like a caramel-y pineapple upside-down cake.

The secret is all in this “Upside Down” juice which was inspired by this [@respetoagave]

syrup that was recently shared with me. Respeto is made from mature agaves that are slow cooked in hornos (ovens) then crushed using a tahona, bringing out that deep/rich caramel notes that you’d only find at a hacienda in Mexico. When mixed with spices, pineapple and smoked sea salt, you have something thats sweet, fruity, savory and surprisingly balanced.

This mix is then simply shaken with one of my favorite vodkas recently in Weber Ranch (also made from 100% agave) which produces a delicious, rich cocktail with a natural foam from the agave and pineapple. Give this one a shot, you’ll love it.

Cheers and happy national vodka day, y’all!

Warm, spiced, and spirit-forward — the Mulled Cider Rum Fashioned brings cozy holiday vibes to a timeless classic. Aged rum and pimento dram provide depth and warmth, while the spiced cider syrup and orange bitters tie it together with a fragrant seasonal twist. Cheers, y'all!

Puff puff, pass on the alcohol this month and try this instead…

#ad21+ Together with my friends at @the_highpour, I created a fall-inspired, zero-proof drink that is crushable and absolutely delicious. If you haven’t heard of it, HIGHPOUR is a new kind of non-alcoholic “spirit” thats infused with hemp-derived 🍃 and can be utilized the same way spirits are utilized in cocktails 1:1. For this particular recipe, I played on the smoke and autumn theme, I used a smoked maple syrup and smoked salt to accentuate the flavors in Highpour making for the perfect drink to sip this season.

Cheers y’all.

"I'm just having one drink tonight."

Today we're learning how to make soup with olive croutons aka a big 'ole batch of dirty martini. So grab your largest coupe and let's do this 🍸

Who says this ingredient doesn’t belong in cocktails? 🤔

I’m going to show you how to make an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version of the same cocktail using a strawberry peppercorn shrub made with… yep, vinegar.

Whether you know it or not, you have eaten or drank something at a restaurant that was made or stored in a Cambro. This brand is ubiquitous within the F&B community and highly regarded as a staple in any kitchen. Enter: CamRounds, the next product in the Cambro home storage lineup.

As you can see from the video - this shows the versatility of the CamRound as I make my Shrub. I love that uses the same lid as my CamSquares and I can easily stack them in the fridge. Not to mention, the ability to use the corners as a ‘spout’ to easily pour from the corners, despite the round base. This is especially helpful when dealing with liquids… like cocktails :P

Cheers y’all!
—

Hey babe, wake up… its Negroni Week…

We’re kicking off this week with arguably one of the best Negroni recipes I’ve ever made… and you can thank my wife for it. Negronis are all about balance, but sometimes balance means dessert in a glass because my wife’s banana bread is the inspo for this recipe. The Banana Nut Negroni takes the bitter-sweet classic and layers on notes of banana, oloroso sherry for toasty backbone, and hazelnut + black walnut bitters to tie it all together.

Seriously considering batching this one for the freezer this week.

Cheers, y’all!

For Negroni Week 2025, Charleston’s own Kris Wheeler delivers a bold and bartender-insider riff. The Shift Drink Negroni leans boozy and bitter, with navy strength gin, funky Jamaican rum, fat-washed Campari, and a dual hit of vermouth. It’s layered, rich, and full of industry in-jokes — a true “bartender’s Negroni.”

“This is my bartender centric version of a Negroni. This one comes from straight behind the bar,

Cheers, y’all!

Who says this ingredient doesn’t belong in cocktails? 🤔

I’m going to show you how to make an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version of the same cocktail using a strawberry peppercorn shrub made with… yep, vinegar.

Comment ’SHRUB’ below if you want me to send you the exact specs for the strawberry peppercorn shrub I used here.

Whether you know it or not, you have eaten or drank something at a restaurant that was made or stored in a Cambro. This brand is ubiquitous within the F&B community and highly regarded as a staple in any kitchen. Enter: CamRounds, the next product in the Cambro home storage lineup.

As you can see from the video - this shows the versatility of the CamRound as I make my Shrub. I love that uses the same lid as my CamSquares and I can easily stack them in the fridge. Not to mention, the ability to use the corners as a ‘spout’ to easily pour from the corners, despite the round base. This is especially helpful when dealing with liquids… like cocktails :P

Cheers y’all!

Who says this ingredient doesn’t belong in cocktails? 🤔

Together with my friends at cambromfg, I’m going to show you how to make an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version of the same cocktail using a strawberry peppercorn shrub made with… yep, vinegar.

Comment ’SHRUB’ below if you want me to send you the exact specs for the strawberry peppercorn shrub I used here.

Whether you know it or not, you have eaten or drank something at a restaurant that was made or stored in a Cambro. This brand is ubiquitous within the F&B community and highly regarded as a staple in any kitchen. Enter: CamRounds, the next product in the Cambro home storage lineup.

As you can see from the video - this shows the versatility of the CamRound as I make my Shrub. I love that uses the same lid as my CamSquares and I can easily stack them in the fridge. Not to mention, the ability to use the corners as a ‘spout’ to easily pour from the corners, despite the round base. This is especially helpful when dealing with liquids… like cocktails :P

Cheers y’all!

THIS IS A TINY COCKTAIL 🍸🤏🏾

Called The Anomaly and it’s damn good.

It’s from the book Tiny cocktails by my buddy Tyler (bon_vivantito). - it’s called an anomaly because it doesn’t follow the typical format for a classic cocktail structure. It’s part martini and part sour, but also stirred? The result is a balanced drink that has the makings of a light, but boozy martini with the bright freshness of a sour.

Author’s Note: “The Anomaly, as the name hints at, is one of those cocktails that deviates from classic cocktail structure. It has traces of both the martini and the sour in its balance of ingredients. Like the martini, it’s unmistakably boozy and light, but it has the freshness and balanced sweetness of a succulent sour. Anomaly matches neither template identically though. Instead, this sophisticated drink strikes a harmonious balance of fortifying spirit with sugar and acid, allowing the seamless pairing of smoky mezcal and tropical banana to take center stage. In a way, it’s a gateway cocktail to more spirituous cocktails. It’s easy to throw back, but do tread lightly: A few of these tiny yet bold libations and your legs might just turn into noodles.”

Cheers, y’all!

Is this better than an espresso martini?? 🤔

I’ve made a stirred coffee cocktail that uses ingredients you most likely already have. Think of it as Mexican twist on a classic Revolver but instead of bourbon, using LALO Blanco Tequila to complement the notes of coffee, smoke and citrus.

Cheers y’all.

Ok hear me out, this + a MHL pony…

What would happen if a bartender put two of his favorite ingredients into a cocktail. Well, you’d get this… the Industry Sour. Created by Ted Kilgore back in 2011, this combines Chartreuse, Fernet along with lime and simple to create a strong, sweet sour. Its a little on the sweet side to me, but this + a High Life would be 🤌🏽

Now who’s gonna make a Malort + Angostura Sour?

Cheers y’all.

From the creator of the Paper Plane comes…

You may know samueljoelross as the founder the the modern classic, Paper Plane (equal parts: rye, lemon, nonino, and aperol). But if you dont live in NY, you probably haven’t tried his other cocktails, specifically this one. The Cobble Hill is a lighter, more refreshing Manhattan that may be your new pre-dinner cocktail.

I think we finally did it.. a non-alcoholic STIRRED cocktail that actually tastes good.

I’ve been on a quest to find a spirit that plays well in a stirred cocktail. Unfortunately, it’s been difficult to replicate the texture and mouthfeel of an alcoholic spirit BUTTT I recently found some spirits that come very close.

I was introduced to Cut Above during Tales of the Cocktail one year. Yes, it’s got agave notes, but it’s also got the spice and slight bitterness that alcohol tends to have that lends itself to mimic that texture/mouthfeel.

Combined with Almave’s new Humo, a mezcal alternative, made with espadin agave (also non-alcoholic) - this recipe drank almost like the real thing.

Y’all need to give this a try, cheers.

What if I told you this margarita was made with 100% blue Weber agave but it’s NOT with tequila? 🤔

I’ve created the perfect cocktail for your Labor Day Weekend. This recipe is a cross between a dirty martini and a margarita. It has the savory notes of the martini, but makes it more sessionable like a margarita. Weber Ranch is made with 100% Blue Weber Agave, just like premium tequilas, but thats where the similarities end. The flavor profiles produced from distilling blue weber agave produces an earthy, sweet and mellow vodka without the astringency of a traditional vodka made from potatoes. Yes, its great in a regular dirty martini too, but you definitely need to give this recipe a try this weekend.

What would happen if the Sazerac and Rob Roy had a love child? This.

We could all use more sherry cocktails in the world after all. This one uses the rich raisin notes in PX sherry to round out the flavors from the single malt scotch. If you know me, you know I love flaming my absinthe to give it a bit more toasted sugar/caramel flavor, this is optional.. If you’re a fan of Manhattans, you’re going to love this cocktail.

Cheers y’all.

Don’t ask me about my red flags 🚩 but lemme tell you about my green flags this summer 🟩

We’re going to make this vibrant and refreshing Green Flag cocktail while I tell you all about my cocktail green flags this summer. These are things I look for whenever I’m drinking or making a cocktail of my own and just figured it was fitting to make this cocktail too! It’s got tropical notes of passionfruit and melon and makes for a great summer sipper.

My cocktail green flags this summer:
Using fresh juice.
Using crystal clear ice.
A fun/funky garnish.
What are yours??

Cheers y’all!

Let’s try a cocktail from the 1880s, shall we?

This is the East India Cocktail No. 2, named after the East India Trading Company. Theres been a ton of renditions on this 18th century cocktail with ingredients being subbed in and out and multiple bartenders putting their own spin/riff on the original (sound familiar?) - one thing is certain though, this always had a brandy/cognac base spirit. Now why is this called the No. 2? Well… No. 1 used raspberries instead of pineapple, obviously.

Review at the end - let me know what y’all think of this spec - would you try it out? If so, what would you change?

Cheers y’all.