Mixology Monday

Short turnaround on this one, but put it on the calendar: the next Mixology Monday is coming up on November 21, 2011. This month’s host is Jacob Grier at Liquidity Preference, and for the theme, Jacob has picked a topic that’s been getting a bit of attention lately: Retro Redemption.

Here’s Jacob’s details:

Contemporary cocktail enthusiasts take pride in resurrecting forgotten cocktails of the past — unless “the past” refers to the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s. We sometimes refer to these decades as the Dark Ages of Mixology, eras not yet recovered from the violence Prohibition and a World War inflicted on American cocktail culture. The classic Martini, a flavorful blend of gin and vermouth, had morphed into a glass of cold, diluted vodka. Other drinks were just too sweet, too fruity, too big, too silly.

But still, it wasn’t all bad. People ordered these drinks for a reason. Despite the now annual “burial” of a disfavored drink at Tales of the Cocktail, not all of them deserve to die. Perhaps, as they said of the Six Million Dollar Man, we can rebuild them. We have the technology. So the theme of this month’s Mixology Monday is Retro Redemption! Your task is to revive a drink from mixology’s lost decades. Perhaps you feel one of these drinks has a bad rap; tell us why it deserves another shot. Or maybe the original concoction just needs a little help from contemporary ingredients and techniques to make it in the big leagues. If so, tell us how to update it.

Got it? Okay, here’s how to play:

1. Blog about your drink (don’t forget the photo!) by midnight-ish on Monday, November 21.
2. In your post, include the MxMo logo, a link to Jacob’s site, and a link to the MxMo blog, so your readers will have some clue what you’re up to.
3. Be sure to notify Jacob of your participation — either paste a link in the comments section of Jacob’s announcement post, or email him at feedback [at] jacobgrier.com.
4. No blog? No problem–send Jacob your recipe and photo and he’ll take care of the rest.

So dig out the scariest big-hair drink from your shameful drinking past, and give it a makeover for Mixology Monday.

All too often, I wind up racing the clock to finish my Mixology Monday post, typing away at 11:55 pm in a dash to beat the midnight deadline. This month, I may be doing my research much earlier in the day, as the topic for October’s round of Mixology Monday is built for the daylight hours.

Sponsoring the October MxMo is our good friend Kevin at Cocktail Enthusiast, and Kevin has chosen Morning Drinks for the topic. This month’s event takes place October 24; here are Kevin’s instructions:

1. Find or create a cocktail for morning consumption. Be as creative as you want, utilizing common breakfast ingredients like orange juice and coffee, or branching out with bacon-infused spirits, eggs or stomach-settling bitters. The drink doesn’t have to be your original creation, but if you borrow, please credit your source.

2. Post your cocktail recipe and a photo on your blog, including some details on the drink. In your post, include the MxMo logo and a link back to Cocktail Enthusiast and Mixology Monday.

3. Post a link to your submission in the comments section of [the announcement] post or send it to me via email. And if you don’t have a blog, no worries. Just email me your recipe and photo following the above guidelines.

Deadline is midnight-ish on Monday, October 24 — so get mixing! Looking forward to the morning tipples y’all come up with this month.

Three years ago, when we first ran a Mixology Monday with a “drink local” theme, it still took a bit of work to find local booze; for example, within a short drive (or even walk, in some cases) of my home in Seattle are dozens of craft brewers and scores of wineries — but for local booze in 2008, I had to reach south to Oregon to find an apple brandy that fit the bill.

Things change — now, the U.S. is fully engaged in a craft-distilling revolution, and small-scale distillers are popping up in many other places around the world. As drink bloggers, we’ve all likely found a nearby brand or two to our liking; here’s your chance to share a little local love.

September’s round of Mixology Monday takes place Monday, September 26, and is hosted by Lindsay at Alcohol Alchemy; for this month’s theme, Lindsay has picked Local Color — here’s how she puts it:

Pull out your favorite “local” craft spirit (for those of you not in the US, what hidden gem from your neck of the woods do you want to give some cocktail press?), tell us a little bit about it and why you love it, and let it shine in whichever way (or ways!) you see fit!

Here’s how to participate:

• Have your locally inspired drink posted on your blog by midnight on Sunday, September 25 (note the earlier deadline, to help Lindsay have a roundup by Monday) — in addition to the recipe and writeup, don’t forget the photo.
• In your post, please include a link to the host blog, Alcohol Alchemy, along with this Mixology Monday blog
• Remember to include the MxMo logo in your post, so your readers will have a better idea of what’s going on.
• Notify Lindsay that you participated by leaving a comment to her announcement post, or by emailing Lindsay at alcoholalchemy dot com.

Then, tune in after the event to see what everbody else has come up with (and if you get a chance to post a link to her roundup post, you’ll accrue an extra set of brownie points).

So stock your liquor cabinet with something local and get mixing — I’m looking forward to trying some of the drinks that come out of this round.

Last month’s Mixology Monday was one of the liveliest we’ve had in a while, with participants mixing their beer with their booze in keeping with the theme of Beer Cocktails. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the roundup at host blog, Cocktail Virgin Slut, head on over.

August’s MxMo is right around the corner, with the big event taking place Monday, August 15. Hosting the event this month is 12 Bottle Bar, with the theme, “Come to Your Senses” — here’s the concept:

We all know that cocktails are supposed to taste good, and for this event, we’re going to take that as a given.  What we’re looking for, instead, are drinks that truly excite one or more of the other senses: touch, smell, sight, or even hearing.[...] For inspiration, we suggest the grand garnishes of Kaiser Penguin, the flaming fantasia of the Pegu Blog’s Halikai Hot Tub, the sonic symphony of Aviary’s Old Fashioned in the Rocks, the vivacious visuals of Scott Beattie, ingenious ice, semi-solid shots, jigglingjellies, or even – if you’re willing to go there – Pop Rock rims.  The goal, we hope, is for everyone to embrace the fun, the challenge, and the potential absurdity of the event.  It’s time to think outside the glass.

Participating is simple: just have your participating post up on your blog before Monday, August 15, and notify the host by placing a link to your post in the comments section of the announcement post. Be sure to include a photo and recipe in your post, along with a link to the host blog and to Mixology Monday, and the MxMo logo, too. Then, check in later in the week to see all the drinks that pushed the sensory experience — this should be a good one.

It’s summer (here in the northern hemisphere, anyway), the time of year when a cold, refreshing beer competes for your attention against juleps, rickeys and the other heat-busting equipment in your bar arsenal.

But sometimes, you can have both.

For July’s Mixology Monday — which takes place Monday, July 11, and is hosted by Fred at Cocktail Virgin Slut — the theme is Beer Cocktails, which is, really, just beautiful. Here’s Fred’s idea:

Beer has played a historical role in mixed drinks for centuries.  [...] Bartenders are drawn to beer for a variety of reasons including the glorious malt and roast notes from the grain, the bitter and sometimes floral elements from the hops, the interesting sour or fruity notes from the yeast, and the crispness and bubbles from the carbonation. Beer is not just for pint glasses, so let us honor beer of all styles as a drink ingredient.

The instructions are simple: make a drink that includes beer as an ingredient (on its own, or manipulated as you see fit — Fred’s got the details in his announcement post). Post the recipe, details about it along with a photo on your blog by July 11. Be sure to include a link to Cocktail Virgin Slut, a link to the Mixology Monday site and the MxMo logo in your post, and notify Fred of your post’s URL in the comments section to the announcement post.

Then, sit back with your beer/booze hybrid, and read the results as they come in. Couldn’t be simpler. Well, actually I guess it could, but hey, it’s all in fun.