I know, it stumped me too, at first.

But hey, we’re four years into Mixology Monday, and we’ve already hit most of the obvious drink inspirations, so a MxMo devoted to the bard of booze isn’t too far-fetched. As Andrew writes in his announcement post,

Let the bawdy, lovely, peculiar and obvious late night life inspire you to tell a favorite drinking tale while listening to, or being inspired by Tom Waits. Waits 40 years of drinking tunes to choose from.

In other words, while this MxMo is about drink, as always, it’s about much more — it’s about your favorite drinking stories, and the places and people that define your late, hazy nights, past or present. Even if you’re not a Waits fan and have no interest in his music — yes, I’ve heard such people exist — if you’re reading this blog then you likely have spent your fair share of nights on a bar stool. Let’s hear about one of your favorites.

To participate, have your post up on your blog by Monday, May 24; be sure to let Andrew know you participated by leaving a comment on his announcement post, and don’t forget to link back to the Mixology Monday site and Andrew’s site while you’re at it. Cheers–

MxMo XLVIII will take place Monday, April 26; hosting this round is Seattle bartender Mike McSorley, who publishes the blog McSology, and for the theme Mike has chosen Pain in the Ass Drinks. As he puts it in his preview post:

…My charge to you all is to document your (least) favorite drink that is the proverbial thorn in your side. It can be virtually anything stylistically -  The point here is to have fun and share that little ticket item that throws you off your cleaning game 10 minutes before last call!

For both professional bartenders and home enthusiasts, these are the drinks that look really good on paper, but then after you’ve spent days tracking down the proper ingredients and hours making syrups and tinctures, and after you’ve taken the time to crush the ice and prepare the garnish and assemble everything just right you take a sip and, as delicious as the drink might be, you think to yourself, “I’m exhausted … What the hell was I thinking?”

(And if you’re wondering why Mike may have picked this topic, allow me to point out a couple of things: first, Mike’s recipe for his Saffron Julius, his winning entry in the recent 42 Below World Cup regional competition, the preparation of which makes mixing a Ramos Fizz look as easy as popping a beer; and Mike’s co-worker Evan Martin’s recipe and garnish for Death in the South Pacific, the winning entry in the Tales of the Cocktail official drink competition.)

If you’re seeking inspiration for drink recipes that have the capacity to drive you nuts, but which have a flavor, character and history that make the whole process worth it, may I make a suggestion? This month saw the release of Beachbum Berry Remixed, a compilation of Jeff Berry’s first two books, Grog Log and Intoxica, with a hell of a lot of photos, glimpses of exotic-drink paraphernalia, mixing notes, updated recipes and, as if that wasn’t justification for plopping out the cash for the book, another slew of recipes both vintage and contemporary. While the book has some drinks that you can put together rather easily from a well-stocked bar, there are others that are projects with a complexity on par with that of deciphering the human genome. Okay, maybe not that tough, but still, they can be work to make, and what better excuse to commit yourself to a boozy project than that it fits in with this month’s MxMo.

To participate, simply have your pain-in-the-ass drink written up and posted (hopefully with photograph) on your blog or at eGullet by the end of Monday, April 26. Be sure to include the MxMo logo and a link back to the Mixology Monday site, and to Mike’s site as host. Then, be sure to let Mike know you’ve participated by either e-mailing him at mikemcsorley[at]gmail[dot]com, with “MxMo” in the subject line, or simply drop a comment with your post’s URL at the end of Mike’s announcement post.

Considering the extent that some folks will venture to in order to mix a drink nowadays, I can’t wait to see what comes up this round–

Read the March roundup here, and tune in for the next MxMo on April 26.

There aren’t really any specific limitations on this month’s subject. I emailed David Wondrich to ask if he had any pearls of wisdom for us as we take on the punch challenge. This was his response: “The thing I like to keep in mind while making Punch is that it is, as the London Physician Nicholas Falck defined it in 1779, ‘an extemporary kind of wine.’ It is not, in other words, simply a large cocktail. Like wine, it should be balanced, not too pungent, not too strong, and preferably not decked out in all sorts of gaudy frippery like something participating in the retail sex trade.”

Keep in mind that we are at that time of year when there are some wonderful citrus varieties available at the market. And in the warmer climates, we are already seeing the first of the Spring berries.

Those of you who are friendly with the bartender at your favorite punch-serving watering hole, it would be great if you could get him or her to share the house recipe. If there is something your family has been serving at parties for generations, go with that. Let’s have some fun with this and see how many different recipes we can find.

Once you have settled on a recipe, make the punch and then post the recipe, a photo, and your thoughts about the punch on your blog or on the eGullet Spirits and Cocktails forum.

Include in your post the MxMo logo and a link back to Mixology Monday and this [original announcement] post. (And once the round-up is published, it would be great if you could update your post with a link to that summary post.)

Good lord — “punch” as the theme. With all the ways this can be approached, and with all the crazy delicious fun that can be had with punch, this month’s MxMo could be one for the ages.

To participate, simply have your recipe (and photos, hopefully) posted on your blog or at eGullet by the close of March 22, as described by Mike, above. Be sure to let him know that you’re participating by dropping a note and link in the comment section to the announcement post, or by e-mailing Mike at hobsonschoiceinfo at gmail dot com.

* MxMo XLVI takes place Monday, February 22. Hosting this round is Sonja at Thinking of Drinking, and Sonja has chosen Absinthe as the theme. Here’s her announcement post, and to recap the details:

The topic for February is Absinthe. That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful again in the US and other parts of the world. Absinthe played a role, whether large or small, in a variety of great cocktails from the 1800’s and early 1900’s – the Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Corpse Reviver No. 2… I’m getting thirsty. So let’s celebrate absinthe’s history, and it’s future, with all manner of cocktails using absinthe.

You know the drill — have your absinthe-related drink posted on or before February 22. Be sure to include the MxMo logo and link to the Mixology Monday site as well as a link to the host’s blog, Thinking of Drinking (and if you can link to the roundup post once Sonja’s finished it, that’s mucho appreciated as well).  And to be sure that your drink is included in the roundup, notify Sonja of your post by placing a link in the comments of her announcement post, or e-mail the URL to her at sonjakassebaum {at} gmail {dot} com.

And if you’re the forgetful type, I usually post a reminder a few days prior to the event on Twitter; you can follow me at @cocktailchron.

* And yes, we have the March Mixology Monday already scheduled. MxMo XLVII takes place March 22, and will be hosted by Hobson’s Choice. The theme for this round: Punch. Stay tuned for an announcement post and more details sometime after the February event.

This round of MxMo — the 45th, if you’re keeping count — takes place Monday, January 25, and is hosted by Frederic & company at Cocktail Virgin Slut. For this round, Fred has chosen Tea as the theme; here’s what he has in mind:

Tea has played a historical role in cocktails for centuries. Perhaps the best documented early example was its inclusion in punches as part of the spice role to round out the spirit, sugar, water, and citrus line up. Later, teas appear in many recipes such as Boston Grog, English Cobbler, and a variety of Hot Toddies. And present day mixologists are utilizing tea flavors with great success including Audrey Saunder’s Earl Grey MarTEAni and LUPEC Boston’s Flapper Jane. Now it’s our turn to honor this glorious cocktail ingredient!

Here’s how to play:

• Find or concoct a drink recipe that uses tea or tisane (a herbal “tea” which lacks tea leaves) as an ingredient. This can be hot tea, cold tea, tea syrups, or infusions and use it in a cocktail, punch, or other drink type. Be careful how long you infuse them (after 2 hours, things get really bitter!) if you go that route, and feel free to take a shortcut and use Beefeater 24 which has tea already in the botanical mix.
• Make the drink and then post the recipe, a photo, and your thoughts about the drink on your blog or on the eGullet Spirits and Cocktails forum.
• Include in your post the MxMo logo and a link back to both the Mixology Monday and CocktailVirgin sites. And once the round-up is posted, a link to that summary post would be appreciated.
• Post a link to your submission in the comment section here, or send an email to yarm-at-verizon.net

The due date is Monday, January 25th which I will interpret as whatever gets posted before I awake on Tuesday the 26th.

And that pretty much sums it up. So unlock the liquor cabinet and break out the stash of oolong — this round sounds like it’ll be especially fun. See you on January 25!

But first — this round of Mixology Monday is hosted by Kevin Langmack at Beers in the Shower. Due to some tragic technical problems — namely, Kevin’s dead computer — we had to postpone the November MxMo until December 14. But with a theme like Money Drinks, this round seems somewhat appropriate for the holidays.

So, Money Drinks? Here’s an explanation — two of them, as a matter of fact, the first from Kevin, a Seattle bartender who works at the craft-booze establishments Tavern Law, Spur and Sun Liquor:

A “Money” drink is something you can put in front of anyone, regardless of tastes or distastes about the spirits involved. Come up with a drink or a list based on spirits about drinks that would appeal to anyone. example: turning someone onto a Corpse Reviver #2 when they like lemon drops.

So, get it? “Money”, as in, “we’re in the” when you (as a bartender) turn a customer on to one of these drinks, getting them interested in good cocktails in the process.

After wrangling with the idea of “Money Drinks”, there came an alternate / related description, which is also valid for this round of MxMo:

Drinks that you upgrade to the ne plus ultra: cocktails that for whatever reason (holiday, birthday, old friends come to visit, or just because you feel like it) you upgrade to superior; for example, taking your normal Sazerac with Rittenhouse and Herbsaint and, for a special occasion, turning it into a supreme-o Sazerac by breaking out the Thomas Handy Rye and the Jade Edouard absinthe. Due to the higher cost involved, and the spectacular results that should (hopefully) be found in the glass, this could also qualify as a “Money Drink”.

Okay? Did this get too complicated? If so, it’s my fault, but hey — it’s all in good fun, and during the holiday entertaining season you should be coming across several drinks that fit either of the descriptions above, whether it’s because you’re mixing drinks for friends & family and you’re trying to get your sister-in-law to step up from her plain old vodka martini, or if you’re celebrating the season in style by breaking out the good stuff for a memorably indulgent cocktail.

Anyway, that’s it — so, to participate, have your post up by the close of Monday, December 14, and let host Kevin know by e-mailing him at kevin [dot] langmack [at] gmail [dot] com. See you then!