Feature: The Speakeasy

No one should be forced to live on nothing but food and water. Cocktails are a necessary part of life, and the Speakeasy is a subjective discussion about why the appletini and the strawberry margarita are not going to cut it anymore. Even before the Mad Men factor, there was a growing sophistication about venerable cocktails just as there has been about food and wine. Vintage and signature cocktails are on more and more restaurants' wine lists. It is just a matter of time before Top Bartender becomes a Bravo reality show (and the drunken panel makes it a hit), and you find it necessary to buy a bottle of Crème de Violette because guests are coming! The Speakeasy — a conversation on the renaissance of old-fangled spirits. Because a good cocktail never goes out of style.

Columnists

Articles in this feature

Subscribe to feature RSS

• Going to the Dogs: Cocktails in Honor of Westminster

  Westminster, shaken not stirred.

  Opinion by Kate Shea Kennon — on Feb 16, 2011

• Weather Outside Frightful; Cocktails Inside Delightful

  The Art of the Bar: some summer cocktails to ward off winter chill.

  Opinion by Kate Shea Kennon — on Feb 10, 2011

• You Had Me At Aloe... Cocktails

  Aloe Vera- good for you, good for your martini.

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Oct 21, 2010

• Martha Stewart Says "Herb" with an H, and Other Cocktail News

  Cocktail talk from her own lips: Martha Stewart with a blender in the Bronx.

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Oct 08, 2010

• Container Gardens and Container Cocktails: Summer Time and the Living is Easy

  Container gardening and container cocktails for summer

  Opinion by Kate Shea Kennon — on Jul 02, 2010

• From Cardigans to Cardamom: It's Cardamom Weather

  It's no sin if there's gin.

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Jun 20, 2010

• Cocktails in Berlin: Right This Way, Your Table's Waiting

  Searching for a drink in the city of bier.

  Opinion by Kate Shea Kennon — on Jun 05, 2010

• The Rhum Punch

  Barbancourt Rhum: the jewel of the rum world

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on May 19, 2010

• The Julep: The Horses, The Horses, The Horses Are on the Track

  Something Minty This Way Comes

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on May 01, 2010

• Is There Such a Thing as a Classic Chocolate Martini?

  Stirred, not shaken, and no whipped cream please.

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Apr 21, 2010

• The Income Tax Cocktail: Some People Call Me Maurice

  Time to file your taxes, but first a toast to the IRS and toss the glass into the fireplace.

  Opinion by Kate Shea Kennon — on Apr 14, 2010

• Cocktails By Candlelight: Earth Hour

  Happy birthday Mr. Frost, don't you think candlelight is flattering?

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Mar 27, 2010

• You Had Me At Hello: The Whisky Podcasts of Richard Paterson

  Don't knock it back like a cowboy.

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Mar 18, 2010

• Book Review: Japanese Cocktails by Yuri Kato

  Sake is good for the skin — and other joys of Japanese cocktails.

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Mar 01, 2010

• Mardi Gras: The Cocktails of New Orleans

  Prends soins de toi: A toast to Mardi Gras!

  Opinion by Kate Shea Kennon — on Feb 16, 2010

• One Hundred Years On Ice: Happy Hour in Antarctica

  "A gift from the heavens for scotch lovers" has been kept on ice for over one hundred years.

  News by Kate Shea Kennon — on Feb 06, 2010

• Two For The Road and Don't Get Lost

  Previously on the Speakeasy: "Fate has thrown us together like two drinks at the airport bar."

  Opinion by Kate Shea Kennon — on Feb 02, 2010

• Elderflowers Under the Manhattan Bridge: The Ubiquitous St. Germain

  The Brooklyn Hills are alive with elderflower liqueur.

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Jan 30, 2010

• The Atholl Brose: Och! That's Guid!

  Man can live on drink alone — as long as it has oatmeal in it.

  Opinion by Kate Shea Kennon — on Jan 19, 2010

• The Red Snapper: A Drink for the Morning After

  When you have to face the music.

  Review by Kate Shea Kennon — on Jan 06, 2010