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Greetings!
My name is JM Spafford. Once upon time I was an enthusiastic but completely inexperienced bartender. My goal was to learn to the long lost craft of making a delicious tasting and beautiful to behold cocktails. After over 10 years, I've mixed drinks around the world in places ranging from well worn dives to some of the most exclusive food and cocktail destinations known to exist.
As part of the New York rebirth of the classic cocktail in the 90's till it's complete Renaissance it enjoys today I have worked for and crafted cocktails for some of the most prestigious hospitality destinations on the planet including :
-The Lexington Bar and Books Chain
-Tavern on the Green
-The Retro styled Campbell Apartment
-Renowned chef Michael Lomanaco's Porterhouse in the Time-Warner Center
-Head Bartender at the Donald Trump World Bar
-Head Bartender at Bergdorf Goodman Bar ('The Most Glamorous Bar in NYC"-Time Magazine")
My years of service culminated in a teaching position at one of the few State Approved Mixology Teaching Institutions, The New York Bartending School.
Through all the crazy, exciting (not to mention challenging and sometimes exhausting work) serving celebrities ranging from Martha Stewart ("your cocktails are beautiful and delicious"), Teri Hatcher, Naomi Campbell, Derek Jeter, The Crown Prince of Kuwait ("Make many more!"), Bill Murray, Jason Priestly ("Best Cosmo I've ever had"), as well as designing cocktails for parties for Vogue and GQ magazine, I've learned 3 things that, when combined, will make a world class cocktail. You can read about them in my free eBook.
So, be well stocked with ice, have a shaker handy and read on...
Salud!
-JM Spafford
I include this recipe partially in jest. Through the years behind the bar I had a "no blue drink"policy. I mean, do you want to be guzzling something that looks like air conditioning coolent, or something you don't really find too much in foods in nature? Having said that, there is always a time to roll up your sleeves and get wacky:
Blue Hawaiian
1 oz light rum
1 cherry
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1 oz cream of coconut
1 slice pineapple
Blend light rum, blue Curacao, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut with one cup ice in an electric blender at high speed. Pour contents into a highball glass. Decorate with the slice of pineapple and a cherry.
The funny thing is, this tastes pretty good. I'm going to bartending hell!
Let's face it, the sloppy days on "Harvey Wallbangers"
and "Sex on the Beach" 70's style gimmicky cocktails
are (mostly) over.
The true mark of a mixologist comes from expertly an
lovingly mixed ingrediants in pristine cocktails
glasses, but so does a strong backround in the
classics. We'll go though all of them, of coure, but I
wanted to start with the Mojito.
People are, almost without fail, always impressed when
they watch you take fresh ingredients , mix and muddle
in front of people and then present this Cuban
classic.
Lore has it that the Mojito was partially discovered
by Elizabethan', Sir Francis Drake on their high seas
travels. Some suggest that the names derives from the
African word, "Mojo" or spell (something we agree
Just got in from watching the Marathon run by my house. Like fleets of gazelle gliding by in beautiful unison. A barrista from Starbucks appeared from nowhere to offer me a sample of their peppermint mocha coffee shot. I looked at the runners whizzing by, their faces in locked in sublime agony. I looked back a my tiny, puny shot of coffee and suddenly has an epiphany:
This little shot would taste -much- better with sme booze in it! Whiskey, to be exact!
Up next, some articles on warm autumn and winter cocktails.
Runners! Sheesh!
-JM
When launching Drink Recipes at Tipzu it never occured to me that people would be wary of my claims (working at the Trump World Bar, Bergdorf Goodman, teacher at NY Bartending School)--but some have been! It's quite flattering in a way.
I should create a refferences corner somewhere here but intil then please feel free to ask for names and contact info on my previous (and if I may, sometimes illustrious!) bartending career! Of course what I do ail to mention are the hundred and one frightening dive bars I clawed my way out of working at...
I'm working on a new hot toddy-a vanilla whiskey version and is calling to me.
Much Love!
-JM
I have some delicious new cocktails I will to give an audience to and need to make alot of them to see if they're feasible. If you're in the NYC area and want me to serve your party, just drop in your email on the left and my free newsletter should send the info your way. If not, send an email to nycpartnersincrime@yahoo.com
Thanks!
JM
Chalk it up to the encroaching NY autumn (finally, my favourite time of year) but I'm feeling abnormally charitable and in the mood to serve and host, for free no less!
I have some new recipes I'm hankering to try out: A variation on an old fashioned with some cranberry accents, a nice new hot toddy, and a coffee vanilla tiramisu cocktail.
I'm you want to me to come serve your party just let me know here or at nycpartnersincrime@yahoo.com
Looking forward,
-Spaff
I just jotted down a recipe on a Bloody Mary. well, -the- Bloody Mary. I went to wrie the history (with the help of about 1,000 google seach results) and thought I'd have you all send me your favourite, or at least most authentic sounding. I'll post my three faves. My new kitten, Mojito (really), awaits.
I'm sitting down to connect with you all while trying to squeeze in my last mojito of the season-it's Oct. in New York so I really should be working on hot drinks or heavier ones, but this one is to the farewell of warm weather. I used threw some blackberries into my mix and it's this pretty purple jewel colour. Mmm, tasty. What was your favourite drink of the summer?
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