Drink of the Week: The Graduate No. 2

Some of our favorite cocktails are also the easiest to make. So for our current issue we challenged four bartenders to create a cocktail complex in flavor but simple to mix (check out the full list of parameters here). And today’s Drink of the Week—The Graduate No. 2—from Daniel Shoemaker of Teardrop Lounge in Portland, Oregon, is one such cocktail, combining spiced rum and sweet vermouth with fresh citrus, bitters and a splash of cola. And for 101 additional simple cocktail recipes, click here.

1 1/2 oz. spiced rum
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 barspoon fresh lemon juice
4 dashes Angostura bitters
½ oz. cola (optional)
Tools: mixing glass, barspoon, strainer
Glass: cocktail
Garnish: orange peel

Combine the first four ingredients and stir with ice to chill. Add cola, strain into a chilled glass, and garnish.

Daniel Shoemaker, Teardrop Lounge, Portland, Oregon

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Are hipsters driving up the cost of cheap beers? Fox

Tracing the evolution of a wine grape from wild to domesticated. Discovery

A new gadget promised a frosty pint with every pour. Huffington Post

Love coffee? Consider growing your own coffee crop. LA Times

The Wine Blog Award finalists are announced—who are you going to vote for? Biz Journals

An infographic cocktail chart of film and literature. Fast Company

Could a silver coffee pot set a new auction record? Yahoo

Get Ready for Negroni Week!

Photo: Stuart Mullenberg

Love a Negroni? Then get ready to raise your glass. We're officially naming May 27-June 3 Negroni Week, encouraging bars across the country to mix up their favorite variation and donate $1 from each one sold to a local charity of their choice. Why the Negroni? Because it’s one of our favorite cocktails, and while Negroni Week will celebrate the bittersweet Italian classic, it will also help raise money for some great causes. And Negroni Week promises to go out with a bang since we’re again partnering with Nostrana, the Portland, Oregon restaurant from James Beard-nominated chef Cathy Whims for its annual Negroni Social on Monday, June 3. Now in its third year, Nostrana's late-night bash will mix up 12 favorite Negroni variations while generating support for Outside In, a Portland-based organization that provides resources to homeless youth. Want to get in on the action? Stay tuned to our Facebook page for a chance to win tickets to Nostrana's Negroni Social, and be sure and let us know if your bar or restaurant plans to participate in Negroni Week so we can include you in a special shout-out. 

Drink of the Week: Little Kings Cream Ale

With summer around the corner and American Craft Beer Week winding down, we’re ready to tap into today’s Drink of the Week—the Little Kings Original Cream Ale. As Americana as beer brewing gets, cream ales first hit the pint glass in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries when Northeast and Mid-Atlantic brewers began fermenting ales at cooler temperatures (similar to lager production). The resulting hybrid ales were crisp, clean and a favorite of beer enthusiasts coast to coast. Imbibe contributing editor Joshua Bernstein explores the history of the beer style and recent resurgence in our current issue, and Little Kings fits right in with its smooth, malty flavors, notes of sweet vanilla and caramel, and bit of hop bitterness on the finish. Brewed from the same recipe since the 1950s, this beer offers up a taste of the classic cream ale style and is available across the country. Looking for cream ale with a regional flair? Check out local offerings ranging from Empire Brewing Company in Syracuse, New York to Bold City Brewery in Jacksonville, Florida to Coalition Brewery in Portland, Oregon. And want to know more about the current crop of cream ales? Click here. 
Littlekingsbeer.com for distribution info.

Beer Cocktails for American Craft Beer Week

Tom Terrific photo by Studio Atticus

Need a reason to crack a cold one? American Craft Beer Week continues through Sunday, and to celebrate we’re mixing up a round of frosty, beer-spiked cocktails from some of the best bartenders in the country. 

The Honey Beer

Gin, lemon juice and a splash of pale ale—beer cocktails don’t get easier than this spirited, honey-rimmed refresher. 

Chantres Shrub

Rye whiskey, a tea-infused aperitif and a summery IPA add layer upon layer of deliciousness to this former Imbibe cover cocktail.

Blue Jay

Two amaros meet with a sunny mix of citrus and beer in this bright-yet-bitter palate-perker.

Huatulco Wit

A wheaty Belgian beer adds a sprightly effervescence to this mezcal- and pineapple-spiked fizzer.

La Valentina

Muddled raspberries and grapefruit juice add a fruity freshness to this tequila and beer-topped cocktail.

Tom Terrific

Subtly sweet Old Tom gin is back and bigger than ever. Get a taste in this Collins that combines the old-timey spirit with Cherry Heering, fresh lemon juice and a heady IPA. 

Weissen Sour

A spoonful of orange marmalade offers a bittersweet balance to this frothy bourbon and white ale highball. 

One Sunset

Campari’s cousin Aperol meets with fresh mint, muddled grapes and a splash of amber lager in this garden-fresh fizzy refresher. 

Chabela Cortez

Beer with brunch? This savory sipper combines tomato juice, citrus and a light lager for a breakfast-ready update of the classic Michelada. 

Bitter Roots

Artichoke-based Cynar and a hoppy IPA add an intriguingly bitter edge to this rum and Madeira cocktail.

Quick Sips: Tasty Bits from Around the Web

Is Malort the new Fernet? NPR

Get ready—homebrewing is about to become legal in all 50 states. Huffington Post

How much would you pay to sip coffee with an Apple exec? CNBC

Eric Asimov picks his top 20 springtime wines under $20. New York Times

How many flavors can you really detect in that glass of vino? Io9