Imbibist

Cocktails, in short. Classic cocktails, specialty cocktails, craft cocktails. “Gourmet” cocktails, if you will.
 

My fascination with the cocktail began in 2001, when I mixed my first Manhattan.  I didn’t know the difference between sweet and dry vermouth, and when the recipe called for rye, I used blended Canadian.  Bitters was the only element I got right, although I now believe I overused it.  When I eventually found the correct whiskey and vermouth, and balanced the ingredients, the resulting drink shifted my perspective permanently and significantly.
 

Had I stayed the course I found that day, I would be a cocktail expert by now.  But I didn’t.  The fascination never waned, but the resources weren’t there.  I didn’t work in the service industry – never have.  Neither did I have the cash to a) stock my own extensive bar, or b) chat-up top bartenders while swilling their drinks on a frequent basis.
 

So I’m an amateur. But I’m working on changing that.
 

I’ve finally made a point of seeking great drinks regularly.  This quest comes in the form of drinking out and drinking in.  Various bars will be visited and reviewed.  Interesting home mixes will get the same treatment.  Infusions and other home experiments – both good and bad – will be documented.
 

The world of classic- and specialty-cocktails can be intimidating to a rookie.  I hope to remove that element and make it fun, as it should be.  It is drinking, after all.  And drinking is inherently fun.
 

My name is Mark. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I often take and post pictures with my mobile phone. And despite the inclinations of this website, I still enjoy cheap beer out of the can and simple highballs. Just not as much, or as often, as I used to.
 

Talk to me: mark – {at} – imbibist – (dot) – com
Twitter: @imbibist