Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
which flows from seven distilleries in the state's central zone. The 225-mile loop
between the booze-makers here is known as the Bourbon Trail, and road-tripping to visit
the distilleries and sample their wares has become an offbeat version of California's
Napa Valley.
Cocktails were invented in New Orleans, appropriately enough, before the Civil War.
The first cocktail was the Sazerac - a mix of rye whiskey or brandy, simple syrup, bitters
and a dash of absinthe. American cocktails created at bars in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries include such long-standing classics as the Martini, the Manhattan and the Old-
Fashioned.
In many parts of the South, a 'coke' means any kind of flavored, carbonated soft drink,
so you may have to specify - if you say 'I'll have a Coke,' the waiter might ask, 'What
kind?'. In the Midwest, the generic term is 'pop,' while the East Coast uses 'soda.'
The Vintage Cocktail Craze
Across US cities, it has become decidedly cool to party like it's 1929 by drinking retro
cocktails from the days - less than a century ago - when alcohol was illegal. Good old
Prohibition: instead of spawning a nation of teetotalers, it arguably only solidified a cul-
ture for which the forbidden became appealing - it felt good to be bad, and so-called re-
spectable citizens congregated in secret 'speakeasies' to drink homemade moonshine and
dance to hot jazz.
Fast forward to the 21st century. While Prohibition isn't in any danger of being rein-
stated, you'll find plenty of bars in the region where the spirit of the Roaring '20s and il-
licit 1930s lives on. Inspired by vintage recipes calling for natural and homemade elixirs,
these cocktails - blending ingredients such as small-batch liqueurs, whipped egg whites,
hand-chipped ice and fresh fruits - are lovingly concocted by nattily dressed bartenders
who regard their profession as something between an art and a science.
January
The ice wine grape harvest takes place around the Finger Lakes, New York, and in northern
Michigan. Sweet dessert drinks ensue.
March
