The Alchemist

Cocktailtime was an influential column about classic cocktails on the now-defunct HotWired site. Written by Paul Harrington, a.k.a. The Alchemist, with Laura Moorhead, the column helped revive a wider interest in old school aperitif cocktails. It opened my eyes to rare-but-still-mighty classics such as the Aviation, the Pegu and the Ward Eight, while providing amusing descriptions of each drink's origins, cultural baggage, and receipe, along with suggested serving settings.

• The Gibson - "The not-so-evil twin of the dry Martini... the Gibson subtlely brings the salty brine of its garnish to the fore... one onion goes nearly unnoticed until the drink's end, two raises an eyebrow at the first sip."
• The Old Fashioned - "Old-fashioned, yes, but not weak. At some point the drink transforms from a bouquet of cherry and oranges into the brimstone and fire of whiskey... It's frilly but disciplined."
• The Pink Gin - "With all its bourgeoisie baggage, the Pink Gin is the English equivalent of the Yank's Martini. Bold and biting, it takes the banal - gin and bitters - and makes it distinctive."

Although the site has since disappeared from the web, I saved a screen shot of a couple of my favourites - the Sidecar is pasted below. Read this interview with Paul for more. http://www.frodelius.com/goodspiritsnews/paulharrington.html