Spirit Magazine - December 2013 - (Page 22)

From the Editor Dear Reader, Robert Frost called a poem a "momentary stay against confusion." So is a cocktail, I believe. My wife and I try to observe cocktail hour every Friday. Our schedules take us away from each other most of the week, and cocktails give us an excuse to just sit and make sense of things. The rest of our hours can come in big gulps; for this one, we sip. Whether it comes "up" in a stemmed glass or "down" in a rocks glass, the perfect drink should embody the good life, containing something sweet, a dash of bitterness, and generous comfort. Dorothy and I love that the cocktail's storied roots lie in New Orleans. We spent our second honeymoon there, two weeks after our first one. We had gone directly from our wedding to Kentucky, where I had to report a story on a strip mine-one of the less romantic scenes for a honeymoon. Shortly after, I attended a conference in Baton Rouge and asked Dorothy to join me for the weekend in New Orleans. We drank cocktails made with bourbon and the bitters invented by Antoine Amedie Peychaud in the early 19th century. This great New Orleans apothecary used an egg cup, or coquetier, to measure out his famous Sazerac, and so was born the cocktail. (Historians challenge this story, but as Winston Churchill said of Camelot, "It's all true, or it ought to be.") On page 68, Rien Fertel captures the spirits of the Big Easy, with all its heady sweetness and bitterness, through the ideal medium of cocktails. Consider his story an extended toast and a thing of great cheer. -Jay Heinrichs Editorial Director LOCAL POTION A take on the Vieux Carré cocktail, by bartender Abigail Gullo. 22 SPIRIT DECEMBER 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - December 2013

Spirit Magazine - December 2013
Contents
Gary's Greeting
Gary's Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Worlds
Your Pictures
Media Center
Spice up your drink repertoire
Eat Drink Sleep
Cook with chickpeas
Stay Overnight in Nashville
The Numbers
Make a Case for Paper Maps
Look out for Bigfoot
Plan Interplanetary Trek
Wise Guide
Co-opt Criticism
Business
Meet your New Favourite Travel Buddy
Provoke Productivity
Tales of a Tippling City
Rediscover Sin City
The Other Side of Vegas
Your Adventure In Albuquerque
Promotional Series: Spirit of Florida
Focus On: Health Resolutions
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products & Services
Flight Services
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards Partners
Route Map
The "If" List

Spirit Magazine - December 2013