Ardent Spirits   A website by Gary and Mardee Regan, perhaps the most prolific authors on the subject of cocktails and sprits today       Almost anybody with even a passing interest in cocktails or spirits will have at least one book by the Regans. They have written several of my favorite books, including "New Classic Cocktails", and "The Martini Companion". This is a web site that they have put together in order to help their friends and fans keep track of some of their travels, research, and wry humor.
	Charming Products   An extensive list of links to a variety of websites that sell almost any sort of bar product you could imagine       Whether you are a professional bartender, or just a home mixologist, I am sure that you will benefit from the links that Cheryl Charming has pulled together on her site.
	Cocktails on the Web   A large collection of links to various cocktail related resources     CoW is a purely private effort to collect links to all cocktail related sites that are available on the web. The links are arranged into categories to simplify access. Most links are briefly commented, some are rated.
	Yahoo! Drinks And Drinking   A good place to start locating cocktail resources on the Web       Here is a link to Yahoo!'s "Drinks and Drinking" category. This is a good place to start for finding other resources on the Web.

Websites Devoted to the Cocktail
The Cocktail is a special kind of beverage, and to truely understand it and appreciate it take a certain kind of individual. While there might be a huge number of websites that talk about cocktails, there are only a few that really try to help their users understand what a cocktail is.

The following represents what I feel are the best websites to go to in order to learn about the background, history, and construction of quality cocktails. Most of them will contain articles that examine the cocktail, and some will also include recipes and descriptions of ingredients.

 

	About.com Guide To Cocktails   A collection of information on web resources for cocktails and spirits       About.com's Guide to Cocktails is dedicated to all aspects of cocktails. It includes hundreds of hand-picked links, a recipe collection of over 700 cocktails, as well as weekly features on cocktail related subjects ranging from bartending to imbibing. There's a bulletin board, chat, surveys, feature drinks, and contests. They even have Screensavers to download, and electronic "Postcards" to send out to people.
	Ardent Spirits   A website by Gary and Mardee Regan, perhaps the most prolific authors on the subject of cocktails and sprits today       Almost anybody with even a passing interest in cocktails or spirits will have at least one book by the Regans. They have written several of my favorite books, including "New Classic Cocktails", and "The Martini Companion". This is a web site that they have put together in order to help their friends and fans keep track of some of their travels, research, and wry humor.
	Bar Asterie   A Hobbiest Bartender web site with a great collection of recipes     Another "Hobbiest Bartender" site that is also trying to raise the appreciation level for the well-heeled cocktail. This frame based site leverages some of the features of Cascading Stylesheets to achieve some visual flair. It is an excellent collection of quality cocktails and recipes.
	Hotwired's CocktailTime   An excellent collection of recipes for quality cocktails. A different drink is featured each week     This is a great web site from the folks at HotWired. They offer a weekly special "Drink Of The Week" along with historical background information, suggested menu accompanyments, and witty insight from their resident bartender, Paul Harrington. This is one of my favorite cocktail web-sites, and was the inspiration for me to put my own site together.
	Dale Degroff's Cocktail Corner   Dale Degroff provides his own insights on cocktails and bartending       In addition to running his own site, "King Cocktail", Dale Degroff also has a section on www.BevAccess.com where he provides regular cocktail recipes and bartending information. Dale is argueably one of the best bartenders in the US, and so it's always a welcome sight to see more information from him getting out.
	Extreme Bartending   Specializing in training bartenders in Performance Bartending       Thankfully, they don't appear to refer to it as "Flair Bartending", but the folks at Extreme Bartending do present a focus on the art of providing an entertaining performance as part of the bartending experience. In addition to training seminars, they also hire themselves out for events, trade shows, parties, etc. Looks like a lot of fun... wonder how good their drinks are.
	King Cocktail   Dale DeGroff provides and excellent example of Classic American Bartending.       Having bartended all over New York for many years, Dale DeGroff has honed his mixology talents to a fine edge, and on his site he shares with you a few of his insights, and recipes, on cocktails. He also has put together a very good bar kit to help you get started making cocktails at home.
	Martini Online   A site dedicated to the modern Martini       Martini Online contains a collection of nearly 200 different Martini recipes. Their on-line recipe file also allows users to submit their favorite recipes. Asside from the fact that their definition of "Martini" appears to allow fruit juices as well as Vodka to be employed, the site is well put together, and contains some usefull information for the beginner.
	Online Bartending   Offering a free online bartending course       A fairly light introduction to some of the basic principles of bartending. While it definately does not provide enough information to "really" teach you how to bartend, you could consider it as a way to quickly familiarize yourself with some of the general concepts.
	That's The Spirit   A slightly confusing collection of recipes, writeups, and information about cocktails.       While this site doesn't have a design that makes it easy to grasp the structure and layout of the information that it contains, if you take your time with it, I expect you'll find something useful and interesting.
	The Ultimate Mai Tai   A website that is sigularly dedicated to the Mai Tai       An interesting website that is singularly dedicated to the "Mai Tai". This site includes lots of great information about the history of the Mai Tai, as well as user submitted reviews of their favorite places to order them.
	Ziggy's Martini Lounge   A website dedicated to the Martini, by a self-described Martini purist       This is a website that is relatively narrowly focused at the Martini. Ziggy doesn't hold back with his opinions on how to mix a proper Martini, and like me, he doesn't include Vodka in the equation at all. He backs his views up with a couple of well written articles that discuss the history of the Martini, as well as the Martini -in- history. This site also includes a simple message posting system, in which his users debate not only the Martini, but also the proper music to listen to while drinking one.

 

Spirit Related Websites
A spirit of some type, forms the foundation of any good cocktail. While many of the commercial distilleries have websites that pontificate on the wonders of their products, sometimes you want to learn about the qualities of a particular spirit from an impartial source.

The following websites are the ones that I've located that are dedicated to one or more of the base spirits, and provide you with information that will hopefully help you understand that particular spirit better.

 

	Hendricks Gin   A great new gin, includes cucumber and rose petals       It might be hard to find everywhere, but I recently had the opportunity to try this gin in California, and found it to be a great product. It's characteristics make it work well either sipped neat, or mixed into a cocktail. An online source for this gin appears to be "SamsSuperstore".
	Liqueur Making   A hobbiest site containing a wide variety of recipes for making various liqueurs and cordials at home       By his own admission, Gunther Anderson is a shameless computer nerd, but fortunately, one of his favorite hobbies is making liqueurs at home. On his relatively simple site, he has written a lot of information about his pasttime in hopes that he can provide the rest of us with both information and inspiration on our similar pursuits.
	Ministry Of Rum   Dedicated To The Understanding and Appreciation Of This Noble Spirit, RUM       This website is owned and operated by Edward Hamilton, one of the foremost authorities on rum. He currently lives on his boat, Tafia, sailing around the Caribbean sampling the finest of the distillers' art. The information he shares on his website come from his experienes traveling around the Caribbean and visiting the distilleries themselves.
	Port Wine Institute   The Port Wine Institute is the entity that is responsible for supervising and certifying wines bearing the Porto denomination of origin       Many people have only minimal knowledge of the rich history and deep regulations that surround the manufacture of Port wine. Here at the website for the Port Wine Institute, you'll find a wealth of information to help you get better aquainted with this product.
	the Spirit Journal   The Spirit Journal is a independent guide to distilled spirits, beer and fortified wines       Paul Pacult, author of "Kindred Spirits", and "The Beer Essentials", produces a quarterly newsletter to share his insights and reviews on various products. This website is primarily a vehical for gaining new subscribers, and doesn't contain much conentent in and of itself.
	Tequila   This site offers a comprehensive look at the Mexican drink called tequila       Out of what appears to be a true love of the topic, Ian Chadwick has pulled together a multi-page writeup about the various aspects of Tequila. On his site he presents a facinating examination of tequila that I think all could benefit by reading.

 

Commercial Sites
While many commercial sites are not much more then a glorified coloring book, there are a few out there that actually show some interest in providing their customers with some real solid information about their products.

My intent is to showcase on this page, those sites that I feel are particularly usefull, either because I regularly use them myself (and thus like having someplace that I can easily find them from), or sites that I might not normally use, but that I think might be especially interesting to my readers.

 

	Double-0 Martini Kit   Martini Kit in a Industrial Strength Attache       Have you ever been traveling beyond enemy lines, across rough terrain, and in need of a really good Martini? Well, with this aluminum attache, all you'll be missing is the ice.
	A Best Kitchen   Restaurant, Kitchen, and Bar Supplies       For over 10 years, ABest Kitchen Company has been providing commercial quality supplies to restaurants, bars, and food service operations throughout Ohio, the mid-west, the U.S.A, and beyond.
	Angostura LTD   From the makers of the famous bitters. This is one of the few corporate sites that doesn't come off too heavy handed.       This site is often slow or difficult to reach, but there is some good reading once you get there. I wish some of the other company web-sites would follow this more straight-forward approach to putting their information on the web.
	Bacardi   It's hard to think of rum without also thinking of Bacardi       A lot of effort has been put into the updated Bacardi website, perhaps too much, but if you can make it past all of they fancy spinning pixels, you can find a lot of great information buried in here. But be sure you have a speedy system and a java enabled browser. If you were fond of the previous "ClubBacardi" site, it's still available, as is their Drink Wizard.
	Bar Accents   A great collection of some of the best barware     We are always trying to find that "perfect" shaker, jigger, glassware, or some other implement that is important to our trade. I recently ran across this site, and it appears as though they have taken a little time in locating some of the best products available. In fact, they even have the cocktail shaker that I have long felt is my favorite.
	Big Tray   Commercial quality restaurant and barware     Restaurants have access to products that we common folks rarely see in our local kitchen stores. You'll find a great selection of a wide variety of products here.
	The Association of Canadian Distillers   The national trade association representing Canada's major distillers       The Association of Canadian Distillers is a national organization which represents all of Canada's major distilling companies. Their site has a wide variety of useful information about the history, use, and promotion of their products.
	Da Vinci Gourmet   Only source I know of in the U.S. for Falernum       Da Vinci Gourmet is a Seattle based company that specializes in gourmet coffee syrups. They offer a full line of gourmet flavored syrups, gourmet sauces and chocolate confections.
	F. H. Steinbart   One of the oldest Wine & Beer supply houses in the country.       I was trying to locate an authentic English pub style "Beer Engine" for my home bar, and this was the company that a local brewery suggested. The organization of their on-line catalog has a ways to go, but at least it is a start. I'm glad to see companies like this making such an attempt.
	Food Service Direct   Restaurant Supplies and Restaurant Equipment       A great selection of professional restaurant supplies. In their Bar Supplies section they include a wide variety of products including Bar Blenders, Bar Shakers, Glass Washers, Muddlers, and Straws. None of the frilly useless stuff you'll find in the shopping malls, just great no-nonsense products that can get the job done.
	Gosling's Brothers Ltd   Over the years Gosling's Black Seal Rum has become has become synonymous with Bermuda.       A family business for nearly two centuries, Gosling's is Bermuda's oldest business house, and is the largest exporter of a Bermuda made product. Their famous Black Seal Rum, is a dark rum that is rich and deep in flavor. They also apparently carry "Falernum", although it doesn't appear to be imported into the U.S. Market at the moment.
	Hendricks Gin   A great new gin, includes cucumber and rose petals       It might be hard to find everywhere, but I recently had the opportunity to try this gin in California, and found it to be a great product. It's characteristics make it work well either sipped neat, or mixed into a cocktail. An online source for this gin appears to be "SamsSuperstore".
	IBGifts   Specializing in authentic Irish oriented gifts       This is a general giftware company, located in Ireland. They currently sell a wide range of authentic Irish orientated gifts, fine crystal such as Tyrone Irish Crystal, Swarovski Silver Crystal, collectibles such as Belleek Parian China, Hummel and fine art by renowned local artists. IBgifts delivers to the USA, Canada and Europe. They also have a small section that specializes in crystal drinkware.
	Internet Wines & Spirits   Online shopping source for wines and spirits       Located in Fairview Heights, IL, this company carries a fairly wide selection of wines, spirits, and liqueurs. According to their FAQ, they ship to all states except Utah, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Kentucky, nor do they ship international orders.
	Next Day Gourmet   Professional restaurant products for retail or wholesale       In addition to a very good line of professional restaurant supplies and products, they also provide a limited collection of food items, including steaks, pastas, sauces, oils, etc. You'll also find some interesting reading material in their Cool Tips section
	NLBA   The National Licensed Beverage Association       The National Licensed Beverage Association is America's largest trade association representing licensed beverage retailers. The NLBA represents over 12,000 bar, tavern, restaurant, & package store owners across the US
	Perfect Puree   The Perfect Puree Company of Napa Valley       In my research in order to discover how to make the perfect white peach puree in order to perfect my Bellini recipe, I ran into this company from Napa Valley. They produce a wonderful selection of fruit and vegetable purees, including a wonderful "White Peach" puree. Even after having tried to make my own home-made white peach puree, I find their product to be superior. In addition to their flavor being unadulterated with any cloying addatives, their consistancy and quality produces far less foam up then a home-made puree. I highly recommend their product. Their other fruit purees would be great for other mixed drinks as well. They also sell a Pomegranate puree, I'm thinking perhaps this might be a great way to make home-made Grenadine Syrup.
	Port Wine Institute   The Port Wine Institute is the entity that is responsible for supervising and certifying wines bearing the Porto denomination of origin       Many people have only minimal knowledge of the rich history and deep regulations that surround the manufacture of Port wine. Here at the website for the Port Wine Institute, you'll find a wealth of information to help you get better aquainted with this product.
	Internet Wines & Spirits   Online shopping source for wines and spirits       Located in Chicago, Sams Superstore provides a very good selection of wine, spirits, and specialty food products. They indicate that they do ship all of their products internationally, but don't indicate which States they are unable to ship alcohol to.
	Sazerac Co.   Founded in 1850, Sazerac Company is one of the largest independent producers and marketers of distilled spirits.       The Sazerac Company is manufacturer of Peychaud's Bitters, the necessary ingredient for the "Sazerac" cocktail.
	Silver Superstore   There are times when nothing beats a great piece of silver at the bar       While looking on the web for a source for Mint Julep Cups, I ran across this site that appears to sell a variety of silverware and silverplate products. Wine glasses, Mint Julep cups, Silver Beer Tankards, a pretty good selection, and at prices that look quite reasonable.
	Stuffy Shmitt   Stuffy's Latest album is 'Nothing Is Real'       Shmitt’s haunting melodies bring his words to life with a gripping directness and sincerity. New York Post rock reviewer Dan Aquilante wrote, “the tall singer, Stuffy Shmitt, was intense as he worked through the set. . . he drew the crowd into the music with a confessional style that made it all as graphic as snapshots. . . (his) songs get as much power from the words as from the music.” Listen To A Track (using "Real Audio"): Nothing Is Real Cool It, Baby Long Water Aerosmith If you like what you hear, be sure to buy a copy. While you probably won't find "Nothing Is Real" in your local record stores, Stuffy does provide a link on his site that allows you to order this disk in a variety of different ways.
	Trader Vic's   Enter the classic world of Tiki Culture, from the company that first brought it to our attention.       It's been nearly 70 years since "Trader Vic" Bergeron - a colorful world traveler and world-class Epicurean - created his first namesake restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. On their website, you can read all about how Victor Bergeron invented the famous Mai Tai, find out where their restaurants are world wide, as well as see the numerous products they have to order for your drink mixing pleasure.
	Washington State Liqour Stores   Liquor Stores in Washington State, are all owned and operated by the state.       As stated on their website, "The mission of the Washington State Liquor Control Board is to serve the public by preventing misuse of alcohol and tobacco through education, enforcement, and controlled distribution." Part of this means that all alcohol (except beer and wine) sold in the state has to be sold through state owned liquor stores. While on one hand this removes the potential for "speciality" liquor stores that might provide unique or unusual spirits, on the other hand it means that all of the states liquor supplies are managed from a centralized database. Thankfully, the state has seen the benefit of this, and have allowed for a web-based access to this database so customers can search for a particular brand or type of spirit, and find out what stores near them carry it. I've used this many times to help me stock my liquor cabinet. You can reach this page directly at: Brand Search

 

Beer Related Sites
Beer may not be a cocktail, but every cocktail lounge usually serves beer as well, so the two have a vested interest in each other. Don't even think about asking me for information about "Bud Light", but I will hopefully provide you with some links to some other beer resources that you should find useful

 

	Ale Street News   The BREWSPAPER in CYBERSPACE       The "Ale Street News - Online" is a very good collection of articles and information on beer and home brewing.
	Beer Church   Because Beer is good, and you are worthy       While I suppose they could have taken the "Church Of Beer" theme to obnoxious extremes, this site fortunately simply represents a very good source of information and news about Beer around the world. I have found the information they contain on their site easy to browse through, and full of usefull and interesting news items.
	Campaign for Real Ale   CAMRA's mission is to act as champion of the consumer in relation to the UK and European beer and drinks industry.       The CAMRA organization has been around for almost 30 years, and is dedicated to art of "Real Ale". Real Ale is significantly different from what people in America might think of when they think of "Beer", the closest we get to "Real Ale" (and it is pretty close) is known over here as "Cask Conditioned Beer", and it is almost always served out of a classic English hand pump known as a "Beer Engine". In their Glossary, you can find a description of what Real Ale is.
	F. H. Steinbart   One of the oldest Wine & Beer supply houses in the country.       I was trying to locate an authentic English pub style "Beer Engine" for my home bar, and this was the company that a local brewery suggested. The organization of their on-line catalog has a ways to go, but at least it is a start. I'm glad to see companies like this making such an attempt.
	Real Beer   A website dedicated not just to beer, but -real- beer. Trust me, there is a difference.       This website is devoted to beer, and more specifically, to real beer. The term Real Beer here is used to differentiate it from the more common Industrial beer.

 

Let's Go Shopping!
Half the fun of the web, is how it allows you to browse through web based "catalogs" and order things from the comfort of your own home. Here, I'll attempt to identify some of the sites that I either use myself to assist me in stocking my home bar, or sites that at least look like they have some interesting products that they are offering.

The only sites I'll list here, are the ones that have a fully web-based ordering process. No need to phone, fax, or e-mail your order to some other source.

 

	Bar Accents   A great collection of some of the best barware     We are always trying to find that "perfect" shaker, jigger, glassware, or some other implement that is important to our trade. I recently ran across this site, and it appears as though they have taken a little time in locating some of the best products available. In fact, they even have the cocktail shaker that I have long felt is my favorite.
	Bibliofind   Providing access to a network of used booksellers around the world       I've expanded my cocktail library tremendously through purchases I've made via Bibliofind. If you know the title or author of the book you are looking for, you can often find it very easily via the on-line database of used and rare books.
	Big Tray   Commercial quality restaurant and barware     Restaurants have access to products that we common folks rarely see in our local kitchen stores. You'll find a great selection of a wide variety of products here.
	CasaKaren   Doesn't the best cocktail, deserve the best cocktail shaker?       Fine silver cocktail shakers, and matching Martinera® make the limited number of products offered by Casa Karen worth checking out.
	Charming Products   An extensive list of links to a variety of websites that sell almost any sort of bar product you could imagine       Whether you are a professional bartender, or just a home mixologist, I am sure that you will benefit from the links that Cheryl Charming has pulled together on her site.
	Dr. Bartender   Providing information on Bartending Tips, Recipes, Schools, Games, and sells a recipe-card deck of over 150 recipes       It appears that the primary business of this site is to sell their recipe card deck for use by professional as well as home bartenders. Their site also offers a recipe database, some bartending tips, and what appears to be a usefull listing of bartending schools in the US.
	Food Service Direct   Restaurant Supplies and Restaurant Equipment       A great selection of professional restaurant supplies. In their Bar Supplies section they include a wide variety of products including Bar Blenders, Bar Shakers, Glass Washers, Muddlers, and Straws. None of the frilly useless stuff you'll find in the shopping malls, just great no-nonsense products that can get the job done.
	IBGifts   Specializing in authentic Irish oriented gifts       This is a general giftware company, located in Ireland. They currently sell a wide range of authentic Irish orientated gifts, fine crystal such as Tyrone Irish Crystal, Swarovski Silver Crystal, collectibles such as Belleek Parian China, Hummel and fine art by renowned local artists. IBgifts delivers to the USA, Canada and Europe. They also have a small section that specializes in crystal drinkware.
	Internet Wines & Spirits   Online shopping source for wines and spirits       Located in Fairview Heights, IL, this company carries a fairly wide selection of wines, spirits, and liqueurs. According to their FAQ, they ship to all states except Utah, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Kentucky, nor do they ship international orders.
	Last Call Game   A fun multimedia game for bartenders       This is a fairly straightforward game in which you play the bartender. Customers come up and order drinks, and it is your challenge to mix them up, and earn your tips! However, if that was all that was to this game, it would be relativelly droll. Fortunately, in addition to good graphics and sounds, they've also included many very humorous personalities within the game. Your customers include Neanderthals, Hedgehogs, Super Heros, and even a Dominatrix. You may spend more time just trying to catch the witty banter of your customers, then serving them their drinks. In addition to being able to order this game directly from their web-site, they also allow you do download a demo version. But be warned... the zipped up game is 26mb, so if you are using a modem, be prepared for a bit of a wait!
	MartiniMan   Martini Man, the surreal extension of our passions and occupations       Judith Angerman (aka. JELA), presents on her website and interesting gallery of artwork, posters, calendars, greeting cards, and other various items that revolve around her popular "Martini Man" theme.
	MartiniPic   Why let your olives just roll around in your glass, when you could have them speared on a cool cocktail pick like this?       The really serious pool players always show up with their own pool cues, carefully packed away in a little travel case. Shouldn't a serious Martini drinker show up with their own cocktail pic?
	Next Day Gourmet   Professional restaurant products for retail or wholesale       In addition to a very good line of professional restaurant supplies and products, they also provide a limited collection of food items, including steaks, pastas, sauces, oils, etc. You'll also find some interesting reading material in their Cool Tips section
	PubGear   Offering accessories to make your home as inviting as your favorite corner pub.       PubGear is offering a limited selection of some very interesting products. Their glassware offerings look like they are coming along nicely, I look forward to seeing them expand upon the lines that they carry.
	Internet Wines & Spirits   Online shopping source for wines and spirits       Located in Chicago, Sams Superstore provides a very good selection of wine, spirits, and specialty food products. They indicate that they do ship all of their products internationally, but don't indicate which States they are unable to ship alcohol to.
	Silver Superstore   There are times when nothing beats a great piece of silver at the bar       While looking on the web for a source for Mint Julep Cups, I ran across this site that appears to sell a variety of silverware and silverplate products. Wine glasses, Mint Julep cups, Silver Beer Tankards, a pretty good selection, and at prices that look quite reasonable.
	TailGator   When you absolutely, positively, must have a blended drink. No matter where you are.       Here is a website that once I saw it, I just knew I had to list it here, even though I shouldn't. They don't take orders over the Internet. I haven't (yet) purchased anything from them. And frankly, I'm really not into "blended" drinks. But hey, this is my website, and I can do whatever I want to. Even if just for a good laugh, I think this site is worth visiting. And if you happen to order one of their units, drop me a line and let me know what you think of it.
	Tiki Objects by Bosko   Your best source for the finest Tiki and Polynesian pop products available       Planning a Luau? Looking for the perfect glasses to serve Mai Tai's out of? Well, Bosko appears to have just the right collection of glasses, lamps, artwork, and a variety of other fun objects for your bar.