Spec’sology Blog - Spirits

If you’ve been planning your Halloween party since November, the last thing you want to do is serve your ghoulish guests common cocktails. The Halloween theme doesn’t stop at the bar; if anything, it gets amped up a notch or two. Spec’s has you covered with delicious recipes for everything from creepy cocktails to spooky shooters and petrifying punches! (if all else fails, just throw a bunch of candy and liquor in a blender and see what happens!) Candy Corn Shooter Ingredients 1pt Creme de Banana1pt White Chocolate Creme Liqueur 1pt Orange Curacao Directions Layer liqueurs in order of mention

With cooler weather starting to arrive, it’s time to roll up that flannel sleeve and embrace the taste of the season! No, we’re not talking about pumpkins; there have been enough pumpkin flavored items unleashed on us in the last month to properly summon The Great Pumpkin King a dozen times over. Instead, we’re talking about the often-overlooked apple. So, join us as we dive into the season were the glorious apple shines as the star ingredient in this list of seasonal of cocktails! Apple Pie Moscow Mule Ingredients 4 oz Apple cider4 oz Caramel apple vodka 1 bottle Ginger

When stocking your home bar or even just ordering a drink, the words “liquor” and “liqueur” can appear confounding similar. Besides looking and sounding the same, they also have a lot in common in that both are alcohol, both are fond in stores and at bars and both are used to make cocktails. The key difference between these two is how to use them and how much to use - as mixing them up will lead to an atrocious concoction! We’ll explain the difference and recommend some popular liqueurs to get you started mixing them into your cocktail repertoire. What

The best part of having a fall wedding, besides the lack of sweltering summer heat, is the taste of fall sprinkled throughout the event. Whether it’s leafy table toppers, seasonal flowers, or orange bridesmaid dresses (you laugh but we’ve seen it!) The one component you shouldn’t skimp with the season on is the bar. Having a list of available cocktails makes everything from ordering and budgeting to serving and pleasing guests substantially easier. But what to have on your cocktail list? Seasonal is key here and we’ve got some fantastic fall cocktails that are sure to please every side of

Coffee cocktails have come a long way since the 1940s/50’s Irish Coffee and 1960’s White Russian (made famous by The Big Lebowski), and the Espresso Martini of the 1980s/90’s. This is in part to the evolution of coffee culture itself. From first-wave drip coffee, to Starbucks, to today’s craft “third-wave” coffee and the canned cold brew trend. These different styles of coffee have given us the ability to mix them into cocktails never before possible, but certainly delicious. Thankfully, you don’t need to work at a bar or coffee shop to add the rocket fuel to your Friday fun. We’ve

Ladies night doesn’t have to mean packing yourself into a bar with a couple of gal pals and fighting the crowds to and from the bathroom on a Thursday night. I get chills just thinking about it! So instead, why not have a Girls’ Night In? We’ve got a collection of delicious cocktails that’ll have you on speed dial as the host with the most and the queen of drinks and hijinks! Skinny Strawberry Green Tea Mojitos With frozen strawberries instead of ice, this is a cocktail that keeps on giving! Ingredients 4 oz. white rum4 fresh strawberries8 frozen strawberries1

For those who enjoy entertaining, having a well-stocked bar is pivotal to your success. A handcrafted cocktail can lighten the mood, schmooze the in-laws, wow a friend, or impress a date. Being able to mix a variety of drinks at home adds a certain swanky swagger to your hosting ego, and rightly so! It’s a heck of a lot cooler than only being able to offer canned beer and shots of Fireball. We’re helping you raise the bar a little bit! Starting a home bar may seem like an intimidating endeavor, but it doesn’t need to be. Becoming an amateur,

Kombucha. You’ve probably seen it in stores, and possibly had a friend tell you all about the magical health properties of kombucha. If you haven’t heard about this tonic and are wondering what the rave is about, here’s the 411. What is Kombucha? Kombucha is a fermented, slightly alcoholic (0.5%), lightly effervescent, sweetened black or green tea drink commonly intended as a functional beverage for its claimed health benefits. It’s often flavored with juice or spices to enhance the taste. So, there ya go – it’s fermented tea. While some of them are actually quite good, it’s definitely an acquired

Pool days are a summer rite of passage! They define the lazy days of the heat-soaked season and offer a fun getaway from the daily grind. And any trip to paradise needs to taste like it too! So, instead of, or along with, the standard beach and pool beverages of beer and wine, why not try some drinks you can mix up before hittin’ the water? We’ve put together some recipes that you can either premix at home or just make them at the pool with some simple ingredients. Of course, make sure to verify the rules for the particular

This Fourth of July why not try something different to celebrate the independence of America? Instead of the typical red, white, and blue themed party or fighting traffic to get downtown and stand in a crowd staring up at the sky, what about getting out of your familiar surroundings and experiencing America the way our Founding Fathers did – in the wild and untamed nature?! Camping is a great way to get out and see America the beautiful in all its glory. Gathering around a campfire with your favorite pals can be the perfect vacation from the everyday hustle and

Ahh summertime, the season of getting out and getting down! Whether you’re heading to a pool party, a day by the lake, or throwing a bash at your place, odds are there’s going to be food – and not just any food, but fancy summer favorites. And while we typically think beer or wine when the grill is fired up, a refreshing cocktail may be just what you need to set your summer fun apart from the masses. From delightful pairings to grilled ingredients and frozen poptails, we’ve got you covered for summer fun like sunscreen at the beach! Limoncello

When you think about saké you probably think about Japan and rice, and you’d be correct on both counts. Saké, the oldest known spirit in the world, is often incorrectly referred to as rice wine. Rice wine, like Western wine with grapes, is made from the fermentation of rice. While saké is indeed made from rice, it goes through a brewing process where starch is converted to alcohol much like how beer is brewed, although the ABV is sustainably higher than either beer or wine. How Is Saké Made? Brewing saké is a rather laborious two-step process. First, the rice