M. Carrie Allan
@carrieallan.bsky.social
Cocktail writer for the Washington Post and others; Comms for Humane World for Animals. Here for yuks, the good fight, raging against the dying of the light. The “M” is pronounced “Mmmm.” I alone should be blamed for my posts. Reach me carrie.allan@gmail
Love a bar that knows how to accessorize its drinks with its table lighting 😆
(a lovely clarified tomato/vermouth cocktail at Zitto Speakeasy)
(a lovely clarified tomato/vermouth cocktail at Zitto Speakeasy)
June 21, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Love a bar that knows how to accessorize its drinks with its table lighting 😆
(a lovely clarified tomato/vermouth cocktail at Zitto Speakeasy)
(a lovely clarified tomato/vermouth cocktail at Zitto Speakeasy)
Pretty sure this wine cooler put its feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk
June 7, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Pretty sure this wine cooler put its feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk
🍉🍋🟩🌿 Ingredients for the evening’s cocktailing
Watermelon - for juicy fresh sweetness
Lime - for acidity and brightness
Gin - for piney juniper
Basil - for the anisey backnote
Genepi - for added herbal complexity
Buttered asparagus - for lunch. Or maybe a truly horrific fat-wash, IDK
Watermelon - for juicy fresh sweetness
Lime - for acidity and brightness
Gin - for piney juniper
Basil - for the anisey backnote
Genepi - for added herbal complexity
Buttered asparagus - for lunch. Or maybe a truly horrific fat-wash, IDK
May 24, 2025 at 6:29 PM
🍉🍋🟩🌿 Ingredients for the evening’s cocktailing
Watermelon - for juicy fresh sweetness
Lime - for acidity and brightness
Gin - for piney juniper
Basil - for the anisey backnote
Genepi - for added herbal complexity
Buttered asparagus - for lunch. Or maybe a truly horrific fat-wash, IDK
Watermelon - for juicy fresh sweetness
Lime - for acidity and brightness
Gin - for piney juniper
Basil - for the anisey backnote
Genepi - for added herbal complexity
Buttered asparagus - for lunch. Or maybe a truly horrific fat-wash, IDK
Last Word variations, Chartreuse alternatives. #ChooseYourFighter
May 18, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Last Word variations, Chartreuse alternatives. #ChooseYourFighter
Give me a piece of marketing that was better than the thing being marketed. I’ll go first.
May 17, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Give me a piece of marketing that was better than the thing being marketed. I’ll go first.
Fable - blanco tequila, bianco vermouth, honey, arugula, celery bitters (from A Quick Drink)
May 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Fable - blanco tequila, bianco vermouth, honey, arugula, celery bitters (from A Quick Drink)
Down the herbal liqueur rabbit hole, everything looks green, send help
May 3, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Down the herbal liqueur rabbit hole, everything looks green, send help
Look, I love Pedro Pascal as much as the next person, but historical trends would indicate that this current degree of cultural adoration — not only for his radiant zaddyness but for apparently being a truly decent man — cannot be sustained.
April 29, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Look, I love Pedro Pascal as much as the next person, but historical trends would indicate that this current degree of cultural adoration — not only for his radiant zaddyness but for apparently being a truly decent man — cannot be sustained.
First into the suitcase: pre-batched Old Fashioned, sweetened w Licor 43 and Amarena cherry syrup, bittered w Jerry Thomas Decanter and Ango.
(I realize taking cocktails to Vegas is sand to the beach, but it’s nice to pour folks a quiet drink away from the ringing of the slot machines 🤷♀️)
(I realize taking cocktails to Vegas is sand to the beach, but it’s nice to pour folks a quiet drink away from the ringing of the slot machines 🤷♀️)
April 11, 2025 at 5:43 PM
First into the suitcase: pre-batched Old Fashioned, sweetened w Licor 43 and Amarena cherry syrup, bittered w Jerry Thomas Decanter and Ango.
(I realize taking cocktails to Vegas is sand to the beach, but it’s nice to pour folks a quiet drink away from the ringing of the slot machines 🤷♀️)
(I realize taking cocktails to Vegas is sand to the beach, but it’s nice to pour folks a quiet drink away from the ringing of the slot machines 🤷♀️)
A sneak peek at the Banned Books Speakeasy at Morrison House, open April 23-26. Cocktails themed to banned books, benefiting the Virginia Library Association — worth crossing the river for. Speaking of rivers: The Huckleberry Finn is delicious, though it included neither huckleberries nor fins. 📚🍸
April 9, 2025 at 1:33 AM
A sneak peek at the Banned Books Speakeasy at Morrison House, open April 23-26. Cocktails themed to banned books, benefiting the Virginia Library Association — worth crossing the river for. Speaking of rivers: The Huckleberry Finn is delicious, though it included neither huckleberries nor fins. 📚🍸
Pre-infusing the Belafonte 🥊 for transport tomorrow - Jamaican rums, bourbon, banana liqueur, ginger, lime, allspice, falernum, sherry, Angostura bitters — and yes, it has more 🍌🍌🍌
A little treat for the end of the work daaaaay-O!
A little treat for the end of the work daaaaay-O!
March 26, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Pre-infusing the Belafonte 🥊 for transport tomorrow - Jamaican rums, bourbon, banana liqueur, ginger, lime, allspice, falernum, sherry, Angostura bitters — and yes, it has more 🍌🍌🍌
A little treat for the end of the work daaaaay-O!
A little treat for the end of the work daaaaay-O!
Return to the Blue Lagoon
March 8, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Return to the Blue Lagoon
Adding this voodoo shop signage to my work email signature
February 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Adding this voodoo shop signage to my work email signature
It’s a long way to Tipperary, but a short distance to tip a Tipperary
January 4, 2025 at 12:10 AM
It’s a long way to Tipperary, but a short distance to tip a Tipperary
Cocktail experimenting for NYE Italian feast. Aiming for a riff on the Godfather cocktail, replacing the amaretto with a pine nut/fennel/biscotti orgeat. (If it works, it will of course be named the Wartime Consigliere.)
December 28, 2024 at 6:10 PM
Cocktail experimenting for NYE Italian feast. Aiming for a riff on the Godfather cocktail, replacing the amaretto with a pine nut/fennel/biscotti orgeat. (If it works, it will of course be named the Wartime Consigliere.)
Tomorrow is the 1-year anniversary of one of my proudest-ever “messing with Dad” moments, when I arrived just before Christmas Mass and watched his face go through a series of facial contortions as he tried to decide whether he should let my proposed church outfit go unremarked
December 23, 2024 at 2:43 PM
Tomorrow is the 1-year anniversary of one of my proudest-ever “messing with Dad” moments, when I arrived just before Christmas Mass and watched his face go through a series of facial contortions as he tried to decide whether he should let my proposed church outfit go unremarked
It seemed to take a long time to come out. I could see the staff behind the bar puzzling over it. This is what arrived.
December 21, 2024 at 1:27 PM
It seemed to take a long time to come out. I could see the staff behind the bar puzzling over it. This is what arrived.
Thanks for the fry Marie Callender
December 16, 2024 at 2:01 AM
Thanks for the fry Marie Callender
Well, *this* place is a real sh*thole.
(Site of Roman public bathrooms at Volubilis, c. 100 BC)
(Site of Roman public bathrooms at Volubilis, c. 100 BC)
December 5, 2024 at 3:17 PM
Well, *this* place is a real sh*thole.
(Site of Roman public bathrooms at Volubilis, c. 100 BC)
(Site of Roman public bathrooms at Volubilis, c. 100 BC)
Mint tea at Riad Salam Fes
December 3, 2024 at 10:29 PM
Mint tea at Riad Salam Fes