By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

One of the best things about having a restaurant in Taiwan was that I got to visit other restaurants and learn from the natives how to make their food.

Villa Bella was owned by a good friend of mine from Italy and his Taiwanese wife.

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

When I first started bartending, I knew that there were some cocktails that used egg whites in them.

Egg Nog was something I had been drinking since I was around 12 or 13, when my father would make a batch for the Christmas holidays. I was only allowed a little, which was fine by me since I didn’t like eggs all that much.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

When I have friends visit, especially ones who know how to cook, I try to make special meals.

My friend Darby Doll came to visit this past Friday/Saturday. He is the person who introduced me to Wyoming several decades ago.

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

When I was around 13 or 14, my father had some meetings in San Jose and he took the family on an excursion to the Bay Area. I don’t remember why, but when he wanted to take us out to San Francisco for dinner, my sister and I opted out of going with him and staying in the hotel room and grabbing some KFC and watching TV.

In my defense, I was a kid.

By Dana Davis

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I usually leave Asian-inspired recipes to Mike Armstrong.

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

While I was growing up, my stepmother’s aunt, Mama Linnie, lived with us. My stepmother was raised by Mama Linnie because my stepmother’s mother died in childbirth.

Now I wish I could tell you Mama Linnie was a warm individual, but that would not be the truth.

She was a woman who was obsessed with money and family, if you were blood.

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

When I opened my bar in Taichung, Taiwan, I was determined it was going to be the best cocktail bar in the city of three million. Honestly, that was not going to be hard to do, since most bars didn’t take cocktail culture seriously. As it turned out, I not only achieved that goal, but it wasn’t long before we became known as one of the top cocktail bars on the whole island.

By Dana Davis

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

There are a few things that happen when summer arrives in Carbon County: gardens start producing, neighbors begin sharing extra produce and suddenly everyone is trying to figure out what to do with piles of zucchini.

A friend recently gave me a bunch of zucchini, and while roasting them in the oven is always an option, I wanted something different.

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I worked in bars for about two decades before I heard of a Mojito, much less made one.

I never had a call for one while I worked at the different bars in Washington D.C.

I made Daiquiris, Rum Runners and Coladas on occasion, but if people were drinking rum most of the time, it was with Coke or some juice.

By Dana Davis

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I lived in Wisconsin for many years, and that is probably where my love of cheese truly began.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

As a youngster, it was fairly rare for me to eat any dips but it was also because I was not a kid who liked potato or corn chips. We had them in my father’s home, so it was not like I was not exposed.

I was a vegetable eater of all types, so my parents were not unhappy with my eating habits and I was not considered picky.

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Roxana B. Doran wrote a book in 1930 giving her audience drinks to choose from, now that alcohol was illegal. She was the wife of Dr. James M. Doran, the United States Commissioner of Prohibition.

Most of the recipes came from the wives of politicians and socialites.

Last week, I put in a few recipes I found interesting from this publication.  

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I collect old bartending books. I have a few that go back to the 1870s and earlier. I even have a first edition (not in great shape, though) of Dr. Jerry Thomas’ first recipe book, which is considered the holy grail of books in the bartending world.

By Dana Davis

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Summer is just around the corner, at least that’s the hope, and with it comes an easier excuse to lean into lighter meals. When fresh ingredients start showing up at local stores and backyard gardens, salads tend to make their way onto the table a little more often.

By Mike Armstrong    

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

A sour is one of America’s oldest cocktails. I am not exactly sure how bars and pubs back in times of old got a hold of limes and lemons, but apparently, they did because recipes called for them.

Unfortunately, a lot of bars and restaurants use pre-made sour mix like Mr. Boston.