Tyler Mortensen

The Slippery Ni**le might have the most outrageous name in the bar world, but its story is pure 1980s magic.

Back when the rules didn’t matter, the hair was big, and bar culture was louder than the music, bartenders were experimenting with layered drinks that looked like tiny pieces of art. And somewhere between the disco leftovers of Sambuca and the rising popularity of Irish cream… this wild little shot was born.

It checked every box the decade demanded:
✔ Sweet
✔ Flashy
✔ Easy to drink
✔ And risqué enough to guarantee a reaction

Bars didn’t need to promote it — the name alone was a conversation starter. By the late 80s and early 90s, the Slippery Ni**le became a rite of passage for new bartenders and a full-blown party classic. It even sparked an entire family of “Ni**le” shots that took over the nightlife scene.

And here’s why it still matters today:
It’s fun.
It’s nostalgic.
And it reminds us that cocktails aren’t just drinks — they’re moments, memories, and a little rebellion poured into a glass.

Whether you’ve taken one, made one, or avoided the name entirely… the Slippery Ni**le will always have a place in cocktail culture.

Equal Parts:
Sambuca (or Jagermeister)
Irish Cream

Honoring Ray Foley — The Bartender’s Bartender

Every now and then, someone walks through this industry who doesn’t just mix drinks… they mix eras, careers, and entire generations of bartenders. And for me—for a lot of us— Ray Foley was one of those people.

Most people know the surface-level story: Founder of Bartender Magazine or the creator of the Fuzzy Navel, writer of what felt like every cocktail recipe book on earth. But that was just the intro to the man. Ray Foley wasn’t just a name printed on a cover or a quick footnote in the bartending world. He was the bartender so many of us tried to emulate long before we even realized it.

The thing about Ray is this—if you’ve ever strapped on an apron, walked behind a bar, and tried to master the perfect pour, he’s influenced you. Even if you’ve never heard his full story. Even if you’ve never opened one of his books. Even if you’ve never realized that the way we talk about drink culture today… the language, the structure, the pride… came from trailblazers like him.

There’s a little bit of Ray Foley in every bartender’s hands. In every recipe they refine. In every shift where someone decides, “I really want to take this craft seriously.”

When I first decided to take bartending to heart—really study it, not just do it—Ray was one of the first people I gravitated toward. I studied every single book he wrote. I memorized every recipe, even the ones that kicked my ass the first few times. I read every article I could find, because the way he described drinks wasn’t just technical… it was storytelling.

Ray taught through structure, clarity, and a quiet confidence that said:
If you’re going to show up to the bar, you’re going to show up right.

Even though I never knew him personally, I feel like I did—because his work shaped how I approach every bottle, every build, every story I tell through a drink. He made bartending feel like a craft worth mastering, not just a job worth surviving.

Ray Foley was more than a founder. More than a recipe creator. More than a magazine publisher. He was a compass in an industry that’s constantly shifting, expanding, reinventing itself. He was the bartender’s bartender.

And honestly… I don’t think the industry talks about him enough.

So this post is just my small way of saying thank you, Ray. Thank you for the foundation you built. Thank you for the knowledge you shared. Thank you for inspiring those of us who found our purpose behind a bar.

Whether they realize it or not, every bartender—from the veteran mixologist to the kid pouring their first drink—has a piece of Ray Foley in their story. And I’m proud to be someone who learned from the blueprint he left behind.

Here’s to Ray… and to every bartender who’s ever been shaped by the ones who came before us.

The Godmother Cocktail: The Quiet Classic That Never Needed the Spotlight

Every once in a while, a cocktail shows up that doesn’t need fireworks… or smoke… or a garnish that costs extra. It just walks in with quiet confidence, sits down at the bar, and lets the flavor do all the talking. That’s the Godmother.

A simple two-ingredient cocktail with a big personality — and a history that’s surprisingly mysterious for how long it’s been around. In an industry full of cocktails with origin stories longer than my kids’ bedtime routines, the Godmother slips in like the quiet aunt at a family party. She doesn’t brag. She doesn’t flex. She just exists — smooth, sweet, and strong.

Here’s the backstory we do know:

The Godmother is the younger, softer, gentler version of the Godfather cocktail. The Godfather uses Scotch. The Godmother swaps it for vodka (I use a premium vodka such as The BlackStorm Brand vodka) and suddenly the whole vibe changes.

This drink likely showed up sometime in the 1970s, when vodka was blowing up in American bars and taking over cocktail menus. People were choosing vodka because it was smooth, clean, and easy to drink… so naturally someone said, “What if we take that amaretto sweetness and pair it with vodka instead?” And the Godmother was born. No famous bartender.
No iconic bar. No award-winning mixology moment.

Just a simple, elegant idea that stuck around because it tasted good and made sense. Sometimes that’s all you need.

And here’s the beauty of this cocktail → it’s so simple, so clean, and so easy to make that anyone can build it at home and feel like they know what they’re doing.

Let me show you:

The Classic Godmother Cocktail Build

Ingredients:
• 1½ oz vodka
• ½–1 oz amaretto liqueur (depending on how sweet you want it)

How to Make It:
1. Fill a rocks glass with ice.
2. Add the vodka.
3. Add the amaretto.
4. Give it a gentle stir.
5. Garnish with a lemon or orange twist if you want to make it pretty.

That’s it. Two pours. One stir. No stress. The flavor? Smooth. Slightly sweet. Almond-forward with that warm Amaretto perfume that hits your nose before it hits your tongue.

It’s the kind of drink that reminds you how good simplicity can be.
And honestly, as someone who’s spent years building drinks, building content, building a brand, and building a life — that simplicity hits different.

Not everything needs to be complicated. Not everything needs to be reinvented. Sometimes the classics stay classics because they do exactly what they’re supposed to do. The Godmother is that reminder.

A sweet sip of the 70s, a slow moment in a fast world, a cocktail that shows up, does its job, and doesn’t need applause to be memorable.

— Tyler | Mixed Up With TGM