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Just prior to prohibition, a great little booklet was put out by The Wine and Spirit Bulletin called Beverages De Luxe. It is a collection of articles, and recipes, written by owners of distilleries and others in the business. Some of the contributors include George Brown (Brown & Foreman) and A.M. Hanauer (Hamburger Distillery, Pittsburgh, PA) among many others. Hanauer wrote a piece on rye whisky and quotes Bismarek as saying “Beer is for women, wine is for men and rye is for heroes.”  There is some great info on vermouth, New England Rum and Gin. Plus some really interesting recipes from many of the hotels across America. Wanna see?

Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh has released the second edition of his influential book. The first edition was serendipitously release just as the cocktail renaissance was beginning. Some, including Dr. Cocktail, would say that his book, combined with a bunch of enthusiastic, but lost, cocktail bloggers helped pave the way for what we are now experiencing. Without Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails a lot of writers would still be quoting early editions of the Mr. Boston Bartending Guide, or possibly worse.

On an absolutely beautiful Friday morning I decided that going to a library was a better option than heading off to the beach. But, this isn't any old library, it is the University of Waterloo library that houses the collection of the former Seagram Distilling Company. This collection has over 1200 books on all things related to the production of spirits, wine and beer. The oldest book in the collection is from 1554. There is a good selection of books from the 1600's, 1700's and 1800's. With such a large collection of books, only an hour away, how could I resist.

One of the key ingredients to a great cocktail is knowledge. This is a principal that applies to almost everything but it is often overlooked. The reason most drinks are mediocre is because most people don’t think about what they are doing, or they think on a single plane. For example many bartenders are one trick pony’s that make super sweet fruit drinks and that’s it. One drink, many variations Many people who try to make a martini at home fail miserably because they don’t understand that ice and water are important. One way to fix this is to read, but many books are dreadful when it comes to true knowledge. Mr. Boston’s bar guide is one of the reasons cocktails are in such a dreadful state. Don’t buy it, please. I once owned a copy in college and after I “converted” I left it at the first bar I worked at, never to be seen again, and hopefully not to be used. Try one of these instead.

Recently I received a copy of the second edition of Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail Volume II, which has eleven new articles on cocktail and bar related topics. There are some great articles, by some great writers and bartenders, in this edition. The topics encompass a number of areas including classic cocktails, the profession, some ingredient based articles and a little bit of history. There is something for everyone. In this edition of Mixologist, I contributed an article entitled “The Definitive Guide to Sour Mix”. Other authors, and topics include, Gary Regans writings about the origins of the Cosmopolitan and Dale DeGroff writes a great article on what makes a great bar. The book is a good read and picking up a copy helps the Museum of the American Cocktail. 

While killing some time, I decided to peruse the isles of a big book store. I usually check out the magazine rack for any new drink magazines or cooking journals. Then I wander around the store and avoid the Starbucks, I’m not a fan of their coffee. Then I take a walk down the Food & Drink isle and look over the bartending, wine and cocktail books. Usually there isn’t much that makes we want to shell out $25, but this time something caught my eye. The book is called “The Art of the Bar” which kind of rang a bell with me. I opened the book, out of curiosity, and it was artfully colourful with well written sections. The best part is that the writing is done by bartenders, from a bartenders perspective.

The second edition of Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail will be published on May 13, 2006 with eleven new articles. In this issue I have written an article on sweet and sour mix (The Definative Guide to Sweet and Sour). It is a detailed article explaining the interaction of sugars with acid and how they combine to create a flavourful taste experience. The article provides some background info on sources of acid (lemons and limes). Also, the article will introduce you to the Plonk Cocktail, a drink I created to demonstrate how sweet and sour balance each other out in wine, which is a perfect parallel to a balanced cocktail. Other contributing authors include Christine Sismondo, Robert Hess, Gary Regan, LeNell Smothers, Gwydion Stone, Audrey Saunders, Dale DeGroff, Ryan Magarian, Jared Brown, and Anistatia Miller.

You can pre-order your copy for $18.95 in the US and $22.95 for international orders by e-mailing mixellany@mac.com.

Having been a contributing author to this book, I figured I should write a little about it. The idea for the journal was born at Southern Comfort Tales of the Cocktails and was the brain child of Robert Hess, Dave Wondrich and Anistatia Miller. While having pre-dinner cocktails, this group discussed how it was time to have a forum for professional cocktail enthusiasts. The idea developed into The Journal of the American Cocktail, and requests went out for papers to be included. I submitted a paper on Simple Syrup, which doesn't sound all that exciting, but with my background in chemistry, I highlighted some things that most people would be unaware, but could affect the quality of the cocktails being made.