Tales of the Cocktail may have finished up 10 or so days ago, but I need to summarize things and thank a few people. Aside from the rough start with US Customs and Border Protection that turned my travel day into a 16 hour adrenaline rush, things went extremely well. This may have been the best Tales of the Cocktail […]
Recent Posts
Popular Cocktail Recipes
As the revitalization of the cocktail continues, it is often helpful to ascertain why certain cocktail recipes are popular. What makes the Margarita, Cosmopolitan and Strawberry Daiquiri the Queens of the cocktail world. This information can then be translated, by new order bartenders, into a method that will help the neophytes and phobic’s, indulge in something new and take them […]
Trader Vic
While perusing old newspapers I came across an interesting article on Victor Bergeron aka “Trader Vic”, from 1957. I’m sure most of this information is covered in one of Jeff Berry’s books, but it is an interesting read on his rise to fame. Fantastic Trader Vic He’s a Hardbitten Sailor Who’s Never Been to Sea, but the Legend Has Earned […]
Tales 2011 Day One
Tales of the Cocktail always starts off with a bang, and this year was no different. Aside from my sixteen hour travel day, where I was temporarily refused entry to the US and missed three flights, Tales has been great. The first order of business on Wednesday was to prepare for the Implementing an In-House Soda Program. This entailing working […]
Tales of the Cocktail 2011
Anyone who knows anything about cocktails is aware that Tales of the Cocktail is just about upon us. For those that don’t know what “Tales” is, it is the largest annual migration of the worlds best bartenders and drink experts, who congregate in New Orleans for a week of learning, socializing, drinking and mild to moderate suffering. Yes, it’s almost […]
Burdock Blood Bitters Ephemera
Digging through some historical ephemera, I found this interesting ad from the 1800s for Burdock Blood Bitters. It was recommended to treat the four greatest afflictions in America; dyspepsia, biliousness, constipation and sick headache. A little fibre in the American diet might have helped. Anyway, the illness isn’t the part that gets you, it’s the advertising imagery. On the ad […]
The Filby Redux
I’m not sure who decides these things, but today (June 11th) is World Gin Day. So what does one do on a day that celebrates gin? I’d hazard a guess that we’d enjoy a gin cocktail. The obvious choices are the Negroni or Martini, but may I suggest The Filby? Yes, I’ve written about this cocktail before, but that was […]
Spirited Awards Finalists
Today the nominee finalist list for the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards was release and I’m very happy to say that I’ve been nominated in two categories (Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book and Best Cocktail Writing – Author). In the five plus years I’ve been writing Art of Drink I don’t think I’ve been nominated for any award and I […]
Jamaica Ginger aka “Jake”
Last week bartender Trevor Easter asked me a question about Jamaica Ginger for a cocktail that he was researching. It just happened that I did know a fair amount on the subject. While doing research for Fix the Pumps I came across some old recipes for the production of Jamaica Ginger (1800s) and its fall from grace. For some reason, […]
Sodatender or Barjerk
With Tales of the Cocktail 2011 a mere 90 days away (or less) it’s time to start getting your flight booked, hotel reserved and sessions picked. This year I am a co-presenter on two sessions, one of them being “Sodatender or Barjerk” with the esteemed David Wondrich. With my book on soda fountains (Fix the Pumps) selling decently and Dave’s […]
Red Red Kroovy
A fan of Anthony Burgess, Stanley Kubrick or possibly Rob Zombie may understand the name of this cocktail, but for the unenlightened, the phrase “red red kroovy” comes from the book/movie “A Clockwork Orange”. It is used by the main character, Alex, to describe blood in the fictional Nadsat language. The phrase was subsequently used in the chorus of Rob […]
Barrel Aged Cocktails
What happens when you age a cocktail? Does barrel ageing help or hinder the flavour and what is happening chemically to the liquor mixture inside the barrel? Do you really need a barrel to make them? These are the questions everyone wants to know about aged cocktails, and really, this is a unique and little-understood process so let’s do the […]
Jack and Coke Recipe
Learning from the century-old Rum & Coke recipe, making the best Jack & Coke is easy if you follow a few simple steps.
Salty Dog Cocktail
Grapefruit juice is a relatively common ingredient in cocktails, with the perennial favourite being the Greyhound, but the Paloma is better. Unlike a Screwdriver, the Greyhound isn’t nearly as sweet and even has a pleasant bitterness that is imparted by the grapefruit juice. There are people who do not enjoy the bitterness of grapefruit juice, so those people tend to […]