Art of Drink

Still Waters Distillery

2009-11-08T17:04:23Z

Starting a distillery from scratch can be a daunting task, especially in Canada, but the gentlemen at Still Waters Distillery have succumbed to their passion and taken the leap anyway. For cocktail aficionados they are planning to produce a 100% rye whisky, but with aging that is a few years away. Single malt whiskies seem to be their true passion, but again good whisky takes time. While they are laying down stocks of malt and rye for aging they have put the still to work making a 100% barley malt vodka. This may be the best use of vodka yet--to support micro-distillers.

Tales 2010

2009-10-06T23:34:46Z

Do you have a great idea that you absolutely need to share with the bartending community? If so Tales of the Cocktail is now accepting submissions for presentations for Tales of the Cocktail 2010. I’m sure most people are familiar with this event, so I’ll skip the rehash. You don’t need any previous speak experience to submit an idea, but the idea needs to be good. Here’s some of my tips on how to weasel your way down to New Orleans.

1. Have a good presentation idea. It doesn’t need to be excessively complex, sometimes too much information is a bad thing. I did a presentation on Sugar, which seems rather simple, but there is a lot of useful information on that topic. Basically, take any idea, do the research, apply it to cocktails and that’s what people want.

2. Put the information into a cohesive package, that is relevant to professionals, and send the idea in. When you submit your ideas, flush them out a bit. Don’t be vague. The best presentations that I’ve been to are the ones that are very specific about the topic.

3. Don’t make things up and don’t get too fancy. Try to avoid the “Benefits of Meteorite Infused Vodka” type ideas. This is the professional side of the industry, not the ‘Ripper Bar and Slush Machine Operator Local 666 Convention (that’s on Bourbon Street Monday to Sunday - 9PM ‘til Sunrise).

4. The topics I find most people talk about are history, science and technique. People want to know how to do things better and how they did them in the past. These topics aren’t hard, they just require information. The Internet is a great resource, but you can’t believe everything you read on it. The best research requires you to hit the local library.

What? “They don’t have a big selection of historical cocktail books” you say? Then ask about Inter-Library loans. Most libraries can bring books in from all across America and even from other countries.

If the library is not your thing, figure out something cool about technique. Carve ice, make pulled sugar garnishes, or work on “the art of sliding drinks down the mahogany” with a focus on curving them around corners. That will get you in for sure.

Tales is a fun event, and the people who attend are very interested in new and cool things to do behind the bar. If you can provide that, you’ll easily sell out your session. But remember, you are going to be sharing information with the top bartenders and beverage professional from around the world, so make it good.

Tales 2010 Submission Form

Ammonia Coke

2009-10-02T01:46:58Z

Adding things to Coca-Cola is a time honoured tradition, two that immediately come to mind are cocaine and rum. Another is Aromatic Spirits of Ammonia. Now this isn't kitchen cleaner ammonia, which would be a big mistake, this is a pharmaceutical preparation that has been used for over a century, even before Coke was invented. For druggists, this preparation was an over-the-counter medicine used to treat a variety of conditions. Unlike other patent medicines (snake oil), Aromatic Spirits of Ammonia survived and can still be bought at some pharmacies today. It makes for an interesting taste combination with Coca-Cola.

Beverages De Luxe (1914)

2009-09-25T01:08:00Z

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?

National Bartenders School

2009-09-08T00:34:39Z

Disagreements are normal, and I'm happy to debate the finer points of bartending and cocktails with anyone. Sadly, some people prefer the angry dictator approach. David Rattner, of National Bartenders School, being one of them. But that's OK. What's not cool is the his inability to separate the topic from the individual. Another charming letter from Dave follows.

Bartending School

2009-09-05T03:00:51Z

"He's beyond bartending, beyond being a poor journeyman bartender, and has obviously morphed into a misinformed, opinionated, elitist snob." At first I thought I had a misdirected email for Jamie Boudreau. Then I realized it was for me. That is the opinion of one David Rattner, president of National Bartender's School, regarding me. There were a few more shots fired across my bow in his email, which is included below for your viewing pleasure. Now to address some of the accusations: Misinformed? Rarely. Elitist? Not! Snob? Only when in the company of vagrants and hobo's. Opinionated, well you got me there, and guess what, here it comes.

Donegall Cocktail (1935)

2009-08-28T01:38:02Z

In 1935, the United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild opened a club at Old Compton Street, Soho. For this merry occasion they held a cocktail contest, which wasn’t unusual, since they seemed to hold one every year. However, the winner of this cocktail competition would have their cocktail named the Donegall, in honour of Edward Chichester, 6th Marquess of Donegall, who would be attending the ribbon cutting at the new club.

Glycerol in Vodka Results

2009-08-20T03:05:10Z

After preparing all of my test solutions on a, sunny, Saturday afternoon, I decided that a beautiful Tuesday evening was perfect to spend in the lab, the same lab I spent all day in. But the effort was for a good cause, which was to answer the nagging question: Does Grey Goose Contain Glycerol? It's one of those questions that people have debated for a long time, but as far as I can tell, nobody has ever tried to answer scientifically. Today, you will get an answer, but as with any scientific endeavour, we need to look at the results and decide what they really mean.

Does Grey Goose Contain Glycerine?

2009-08-16T02:13:08Z

The people who market vodka are ripe with praise for their product. The machismo from these companies is enough to make Kim Jong-il blush. With a large enough marketing budget, you can create any image you want, and Grey Goose was the first vodka company to prove it. They made an unaged, technologically simple spirit into an ultra premium, must have product. The down side of making a very simple product, and charging twice as much, is the need to justify the price to the drinker. To do that the marketing types came up with complex stories of water, technology and grain. They also blathered on about purity. So here's the question: Is vodka as pure as virgin snow, or is it a hooker dressed in a school girl uniform?

1600’s Presentation

2009-08-04T00:46:13Z

Summer has finally arrived where I live, so I’ve been enjoying it, which means less posts. But don’t worry I have a couple of big projects up my sleeve, so expect to see one in about a month. For now the slides for the Drinks from the 1600’s session are now available. The file is a hefty 14MB, because of the large number of images, so be patient.

Drinks from the 1600’s

Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails

2009-07-21T02:33:41Z

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.

Sugar Presentation

2009-07-18T00:38:55Z

The Sugar: Science of Sweet presentation is now available in PDF format. I tried exporting it to Flash, but no luck, for now. I’ll be expanding on some of the items, in articles, over the summer, but if you have a question, feel free to post your question on this page and I’ll answer it as soon as possible.

Sugar: Science of Sweet (PDF)

David Teniers the Younger

2009-07-17T03:31:55Z

Art appreciation is something that has eluded me for years. I've always been rather technically minded, so painting is limited to drywall, and playing music to mp3's. Bartending could be considered an art, to some, but I think flavour, if raised in a family that experiences a wide range of cuisines, is something we learn. Without this intrinsic understanding of art, I'm often left staring at paintings wondering "how can I relate to this portrait". Then by chance, I discovered David Teniers the Younger while researching my Drink's from the 1600's session for Tales of the Cocktail.

TotC: Detox Edition

2009-07-13T20:28:45Z

Tales of the Cocktail has come to a conclusion for another year. This time around the event was bigger than ever and the organization of events was a magnitude better than last year. Obviously, as the event grows bigger, there are growing pains, but this year I found it very easy to get around. That’s impressive for an event this big, and continuous improvement is all anyone can ever ask for, and we got it. The number of new attendee’s seemed pretty high and most of the veterans were pushed out of the Carousel Bar to other bars around the city. That’s a good thing, sometimes the Carousel Bar can be too easy and you spend the evening spinning around it circles, literally.

What Day Is It Again?

2009-07-11T03:27:16Z

Tales of the Cocktail moves along so fast, sometimes it is hard to really know what day it is. Happily, I woke up, without a hangover, and realized it was Friday, my big, two session, back-to-back, day. I love a challenge.