Posted by Marleigh Miller on June 29, 2011
Filed Under Marleigh Riggins | 1 Comment
Cocktails from the Sidney Frank portfolio with dinner by chef Ian Schnoebelen
My last trip to New Orleans was in 2009, and that week passed in a blurry whirl of amazing meals and awesome drinks. Hard to believe that you could spend an entire week eating pretty much nonstop, but that’s what I did. One of the meals I managed to shoehorn in was lunch at Iris, a lovely little bistro known for its excellent food and well-made cocktails. The drink above is a lovely Aperol spritzer with tarragon, orange and cucumber which I enjoyed before the adjoining gnocchi with bok choy, tomatoes and ricotta; both were delicious, and I won’t even mention the sinfully amazing dark chocolate torte that was served with mocha ice cream. (I know, I know—dessert with lunch? In my estimation, calories don’t exist when you’re in New Orleans.)
This year Iris is hosting a Spirited Dinner featuring Todd Richman, Corporate Mixologist for Sidney Frank Importing, as well as mixologists Mark Stoddard (Bitter Bar, Denver) and Spencer Warren (Embury and Firehouse Lounge, Pittsburgh), who will be mixing cocktails using Michael Collins Irish Whiskey, Bärenjäger, Gekkeikan sake and American Harvest Organic Spirit. The full (and nom-worthy) menu will be:
First Course
Guanciale on Bruschetta
A lock of a girl’s hair brings you good luck (Todd Richman)
American Harvest Organic Spirit, Mystic Melon Syrup, Aperol
Second Course
Six Lettuces, Duck Prosciutto, Soft-Boiled Duck Egg, Fennel, Pecans
Laying a broom across the doorway keeps a witch out at night (Spencer Warren)
Gekkeikan Junmai sake, Gekkeikan Kobai plum wine, lemon juice, Bärenjäger, R.W. Knudsen’s black currant juice, basil syrup
Third Course
Diver Scallops & Wild Boar Bacon with Edamame Hummus
The Gypsy Fortune (Mark Stoddard)
Michael Collins 10-year single malt, aquavit, verjus blanc, Cocchi Americano, “Magic Pearls”; served on a sphere of ice in a rocks glass
Dessert
Chocolate Terrine, Goat Cheese Quenelles, Fresh Blueberries
The Magic of Sidney Frank takes place at Iris, 321 N. Peters Street, New Orleans, on Thursday, July 21 from 8–10:30 pm. Tickets are $100 per person. To reserve your place at this enchanting event, call (504) 299-3944.
Posted by doctorbamboo on June 27, 2011
Filed Under Dr. Bamboo, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Rolling along with the pre-Tales “Cavalcade of Booze Knowledge” ™ I got the chance to grill Christine Sismondo on her presentation “The Bad Boys of Saloons.”
If you don’t know Christine, she’s the author of America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops, as well as Mondo Cocktail: A Shaken and Stirred History. She also contributes drink columns for Report on Business and Eye Weekly magazine. She kindly let me toss a few questions her way regarding her upcoming seminar.
What were the main characteristics that distinguished these types of places from their more upmarket counterparts?
There was an “anything goes” ethic in play. The main idea was to do whatever it took to get patrons in the door and keep them there. Many of the drinking establishments during this period (the 1850’s-1900’s) were what were called “tied houses”, which meant they were affiliated with a particular beer company. Due to the exclusive nature of their relationship with one specific brewer, their profit margins were very low, so there were a lot of frauds and scams happening in order to boost the bottom line.
What were some of the drinks commonly found in these places?
In addition to whatever the house beer was, there were a lot of drinks that were basically un-aged white whiskey with other things added to make them palatable. These could contain a multitude of flavoring agents as well as drugs like camphor, for instance.
Can you describe the types of people who frequented these types of bars?
There was a popular perception that these types of places catered to the worst people engaging in the worst drinking behavior. The impression was that it was just immigrants getting plastered, and that dovetailed with the general demonizing of whatever the most recent wave of “just-off-the boat” people was. The truth is that you were just as likely to encounter questionable behavior and poor drinking habits in the upscale bars. As a matter of fact, you were quite likely to find well-heeled citizens slumming in these places, but that’s a story unto itself.
What prompted the creation of these types of establishments? Was it simply an attempt to offer cheaper booze and undercut the competition?
The thing to keep in mind is that everyone was in the booze business during this time period. Grocery stores, pharmacies, soda fountains, and almost any merchant you can think of sold some type of alcohol. In the 1840’s the average person drank twice as much alcohol as today. It was part of daily living, and was considered good for you. With that kind of consumption, the demand for booze was high, and sales were unregulated as well. The result was a tavern, grog shop, or liquor vendor within easy reach almost anywhere.
Could you find these places in almost any city or town? How widespread were they?
There were times where cities or counties would go dry, but even then there were ways to get booze to the public. It was pretty commonplace, even in places where the law stipulated there was to be no liquor sold.
Due to their illicit nature, were these places able to weather prohibition any better than the higher-profile reputable joints?
These places were generally fly-by-night joints, so they were used to being under constant threat of shutdown. Since they were accustomed to closing and reopening at a moment’s notice , prohibition really didn’t impact them…although everyone was forced to get creative during that time.
“The Bad Boys of Saloons” happens from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm July 21 in the Queen Anne Ballroom at the Hotel Monteleone. Go here to purchase tickets.
Posted by camper on June 26, 2011
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I’ve been writing full-time about liquor since around 2005 and sometimes I’m still confused about who is the brand owner versus importer versus who has the distribution rights in which country and where stuff is sold. The global drinks business is some wild, wacky stuff. Based on the description below, I asked session moderator Philip Duff some questions.
How The Global Drinks Business Works
Time: 3 PM to 4:30 PM
Date: Wednesday the 20th of July, 2011
Venue: The Riverview Room, Hotel Monteleone
Moderators: Philip Duff
Ever wondered what a SKU is? Or why you can get brand X in Arizona but not in Seattle? Or why a drinks firm has brand Y in America but not anywhere else? What’s the difference between a brand owner and a distributor? Or between an importer and a wholesaler? And where do ambassadors come in? Industry veteran, bar owner, brand ambassador and fearless marketing consultant Philip Duff guides you up the ladders and down the chutes of the worldwide drinks business, from shore to shore and from grain to glass.
What do you think people are the most confused about the global drinks business?
I think everyone’s actually pretty confused! Importers and distributors have slimmed down staff and outsourced functions to the point where brand directors rarely even have the time anymore to go out to bars and on the road with sales reps any more, so they’re not staying up to date. Consumers are bombarded with information and choices that have expanded exponentially in just a few years while bartenders don’t understand why brand X owned by company Y is available the next state over but not in their area. Brands are very often less than transparent about where or how they are made. Companies are hiring brand ambassadors left, right and center from a fast-diminishing talent pool, and throwing them into the field with very little – and more commonly no – training on dealing with media, how the industry works and even basic details like how to participate in a marketing meeting and how to write a business letter or email.
How do you think this seminar might help bartenders or bar owners?
It’ll give them – I hope – a bit more insight into how local, national and global brands more closely resemble loose-related clones of each other rather than one big happy family; the questions to ask to determine where a brand really comes from or who owns it, and some tips and tricks for dealing with sales reps (who are overstretched) brand ambassadors (who are under-trained) and brand managers (who are drowning in KPIs). And what KPIs, SKUs and NLCEs are…I also hope this will explain a few of the more frustrating aspects of being part of the drinks business, and give a bit of insight into how business – any business, really – is done anno 2011. It’s still a people business, albeit a complicated one. Given that there’s a great chance you’ll either be negotiating with a drinks firm at some stage, or be hired by one for an event or some bar consultancy, it really pays to know how the business ticks.
Do other countries us America’s 3-tier system? Are there any advantages to it?
Not that I know of, and no, I can’t see any advantages for a modern, democratic country like the US: the 3-tier system drives up prices while distancing importers from distributors and eventual point-of-sale in liquor stores and in bars, which cannot be a good thing. It makes it much harder and much more expensive for brands to break into the US, and a lot harder to hit critical tipping-point mass because you have to fight for distribution county by county, state by state. This is understandable in a federated place like Europe where countries remain separate, but baffling in a single country like the US.
How do you think emerging markets in China and India might alter or shift the current global drinks business? What are changes we could see when these markets come online? Do we have a good historical analogy to this?
Well, essentially, we’d all better start learning Mandarin! Seriously, these countries will get rich quick and large swathes of the population will be upwardly mobile, but I think it’s only a good thing for drinks firms. China historically is not quite so mad for distilled spirit as India, so we’ll see a bit more A&P spend in China to rectify that situation, and just like in India we’ll see more brands owned by Western firms but being developed specifically for China.
We do have an analogy – I think it’s America. When America really got cookin’ in the 1800s, it ushered in the first Golden Age of mixology and within a few short decades the US had a very high standard of living – so much so that Prohibition and two world wars were little more than speed bumps on that road to prosperity. Drinking in 1800s US was driven by immigrants, as was the birth of the US whiskey business, but what I think will happen in China & India is that people will move around within those vast countries; I doubt there will be significant immigration to those lands. Culturally wine is a greater part of Chinese DNA than Indian, so more wine snobs there, and we should start seeing some interesting Chinese and Indian-produced brands in West. We already have some good examples in brands like Amrut whiskey.
Thanks Phil!
Posted by camper on June 26, 2011
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This is a preview of a seminar that will be given at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, which takes place July 20-24, 2011.
Occupational Hazards
This seminar, part of the pro-series, is targeted to bar professionals. Given the teaser below, I emailed seminar leader Charlotte Voisey a few questions.
Details:
Time: 3 PM to 4:30 PM
Date: Wednesday the 20th of July, 2011
Venue: The Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
Moderators: Charlotte Voisey
Panelists: Kirsten Amann, Ryan Magarian
A life with cocktails on tap is enviable to many. “You drink for a living? Are you hiring?” is the common retort to a cocktail professional explaining his or her work. But, just like a good cocktail, a healthy and prosperous career in this business comes from the right balance. Ryan Magarian and Charlotte Voisey host a long overdue session on bartender well being and life work balance with special guest Kitty Amann. Whether you aim to stay in the business longer or just be healthier while you do we’ll discuss how to play it smart when it comes to diet, drinking, peer pressure, travel and exercise on and off shift. In addition the seminar will discuss the physical approach to bartending and offer tips, professional opinion and ‘mocktails’ for thought. Letter from your liver: please attend.
Your session says you’ll be discussing the physical approach to bartending. Does that mean you’ll be talking about workplace ergonomics?
I believe workplace ergonomics are an important piece of this puzzle, so yes we will address bar design, bartender clothing and shoes amongst other elements that contribute to one’s physical well being.
What’s the easiest way to sneak out of a party or bar when you’ve had enough but don’t want all the cajoling to stay from your friends?
I used to worry about what conversations or bonding I was missing out on after midnight (as I would have ususally escaped by then) but then realised that after midnight people usually go into story repetition mode and no one really recalls anything anyway. But joking aside I would always make sure I thank my host and then slip out, if you try and say goodbye to everyone peer pressure may get the better of you. Most real friends or supporters understand that if you are this industry for the long run that escaping a party to acheive balance is no shame.
You’re on planes a lot. What’s the secret to sleeping on planes?
Be small. My secret to a lot of things is exercise. I rarely sleep badly in beds or on planes and I owe that to my body being active during the day so I am usually ready for sleep when night falls. Blindfolds and ear plugs work if you have a window seat. Plan to never be too cold or too hot (wear layers, bring a blanket). I never carry too large a bag so I can always leave space to stretch my legs out. Never cross your legs or even ankels, drink a good amount of water so that dehydration does not wake you up. Reading always puts me to sleep. Different things will work for different peole, but in general if you dress comfortably and condition yourself to relax it helps. Book ahead and seek out the seats that give you extra room. $50 to stretch your legs may give you six hours sleep verus none.
Do you have a general philosophy or important tip you can give bartenders to help achieve a proper work/life balance?
Know, or find out, what is really important to you in the long run and make sure your general behaviour is helping you to achieve those things. From a professional stand point nurturing good realtionships and continual education are key and from a personal angle keep your body and mind fit and healthy so that you can enjoy family, friends, faith and all the things that you truly love. There will be times when you have to immerse yourself in work to get ahead, just always strive to keep the bigger picture in mind – what is the end goal. Ryan Magarian is very good at this work/life balance stuff which is why I wanted to work with him on this seminar.
Thank you Charlotte!
Posted by camper on June 26, 2011
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This write-up is about the seminar called Below the Equator, lead by Jacob Briars.
I interviewed Jacob about his seminar. The questions and answers are below.
Time: 12:30 PM to 2 PM
Date: Friday the 22nd of July, 2011
Venue: The Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
Moderators: Jacob Briars
Panelists: Sebastian Reaburn
Come below the equator to discover the ‘other’ Hemisphere, birthplace of sugar cane, home to the oldest spirit of the Americas and to many of the world’s newest and most exciting spirits too. Latin America, South Africa and Australasia are also home to some of the newest and most exciting bar scenes in the world. Discover the context and culture of these spirits, and the new cocktails which are being born as new cultures meet new spirits, fruits and herbs, and where the future of Cocktails is as yet unwritten.
Will the focus of this seminar be primarily on the bar scenes of the Southern Hemisphere, or the spirits made there?
I guess this is an attempt to give a very small insight into the whole ‘other’ hemisphere which barely registers on the Tales radar. In fact, ‘off the radar’ would have been just as serviceable a topic title. Tales (to me but also other ‘foreigners’) has a very trans-Atlantic focus, particularly the spirits of the US and Europe, and the bar scenes and bartenders of NYC and London, often to the exclusion of all else. Even West Coast bartenders have been heard to make this grumble. Yet in the southern hemisphere we have a lot of spirits old and new (cachaca and pisco have been around a lot longer than bourbon and rum for example) as well as creative new takes on old spirits – Holey Dollar and Inner Circle rums from Australia, South African brandies (not ALL are bad) and many more. Further, hidden away in plain sight below the equator are some of the most creative and fast-moving bar scenes in the world – see Melbourne, Wellington, the newly awakening scene in Rio. Plus a surfeit of fruits and herbs that many in NOLA won’t yet have heard of (pending customs approval, of course…)
I’ve lost count of the number of times in the US in particular, I’ve been served something as if it was brand new, when it was doing the rounds in NZ, Australia or even South Africa 5 years ago – elderflower, Chartreuse Dust, beer cocktails. Not saying that everything was done there first, but just that the US-centric press/media misses a lot of what is happening in the rest of the world.
I’ve heard you say that Wellington, New Zealand is one of the best small cities for cocktails in the world, and after visiting I’d most definitely agree. What are some factors that contribute to the quality of bartenders/cocktails in this faraway place?
What makes Wellington such a great small bar scene has a lot in common with what also makes the scene in smaller cities like Portland, Seattle and Edinburgh so good too. I use the term small here in a relative way, not to refer to a fixed size. Nationally they are the ‘other’ city or region compared to the national media hub, they have a small and collegial community of bartenders prepared to create a scene and to work hard and share ideas. This creates a determination to build a bar and cocktail scene ahead of individual fame. Also they don’t have a ‘historical’ cocktail culture and so you building the culture from the ground up. This is very different from bartenders who might come to work in New York or Paris, who feel they are part of a long-lasting cocktail culture, in which their role is to nurture the prevailing cocktail community, occasionally rocking the boat in the case of Milk and Honey or ECC, but still being part of a greater picture. In the small cities, you are often building this for the first time, which means you approach the task with fresh eyes and a determination to build something. Fortunately for New Zealand, there was next to no cocktail culture pre 1995, and it exploded rapidly after that. Happily, this was in the early days of the interweb, which meant for young bartenders like me, we knew what was happening in the booming London scene and could read about Dale DeGroff was doing, and for bartenders in NZ and Australia this had a huge impact as we started to create a cocktail scene for the first time.
New Zealand also has geographical isolation, meaning many products are expansive and imported, which explains the boom in local products which are heavily supported by local bartenders. Portland would be a similar US parallel. Why support an expensive import whose owner lives in London when you can drink something locally made and just as good? Equally, in many smaller towns and countries many products can be hard to find. For many years lots of vermouths and bitters were hard to find, so bartenders made their own, either versions of products from abroad or brand new products entirely. Further, the small cities with a new cocktail culture also lack a mentor who tells you that things must be made just so. While there is a lot to learn from the classics, sometimes the reverence for the classical canon can be stultifying. I think both Australia and New Zealand have dynamic and creative bar scenes because they don’t feel that every menu has to have a Manhattan, an Old Fashioned and a Martini. Any cocktail can stand on its merits. Its good (or bad) because of how it tastes, not because it is featured in a book by Jerry Thomas. Finally small cities tend to have a better reverence for local products and tend to be closer to their suppliers. In London a bartender can have passionfruits and limes year round, but they have been shipped for thousands of miles. But in Wellington limes are more precious than gold in midwinter, but the market gardens are less than an hours drive from the bars, so though range can be limited quality is higher. I think this also explains why you get so many delicious drinks in San Francisco too.
In many ways I think it is easier to start a cocktail culture from scratch rather than to forget bad habits. In New Zealand and Australia there wasn’t a generation of bartenders who’d grown sloppy on sour mix and the 2 second shake. In fact, there were no sour mixes. If you wanted lemon juice you had to juice it from a lemon.
But finally I think one of the reasons that smaller, far-off cities have great bar scenes now, is that cocktails are not part of the normal behaviour as much. In Edinburgh, Melbourne, and Wellington you’re more likely to sell a wine, beer or spirit than a cocktail, so that makes you work harder to convince your guests that cocktails are an excellent choice. Likewise in a big city a bar will be more specialised, and has a much bigger catchment. In New York a guest who walks into a cocktail bar is certainly in search of a cocktail. If they don’t like your cocktails then no doubt the next guest will, after all your catchment runs into the millions of people. In smaller towns such as Wellington or Edinburgh, you need to offer beer, wine, spirits and cocktails and convince your customers to try your cocktails. You also have to work harder for those guests to return.
Your teaser mentions the local produce of the southern hemisphere and its use in cocktails. Do you plan to thrill/torture attendees with feijoa flavored vodka?
Hahahahaha, probably keeping it to Brasilian Cachaca (no prizes for guessing of course) a Brasilian acai liqueur (unlike certain other Acai spirits, this is one that actually has acai in it) Peruvian pisco (likewise you’ll guess this too). Also a Kiwi vodka (probably honey) and possibly a liqueur, Australian rum, an Aussie gin made with native Aust botanicals, and maybe a barley/pot still Aust vodka too, and if we have time, Fijian rum and South African brandy.
When we hear about Brazil, we think about bars on the beach serving endless caipirinhas and nothing else. What is the cocktail scene really like in Rio or other cities?
Of course that is the tourist perception and while it is certainly true, it’s also a little limiting. Just in the same way that in Australia you can find more than beer, and in NZ, more than lamb and wine. Like the cocktail scenes in China and India, the cocktail and bar scene in Brasil is developing fast, but not without it’s hiccups. However I think that it will soon be easier to get a good cocktail in Sth America than in India, because of a natural affinity with spirits, and a huge range of fruits and juices not seen anywhere else.
There will always be a place in Brasil for the sweet, strong Caipirinha, served on the sand, just like New Orleans bars will keep serving the hand grenade and faux-Daiquiris to a certain group of tourists. But that shouldn’t blind us to the fact that across Sth America, but particularly Brasil, an increasingly affluent population, and more adventurous tourists, are starting to seek out local flavours in food and drink. See DOM restaurant (7th best in the world, right behind Alinea) or MyNY bar in Sao Paulo for evidence of this change. Small steps at this stage, but progress nonetheless. The Brasilian bar scene is characterised by hardworking bartenders with a growing appreciation of their own national spirit, local flavours and culture. These are the hallmarks of a great bar scene. Like Australia, they have a worrying love affair with Midori but an open mind about trying new things that perhaps a bartender in Italy or the US, feeling the weight of tradition, would not. I look forward to seeing it evolve over time.
What’s one thing from your seminar you think people will be surprised to learn?
Maybe 3 things that will horrify the archetypal bearded American bartender: That the Caipirinha is possibly older than the Mint Julep? That Australia arguably has the world’s greatest cocktail bars right now? That a blended Fernet and Cola is actually really delicious?
Posted by chuck on June 23, 2011
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Undoubtedly there are many of you in the cocktail world — bartenders and non-professional enthusiasts alike — who know the name David Embury (1886-1960). His book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, first published in 1948, is a highly respected tome on the essentials and basics of making a proper cocktail, with strong emphasis on balance and quality ingredients. Embury had a great passion for his subject matter, and studied the minutiae of cocktails for years. His book was highly influential on generations of cocktail enthusiasts and professionals, including many who were responsible for today’s cocktail Renaissance, and it elevated him to great levels of respect within the liquor profession.
There was just one thing — Embury never worked in the liquor profession, and was not a bartender. He was an attorney. To be specific, he was a senior tax partner at the Manhattan law firm of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle.
As you can tell if you’ve read the book, Mr. Embury was quite the opinionated curmudgeon when it came to the proper mixing of cocktails (I’m sure some of us are quite kindred spirits), adding to the very entertaining writing style. Unfortuantely not much is known about his life, other than what’s in the book and in the obituary seen below. However, if you can track down veteran bartender Brian Rea, a regular attendee at Tales, start up a conversation; he has apparently personally served Mr. Embury during his career and has a few stories.
(Click to embiggen)
David Embury was the pioneer for today’s non-bartenders who’ve made an important impact on the craft of the cocktail, and while he didn’t have professional experience, he had one quintessential quality which those who followed him possessed as well — passion. Freely admitting in his book that he never had been a professional in any aspect of the liquor business, he described himself “as a consumer and as a shaker-upper of drinks for the delectation of my guests.” That said, he added, “On the other hand, I have always possessed an insatiable curiosity about the whys and wherefores of many things and particularly of food and drinks.” I suspect he also began to notice the plummeting quality of cocktails in bars post-Prohibition, and found himself wondering the same thing many of us wondered in recent years: “Where and how can I get a decent drink around here?”
The same question frequently occurred to the moderator and presenter of the Tales of the Cocktail seminar “David Embury and the Fine Art of Mixing Drinks,” Robert Hess. Many of you know Robert through his website DrinkBoy, his long running cocktailian message board on MSN.com (and its successor, The Chanticleer Society), his own excellent book The Essential Bartender’s Guide: How to Make Truly Great Cocktails, “The Cocktail Spirit,”, his series of instructional videos on the Small Screen Network and, last but not least, his introduction to Mud Puddle Books‘ superb reprint of Embury’s classic magnum opus. Robert’s not an industry professional either — he works for Microsoft, in fact. However, the depth of his knowledge, the aforementioned list of credits and his own passion and inspiration in investigating what makes a great cocktail also make him the perfect host of this seminar.
When did all this start for you, Robert? “Having a strong culinary background and training, I decided to teach myself about cocktails — this was perhaps 1996. I had a couple of cocktail books, and I also ran into Paul Harrington’s ‘Cocktail’ website on HotWired.com, where he was rotating through a classic cocktail a week.” [Note: Interestingly enough, Paul Harrington -- whose HotWired.com website was excellent, as is his sadly out-of-print book Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century -- is also not a liquor industry professional. He's an architect.]
What will you be covering in the seminar? “Essentially I plan on starting out covering a little background about David Embury (of which there isn’t a lot, the bulk of what I have I pulled from his obit that his daughter sent me. [See below.] Then I’m going to talk about some of the basic concepts that David presented, and then sort of walk through the book one chapter at a time and try to pull out some interesting tidbit of information as we go.”
A lot of what Embury emphasizes is structure and balance in a great cocktail. What cocktails will you be using and serving as examples? “The drink we’ll be serving is the Sidecar, done three ways. One will be as Embury outlines it (8 parts brandy, 2 parts lemon, 1 part cointreau), another as ‘originally’ recorded (equal parts), and another as ‘my’ version (4 parts brandy, 2 parts cointreau, 1 part lemon). I chose this drink for a few reasons. One is because Embury’s version is quite a bit different than normally served, and it also specifically points out Embury’s mindset of the cocktail’s structure. The Sidecar is also probably the first drink that I cut my teeth on. This was before I really knew anything at all about cocktails.”
Why the Sidecar? “I think the drink [Paul Harrington] had the first week I saw the site was the Sidecar, and so I bought what I needed to make it using his recipe, as well as some of the other recipes I found. At the time, I figured that this thing called ’sour mix’ was an important cocktail ingredient, since so many recipes called for it (including one of the Sidecar recipes I had). So I of course picked up a bottle of that (although it was very confusing, since no product I found was labled ’sour mix,’ but a lot of them were ’sweet & sour mix,’ which I wasn’t sure if they were the same thing or not). And some recipe called for triple sec, while others called for this (rather expensive!) thing called Cointreau. So I picked them both up. And for lemon juice I picked up fresh and bottled. And then I went at it for a week or more, trying recipe, after recipe, after recipe.
“Several key learnings came out of this. First, was that sour mix was CRAP! So was bottled lemon juice. Fresh was clearly the only way to go. Second, was that Cointreau made a world of difference.
“And looking over a lot of different recipes, and then tweaking things a little on my own, I settled in on a 4-2-1 ratio as being what I felt presented a drink which I felt was perfectly balanced. Not tart, not sweet (to my tastes anyway, many say I have a sweet tooth), and smooth as silk.”
Will there be any other panelists joining you? “I’m flying solo on this one, but I suspect Audrey [Saunders] will probably participate a little as well.” Yay!
“David Embury and the Fine Art of Mixing Drinks” will be presented on Friday, July 22, 2011 from 3:30 to 5:00pm in the Grand Ballroom North of the Royal Sonesta Hotel. If you haven’t picked up your tickets yet it seems you’re too late — the seminar is SOLD OUT. However, when you arrive at Tales and register check for cancellations; if you can manage to grab a seat at this one, don’t miss the opportunity.
Posted by camper on June 22, 2011
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The Chainsaw Shift
There are two seminars this year at Tales about setting up an ice program. I’m pretty sure this one will be the only one with chainsaws though. The other, How to Build a Cutting Edge Ice Program, is part of the professionals series, though both seem geared toward professionals.
I was treated to a preview of sorts of this seminar in San Francisco, as Andrew Bohrer came down and gave bartenders a demo of cutting a huge block of ice into workable blocks at Heaven’s Dog. I took several videos and hosted them on my site, Alcademics.com.
To see some preview videos for this seminar, check out this post on Alcademics.com.
The Details:
Time: 10 AM to 11:30 AM
Date: Friday the 22nd of July, 2011
Venue: La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
Moderators: Andrew Bohrer
Panelists: Anu Apte
The Chainsaw Shift is about offering to you a shift in thinking about the buzz phrase, “ice program.” The Chainsaw Shift is the lowest waste, highest quality way to have an, “ice program,” as well as being the simplest way to do so. This seminar is a shift in thinking on how bartenders treat their most essential and common ingredient: ice. Quality ice allows the bartender to reevaluate and reimagine every step of the drink making process and brings new joy and beauty to the simplest cocktails.
This seminar will cover the basics of safely and efficiently processing 300 lb. blocks of crystal clear ice with the aid of carpenter’s tools and a trusty chainsaw. We will also discuss and demonstrate techniques for cutting ice to improve aesthetics and quality of every cocktail. Examples will include in-glass ice sculptures, crushed ice, shaved ice, cracked & cubed ice for mixing and carving spheres, diamonds and other shapes. The Chainsaw Shift will never replace the ice machine; rather it will make every bartender into an ice machine.
Posted by camper on June 22, 2011
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This is a preview of a seminar that will be given at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, which takes place July 20-24, 2011.
The V.O.C., better known as the Dutch East India Company, influenced world history as well as the world of cocktails. It was a corporation big enough that it waged wars, coined currency, and executed prisoners.
It was established in 1602 and given a government-granted trade monopoly with Asia, with the main purpose being to enter the spice trade that was until that point dominated by Portugal.The company was highly prosperous until the later 1700’s, and it went bankrupt and dissolved in 1800. Its territories in the Dutch East Indies eventually became Indonesia.
The company established posts and protected harbors throughout Asia, first in what today is Indonesia; particularly in Jakarta. Jakarta was once called Batavia, and that brings us into the V.O.C.’s connection with Batavia Arrack.
Back at home, ships bringing spices would land at ports such as Rotterdam and offload. Rotterdam is darn close to Schiedam, a city with so many distilleries that it was coated in black soot from the smoke billowing forth from them.
Those distilleries made delicious genever, of course, which is distilled with some of those exotic spices brought home by traders. The Dutch were also famous for making liqueurs (such as Curacao) undoubtedly flavored with other exotic citrus peels, herbs, and spices brought into the country from afar.
Today Scheidem is still a distilling hub making such products as Van Gogh Vodka and Ketel One Vodka.
I’m guessing we’ll be learning these and other details in this seminar.
Seminar Info:
What the V.O.C. did for the Modern Bar
Time: 10 AM to 11:30 AM
Date: Thursday the 21st of July, 2011
Venue: The Riverview Room, Hotel Monteleone
Moderators: Misja Vorstermans
Panelists: Andrew Nicholls
The seminar will address what the VOC (Dutch East India Trading Company) essentially did for the modern bar. Everything from trade of spirits to herbs, spices and slaves were established or heavily influenced by the VOC. The seminar looks at the knock on effect from the 1600’s and the little country of The Netherlands helped mould the industry we know and love today.
Posted by Marleigh Miller on June 22, 2011
Filed Under Marleigh Riggins | Leave a Comment
A Pre-Tales Q&A with presenter Angus Winchester
Angus Winchester is something of a Tales institution. A founding member of one of the first global bar consulting agencies, Angus is a bartender and Global Ambassador for Tanqueray. His comments on the spirits industry have been in The New York Times, The London Independent, and Toronto Star, and he acts as an “Ambassador at Large” for the Museum of the American Cocktail as well as Chanticleer. Angus has been a judge and presenter at Tales of the Cocktail in 2008–10 and has presented at bar shows around the globe from Copenhagen to Sydney.
This year, Angus has turned his attention to the history of cocktail glassware. When he began researching he was discouraged by the dearth of information about these vessels crucial to the practice of bartending. He was thus inspired to find the sources himself, and will be sharing the results at his seminar at Tales.
Tales Blog: What prompted you to develop a seminar on cocktail glassware?
Angus: I was asked to write an article [for a Frenchwire magazine] on glassware and was shocked and dismayed by how little good info there was currently available.
Tales Blog: Who else is going to be on your panel?
Angus: No one—just me for this one.
[Ed. note: Anyone who has heard Angus speak before will tell you that he’s more than enough on his own.]
Tales Blog: What do you hope attendees in your seminar will come away with?
Angus: A history of glassware and also insight into how we have lost many great glasses, plus some anecdotes to use when using glasses to create a richer customer experience.
Tales Blog: Which cocktails will be featured in your seminar?
Angus: Cocktails that have a specific or named glass.
Tales Blog: What is your favorite part of Tales of the Cocktail?
Angus: The high level of information and the passion of the presenters.
Purchase your Tales passes to participate in “A History of Cocktail Glassware” on Thursday, July 21 from 12:30–2 PM in the La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom of the Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal Street, New Orleans.
Posted by tiare on June 20, 2011
Filed Under Tiare Olsen | Leave a Comment
It`s only about five weeks left until the Tales of the Cocktail 2011 kicks off in New Orleans and it´s time to present a few of the sessions i`m planning to attend this year. If you`re planning to go it`s high time to book your sessions they´re running out FAST!
And the Mai Tai war goes on…..come and listen to what Beachbum Berry, Steve Remsberg and Ian Burrel (UJ Rum Ambassador) has to say about this matter while shakin`up different samples of Mai Tai recipes for us….oh YUM!
We will also see vintage slide-show images and new information learned after the publication of Jeff’s most recent book, Beachbum Berry Remixed.
Beachbum Berry needs no presentation – but you can read about him here and his blog is here
Steve Remsberg owns the world’s largest private rum collection and has lectured on rum and participated on rum judging panels and tropical drink competitions across the U.S. and the Caribbean, read more about him here and here.
Ian Burrel is the UK Rum Ambassador and founder of the UK Rumfest – read about him here.
I have had the pleasure of meeting them all and i can vouch for their expertize and knowledge in all things rum (and tiki)
Do you love the Mai Tai? do you love rum? then this session is for you!
Time: 1 PM to 2:30 PM
Date: Friday the 22nd of July, 2011
Venue: Grand Ballroom South, The Royal Sonesta Hotel
The session is sponsored by Banks 5 Island Rum.
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