Archive for May, 2009
May 3rd, 2009
The odds of my drinking like a lady at yesterday’s “Run for the Roses” party at Drink were about as long as those of Mine That Bird winning the Kentucky Derby. The name of the first-place horse could have been the party’s slogan, the bird in question being Eagle Rare bourbon. The whiskey flowed so lavishly that John Gertsen mixed a giant Mint Julep in a silver punch bowl just because he could.
For me, a good party was made even better by the fact that I got to enjoy my bourbon alongside one Mr. Paul Harrington, who happened to be in town for the weekend from the West Coast. In the ’90s, as a San Francisco bartender and the authority behind cocktailtime.com on the now-defunct web magazine HotWired, Paul was among a small handful of people who planted the seeds of the classic-mixology revival. He co-authored Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century (unfortunately out of print), a seminal book for many of today’s bartender-mixologists in Boston and elsewhere. Those influencees include Patrick Sullivan, who consulted Paul’s book when he opened the B-Side Lounge in 1998 and who, as it turned out, met the author last night for the first time. I’m getting verklemmpt.
Paul is a sharp, charming guy with an easygoing manner, and he is plainly impressed by the level that the bartending profession has reached in places like Drink. What he, Dale DeGroff, Robert Hess, Ted Haigh, Audrey Saunders and others helped start took a while to catch on, but now it’s fully in bloom. The good thing is, Paul’s no cocktail geek extolling mixological prowess above all. His advice to today’s barkeep is to remember that a bar should be fun and welcoming; combine that kind of vibe with expertly made drinks, and you’re golden.
Paul, here’s to getting your book back in print and opening up a joint of your own someday.
Tags: bourbon, Drink, Kentucky Derby, Paul Harrington
Posted in Books & resources, Whiskey | 3 Comments »
May 1st, 2009
Casey Keenan (invented at Deep Ellum)
2 oz gin
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch
Pinch of fresh black pepper
Shake very well over cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with black pepper.
Tags: Casey Keenan
Posted in Cocktails, Gin, Liqueur, Recipes | No Comments »
May 1st, 2009
Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli (invented at Craigie on Main)
1 1/2 oz William Grant & Sons Scotch
3/4 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz Clear Creek Douglas Fir Eau De Vie
1/4 oz Fresh orange juice
1/4 oz Demerara syrup (1:1 demerara sugar and water)
2 dashes Bittermans ‘Elemakule Tiki Bitters
Shake very well over ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Notes: Find demerara sugar (or sugar in the raw) at specialty stores like Christina’s in Inman Square. Also, S-G is pretty insistent on the brand of scotch: “I think the honeyed nature of Grant & Sons is really beautiful here.”
Tags: Craigie on Main, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli
Posted in Cocktails, Liqueur, Recipes, Whiskey | No Comments »
May 1st, 2009
Evan Harrison (invented at the Independent)
2 parts Old Overholt rye
1 part Punt e Mes
1 part Strega
1 dash each Angostura bitters and Regan’s orange bitters
Stir over ice until very cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Tags: Evan Harrison, Independent
Posted in Cocktails, Liqueur, Recipes, Vermouth, Whiskey | No Comments »
May 1st, 2009
James Slaby (created for TV Diner cocktail contest)
1 1/2 oz Plymouth gin
3/4 oz Baines pacharin (a Spanish cordial)
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz light cream
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 tsp Regan’s Orange Bitters
8 drops Fee’s Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters
1 fresh, whole egg
Healthy grind of fresh black pepper
1 dried star anise
Pour liquids into shaker half-full of cracked ice. Add egg and fresh pepper. Shake vigorously for 60 seconds. Strain into a well-chilled sour glass or rocks glass. Float star anise on top. James calls this drink a “morning-after tonic.”
Tags: James Slaby
Posted in Bitters, Cocktails, Gin, Liqueur, Misc., Recipes | No Comments »
