December 25th, 2010
Noel Nips
Imbibers, I hope you got that rare rye whiskey, vintage ice shaver or custom-sculpted muddler you wanted for Christmas. I got the recipe for Silent Night Punch from my friend Pink Lady of LUPEC Boston and warmed the cheeks of my loved ones in New Hampshire with it. Fa la la la la. La la la la. If you find yourself reaching deep into the toe of your Christmas stocking for that one last knick-knack you may have missed, Bad Santa has got you covered. May the following virtual goodies souse up your Christmas night:
Drinkboston mobile. Got an iPhone, Android, Blackberry or some other kind of smart phone? You can now use it to check out drinkboston without having to wait for the full site to load, ’cause I got a sweet new mobile version! You can save an icon on your homescreen, and sharing posts via Facebook, Twitter, etc is a breeze. Bars, bartenders and imbibing in Beantown just got a whole lot more excellent.
Vermouth 101. “The intent of these pages is to demystify vermouth, primarily for the American audience.” From Martin Doudoroff, one half of the team that made every cocktailero’s life easier with CocktailDB, comes a much-needed primer on this misunderstood cocktail staple. (Supporting roles played by Eric Seed, Romée de Gorianoff and Alexandre Vingtier.) Thank you, gentlemen, from the bottom of our livers.
Tiki+ app. The CocktailDB team also presents, in partnership with Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, the newly updated Tiki+ app. One hundred and fifty top-notch, vintage and contemporary tiki recipes, plus pretty pictures, for $3.99. Don’t be a suffering bastard — download yours today!
2010 Devil’s Dining Awards. MC Slim JB distills the best, worst and otherwise most memorable items from the year in dining (and drinking) into this wickedly smart, funny list. In my book, Slim is the best food writer in Boston.
Now… what are you doing New Year’s Eve?
Permalink | Filed under Books & resources, Nips, Vermouth | Tags: apps, Martin Doudoroff, MC Slim JB, tiki
January 4th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
I got something special: two drinks each with my wife at Drink in Fort Point. Now what to drink at Drink?
This is a great opportunity to expand my horizons. I have researched a lot of the classics, but I know that many of them would have been made better by someone more skilled than I.
So what to get?
I’m not much of a Tiki guy, but maybe I’ve never met the right Tiki drink. I like gin, Bourbon, and rye, not so much rum, vodka, and tequila. My favorite is a Sazerac, or maybe a Pegu Club.
What would you suggest?
January 4th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
John, the great thing about Drink is that they are experts at helping you figure out what to drink at Drink. Tell them you like Sazeracs and they’ll come up with something related that you may never have tried before. The bottom line: don’t go in there with an agenda. Just put your evening in the bartender’s hands and have fun. Cheers!
January 5th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
I’m a few days late here because I’m still hungover! Original 1934 Zombies, Navy Grog, Rum Barrels (6oz of rum in those!), Painkiller with 12 yr old Pussers Navy rum (for only 1 dollar more), Fog Cutter….can’t remember anything after that……at the very fab Don the Beachcomber, Huntington Beach CA, where I dj’d and played piano with “Combustible Waitiki”. Wish you’d been there!
January 6th, 2011 at 9:37 am
That’s mostly* what I did, and we had a great time!
* I have been exploring classic cocktails for about a year now. There are a few that call for ingredients that just aren’t used that much, and can be pricey. So before spending the money on something that I might never use after the first try, I figured I needed guidance from an expert.
I ended up trying:
– a Pisco Sour – yes, I will add Pisco Brandy to my cabinet.
– a Hanky Panky – gosh, I don’t know how much use I’ll get out of a bottle of Fernet Branca. It made a great cocktail, but I think I’ll have to be an old Italian guy with a raspy voice before I am qualified to sip it as an aperitivo. A few more years…
January 7th, 2011 at 11:40 am
Cleve: Wow! A powerful thirst was slaked that night. I’m sooooo sorry I missed it! John: Those are wonderful cocktails. And I’m not an old Italian guy, but a bottle of Fernet disappears pretty quickly at my house. Try a Toronto!