- book
Published in September 2016, Colonial Spirits – A Toast to Our Drunken History, is an instructive and compelling account of the history of spirits in colonial America. The book itself looks like a piece of history with its quarter cloth binding, hand-drawn illustrations and yellowish paper. Its author, Steven Grasse, is a man of many talents. An advertisement professional, he created Hendrick’s Gin and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum – not only the brands’ identities but their products! – and works for other alcohol brands through his spirits-focused creative agency Quaker City Mercantile. He’s launched his own range of liqueurs, Art in
My interest in mixology and bartending started three years ago in Geneva with watching a bartender who had previously worked in Canada. A few months later I had the opportunity to visit his former workplace in Montreal and another bar he’d recommended. I was impressed with what I saw and tasted and started following the Quebec cocktail scene on the Internet. I returned to Montreal last summer, where I visited Le 4e Mur, an amazing speakeasy bar with a superb cocktail menu, and l’Ecole du Bar de Montréal, the bartending school opened by Le 4e Mur’s founders. Again I was
Dirty shots, Paul Alexandre Walpen and Ali Reza Perroud, the authors, couldn’t find a better name for their book. If you’ve ever had shots at the shot bar they used to manage in Geneva, the Café de La Pointe, you’ll know what I mean! La Pointe was famous for its delicious and often dirty named shots (it maybe still is but I haven’t gone in over two years and definitely not since Alex and Ali have gone). To give a few examples of the original shot names, there was la Couille de panda (the Panda’s Nut), le Téton qui pointe
If you want to look for barware in Athens, head to barequip.gr, which is both the name of the boutique and the address of its online shop. A nice selection of barware The shop is small but well equipped. You’ll find a decent selection of shakers, bar spoons, mixing glasses, drinking glasses and jiggers. They also have bartending bags, including the one I bought online from Mavenhal! There are also a few books in English and in Greek of course. Bitters, syrups and shrubs The most interesting part of the shop is the ingredients section: the (nearly) complete range of bitters by
Recipe books, you can find them by the dozen but technique books? They are harder to find, especially on the subject of drinks. According to its backcover, The Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler is the first bartending manual covering essential cocktail-making techniques. The book is broken down into twelve chapters, each devoted to a category of base ingredients (including ice) or cocktail making techniques. There is even one about garnishes. Through anecdotes from his long career as a bartender, Morgenthaler gives advices on bar equipment and how best to use them, as well as tricks on how to use every
“Pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook”…and the creative bartender! Although intended for cooks, Niki Segnit’s book will also apply to professional and home bartenders. The author has gathered 99 flavours and sorted them into 16 different families (spicy, fresh fruits, creamy fruity, citrussy, bramble & hedge, floral fruity, earthy, etc.). From there she’s catalogued an extensive number of possible pairings. Some are familiar, others are surprising, if not audacious. Coffee and avocado, coffee and goat’s cheese anyone? While some pairings might be difficult to adapt to drink creation, some can serve as the base of some rather interesting