How to make a gin and tonic, if you have a lot of time and chemical equipment on your hands

Tonight I stopped into the Martin Miller's Gin & Tonic competition at Beretta. The winner of the event was Jennifer Colliau of Slanted Door, who had some sort of bitters frozen into ice that slowly changed the flavor of the drink as it melted. Clever. But the most interesting drink was designed by Joe Parrilli who works at Bacar. To make his drink, all you need to do is: 1. Make some dehydrated lime slices 2. Create spheres of tonic with gold cake decoration using molecular mixology techniques 3. Make some gelatin gin and tonic 4. Carbonate some gin 5. Assemble the drink and enjoy So go ahead, it's easy!

Don't quit your day job

The title I wanted for this story in July's San Francisco Magazine was "Take a Shift Where You Eat," but I can see why they didn't go with that :)

Don't quit your day job Thanks to new amateur hours, dilettantes can give their dream careers a trial run. By Camper English, Photograph by John Curley Most fantasy careers (astronaut, movie star, Mrs. Clooney) are a bit out of reach for the average desk jockey. But at least there are some new ways to take dream jobs in the service industry for a test spin.

Read the rest of the story, with information about guest bartending at Elixir, the guest sommelier program at Fifth Floor, being the guest chef at Kuleto's, and guest stripping at New Century Theatre here.

How to lose a drinking contest

Fla. Man Dies After Taking 23 Shots in 30 Mins.

"Apparently [other bar patrons] were describing the shots as 'cherry bombs,'" said Callaway, referring to a shot of liquor that is typically made by combining cherry-flavored vodka with Red Bull, a popular energy drink.

This begs the question: Are they sure it wasn't the Red Bull that killed him? Alcademics responsibility note: Drinking contests are dumb.

EO SF: NO

I emailed with Dushan Zaric, an owner of Employees Only in New York, to ask about the rumor of a San Francisco outpost that's been going around town. The word is:

"We are currently not working on a SF Employees Only although it is in our plans to eventually open up an EO there...a lot of people have been asking but I have no idea how they got this information."

I have to admit that I'm glad to hear it. Though I have no problem with spreading a good thing around, local pride may may cause a little "We don't need New Yorkers to show us how to make drinks!" angst. That said, the lines between New York drinks and San Francisco drinks are already starting to blur, and I think SF bartenders are practicing more professionalism and consistency, and NY bartenders are increasing the amounts and varieties of fresh juices and herbs in their cocktails. In another year, much of the regionalism may disappear from these two cities. In another year, New York may have a few dedicated tiki bars and and SF may have membership clubs. I've been thinking about this a lot recently, getting ready for my talk at Tales of the Cocktail on Regional Trends in American Cocktails on Saturday morning. Last year at Tales, it became very clear that there were regional differences in cocktails between the coasts and that each brings something to the game. This year, we're moving beyond just SF and NY as cocktail centers, seeing amazing things in the Pacific Northwest, Southern California, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, and DC. Next year at this time, with the opposing forces of greater awareness of national cocktail culture versus the increasing amount of regional micro-distillers and focus on local ingredients, I'm not sure what will happen. In the end I'm glad that there there isn't yet a homogenized idea of what good cocktails are, what they taste like, and in what types of bars to get them.

London and Plymouth pics

Are now online. Get 'em all here.

Last night in London

The last night of our too-short press trip to London with Plymouth
gin, we hit the town for a second night of barhopping.

First up was Salvatore's at Fifty, a bar owned by legendary bartender
and author Salvatore Calabrese. He told us stories of serving martinis
to the queen, inventing the breakfast martini, and how his mother gave
him his first hangover cure. The drinks were heavily vodka-based and
full of citrus, unlike anywhere else we went in London, but each one
had a surprising element or taste profile that really worked. I had
two drinks with vinegar in them.

Next we hit the bar in the Dukes Hotel for martinis served tableside.
They wheeled out a small cart, put a drop of vermouth in each frozen
cocktail glass, displayed the freezer-fresh bottle of gin, then poured
it directly into the glass. Then they cut off a lemon peel strip and
cracked in in half over the drink before dropping it in. A great
presentation, but I like my martinis with a little water in them.

Next up was Hawksmoor, a meaty restaurant with largely excellent
drinks. This place and several others had a tiki section on the menu
of drinks split into several categories, usually old style types like
flips and sours. After a long meal that left us all uncomfortably
stuffed, we took off again.

Green & Red was next. It's a tequila bar and Mexican restaurant with a
DJ playing downstairs. We had a round of margaritas and a shot of Ocho
tequila, then were out the door.

My final stop of the night was at Milk and Honey, a membership bar
with a New York outpost we've all heard of by now. I had a scotch
drink with ginger and honey, and a sherry cobbler, and of course a sip
of everyone else's cocktail too. Generally quite good drinks.

Also I hadn't realized it was so big- four floors with a bar on each-
and that they have reciprocal memberships with a few other bars.

Anyway, suddenly it was three in the morning and I had to get up at 7,
so it was time to bid London goodbye.

Plymouth

Hello chums. The Plymouth gin distillery, it turns out, is just as
beautiful as they say, but much smaller than I imagined. Just one big
copper pot still makes all their gin, and they don't even need to run
it full-time.

Beyond the distillery tour, the building holds a restaurant and a
cocktail bar, so you can just pop on in and hang out with the gin. I'd
probably spend a lot of time there I'd I lived here.

Alas, time is short. Today we're doing a hike to Plymouth's water
source, taking the train back to London, then hitting more of the
cocktail bars to ensure that I'm plenty hungover for the plane ride
home on Saturday.

Cheerio!

Wish you were here

Last night we hit the London bars, stopping in to the Lonsdale,
Trailer Happiness, Montgomery Place, then later Mahiki. I think
Montgomery Place was my favorite, though I loved the Jersey Sangaree
from Lonsdale. We tore up the dance floor at Mahiki late into the
night, drinking out of coconuts and being jealous of the giant punch
served out of a treasure chest(!).

Now I'm on a train to Plymouth to see the gin being made. Of course,
I'm still sweating out last night's gin. Mmmm juniper.

Glossy Booze- late June edition

Here's a round-up of booze stories in the magazines that come to my house. - Esquire (July)- Looks like David Wondrich got the month off! No booze stories. - Details (June/July) - Rob Willey bucks the usual trends with a story on summer red wines (but with a sidebar on sangria), then writes a feature on summer cocktails, including the Americano, Pina Colada, Mai Tai, Mojito (with ugly looking mint- again!), Tom Collins, and the Pimm's Cup. - Sunset (June) has a story on pairing sparkling wine with food- including deviled eggs and hot dogs! - Playboy (July) has a big spread on tequila, though I'm not sure what their criteria was for inclusion in the story (ahem). Brands mentioned are Patron reposado, Hornitos plata, Jose Cuervo Platino, Partida Elegante, and Del Maguey mescal. Also in the magazine the Gimlet is mentioned as the hot cocktail this summer (seriously) made the Raymond Chandler way with half Rose's Lime Juice. (Seriously.) Also for the summer issue, they recommend (pre-made, in a plastic glass) Metropolitan Martinis, and a not-quite Dark and Stormy with Myer's Jamaican dark rum. In local news, SF-based Lotus Vodka got a big plug in the issue. Congrats, guys!

You know you've become an annoying bar patron when...

...you ask to see the size of their ice cubes before ordering.

What's wrong with this picture?

Hint: it's the bong. I didn't expect to see that in the Virgin airport
lounge.

How's THIS for luxury?

When you take a Celebrity cruise, you too will be handed a 12-ounce martini with six olives to help warm it up and make it taste like the salty ocean over which you're boating. Decadent! Sometimes too much of a good thing is not such a good thing. This is yet another ad in the cocktails = vacation theme I've been tracking here on Alcademics. They just keep coming!

Getting kinda tired packing and unpacking...

Oh, the day before travel. It's always the same- stuffing bubblewrap into your suitcase so you can bring bottles home, watering the houseplants, and muddling all the leftover produce into cocktails. (I no longer muddle the houseplants.) I've got the routine down by now. Last night I enjoyed a lemon gin cucanectartini that was a delicious send-off to my next destination: London. Wahoo!

Reading material

- A nice summary of micro-distilling in Oregon. They have 17 micro-distilleries already! The article also alerted me to a surely fine Oregon product called Bu-Tay vodka, which comes in regular and blue. It's hard to beat their tagline: "Make Bu-Tay Your Call." - Eric Felten rediscovers the Twentieth Century cocktail, and an annual celebration of the drink by train (and Sherlock Holmes) enthusiasts. - The "Richard Branson of India," Vijay Mallya, announced a patent on diet vodka and diet whisky. Approximately .0002 seconds later, the Scotch Whisky Association announced "that ain't no whisky." - This article from Plenty Magazine lists some eco-cocktails. I learned from it that there is an organic Pisco, an organic line of liqueurs including brandy, orange (could this be the orgo triple-sec we've been waiting for?), chocolate, and coffee, as well as two more organic rums called Matraga and Papagayo. - Madison approves banning cheap liquor in the downtown area to discourage panhandlers. That's ridiculous. If they can do this, can't neighborhoods ban cheap anything to keep out the poor and middle classes? You suck, Madison. - Mmm, tacky fashion wine box.

Note for the next heat wave

Cantina has air conditioning. Unfortunately that was only the first stop on a bar crawl to show my pal Ana from New York around to the new cocktail bars that have opened since she was last here. After a quick refresher at Cantina we hit Rye, where we sat in the outdoorish smoking patio hoping for a stray breeze, but no such luck was had. A drink was had instead. Then off we went to Bourbon & Branch where it wasn't as stifling as it can be in there, so I felt lucky. Joel Baker made me a repeat of his Chatreuse/peach/basil/sherry drink from the competition a few days earlier, so I felt luckier- and he even sent someone out to pick up a peach to make the drink. Now that's what I call service! By this time Ana was tipsy and hungry, so headed to NOPA where she could satisfy her urge to eat and I could satisfy mine to stay tipsy. It was hot, but not insufferably hot in there. Ana had one of their famous pork chops and pronounced it the best she's ever had (yeah for her, too bad for the pig), and I had some vegetable goop. Soon poor Ana, unable to contain her carnivorous voraciousness, had consumed the entire gigantic pork chop and grew uncomfortably full. Time for an uphill walk in the not-cool night air! Up Divisadero and further up Haight Street we traveled to reach The Alembic. No heat relief was to be found there- it had to be over 90 degrees inside. Luckily, relief came in the forms of the Pisco Sour and new-to-the-menu Gilded Lily with Plymouth gin, Yellow Chartreuse, orange flower water, and sparkling demi-sec. At this point Ana, who lives in New York and should really be better at this, pooped out. I think she was sufficiently impressed with the cocktails in SF and I was sufficiently impressed with myself for out-partying a New Yorker. Not a bad way to beat the heat.

Chartreuse on the loose

This week I helped judge a Chartreuse cocktail competition- tough job! Bartenders love making cocktails with the stuff, and I love drinking said cocktails. With my fellow judges Johnny Raglin of Absinthe and Carlos Yturria of Bacar/Grand Pu Bah I think we were in complete agreement with our top choices. Joel Baker of Bourbon & Branch made a phenomenal drink with Yellow Chartreuse, Manzanilla sherry, lemon, peach, and basil, but unfortunately he lost points for going past the time limit (such a perfectionist). Steven Liles of (is it Boulevard?) combined Yellow Chartreuse, St. Germain, gin, lemon, sugar, and cucumber with a lemon verbena garnish that was messy but delicious. Camber Lay of Epic pretty much always brings the thunder and her drink (pictured) with rose geranium, gin, lemon, lime, peach, Szechuan peppercorn, and Green Chartreuse was terrific. If they'd only let her bring her fruit dehydrator who knows what would have happened. And the big winner for the day was H. Ehrmann of Elixir, who combined bourbon, Green Chartreuse, muddled cherries, lavender, and vermouth, sort of like a sweet Chartreuse-cherry-lavender Manhattan. I don't know how it worked, but it totally did. Lavender? Congratulations to the winners.

Poppers

It's so hot in my apartment in San Francisco right now that a cork stopper just spontaneously popped off a bottle of vodka in my living room. Or perhaps it was a divine sign that I need a refreshing cocktail right about now...

Itemizing

I just learned that my 2,000 word story on scotch due next Monday was actually due yesterday, so posting may be a bit light for the rest of the week. Here are some things that caught my eye. - San Francisco Brewcraft solves the lack-of-hops problem by introducing a Burningman Hopless Absinthe Ale brewing kit complete with wormwood, lavender, and anise. (What, no fennel?) - Though they're advertising it as a beer pong ice rack, there is no need to limit its use to the "sport." Fill it with water and freeze it to keep ten plastic cups cold on the tray. - Jay from Oh Gosh! tasted 23 orange liqueurs and has now summarized his findings into awards. I think he deserves an award for the effort. - Seamus of Bunnyhugs lists some old-school genever cocktails to try out with the new genevers on the market. - Imbibe Magazine (sorry I'm late with that scotch story!) lists some cocktailian uses for home-grown herbs.

Level III opening + a cucumber recipe

Friday night I attended the opening party for Level III in the JW Marriott, which, it turns out, was also the 7X7 Magazine Best of SF issue party. It's hard to say what the place will look like when the party lights are off and the space returns to its normal hotel lobby look, but they did a terrific job of fixing it up for the event. They served three drinks from the menu: The Shanghaied, Portman Cosmafornian, and Cable Car No. 2. They were all batch-made drinks for the big party, so they weren't a good indication of how the drinks might taste when made on the spot- we'll just have to see about that going forward. The Portman Cosmafornian is basically a Cosmo with a sweet lime foam on top- without the foam the drink is nothing special but the sweet lime foam really works. The Cable Car No. 2 is full of tequila with a chili powder and cocoa rim. I really liked where it was headed, though I think I would swap chili powder with wasabi. (Mmm, wasabi.) I wasn't sold on the chocolate but I like chocolate less than the average person. The Shangaied with Square One cucumber vodka, Canton ginger liqueur, and lemongrass syrup had great flavors (though it came out too sweet in the batching) and the lemongrass bits kind of get stuck to your lips, but it's worth it. This could be a great drink for summer. It contains just three ingredients, and if you batch the lemongrass syrup (or buy it from Monin), would make a great party drink. And the Square One folks just gave me permission to print the recipe. At Level III we had this drink served on the rocks instead of in a cocktail glass as directed below. Shanghaied Created by H. Joseph Ehrmann, Mixologist and Brand Ambassador for Square One 2 ounces Square One Cucumber Vodka 1/2 ounce Canton Ginger Liqueur 1 ounce lemongrass syrup* 3 - 4 inch piece of lemongrass stalk for garnish Combine in a mixing glass with ice. Shake hard for 10 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass. *Lemongrass Syrup: Trim the stalk at the bottom and just past the heart of the stalk (4-5 inches). Save top half for garnish. Cut the heart lengthwise down the middle and with a mallet pound the lemongrass to break it up. Boil lemongrass in one cup of water for 2-3 minutes then add one cup of sugar slowly, stirring constantly to dissolve. Bring to a boil then simmer for 3-5 minutes until syrupy. Remove from heat and cool completely. Pour through a strainer and into a storage bottle. Refrigerate.

Green drinking

As I was picking the fallen houseplant leaf off the shag carpet, I wondered what it would taste like in a drink. (Who wouldn't?) I bit into it to find it reminded me of snap peas shells. Undeterred, I proceeded to experiment with a cocktail. Intervention Inspiration 4 leaves of houseplant, with center veins removed 2 ounces cucumber vodka 1/2 ounce honey syrup 1/4 ounce lemon juice pinch black pepper Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into cocktail glass. The drink is disgusting, of course. And now I can't get the taste of houseplant out of my mouth.

V2O

Graham Holter of Wine and Spirit Magazine (it's the UK one, not the US one with an "s") asks, "What's the difference between vodka and water?"

What's the difference between luxury vodka and premium mineral water? One is a flavourless, colourless liquid that relies on clever marketing to sustain an inflated price point, and the other is - oh. Right.

Really it's a story about the similarities in marketing between the two, with some funny notes at the end.

Modern cocktailing casualty

In bars without cocktail menus, do you freeze up when thinking of what to order? I drink all the time, but when I get to a regular bar without a menu suddenly I can only think of three drinks and I don't want any of them at that moment. Then I'll just order a beer. This never used to happen.

A bad use for good vodka

I just passed this sign at Andalu restaurant. Oh dear.

One more stop on the downtown cocktail circuit

The JW Marriott on Post Street relaunched their restaurant/lounge, now called Level III, with cocktails created by H. Ehrmann of Elixir. The drinks, which I've posted below (as the website has it as a PDF), look really light, floral, and likely to go down easy. Also, importantly, this is a new bar on the downtown drinking circuit. You can hit Level III on your way to Bourbon & Branch, Cantina, Rye, and other spots off Union Square. For someone who doesn't work or shop downtown, I sure spend a lot of time there. emperor norton’s mistress (seasonal – summer) we’re sure this seasonal fruit refreshment would have been one of the emperor’s “decrees.” knob creek bourbon, muddled strawberries, navan, and cointreau are combined and served tall, over ice with a luscious strawberry. harvey milk punch (3 levels) san francisco’s version of the big easy classic. select your grand marnier • level 1 – cordon rouge • level 2 – cuvee de centenaire • level 3- cuvee du cent-cinquantenaire navan, organic milk; rolled and served over ice with a dusting of fresh nutmeg and fresh cinnamon. the bank exchange punch duncan nicol, an early san francisco mixologist, only allowed patrons two of his famous cocktail… and for good reason. barsol pisco quebranta, st. elizabeth allspice dram, pineapple gomme, distilled water, and fresh lemon juice are shaken and served up with a pineapple chunk. shanghaied we bet you’ll go willingly on this chinese journey. square one cucumber, canton ginger, and organic lemongrass syrup, shaken and served up with an english cucumber slice on the rim. the portman cosmafornian leave it to san francisco to re-imagine and elevate the traditional berry flavor found in the wildly popular cocktail. level vodka, plymouth sloe gin, lime foam. sunset on dunnigan citrus and floral notes characterize this nod to the wine country. damrak gin, sauvignon blanc, and st. germain are combined, shaken and served up with a grapefruit twist. the summer of love wait for the memories of 1967 to come rushing back with just one sip. hangar one mandarin blossom vodka, rose water syrup, lillet blanc and chambord are combined and served up with a lemon zest rose. golden gate fog get lost in the flavors, not the “fog” that envelops this drink. white peach puree, muddled mint, rhum clement creole schrubb, and lime juice are stirred, poured over ice, and topped with “fog” - a louche of kubler absinthe - and a mint sprig. dirty harry luck’s got nothing to do with this cherry-flavored concoction. rittenhouse 100 rye, carpano antica, luxardo maraschino and a la fee absinthe rinse is stirred and served up with a house-made maraschino cherry. cable car no.2 unique, latin flavor pairings differentiate this version from the classic. 4 copas organic añejo tequila, rhum clement creole schrubb, and lemon juice are shaken and served up with a ghirardelli cocoa and ancho chili powder rim.

Age your own darn whiskey

This is silly but I love it. Monterey Rye Spirits will sell you ten bottles of new-make rye whiskey and a mini 2-gallon barrel in which to age it. They say that after just three months, you'll have aged whiskey. I can't imagine that it would be very good, but it'll be the hit of your self-made Sazerac party. It's kind of like growing your own tomatoes- you can buy the baby plants and pots and soil and plant food, or just go to the store and grab a tomato for 1/5th the price. And if you're even lazier than that Monterey Rye will sell you a single bottle of rye with a stick of barrel wood taped to the side. Just dip it and wait!

Attempted bribery

Well, it finally happened. I received cash in the mail the other day from a liquor company. It's about time! I've been waiting for a bribe for years here at Alcademics, with my fingers hovering over the "Best Product Evar!!" keys. There's a reason you don't see an ethics policy listed on this website, and that's because I don't have any ethics. Wine me, dine me, send me flowers- I'm easy. I just wish they had made it easier to get at the money. They put the five-pound note behind glass. I think it's glued on a piece of cardboard, so that's going to be hard to get off. And if I can remove it without ripping it all up then I have to take it to the bank to get it converted into useful American money. Someone needs to teach the Bushmills people better bribery skills. But seriously folks, this is pretty cool. The Bank of Ireland put the Bushmills distillery on the five pound note to celebrate the 400th anniversary of their license to distill whiskey. The Bushmills people are like "Irish money is free advertising!" and are undoubtedly psyched. They framed the note and sent it to me to join my wall art, perfectly in keeping with my entirely booze-related decorating scheme. The thing is, they're also putting the distillery on the ten and 20 pound notes. If they really wanted to bribe me couldn't they have sent more money?

10 Trendsetting Mixologists

In various editions of the Beverage Network's magazines, I have the cover story on 10 Trendsetting Mixologists from across the country. I interviewed my picks at the Navan/Grand Marnier Mixology Summit this spring.

This year’s batch of bartenders to watch have more in common than a penchant for inventing and shaking up tasty cocktails. They’re using fresh and often local ingredients, adding savory herbs to drinks, and making sure the execution of each cocktail is consistently stellar.

These standout mixologists, some with impressive training under their belt, some the winners of national and international cocktail challenges, are also quite influential, both introducing quality cocktails to the underserved areas of the country, as well as impressing jaded vacationers in Vegas and Aspen. They impact the community through bartenders’ guilds, banding together to influence the purchases of control state boards, and educating the public with classes and seminars. These men and women help elevate both the craft of mixology and the consumer palate simultaneously. Let’s raise a glass to the class of 2008.

The mixologists chosen were: Charles Joly from Chicago Patricia Richards from Las Vegas Matt Martinez from Los Angeles Jeremy Strungis from New Jersey Ted Kilgore from St. Louis Gina Chersevani from Washington, DC Lance Mayhew from Portland, OR Denis Cote from Aspen, CO Eric Simpkins from Atlanta Jon Santer from San Francisco Read interviews with these ten terrific bartenders here.

Single-malt soap

I received a bar of soap in the mail, which I might take as an insult if it weren't flavored with Laphroaig whisky. Then again, I often wake up smelling of whisky and want to wash it off, not on. Anyway, check out Spirited Soaps, made on Islay in nine distillery flavors.

Welcome home, Camper

While other people on the press trips I take start missing their spouses, family, and pets after a few days, I have none of those things and am always glad to be out of the one-bedroom apartment where I spend most of my waking and sleeping hours. I could stay traveling forever. That said, sometimes I do get a welcome greeting on my return, from all the packages UPS and FedEx has been unable to deliver in my absence. The day after I returned from Spain and France, I had seven packages containing mostly delicious booze. Welcome back, Camper!

Form of: An ice luge! Shape of: umm...

The website copy reads:

Lugez is proud to present our first product that is guaranteed to make your mouth drop. This penis is not just for looks…..it has function. Pour a shot at the top and drink at the tip. After that you got yourself an ice luge party penis that gets you drunk.

Lugez is a fantastic addition to all wild bachelorette parties and adult party games that are willing to go the extra step to add something special to their party. And now bachelorettes don’t have to feel guilty about getting friendly with a foreign penis one last time before the big day. Big enough for fun and small enough to fit in a normal freezer.

See this fine product here. (mildly NSFW)

Gin + Dinner = Ginner

Orson in San Francisco is hosting a Gin and Stone pairing dinner on June 11 to celebrate fresh stone fruit. (Gin you can celebrate all year round.) I've seen dinner pairings with bourbon, rum, absinthe, and even vodka, but this is the first gin and food pairing I've noticed. Check out the menu here.

Absinthe in Men's Book

Speaking of absinthe, I just noticed that the story I wrote on the subject (or as I call it, the subject that keeps on paying) for Men's Book San Francisco is online. Go here and forward to page 80.

All about absinthe

Bourbon & Branch's Beverage Academy has a few spots open for tomorrow's absinthe class with Lance Winters. Lance makes St. George Spirit's Absinthe Vert, and is a fun speaker to boot. Backing him up is Todd Smith who will be making absinthe cocktails during the event. If you can't make it tomorrow, the next one is July 29th. The Beverage Academy has also started teaching Cocktails 101, also lead by Todd Smith, who will teach you how to get the most out of making drinks at home. Get tickets here.

Gin on the vine

Immediately after my press trip to Jerez to study sherry, I flew to Bordeaux to learn about G'Vine gin. As far as I know, G'Vine is the only gin made from grape spirit instead of grain spirit, which gives it a round, soft texture and a touch of sweetness. It also has a huge burst of floral aroma coming from distilled vine flowers. This press trip was centered around seeing the vine flower harvest, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and the flowers weren't yet in bloom. I flew in to Bordeaux and got a hotel room for the night, skipped dinner and slept from 8PM until 8AM recovering sleep and liver function from the last trip. The next morning I met the group- there were just five of us in total- and we headed to our hotel half-way between Bordeaux and Cognac. Our hotel, Chateau de Rimbaud, was more of a castle (which is always nice) that was filled with antiques and wallpaper that matched the curtains, bedspreads, and everything else in the room. Busy, but beautiful. That afternoon we had a short mixology session with G'vine. Because the gin is so floral, I find it overwhelming served in a martini and don't think it mixes as well as other gins with tonic water. I learned on this trip that champagne works better than tonic with this product (grape with grape, after all), and that the Spanish make their tonic water go flat before drinking it- we didn't try that but I could see it working. After a lazy afternoon we had a lazy dinner at the castle, and a good night's sleep. Then we were off to Cognac. We visited the distillery where G'Vine is made, which is a cognac distillery that produces one percent of all Cognac in France, in addition to several other products. It was the first time I've seen Cognac stills, so I was a bit overexcited, but soon we were off to the traditional pot and column stills actually used for G'Vine. We drove out to a vineyard and fondled a vine, as the founder of EuroWineGate showed us where the blossoms would be if only they were blossoming. We all offered to stay two more weeks in the castle waiting for this to happen, but apparently G'vine's generosity doesn't extend quite that far. We had lunch at the funky and delicious La Ribaudiere restaurant near Cognac (you can pull up to it by boat if that's how you roll), where they made gelato in different flavors that are found in the gin. (gin-lato?) Then we spent about an hour wandering through the city of Cognac. I found it nice and full of very old buildings, but smaller than I had imagined. The same is not true of Bordeaux, where we stayed the night. Bordeaux is huge and cosmopolitan and appears magnificent in the evening we spent there. We went out for dinner on one of the many pedestrian streets, had a beer later, and called it a trip. Now I have to make the next trip home. It's gonna be a doozy. See you in a few days. In the meantime, feel free to look at all my trip photos here.

Sherry, now we're cooking

On the final day of my press trip to Jerez we started with a trip to the central market, where they have all kinds of fresh fish and fancy vegetables that look like I couldn't afford them, kind of like the Ferry Building in San Francisco but probably hundreds of years old. We picked up some ingredients and headed to a hospitality school for a cooking lesson. All of our dishes had sherry in them, this being a sherry press trip and all. They also all had meat, so I made pretend food while everyone else made real food. The most amazing part of the experience is that I neither cut nor burned myself. Others were not so lucky during the flambe session. I focussed on my particular skill set, which is drinking alcohol rather than eating it. Afterwards I took a walking tour of Jerez, which is a city with layers. Jerez has been conquered by the Romans, Goths, and Christians, and has had so many turnovers that there are classical, Arabic, and Gothic elements together on some buildings. There is the ancient, walled city, the old city, and the newer residential part. The outlying areas of Jerez are not so pretty but the downtown is a bunch of interconnected walking streets, public squares, and narrow streets. That night was our grand finale dinner. It was held in the Palace of Time, a huge museum with clocks from the 17th-19th centuries. After a walk around to check out the clocks, we sat down for a great dinner followed by a flamenco performance. We stayed up until 3 in the morning afterwards talking and drinking sherry and brandy back at the hotel. Visiting Jerez made me want to come back and see the other two cities that make up the central triangle of the sherry region. According to the book I've been reading each has its own traditions, even in the style of making sherry. This trip was enlightening, as sherry isn't an easy spirit to understand. (I'll try to share my info a little later.) But when I start nerding out on something, I really want to get up in there and learn everything. So I guess I'll have to visit the region again asap. And then it was off to France...

Bottlewatching: Curvy ladies

Beija Cachaca and Sirene Absinthe have sorta similar logos.

Even cocktails fall victim to Photoshop

We expect to see photoshopped celebrities in magazines, but must our cocktails be digitally manipulated also? Sure, mint is hard to style, but can't booze brands with big budgets invest a little more time in making the drinks look real? Fake mint makes me sad.