Thirsty Earth Drinks up the Rain,
Trees from earth drink that Again;
Ocean Drinks the air; The sun
Drinks the Sea, and him the Moon.
Any Reason, Canst thou Think,
I Should Thirst While All These Drink?
ANACREON
Remember
"Moderation" = civilized drinking
If you are going
to drink then make it something excellent and choose quality.
A well-made cocktail crafted by a bartender that cares
is one of life's little luxuries.
Bruce
Tomlinson
"Bartending
is 5 hours of fun
sandwiched between 3 hours of cleaning" -Jeffery Morgenthaler
"A professional
Bartender is someone who can do his or her best work when
he or she doesn't feel like it." -Bruce Tomlinson
Making
the Ordinary - Extraordinary!
A
good friend will help you move. A great friend will
help you move the body. I am
helping a buddy who owns the Murder Mystery Theatre with
some marketing and this is one of the new lines. I thought
is funny and I hope you do too.
I know, I know . I have not added squat to
the site in a long long time. Well that's
going to change. September 18th till the 20th I will be
at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Then October 2nd till
the 5th I will be in New York city for the Manhattan Cocktail
Classic. As Justin Wilson used to say "I Guarantee"
I will have some great info for you.
If anyone is going to be at one or the other or
both events let me know and we will meet up for a liquid
refreshment.
Cheers
Bruce
Bruce Tomlinson at the Kentucky Bourbon
Festival Gala
Yes I am in Indianapolis, Indiana
Home of The Greatest Spectacle In Racing®
The Indianapolis 500
The last Sunday before the race is bump day.
If you are last in the line of 33 cars - 3 per row and
somebody puts in a faster time.
You are BUMBED out of the field or drivers.
I named this drink the Bitter
Bump
1.5 OZ AVERNA
2.0 OZ Orange Juice
0.75 Lime Juice
2 Shakes whiskey barrel - aged bitters
you know --- Fee Brothers
Chill ,,, Strain
top with soda
Orange peel
It sucks to be bumped,, but the drink
taste good.
Remember keep turning left...........
Back by Popular
Demand
MINT
JULEP
Here in Indianapolis we are two hours north
of Churchill Downs and the running of the 135th Kentucky
Derby. But we can still enjoy it on TV with a Mint Julep
in hand. The Mint Julep has been around long before it
became associated with the Derby. According to Chris
McMillian {a famous New Orleans bartender}a Julep
was written about as early as the 17th century by Milton.
-- Bill Samuels Jr., president of Maker's
Mark Distillery stated that even though it is not the
first account of the drink, the Mint Julep first appeared
in print in 1803, being described as a “dram of
spirituous liquor that has mint in it, taken by Virginians
in the morning." in Travels of Four Years and a Half
in the United States of America by John Davis. Today the
spirit of choice is bourbon.
If we trace this drink back to its origin, it started
out as a delicate drink in Persia named gulâb. (Literally
meaning “rosewater”) Do to the fact it was
rose petals in sugar water. When it spread to the Mediterranean,
rose petals were replaced with mint leaves. Mint is indigenous
to that region. Now known as the mint julep, it soon grew
in popularity throughout Europe and eventually made its
way to the United States in the 17th century. Early versions
were made with rye whiskey, rum, and most any other spirit
available.
Mint Julep
Start with a 12oz glass or a Silver Julep
Cup
Drop in 6 to 12 mint leaves - Smaller more , Bigger less.
No stems. Muddled stems add bitterness
*Add 1/2oz to 1oz of simple syrup*
1/2oz is proper, but I like 1oz
Now gently muddle, just bruise, not crush. Crushing releases
chlorophyll found in the leaf and makes for an unpleasant
bitter taste.
Fill your glass with crushed ice. Use a canvas bag or
a thick towel and a mallet to crush the ice in.
Pour in 2.5oz of Makers Mark
Give it a little stir and add more crushed ice till it
is mounded over the top.
Take a good looking mint sprig with the stem and lay in
one hand. Now smack it with the other hand. This will
release the oils and that wonderful aroma. Put 2 sip sticks
in one hand and use them to make a hole in the ice for
the mint stem as a garnish. Place the 2 sip sticks in
the ice and serve.
If to serve is picking up the drink with one hand and
handing it to your other hand.
Then life is good.
If you are not watching the Derby, this is still a great
drink to sip slowly as you are sitting in a rocker on
the porch and watch the sun go down.
*Simple syrup is made by using equal parts
by volume - sugar and water - put in container with lid.
Shake for 30 seconds. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Shake
a second time for 30 seconds and after it relaxes it will
be clear and ready to use.
Countdown till Tales of the Cocktail
Tickets now on
Sale
This is the only
Video of Murray Stensonthat I know about. Many influential people have proclaimed
Murray Stenson as the premier bartender on the west coast.
"The Last Word," a classic drink
resurrected in Seattle that has crossed the Atlantic and
is now showcased in bars as far away as Sydney, Australia.
Seattle's Zig Zag Cafe bartender Murray
Stenson revived this cocktail the “Last
Word” and it has spread around the world. http://zigzagseattle.com/
Last Word
3/4 once gin
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
3/4 ounce green chartreuse
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with
ice. Shake well for 12 seconds and strain into well chilled
cocktail glass.
Who says
the Mai Tai is only for the
summer.
19F - 1F windchill
Mixology Monday
January 19 2009
MxMo XXXV: Broaden Your
Horizons
The theme for this MxMo is “New
Horizons”{or try somthing new}and is hosted by The
Scribe over at A
Mixed Dram.
I would like to start by thanking The "anonymous"
Scribe for putting this togeather."
Be sure to check out the Scribe's
photo with the link in the left colunm
I was looking around the web to see what looked enticing
and I ran across that word, Shrub. I had never made a
Shrub. Maybe it was because it made me think of yard work.
Maybe it was because I am not a big vinegar fan. Thats
OK. I would just pick something else on the menu. I am
surprised at myself. It’s normally my nature to
crave something I have not had before. This type of drink
[shrub] was in the first bar book by Jerry Thomas in 1862.
What the hell have I been waiting for? I
am heading out the door to the local produce department
to see what looks good. Seeing how it is winter and 18
degrees, I might need to look in the frozen section. On
dancer on prancer on donner on. Uh Oops, darn
that was last month. .......................................................................................
do.... do ... dum .... dadum ........................
do ... do .......... do .............. ..........dum ..do..
OK, I’m back... I found raspberries (not frozen)
ginger ale and white wine vinegar.
I just finished making the raspberry shrub and what is
on TV. That SOB Alton Brown showing how to make home made
ginger ale. I feel like I am letting myself down. Next
time fresh ginger ale it is.
How I made the raspberry shrub:
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
Put in sauce pan and heat. Stir till clear. Just like
making simple syrup.
1pint raspberries
Put in sauce pan with sugar water and bring to a slow
boil for 10 minutes. I stirred often. Also I wanted to
keep watch to make sure it did not boil over.
1 cup white vinegar
Put in pan and boil for 2 more minutes.
Let cool and strain. I used a big strainer, took my time
and it worked just fine.
This Recipe yielded me 10.5oz
My first drink was a Plum Brandy Shrub.
Build
2oz Plum Brandy(Eau-de-vie de , Mirabelle)
1oz Raspberry Shrub
4oz Ginger Ale
The only reason I am telling you about this drink is so
you don’t make it.
When I was looking through my bottles of booze this one
seemed like the one I thought, would go great with a raspberry
shrub.
Let me put it to you this way. Nobody liked it. I poured
the second half out. I started thinking, maybe Shrub’s
suck? How could this be? I have read how other people
I respect liked them. So like a good little bar soldier
I had to forge ahead.
My second drink was a Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Shrub.
Build
2oz Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Woodford Reserve)
1oz Raspberry Shrub
4oz Ginger Ale
This was a much better drink. It was ok, not fantastic.
My third drink was an Applejack
Shrub.
Build
2oz APPLEJACK (Laird’s)
1oz Raspberry Shrub
4oz Ginger Ale
BINGO – This drink was good. I would recommend it.
As a bonus Lairds is half the cost of Woodford Reserve
and a third the cost of Mirabelle Plum Brandy{good info
for next months MxMo}.The planets are back in alignment
and all is good with the universe.
Photo and Drink by Bruce Tomlinson
It is now the next morning and I came to
a realization. I need more long drinks for when friends
visit my home. All too often when I have new guests visiting
and I want to spread the word of fresh ingredients, I
turn to a cocktail. No matter how much I try and
explain that the cocktail's I make are smaller, yet pack
just as much punch as a artificial sour mix laden monstrositie
you get here in the Indianapolis bars. Some people can
not change their habit of drinking a large amount (by
volume) of their drink and not touching the glass of water
next to their drink. So my thinking is that I need to
make it a point to have a larger menu of long drinks available
in my home.
"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish
poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune
of a traditional folk song
The song's (Scots) title may be translated into English
literally as "old long since", or more idiomatically,
"long long ago"
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old times since ?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
And surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
This video of Jamie Boudreau giving his
opinion on Molecular Mixology, comes from the bylingual
blog : "Listen
to the Ice"
Darcy O'Neil from Art
of Drink came up with the Imbiber’s 100, a list
of 100 drinks any good imbiber should try before they
die. This list is a great spin off of the Omnivore’s
100. So here is my offering.
Instructions:
1) Copy this list into your blog, with instructions.
2) Bold all the drinks you’ve imbibed.
3) Cross out any items that you won’t touch
4) Post a comment here and link to your results.
OR
If you don’t have a blog, just count the ones you’ve
tried and post the number in the comments section.
List of Drinks You Must Try Before You Expire
1. Manhattan Cocktail
2. Kopi Luwak (Weasle Coffee)
3. French / Swiss Absinthe
4. Rootbeer
5. Gin Martini
6. Sauternes
7. Whole Milk
8. Tequila (100% Agave)
9. XO Cognac
10. Espresso 11. Spring Water (directly from
the spring)
12. Gin & Tonic
13. Mead
14. Westvleteren 12 (Yellow Cap) Trappist Ale
15. Chateau d’Yquem
16. Budweiser
17. Maraschino Liqueur
18. Mojito
19. Orgeat
20. Grand Marnier
21. Mai Tai (original)
22. Ice Wine (Canadian)
23. Red Bull
24. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
25. Bubble Tea
26. Tokaji
27. Chicory
28. Islay Scotch
29. Pusser’s Navy Rum
30. Fernet Branca
31. Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
32. Bourbon
33. Australian Shiraz
34. Buckley’s Cough Syrup
35. Orange Bitters
36. Margarita (classic recipe)
37. Molasses & Milk
38. Chimay Blue
39. Wine of Pines (Tepache)
40. Green Tea
41. Daiginjo Sake
42. Chai Tea
43. Vodka (chilled, straight)
44. Coca-Cola 45. Zombie (Beachcomber
recipe)
46. Barley Wine
47. Brewed Choclate (Xocolatl)
48. Pisco Sour
49. Lemonade
50. Speyside Single Malt
51. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
52. Champagne (Vintage)
53. Rosé (French)
54. Bellini
55. Caipirinha
56. White Zinfandel (Blush)
57. Coconut Water
58. Cerveza
59. Cafe au Lait
60. Ice Tea
61. Pedro Ximenez Sherry
62. Vintage Port
63. Hot Chocolate
64. German Riesling
65. Pina Colada
66. El Dorado 15 Year Rum
67. Chartreuse
68. Greek Wine
69. Negroni
70. Jägermeister
71. Chicha
72. Guiness
73. Rhum Agricole
74. Palm Wine
75. Soju
76. Ceylon Tea (High Grown)
77. Belgian Lambic
78. Mongolian Airag
79. Doogh, Lassi or Ayran
80. Sugarcane Juice
81. Ramos Gin Fizz
82. Singapore Sling
83. Mint Julep
84. Old Fashioned
85. Perique
86. Jenever (Holland Gin)
87. Chocolate Milkshake
88. Traditional Italian Barolo
89. Pulque
90. Natural Sparkling Water
91. Cuban Rum
92. Asti Spumante
93. Irish Whiskey
94. Château Margaux
95. Two Buck Chuck
96. Screech
97. Akvavit
98. Rye Whisky
99. German Weissbier
100. Daiquiri (classic)
24 to go.....................................................................................................................................
Blue
Blazer Mix-Off: A few days
back at Audrey Sanders, Pegu Club they had a hot time
during the kick off of a slow food event.
The Blue Blazer is a drink from the first cocktail book.
This book is (HOW TO MIX DRINKS, or THE
BON-VIVANT'S COMPANION) By Jerry Thomas
This was a fun "Mix Off"
and all participants were declared winners.
This Video is - Dave
Wondrich & Jim Meehan
This second video is - Gary Regen
& Phil Ward
This Video is - Dale Degroff &
Kenta Goto
This Video is - Johnny Iuzzini
& Dave Arnold
I'm
switching phones !!! 07-15-2008
I knowno one cares as
long as I answer the darn thing. As soon as you
find out what the guys over at Cocktail
DB have done, you will want to switch too.
The big brains of Martin Doudoroff, Ted "Dr. Cocktail"
Haigh and Matt Feifarek have taken their Cocktail Data
Base to a higher level with this new IPhone application.
Check out this demo.
"Hurricanes are for tourists. Sazerac's are for
natives."
I borrowed this line from the gumbopages.com
I don't think Chuck Taggart will mind. I met him and he
is a good chap We were at the Tales of the Cocktail last
year...... THE event of the year. It does not matter if
you are in this business or not. If you are passionate
about good cocktails. TOTC is for you.
There are
two reasons for drinking: one is, when you are thirsty,
to cure it; the other, when you are not thirsty, to prevent
it... Prevention is always better than cure. -
Thomas Love Peacock, circa 1856
Remember
that a cab is a lot cheaper than a DUI.
Do not drink and drive.
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