Art of Drink

Bottle Shock

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:09:15 -0500

A great article in the Globe and Mail about wine connoisseurs. Basically a couple of movies (Bottle Shock and Judgment of Paris) are coming out about the 1976 Paris wine tasting session where Californian wines took the world by storm, at a time when they were frowned upon.

In the blind tasting many of the judges confused the Californian wine with French wines, much to their embarrassment. But the worst part is how vocal they were about it, claiming to identify classic French wines, but were actually Californian.

“Without the benefit of a glance at the label, wine connoisseurship is so much hot air and bluster.”

With my presentation (Sensory Perception and Mixology) just completed at Tales of the Cocktail this article could not be anymore timely. It just serves as a warning that no matter how good we think we are, in a blind tasting anything can happen because there are not external influences.

As Georg Riedel, head of the famous Austrian wine-glass company who's seen his share of boneheaded guesses by famous palates, once wisely and humbly told me, “A label on a wine substitutes 10,000 years of [tasting] experience.”

Good read, go check it out: Wine connoisseurs – I call them cons

A Tales Retrospective

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:53:41 -0500

As soon as Tales of the Cocktail gets started, it seems it is over. As a friend said, too many drinks makes the nights go by fast. But, most people used their time very well and made the most of the sessions, parties, bars and the city. There are hundreds of posts and comments about the event showing up on the Blogosphere and this is my small contribution to such a big event. This is how it went down for me.

Great Start at Tales

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:41:28 -0500

It looks like this is going to be a Tales to remember. So far this year seems to have more of a party atmosphere and there are a lot of people. This is my first post from New Orleans and there is a fair amount to cover. Hopefully I can keep the posts coming but eventually lack of sleep will catch up with me. So here is what's happening.

Packing Up and Heading to NOLA

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:27:36 -0500

I’ve just put the finishing touches on my 50 slide presentation for Tales of the Cocktail. I’ve gathered up all my gadgets and packed them away. The luggage is set to go and now I just have to wait until 1AM (July 16^th) to catch my airport shuttle to Detroit. My flight leaves at 7:15AM so I should be checking into the hotel around 1PM tomorrow. I think tomorrow will be a long day because there are a lot of people to meet, things to see, events to attend and drinks to drink. Looks like it is going to be a 24 hour day without sleep. Pretty much like last year. To all those attending see you shortly, and to those who can’t make it, stay tuned I’m entering full blogger mode for the week.

Poll Results: Favorite Primary Spirit

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:54:06 -0500

Well, I left this poll up for a fairly long time. But I watched it closely and noticed that the results changed the longer I left the poll open. Initially whisky was in first place, not surprisingly at about 48% and rum and gin were number two and three respectively. But as the poll gathered votes, vodka started to make a rapid climb in the standings, from about 5% to the current 24% and whisky declined to 31%. So what does this tell us?

Spirited Dinners: La Cote

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:12:23 -0500

One of the more recent editions to Tales of the Cocktail has been the Spirited Dinners. Basically, local restaurants are paired up with bartenders from around the world, in an effort to create a unique dining experience. The restaurants chef creates a unique menu for the evening and then the paired up bartender (aka the bar chef) creates a matching menu of cocktails. The goal is to try to compliment the courses with a cocktail and really experience how cocktails can be integrated into dining, not just aperitif’s and digestif’s. This year I’m pairing up with La Cote Brasserie.

TotC: Sensory Perception Teaser

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:26:55 -0500

There is now less than one month to go before Tales of the Cocktail. I'm looking forward to going, again, this year and I've started assembling my presentation, Sensory Perception and Mixology (What Your Taste Buds are Telling You). If you are a bartender, chef, enthusiastic mixologist or just anyone who likes to know what they are drinking, then this session is a must. Sure, I like my presentation, but let me explain why you will really enjoy it.

Bourbon and Birch

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:32:07 -0500

Another Mixology Monday is upon us, with the topic being Bourbon and our host being Scofflaw's Den. When I think of bourbon, I sometimes reminisce about the perception it has compared to Canadian whiskies. Bourbon is bold fiery and strong; Canadian whiskies are light, easy going and smooth. Now, obviously this isn’t going to apply to all whiskies from either category, but a lot of people, on both sides of the border, have this idea stuck in their heads. Obviously these people have never tried one of the finer bourbons or the wonderfully smooth Maker’s Mark. What can we do to change this perception on Mixology Monday?

Birch Syrup

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:58:49 -0500

As we all know, sugar seems to be the motivating factor behind the majority of modern cocktail menu’s. If you walk into a standard, college oriented, bar and ask for “something special” you will usually get some sort of dessert like drink, served in a martini glass. Along with that, I’d say that 98% of restaurants treat cocktails as something that needs to be served sweet. Obviously, the main culprit is sucrose and / or high fructose corn syrup. If you are keen to the idea that a cocktail is more than just something to satiate a sweet tooth, then working with alternative sweeteners, like birch and agave syrups, might be something to look into.

English Harbour Rum

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:37:33 -0500

On a sweltering day, what spirit is the spirit you enjoy most? If you said rum, then I like you already. If you said Tequila, I still like you, but not as much. The Tiki crazed people know it, and I doubt there are any vodka bars in the Caribbean, so rum must be the spirit of summer. That is the perfect excuse to go and buy another bottle of rum. So after a little research I decided on English Harbour rum, because of one influential magazines review. That’s not the best reason to buy rum, but who really needs a reason?

Planter's Punch

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:00:01 -0500

The heat and humidity have finally arrived and it is time to break out some summer sippers. The Planter's Punch is a pretty common summer drink and one that I haven't had in a very long time. I remember having one many years ago, but it was pretty basic and was probably just rum, sour mix and grenadine. Lots of grenadine. I only had one and went back to drinking beer I'm sure. But it doesn't have to be this way, since the Planter's Punch doesn't have a single recipe, it is more of a free style drink. It does have some rules though.

A Word About Our Sponsors

Sat, 31 May 2008 21:18:40 -0500

The world of blogging is interesting, to say the least. To be successful, you must be passionate about your topic and secondly you must write without reservations or expectations. That means you do it because you like to, not because you get paid. For most bloggers, in the cocktail realm, that is the standard. Sure there are perks, like free booze mail, which causes a Pavlovian response everytime the UPS truck drives past the house. Or better yet, there are a few advertisers that pay to place a banner on our sites and I’d just like to make mention of it.

Iron Spike Blonde

Sat, 24 May 2008 20:17:39 -0500

With all of the mega-brewers heading in the same direction (i.e. mergers) we will eventually have a monobrew that doesn't offend anyone, nor does it excite anyone. Thankfully, we have a bevy of microbrewers that are creating something unique for those of us that appreciate choice in our life. One of those microbrewers has just started production 20 minutes from my doorstep, so I thought I'd venture out and support some local talent. Now let us see if Iron Spike Blonde is worthy of the trip to St. Thomas.

AoD Facebook Group

Wed, 21 May 2008 13:49:22 -0500

Well, I've decided to bring the Art of Drink to Facebook. Why? Because it is the trendy thing to do of course. On AoD I like to do long winded diatribes about what I love and hate about all things drink related. But, Facebook should give me an opportunity to do shorter, more tolerable, soap box preaching on all things drink. Sound like fun doesn't it? Come join the fun, you know you want too.

Life in a Cocktail Backwater

Sun, 18 May 2008 11:18:43 -0500

The cocktail is going through another “golden age”, but it seems to be happening in only a handful of locales. This is understandable, since renewed ideas take time to grow and spread. But, in the city I live, London, Ontario (Canada) the idea of a good, or interesting, cocktail is about as alien as life from another planet. I am literally stuck in a cocktail backwater where ordering anything that is not a Cosmopolitan or Vodka Martini is effectively impossible. If I want to have a good cocktail I can drive two hours to Toronto or possibly 90 minutes to Detroit. Having said that, Detroit probably won’t be a cocktail mecca anytime soon.