BartendersTour.blogspot.com

  My wife sometimes teases me when we go out for a nice dinner or meet friends at a local restaurant or bar. She can sense when my attention shifts a bit towards what’s going on at the bar, and she’s even caught me counting shakes of a cocktail tin when a bartender is mixing a drink.  (My personal rule for something like a martini is no more than four-six shakes, maybe four,  five  seconds. And not a vigorous shake either, the shake should be solid and not too violent. If the drink is more of a tiki style or something that you want aerated then knock yourself out. An aerated martini is an offense to nature.) So it’s a pleasure for me when I run into a kindred soul and we, as I put it, go all geeky with wine and spirits. The conversation is animated and frequently focused on sharing cool stuff. My second night on a recent business trip I encountered just such a person. A perfect vodka martini Before COVID I traveled with a fair amount of frequency. Business and pleasu...

I am a fan of many types of gin, and appreciate when someone else discovers the category and joins in. Here Masterchef Dean Banks talks with The Spirits Business about his new gin . Unfortunately, I cannot agree with this chef's assertions against artisan gin. Yes, there is a lot to be said for a clean, straightforward gin. Those make for the best mixers. And can be quaffed clean, maybe on ice. And yes, some of the recent trend towards flavored gins - beyond the usual recipes and creations - has produced some excessive and even untasty products. But every palate is different. And - unlike most liquors - gin distillers create a unique recipe for each brand. It's one of the primary attractions of the category, although it also acts as a deterrent for people unfamiliar with gin. If the first gin you taste disagrees with your palate then you're unlikely to try something else. (Hence the argument for brands such as Hendrick's, Ford's and Tanqueray, which ...

As you might know or will soon discover, I have a passion for martinis. Some days I'd like a gin martini, and others I'd like it vodka. Still others I might like a flavored drink, but..well, that's not really a martini. But more about that later. Purists, of course, will note that true martinis are a gin drink. The Northern California saloon in in which the martini was invented - whichever one it was - doubtless had three things for sale: whiskey, gin and beer. And maybe not a lot of that latter. Shoes life was important and until the advent of refrigeration, serving alcohol was restricted to the higher grade stuff. Gin was, of course, the choice of several navies around the world, particularly the British fleet. (More about that later.) As I've mentioned before, the origin of the martini is under continual debate, with no resolution likely in our lifetimes. But gin, not vodka, was the original constituent. Vodka arrived on the scene much later, and really ...