Here are some things we've found along the byways of the World Wide Web, usually while we're in our cups:
- Friend of the blog Marshall from Scofflaw's Den sends word that two of his drinks are in a cocktail/mocktail contest. You should vote for them. Not just because they're friends of the blog, but: non-alcoholic gin from a nitrous infuser! Mixed with beet juice! And another drink with pineapple-infused tequila and long pepper syrup! Neat-sounding stuff. You can vote till 11:30p PDT (no, not that PDT) tonight. So DO EET.
- And it ain't cocktails -- so technically outside the purview of this here site -- but Pachanga Patterson, a restaurant just around the corner from Cocktailians HQ, is hosting an interesting-looking homebrewing contest. If you brew the winning beer, you get $500. Not bad!
- Speaking of voting, and drinking, Cocktailians is a nonpartisan blog. But we may be supporting the Cocktail Party;
- Homebrewing's great, but I'd rather think about home distilling. Chuck Cowdery points out that the pipedream of the backyard distillery is achievable;
- Here's a nice roundup of shrubs and vinegars in cocktails, from the Globe & Mail;
- There's the famous Lufthansa heist, of course, but I think the "Operation Last Call" bust yesterday of 18 workers at JFK airport, who allegedly boosted over 100,000 leftover liquor minis from American Airlines, is destined to go down in cocktailian lore;
- So apparently some joint called the Flatiron Room is opening up. Um. Do they not know about, or are they hoping to capitalize on confusing arising from the name of, the Flatiron Lounge, a spectacularly good bar that's been open for almost a decade, six blocks away?! And who do these jokers think they are, anyway? WTF?
- Robert Simonson looks at Japanese whiskies in the NYT. (I hadn't discovered them till Tales 2011, but was impressed with what I found. The Hibiki 12 was in my flask all winter long.)
- EaterNY profiles Tom Richter, of the Beagle and Tomr's Tonic, in an ongoing series that I had unaccountably missed until now. Earlier incarnations cover Maxwell Britten of Maison Premiere, Aaron Polsky of Amor Y Amargo, Sam Anderson of Hotel Delmano, and the inimitable Steve Schneider of Employees Only;
- They also have recently profiled a front-of-house person: Pegu Club GM Robert Oppenheimer. (There are many reasons why Pegu remains one of my most-favorite places to tipple in town. The superb staff is one of them.)
- Speaking of Pegu, I see that Kenta Goto will be guest-bartending next week at Ma Peche;
- Interesting NYT story on folks in Kentucky who don't like the ethanol-loving black fungus that lives near distilleries, so they're suing major distilleries Brown-Forman, Heaven Hill, Diageo, Buffalo Trace, and Jim Beam. The stuff's been around forever, and Baudoinia compniacensis was first described in the 1870s. (Even the scientific name shows off its origins: "compniacensis" means "from Cognac.") I noticed it all over the sides of warehouses when I visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail a few years ago, and Chuck Cowdery notes: "The fungus is well known and generally regarded as harmless, if a bit of a nuisance. It can be removed with a little soap and water. Typically, all a distillery neighbor has to do is ask and the distillery will send a cleaning crew at no charge. It is extremely doubtful that any complainant bought their house before the accused distillery was built." Cowdery also points out that the stuff is pretty similar to common mildew, and decries the NIMBYism of people not wanting to live near distilleries;
- Gothamist said it's time for rum to make a comeback. (Has it been away?)
- Tuthilltown Spirits has a bitters coming out! "Bitter Frost" is made from rye, sarsaparilla, maple syrup, and a bunch of other things, and is aged in rye barrels. Interesting;
- Do you want to drink like James Bond? Simon Ford has the 411;
- James Bond would, I'm sure, not be drinking waffle vodka. I wonder if anyone should;
- How to drink whiskey. Rules were made to be broken;
- I've really been enjoying the Spirits Journal blog lately, from the California retailer K&L Wine Merchants. Most recently, David Driscoll's post on the outlook for bourbon caught my eye, but I also liked "Talking About Booze", a video series on thinking about drinks (Part 1, Part 2), a preview of Dad's Hat rye from Pennsylvania, a blind taste-test of Smooth Ambler Very Old Scout against Pappy 15, and a video talk with John Little of Smooth Ambler. Neat posts, and I like the enthusiasm and level of nerdly detail. Driscoll's clear commitment to his customers' happiness shines through.
- Farther away, I see that Knuckle Salad has come up with a recipe for the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Drink...but very carefully...