cramper

...you think one of those 4-bottle under-the-counter wine refrigerators would be perfect for vermouth. ...then you realize you have more than four kinds of vermouth. ...you get rid of all the food in the freezer because you don't want it to taint the flavor of your ice.

I'm writing about this for the SF Chronicle but the story won't come out until mid-December. One recent discovery is non-alcoholic grape juices from specific varietals made by Navarro Vineyards. But the most creative non-alcoholic drinks I've seen come from the vegetarian restaurant Millennium in San Francisco. Here's the full drink list and here are the non-alcoholic recipes listed: Hibiscus Zinger Hibiscus Tea & Apple Juice Himalayan Raw-Volution Kombucha Tonic, Ginger Infused Agave Syrup, Garnished with Goji Berries Liquid Sunshine Fresh O.J., Organic Cranberry Juice, Agave Chamomile Lemonade House-Made Chamomile Syrup shaken with Organic Lemonade Love Potion #9 Pomegranate Juice and Organic Lemonade served up Sparkling Lemonade Fresh Squeezed Meyer Lemon Juice, Agave, San Pellegrino Health Tonic Cranberry-Apple Cider, Allspice, Echinacea Immune Booster

I've heard more than one cachaca importer tell me they like the changing nature of (traditional, raw sugar) caipirinhas as the sugar collects on the bottom of the glass. Personally I'm not a fan of a mouthful of sugar at the end of a drink, but just thought I'd throw that out there.

As a cocktail consumer advocate I consider it my duty to acquire and test one of these wondrous inventions but the Waring people haven't responded to my inquiry yet. I think it would be even greater if it came with liquid 'martini mix' that you could just add with ice into the mixer. In the meantime, I'm saving up for the winner of the current cocktail robotics competition. The last thing I want to do when preparing cocktails is burn calories.

I received the galley proofs of the book today. There is no mention of a tour/roadshow to promote it outside of NYC, radio, and online, but I think he travels a lot so who knows. On first glance the book appears to be a lot more history than (a little over 100) recipes, divided into drink families. (And since it's Wondrich, you know there's going to be a lot about punch.) I'll be reviewing it closer to the publication date, but let's just accept that it's going to be fabulous and this is the cocktail nerd's Harry Potter. (Spoiler! Jerry Thomas dies.)

Woops- Thanks for the correction eje- That's Torani Amer, not Amer Picon I bought.

Amer Picon is available at BevMo, at least in the Bay Area. I bought a bottle a few weeks ago at the Van Ness store.

Matt- as far as homemade bitters go, you're in a great place. I wrote this article about a bitters-making event that brought a lot of bartenders together. So now you can find them at Absinthe, Bourbon & Branch, Rye, Cantina, and the Slanted Door for sure, and probably at the other venues mentioned in the article as well.

I sometimes go with Citron (or another flavored vodka) on the rocks. It tastes like a mixed drink without giving them an opportunity to screw up the mixer.

I just got back from a press event for the Woodford Reserve Sonoma-Cutrer Finish, where I asked Master Distiller Chris Morris (whom I beat in croquet) about the product label. The product is called "Woodford Reserve's Sonoma-Cutrer Finish" and is labeled as a "Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in California Chardonnay Barrels." It is not a bourbon, and would be placed in the spirits category of "Whiskey Specialty" according to Morris. He says it was Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey up until the point at which they transferred it to the used barrels. Here is a picture of an actual bottle label: Woodford Sonoma-Cutrer label picture Camper English www.alcademics.com

I believe Alberta is concentrating on her new online show these days. A launch for teh channel happens in a couple of weeks, but you can find and subscribe to the video podcast on iTunes.

The new Roth Vodka website has hundreds of videos of San Francisco bartenders discussing bartending techniques (and not just with Roth- it's no brand overload). It's great fun for amateurs like me to see that in no way is there one correct way to do almost anything, from muddling to shaking. Plus it's actually quite usefull. Roth Vodka website

On the cheap and easy at home front, I use single-serving plastic applesauce containers to make big cubes for rocks drinks. They're flat on the bottom so they don't roll into your teeth. <img src="