tikibars

Hi all - Just wanted to bump this up, for those of you looking for something fun to do tonight. Hope to see some of you there!

Hi! Just wanted to let you know that Buffalo Trace bourbon and Bar DeVille (701 N Damen Ave.) will be hosting a book signing with James Teitelbaum, the Chicago-based author of "Destination: Cocktails", on Sunday, December 9 from 7:00 to 9:00. Come on out for a relaxing Sunday evening drink, and pick up a perfect holiday gift: "Destination: Cocktails", signed by the author, for only $20. Everyone who purchases a book will also be entitled to enjoy a deeply discounted bourbon cocktail, courtesy of event sponsor Buffalo Trace bourbon! Thanks, and we hope to see you there. Host Note: Click here for the terms under which this is posted in the eGullet forums

Hi everyone. I'm in Istanbul through Monday, and was wondering if anyone knows of a place to get a top-tier cocktail in this town? Like a classic Manhattan, Negroni, etc. Or better yet, someplace that is doing interesting mixology with raki, the local spirit? Most of the hotel bars I checked out were serving the same indifferently mixed swill, and the party neighborhoods are all still selling Jaeger shots. I did contact Istanbul Eats; he was unable to help on this matter, although I was directed towards some great restaurants! [thanks!] cheers

Hi everyone Just wanted to let you all know that my new book, Destination: Cocktails, is being printed as we speak. It will make it's debut at Tales of the Cocktail later this month; I'll be signing copies from 1:00 to 2:00 pm on Sunday the 29th! More info at www.destinationcocktails.com cheers! Host Note: Click here for the terms under which this event is listed in the eGullet forums

For future travelers: I hit Apothecary, Alchemist, Constellation 1, Constellation 2, and El Cocktel in Shanghai, and Apothecary in Beijing (Kent joined me for some of them - thanks, that was fun!). All have their moments, but as Kent said above, the best of them are "70%" as good as the best places in the states, with El Cocktel and Apothecary being the best of the bunch. Constellation 2 has an astounding collection of Scotch, but their cocktails suck. El Cocktel is hyper trendy but good. The Apothecary locations in both towns have an exactly identical menu.

Thanks, Kent. My friend and I will be in Shanghai from May 26 to June 1. Definitely up for drinks at any or all of the places you mentioned.

Hi I definitely searched for and perused all previous Beijing / Shanghai topics, and they all deal more or less exclusively with food only. So I thought I'd start a thread here in the bevvies forum. (Thanks though, for all of the chow suggestions!). Looking for some craft or classic cocktail bars in Beijing and Shanghai. I don't care about atmosphere - the bar can be swanky, divey, trendy, or traditional, cheap or expensive, I just want a really well-poured, carefully mixed cocktail. Either modern craft-style or pre-prohibition classics, as long as they're made with great care and skill. American-style or Eastern spins on the concept both work. Thinking of places of the same caliber as: Velvet Tango Room (Cleveland) Violet Hour or Drawing Room (Chicago), Iris or Cure (New Orleans), Bourbon and Branch (SF), Tender Bar (Tokyo), Le Lion (Hamburg) or any number of places in NYC or London... (for starters). Suggestions? thanks!

Hi Companies like TikiFarm and Monktiki, while both run by friends of mine, typically sell higher-end mugs aimed at retail and collectors. Both will do custom mugs for restaurants or bars as well. But if you want bulk mugs to use for tiki drinks in a bar or restaurant, a company called Dynasty out of New York licensed about a dozen designs from the classic-era tiki mug kings, Orchids of Hawaii. Orchids did dozens and dozens of mug designs during the heyday of tiki. The Dynasty repros of the old Orchids designs will set you back about $2 each, wholesale. they also do the bowls, and other novelty mugs - parrots, buddhas, and the like. You can get bulk swizzles, paper parasols, etc from them too.

...meanwhile Killepitsch is more in the Jaegermesiter family (for easy reference). The owner of Beckets Kopf (a great bar in Berlin) was telling me that there are some 180 small towns in Bavaria (southern Germany) who each make their own unique herbal liqueur. To use a metaphor: from a manufacturing and distribution perspective, Jaeger is the mass-produced one, equivalent (in, say, beer terms) to PBR. Most of the others are the equivalent of small regional microbrews. Killepitsch falls somewhere in between, perhaps the equivalent of a nationally-distributed regional beer, like, I dunno, Flat Tire or something. I tried some of the smaller local ones when I was in Bavaria, but was only able to procure Killepitsch for the trip home. Some of the local ones were quite interesting. The Killepitsch is a damned bit better than Jaeger, but has a flavor profile in the same ballpark. Smoother, slightly more complex. Sweet on the tip of the tongue, but bitter in the throat. It is worth having brought home as a souvenir of my Bavarian adventures, but ultimately it is too close to Jaeger for my tastes: it reminds me more of 1991 college parties than of Beckets Kopf, Lebensstern, Stagger Lee, and Le Lion (all awesome German cocktail bars), that's for sure. Now, that Kummel I brought back is kind of fun (see pic a few posts above).... And if you can get your hands on it, grab a bottle of Dreiling aqua vitae (made near Hamburg) at *all costs*!

Finally got to opening the Unicum that I brought back from Munich. Whomever said that Unicum makes Fernet taste like coca-cola wasn't kidding. This stuff is *really* bitter. I wouldn't advise getting near this stuff unless you've already graduated through Campari and Cynar to Fernet Branca and are ready for the next step on this long bitter road. Otherwise, you're not going to be able to handle it. And I swear, the next closest thing in my own experience is freakin' Malort! (except the Uni tastes a whole lot better). Unicum: Malort for people not currently drinking on a dare.

Lots of great cocktail bars in Hamburg and Berlin. Munich, not so much. Try Pacific Times, I had some fun there, and also Tabacco is a must-visit. If you're into Tiki, the local Trader Vic's is one of the better ones, globally, and is half a block from Tabacco.

Never tried Killeptisch, so I can't say. Hmmm.... jusdt came back from Germany with a bottle each of Killepitsch, Unicum, and a locally-made Kummel. Just looked up this thread because I could have sworn there were some Unicum recipes in the Savoy book, but I can't find 'em. Anyway, stand by for a fresh Killepitsch vs Unicum posting!

The key is to keep it simple. Obviously, nothing that needs any sort of float, no egg, nothing topped with soda or seltzer. Nothing that will spoil. Something that you can dump into a cup of ice, swirl around, and have it be acceptable. I've done Negroni and Last Word from a flask, and didn't end up hating life or anything....

I've been enjoying a little number made of Domaine de Canton, rye, grapefruit and honey. Will post ratios when I can get at my recipe book.