TVC

I would start with individual bartenders who seem interested in expanding on their craft. I doesn't take much for someone to put out some dough and bring in some bottles of bitters and some more advanced tools (good muddler, jiggers, tin on tin shakers, a worthwhile bar spoon). I myself work part time at a dive bar in Brooklyn and I bring in my doctors bag, place bitters bottles and syrups I make at home onto the bar. I run across the street to the grocer before my shift and buy mint and a seedless cucumber and a half dozen organic eggs. Sure I always sell more PBR but week by week, people come in expressly for cocktails. I don't get too ambitious, just prepared for two or three interesting, fairly elaborate cocktails. I even freeze block ice in the freezer in the basement. The owner encourages me as his only investment is fresh lime and lemon. I charge the price that the house would charge for whatever spirits. An old fashioned? $7. Same as what the house would charge for a shot of the Wild Turkey 101. The bar doesn't loose and the extra tips usually make up for the original expense I put out. At this level, it's a labor of love anyway. In a market or establishment where M&H or Death & Co. level cocktails are unfamiliar, I'd say maybe a third of the people will become instantly curious at seeing one muddle a bitters soaked sugar cube or flame an orange twist. At that point, in that context, the bartender is doing something really special. The punters ask questions, you get a chance to talk about the the craft and many people start ordering outside the usual. Again, this is starting out small. A non-cocktail bar may not support this kind of thing on a busy Saturday night but hopefully there are more than a few individual bartenders reading Imbibe or Joy of Mixology and are getting excited that their job can be a bit more glamorous and specialized than opening up bottles and puring a five count of Stoli into syrupy tonic water. Hopefully, the establishment can see some excitement emerge from an individual bartender's initiative, maybe even get some attention from local bloggers/foodies from this and work to support a wider, more ambitious beverage program.

I've been exploring Google Books and found some real treasures. Cooling Cups & Dainty Drinks likewise sounds like a guide for ladies home entertaining. In actuality though, has a wealth of 19th century potables better suited to sailors and miners. The book also contains many bitters recipes (Stoughton, Wine & Spiritous).

I haven't sampled their normal menu but Back 40 is hosting a crab boil until the end of August. It's only on Wednesdays and I went their with a party of seven and we all found it to be excellent. $35 a person, including sides. The blue claws were meaty and the service was spot on. It was the closest I've come to in NYC for a Maryland/Jersey Shore style crab boil. There were four heaping servings and we figured we each got around a dozen crabs in total.

I quite enjoyed "The Preakness" 1.5 Pikesville Rye .75 M&R sweet vermouth .25 Benedictine 1 dash angostura Stir, strain, lemon twist

I recall that in "How To Cook Everything" he instructed the reader to shake Manhattans and Martinis.

From Harry Johnson's Bartender's Manual 1872... TO KEEP ANTS AND OTHER INSECTS OUT OF MIXING BOTTLES Some bartenders find it difficult to keep insects out of the mixing bottles, although it is an easy matter if they take a small china or glass dish, pour some water into it, and place the bottle containing the syrup, cordial, etc., in the centre of it, which thus prevents the insect from getting to the bottle. When the bottles are left standing over night, or even during the day-time, for some hours, without using, put a little wooden plug into the mouth of the squirt or take the squirt stopper out and replace it by an ordinary cork until you use the bottles again. Of course, it is understood that placing the bottle in a little dish of water is only necessary at night, on Sundays and on holidays, or, whenever the place is closed to business. In the day-time, as the bottles are in constant use, they do not require such attention, and keeping them in water would not only be a nuisance, by the dripping upon floor and counter, but also create too much moisture. It is wise not to purchase too much of the mixtures as gum, etc., because they can always be obtained on very short notice, and a large quantity on hand is likely to be injured by insects and from other causes long before use.

When a "standard" bar appears to show an effort by having good bourbon, rye and bitters but other ingredients are generic well brands - a few things may be happening. First, individual bartenders are often the ones asking the house for non-standard ingredients like maraschino but may not know to specify Luxardo (if that is what they were hoping for). Then the beverage director or manager orders from the catalog the cheapest and easiest liqueur to get, which in this case would be Stock. Second, the bar itself may have the good intention of expanding it's inventory but doesn't have the vast, sommelier like knowledge of spirits and their availability. It may not be about saving money by deliberately choosing less expensive brands. It's a lot of running around, researching and favor asking to source things like Carpano (I imagine). Most bars call up their rep or fax and place their orders. A lot of the stuff you see at serious cocktail bars, I bet, did not arrive in boxes on a hand truck with an invoice attached.

I recently came across the same remark in Pacult's 'Kindred Spirits' and was immediately crestfallen. How could anyone hope to build even a basic spirits collection for their home bar if the quality starts to turn for the worse within a few months of the first pour? The Rittenhouse BIB I've been so sparing with these past four months is now a faint memory of it's former unopened self? My Bruichladdich 15? The Amer Picon my friend muled in for me? Damn. So, I went about asking spirits enthusiasts and bartenders and the vast majority said they never experienced a detectable loss of flavor or aroma in that short amount of time. Of course, after a long period of time (years), I assumed opened base spirits would begin to gradually dull due to oxidation, depending on how full the bottle is when it sits. Keep in mind, Paul Pacult spends at least 30 minutes tasting and analyzing in a single tasting, so he has a highly nuanced and sensitive palate. Maybe he can detect the slightest of changes. I'm curious about others' experience with this as well.

Is there a source or contact info available to purchase "Cocktail Boothby's American Bartender"?

I'm sure Apothecary will help advance Philly's cocktail scene. A "rising tide lifts all boats" philosophy, has been key in elevating the NYC cocktail culture. The Tippling Bros. have provided an impressive menu - egg whites, hard to find liqueurs and bitters, Kold Draft, etc. The staff at Apothecary seem very committed and passionate about their craft. The service was not only excellent but enthusiastic. I can't wait to go back once the rooftop and second floor are open. Perhaps I can make it at off peak hours, so I can sit at the bar. With that said, it's essential that the staff have a chance to share that enthusiasm with their patrons. Crowd control and even music are important for that or people are essentially going to have the same experience as any other lounge or busy bar. The interaction with the bartender, seeing first hand the skill and technique required to build a great drink, hearing the piston like shake with heavy ice in a tin on tin mixer, will make a convert of even the most skeptical of beer drinkers. Not everyone can sit at the bar but somehow that narrative, those focal points need to be better communicated.

My experience was very mixed as well. There were five of us on a Saturday night. The bar area was filled but we immediately found a table near the front. We each got something different from the menu. I agree, there seems to be a lot going on. I had the Meditation on 13th St. (Makers, walnut liqueur, allspice liqueur, three kinds of bitters, cava cava, rosemary, egg white), which was interesting to read about but real confusing on the palate. My wife had the Clever Club which was extremely tart. Others had the Corpse Reviver and the Tippling Bros. Magical Pain Elixir and they enjoyed them. Service was attentive and for how busy it was, very prompt. For my second round, I ordered a Sazerac which was not only spot on but brought to me by the bartender himself. He said he wanted to come over to our table as we were ordering interesting off menu cocktails (Pink Lady, Last Word). It's always good to geek out with fellow cocktail aficionados and this made me feel there may be some labor of love behind the place after all. I say that because the lay out, protocol and decor of the place seem to in no way be suited to a cocktail bar. The music was loud and very inappropriate I thought. The place seems vast, cold, industrial, too modern. The focal point is not the bar.The tabletops and seating reminded me of the food court at the Cherry Hill mall. Nothing about the narrative says "relax, this will be a place where you can be a grown up and enjoy a drink". They pack people in, standing room. The place was overall just hectic. Our party couldn't really talk to one another because of the volume and acoustics of the place and people bumping into us. I think I'd rather go to McGlinchey's at that point because if it's every man for himself at the bar and there are rowdy college kids to contend with - I think a cheap Yuengling would be more suitable. Sure it was a Saturday but elaborate, crafted cocktails just don't work for me in that environment. I think it will turn people off of cocktails. Our bill was $112. We were there for about 90 minutes. We didn't try the food, just drinks. I think for now on, when we're in Philly and want cocktails, we'll just get a table at Southwark and then swing by and see Katie.

I'm heading down to Philly this weekend and am looking forward to checking this place out. The cocktail program was done by Paul Tanguay and Tad Carducci, so the drinks are probably fantastic. Second floor, rooftop garden? How many seats are at this place? It's very challenging to maintain consistency and service at that kind of volume. I hope this convinces Southwark to get a Kold Draft machine, because I love sitting at the bar there and talking to those guys. I'd rather have a proper rye drink than echinacea in my cocktail anyday.

Crema de mezcal seems to simply be mezcal sweetened with agave, yes. I don't know anything about it either, I just grabbed it recently under the simple impulse of not having ever seen it before. My experiments with gum syrup have been mixed but I think it probably has to do with my source for gum arabic, at a little spice store in NYC, not being very consistent. It didn't say food grade but I tried it anyway and the viscosity was great. After another purchase, it seemed to give off a noticeable cardboard smell.

So "West Coast" in a good way. Eje, that is a beautiful looking drink. By comparison, I drank an insultingly ungarnished cocktail called the "Prescription" tonight and will barely sleep tonight through the commercial truck, air break-racket of the BQE (101/I-280 sounds like gentle summer rain in comparison). I wonder if I can switch out the mesquite syrup with crema de mezcal? One way to find out...

Slkinsey is correct to point out that water dilution is needed if this here contraption is just pouring straight, chilled spirits. That may then require some kind of water line hook-up if not then, an additional bottle or tank or what have you. Also, I agree that bottled, premix cocktails are perhaps a more efficient, cost effective solution to busy bars with a limited cocktail menu. You can line up bottles of a margarita mix, Long Island Ice Tea mix, etc in the speed rack rather than taking the extra steps to walk back and forth to the machine. In the States, I can kind of see such a thing working at a college bar where novelty can go a long way. The cocktail machine would find company alongside the Jager shot dispenser, margarita slushie, various poker arcade games etc. Those things are popular among that demographic. Here's an idea. If the cocktail machine could be stationed or wheeled to a table or area for service. Groups or parties could then insert a credit card and choose five or six cocktails of their choosing. They wouldn't have to wait at the bar or wait on a server. Sort of like a cocktail version of ordering pitchers of beer.

More on Jamaican ginger extract... QUOTE(What is Jake?Jake is actually Jamacian ginger extract @ marketed and sold as a medicinal tonic for any number of ills. It was available in the United States since about the time of the Civil War, and Americans quickly realized that the nearly 70% alcohol content made "the jake" a way to skirt local or federal laws banning the consumption of liquor. Compared to whiskey, jake was often cheaper, and often had a higher alcohol content. Many drug stores sold Coca-Cola or coffee, which people would then use as mixers for the jake, often using a side room in the store to concoct their drink. Jake sold between 1920 and 1930 caused no health problems. In the spring of 1930, however, the manufacturers of jake decided to add a new ingredient, an industrial chemical called tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate. The new ingredient was added to help adulter, or water down, the jake. It was tasteless, soluble with alcohol, and cheap. It also turned out to be highly toxic, particularly to the spinal cord. ) Jake Walk link ←

Uh, as I said above, it's also currently available at Crossroads. Christopher ← Sorry, missed that. It's obviously become, at least for the time being, available in NYC in the past month.

I was told that Anchor are still unsure of what the long term plans are for the Genevieve but LeNell's and Astor seem to be the only places that have it in stock. Alex at Death & Co. made some fantastic drinks with it. One was in a julep cup and seemed to be a variant of a South Side.

My favorite part of the article is the caption under the photo...

I keep a sturdy tablet that every six months or so I recopy into a new tablet with updated adjustments and notes. Time consuming, but it's good to have everything together in a portable, handy reference of your own fashion. I keep the recipes categorized by spirits. In the end, it's just practice and after a while you remember many of them as variations of their respective categories. A daiquiri is just a rum sour and a tom collins is a sort of gin sour with soda, etc. Joy of Mixology has a handy chart that breaks down cocktails into families.

Bartenders who are working in establishments that actually crack ice are also presumably conscientious about their craft. I can't imagine anyone in those environments being less than thoughtful about sanitation. Also, it's reassuring that those hands spend much time in sani water and soap and clean towels as they go about their job. Not to mention, at least in NYC, we go through the Food Protection course.

Ice stones? Someone sent me this link today. Soapstones that retain cold. Freeze and use as ice. I can't think of any use for such a thing, as people on this forum know the importance of actual ice. Anyway, maybe someone will find it interesting. Their website is highly complicated. https://teroforma.com/

Yes, of course. I should have noticed, as I know the difference. Still, an interesting breakdown.

May be headed out to SF in April. Can't wait to try Alembic.

Should have elaborated. Basically incorporating flavors into the cocktail (outside the base spirits) in subtler ways other than muddling or juicing or adding to syrups. Then presenting them in the traditional straight-up cocktail form. The emphasis is always on the spirit rather than the flavor of some outside herb, fruit etc. I mean such things as "fat washing" and infusions like walnut infused cognac or rose infused Herradura. Also house made bitters are becoming common. Also, a robust enthusiasm for obscure, extinct, domestically unavailable liqueurs, amaros, spirits etc. I think NYC bartenders get more exciting and inspired about Pimento Dram or an off the market gin than they would over the first rhubarb of the season.