Vintage Cocktails

[hollywood]

Cool article. http://www.laweekly.com/ink/printme.php?eid=47131

[trillium]

What a slick idea. It would be cool if people started getting educated about proper cocktails and realized there is more to life than cosmos and chocolate "martinis". Some nights I would dearly love to be able to order a cocktail when I'm out and about that isn't the product of lazy shaking, cheap vermouths and bad vodka (I once ordered a Negroni and they made it with some schmancy fancy vodka...that should be illegal). I would have liked to see mention of some of the earlier crusaders of the "cocktail revolution", though.

regards,

trillium

[hollywood]

A vodka Negroni?! Wow! No respect.

[beans]

Frustrating to order a cocktail and get something far from what was desired. Chances are your bartender didn't know what it was and guessed. Grrrrrrr. Owning up to not knowing what it is a tough thing to do. Bartenders really hate appearing like they don't know what they are mixing up.... However in all honesty, I have yet to have a guest request a Negroni despite my long stretches of tending bar in fine dining.

Gently coach your barkeep! Ask them if they know how to mix up the yummy classic cocktail of your choosing!

If they answer yes, then get brand specific with your preferences!

If they answer no, well then tell them! They will forever be happy to learn a "new" delicious cocktail to add to their repertoire!

Thanks Hollywood for sharing the article! I enjoyed reading it.

[hollywood]

Thanks, beans. I guess one of the things the article says to me is that I've gotten casual about alcohol. It's an assumed component of a dining experience. But when it's assumed I get less particular about it. There was, I guess, a time when it was like a sacrament sort of like dope was in the 60s-70s. Then everybody took it for granted. Can we get back?

[DrinkBoy]

Great article, this guy is definately a kindred spirit.

Be sure to check out his website at: www.VintageCocktails.com. It's a beautiful site with some great information.

-Robert Hess

www.DrinkBoy.com

[JAZ]

I would have liked to see mention of some of the earlier crusaders of the "cocktail revolution", though.

Yes. That "vodka as white paint" line is straight out of Paul Harrington's book, as is the Jasmine, which, as I recall, is a Harrington original.

(Jasmine)

That aside, it's certainly refreshing to see interest revived in the classics.

Frustrating to order a cocktail and get something far from what was desired. Chances are your bartender didn't know what it was and guessed. Grrrrrrr. Owning up to not knowing what it is a tough thing to do. Bartenders really hate appearing like they don't know what they are mixing up.... However in all honesty, I have yet to have a guest request a Negroni despite my long stretches of tending bar in fine dining.

Gently coach your barkeep! Ask them if they know how to mix up the yummy classic cocktail of your choosing! 

If they answer yes, then get brand specific with your preferences!

If they answer no, well then tell them! They will forever be happy to learn a "new" delicious cocktail to add to their repertoire!

I've done that, and the bartenders have generally been good about it.

But still, there's something really great about finding a bar where the bartenders already know how to make the classics and make them well. (Not to mention the fact that patrons don't always know the exact recipes of the drinks they like.) Those bars (and bartenders) are true treasures, few and far between though they may be.

Edited September 19, 2003 by JAZ (log)

[beans]

I suppose that is why Lab in London is so notable. They are well disciplined in the classics and have a myriad of the new too. Their cocktail menus are numerous and from what I've seen, and are the absolute best at what they do -- consistetly mix up some of the most refreshing and tasty cocktails. American bartenders are so far behind the Europeans as far as quality preparation and innovation by creating modern twists upon a lovely classic.

Perhaps a difference in cultural views of the position of bartender?

[trillium]

Frustrating to order a cocktail and get something far from what was desired.  Chances are your bartender didn't know what it was and guessed.  Grrrrrrr.  Owning up to not knowing what it is a tough thing to do.  Bartenders really hate appearing like they don't know what they are mixing up....  However in all honesty, I have yet to have a guest request a Negroni despite my long stretches of tending bar in fine dining.

Yes, that's good advice. What pissed me off is that the board up by the bar was advertising a Negroni as one of their featured cocktails. I made an assumption that since they were advertising it, they actually knew what they were doing!

I've had great cocktails in unlikely places but I've also had so many bad ones it makes me feel very brave when I do try to order one. In my experience, a bar bar is easier to negociate a proper drink in (if they have fresh citrus) than a restaurant bar. Last week in a suburb outside of Chicago that I don't even know the name of, I was taken to a French bistro for dinner. I had negociated buying a drink for my friends who were insisting on paying for dinner. I stood there at the bar and couldn't for the life of me see any Lillet. I had high hopes when we were greeted at the door by the owner, who was actually French. My friends are going to Paris later in the year and I wanted to introduce them to the idea of a nice aperatif before dinner. This story has a happy ending. They kept the bottles of Lillet on ice, and the owners son was delighted an American was ordering Lillet Rouge. I was even more delighted when he pulled out a lemon, cut off the twists and actually twisted them over our drinks. It made me wish I actually lived nearby so that I could see what they could do with an actual cocktail!

regards,

trillium

[beans]

What pissed me off is that the board up by the bar was advertising a Negroni as one of their featured cocktails.  I made an assumption that since they were advertising it, they actually knew what they were doing! 

Grrrrrrr.

Bad, bad, BAD!!!!

[Ol' Dirty Chinaman]

MMmmm, Gimlet's are so damned good. It looks great too, especially when the glass is really chilled and frosted.