I need a collection of pithy comments that I can use to kick off the weekly links round-up. Please send in your suggestions.
- In The Daily, Wayne Curtis investigates the drinking habits of our Founding Fathers. Those guys loved their booze.
- In the New York Times, Andy Isaacson visits Peru in search of pisco. I think the popularity of this South American brandy will just keep growing.
- Also in the Times, Rosie Schaap muses on the subversive charm of drinking in the daytime. I find drinking during the afternoon more pleasant than in the evening, because I'm not so tired. The important thing is that you don't drink in the afternoon and the evening.
- One more from the Times: Robert Simonson writes about the newest trend in bottle service: D.I.Y.
- Bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler mixes up a Brandy Old Fashioned and talks about the importance of taking care of your customers.
- In the San Francisco Chronicle, Camper English investigates the cocktail renaissance happening in SF's East Bay.
- In the Wall Street Journal, Luke O'Neil discusses ginger cocktails, along with several recipes.
- In CLASS Magazine, Simon Difford tastes 5 brands of Creme de Violette. (Who even knew there were 5 brands of Creme de Violette?) His favorite is the Benoit Liqueur de la Violette. (And no, it's not available in the U.S.)
- In Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Kara Newman investigates the new generation of gins, including Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin and Bols Barrel Aged Genever.
- In The Village Voice, Robert Sietsema presents his 5 favorite margaritas in New York City. The Frozen Pomegranate Margarita at Rosa Mexicano looks delicious.
- In The Atlantic, Rebecca Greenfield reports on what cocktails best represent the various social media sites. (Kind of a goofy idea, but the recipes sound pretty good.)
- In the Charlotte Observer, Kathleen Purvis talks sloe gin, an excellent liqueur that is hard to find in a drinkable form. (But Plymouth's version is tops.) Includes a recipe for the Sloe Gin Fizz.
- In the North Jersey Record, Susan Leigh Sherrill discusses different types of aperitifs.
- Bartender Chaim Dauermann always had a problem with Frangelico: what do you do with it? But he thinks he came up with a solution.
- With Beam Global's recent purchase of Cooley distillery (the maker of many different Irish whiskeys), a lot of the private label whiskey bottlers will likely find themselves on the outs.
- As a result of Cooly's move, the Irish Times reports, Slane Castle Irish Whiskey is considering opening their own distillery.
- Getting a hefty tax refund this year? If so, Liquor.com shows you how to blow it all on booze.
- Another contribution from Liquor.com: Dushan Zaric shows you how to make a Brandy Alexander, a delicious, chocolatey after-dinner drink.
- Blackboard Magazine writes about famed bartender Dale DeGroff's one-man show, which mixes booze, stories about booze, and anecdotes from DeGroff's life. I bet this is a lot of fun.
- Bartender Jim Meehan visited Denver recently to talk about The PDT Cocktail Book and Banks Rum (an excellent white rum).
- In Florida this week, the Rum Renaissance is celebrating all things cane spirit. Wish I were there!
That's it for now. If you have any suggestions for next week's round-up, please let me know.
The article about bottle service mentions the returning popularity of tableside bar carts. I saw this at Morel's in Las Vegas; at breakfast, they had a tableside bloody mary cart they would wheel to your table. We didn't try it, but the table next to us had it and it looked fun and very appealing.
Posted by: Deborah Graff | 04/21/2012 at 09:59 AM