Absinthe: perhaps no other spirit has held quite the attraction for writers that this green spirit has had. It is the spirit of writers, artists and vagabonds; perhaps this is why it is seldom called for in a bar. Taken with iced water or over lots of crushed ice, however, there’s something very refreshing about absinthe. It’s a little old-fashioned. It’s not a taste that someone new to drinking is going to like. Hell, drunk in this manner, you need to be a grown-up to like it.
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Poor old blended whisky. In this brave new world of boozing, where ballsy ryes proclaim their 95% rye mash bill, of high proof spirits and super-hopped IPA’s, spirits like blended whisky can get a little lost in the noise. It’s not that the spirits aren’t well made — on the contrary, really, because the art of blending and creating a consistent product year in and year out is one of the toughest gigs in the business.
Mixxit Chronicles have returned — and their training session on Scotch and Irish whiskies have been a hit with bartenders in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. We popped by the session held last week at Sydney’s The Wild Rover and spent the better part (in more ways than one) of the afternoon sipping whisk(e)y and hearing the profanities pile up in an entertaining fashion.
Tequila is an “Appellation of Origin” as are both Cognac and Champagne. This did not just happen, an organization known as the CNIT worked hard to achieve this. The CNIT (Camara Nacional de la Industria Tequilera) or National Chamber of the Industry of Tequila, is an organisation based in Guadalajara composed of industry members who are distillers and producers of the plant and spirit of tequila.
Over the past two months you will have noticed Australian Bartender has started doing ‘Blind Tastings’ of products and wait for it… actually reviewing and rating brands! In April we looked at Australian craft beers and this issue we step it up and review both absinthe and rye spirits.
Simon Ford has worked at the big spirit companies, is known for bringing Plymouth gin to bartenders worldwide, and worked for a long time as an ambassador for Pernod Ricard. He’s traded all that in now for his own spirits company, The 86 Company, and his very own eponymous gin, Ford’s Gin. Bartender sought to find out more about where the market’s been and where it’s going.
Hipster bartenders, gather round, cos this is a drinks book that is right up your alley. Get set to take over your local community garden or herb pot (as it is in Surry Hills) because this tome will take you on a journey through all the plants that are responsible for the booze in your sacred bottles. Think sake from rice, Scotch from, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn.
In exciting news for tequila fans, Pernod Ricard is bringing their Olmeca Altos brand to Australian shores. Available from July 1, the high quality tequilas were created by Jesús Hernandez with two of the world’s best bartenders — André Masso and the late Henry Besant.
Definitely a book for the gin buff, rather than just a pleasure read and let’s face it, Gin has a juicy past, with lots of little gems to help spice up your bar banter. Gin has been a drink of kings infused with crushed pearls and a drink of the poor flavored with turpentine and sulfuric acid.
In those dark times, before the Old Fashioneds and Sazeracs and Fizzes, there was Punch. It’s the idea of the pub — an occasion in which people gather at a place in a shared (drinking) experience — where they gathered around the flowing bowl. Punch is for sharing en masse.
Over the last couple of months Island2Island have taken Stoli to mix, muddle and mash its way across the country, wrapping up a successful tour yesterday in Sydney at the Village, Potts Point. The tour involved masterclasses that saw select groups of bartenders in all the major cities discover the rich history behind Stoli and where it sits in the vodka category, all the while catching up with other bartenders — and causing a ruckus or two along the way.
Bartenders and industry folk alike gathered yesterday at Brasserie Ananas in the Rocks, Sydney to celebrate the launch of new French liqueur, Pavan.
Club Suntory put on an event that evoked a sun-drenched south-of-France glamour and included a variety of cocktails, with matching canapes provided by the Ananas kitchen.