The term moonshine came about many years ago from the illegal production of spirits that was distilled at night in secret locations (to avoid the authorities). Distilled by the light of the moon the term ‘moonshine’ was soon born into popular culture.
Features
Features
Did the Victorian social habits of botanically infused spirits and a penchant for the game of cricket ever mix?
Gin is famed for the 18th century craze that showcased London as a bit of a mad-pot town, filled with damned souls sodden on Old Tom from the bathtub. True as it might be the late Victorian era (1850s onwards) also had a bit of a penchant for gin,
Recently in Australia for Sydney BarShow Week, Jameson Distiller, Brian Nation took some time out…
Part two of my American Whiskey adventure took me across the border from Kentucky to Tennessee, home to Jack Daniel’s. Having Nashville as my home base allowed me to soak up some of the flavours of America’s country music capital and check out some of the the world’s most famous honky tonks along the 24/7 party strip that is Broadway Avenue.
Ah Tequila – one of the bartenders’ favourite poisons. You already know Margaritas, Tommy’s, El Diablos, Tequila y Sangritas and Palomas, but have you ever sampled the exotic wonders of Dale DeGroff’s Copa Verde (literally the ‘green cup’)?
The industry is led by government regulation, consumer demand and the Big Four drinks firms: Diageo, Pernod-Ricard, Bacardi and Fortune Brands/Jim Beam (soon to split). Innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial thinking are nigh-on impossible when you work for such a big firm, the more enlightened ones are even gracious enough to admit it.
I was in the middle of reviewing the recipes that have been sent to me during the year when I came across a cluster of drinks submitted by the good folk at Rickhouse in San Francisco.
This is a stretch, but the Sazerac – at least a mix of absinthe, bitters and Cognac – was possibly being consumed around Sydney in 1825.
For much of history Champagne had been known for its still wines; simple, fruity and produced for domestic markets (like Paris).
So this is Habana! – I’m sitting in a canary yellow 1953 Chevy cruising down the Malecon in Havana and the car’s radio is playing a mambo mixed with a lot of static. The weather is hot, and the breeze coming through the window has a salty taste that’s mixed exhaust fumes.
This trip to Middle America was something I always wanted to do over the past 12 years of publishing Bartender magazine but never had the balls to just book it and go myself.
Luxury. There are definitions, portfolios and fabled verse that tell us what luxury is, what it isn’t and where it should be found. But of all things luxury would the pleasure of a cocktail be high on the list?