Cocktails for Catfish

Scott Beattie's media onslaught continues! The Wall Street Journal's Eric Felten calls some of the drinks  in Beattie's book Artisanal Cocktails "cocktails for catfish" because there is so much food on the bottom of the glass. Ha! (Read the story here. )

Though Beattie's drinks do include tons and tons of herbs, spices, flowers and other pretty garnish, Felten doesn't mention that they actually do contribute significantly to the flavor of the drink. Beattie takes largely simple base ingredients like vodka and unaged rum and builds complex drinks using fresh herbs and spices rather than using complex spirits and simple garnish. In the same way an east coast bartender might reach for the bottles of creme de violette and rose flower water, Beattie would reach for the hedge clippers.