Alcademics.com

Hello from France!

As you read this, I should be arriving in Cognac, France with Grey Goose vodka.

I'm here to learn about the product (as well as Bacardi's new D'USSE cognac) and to help judge a cocktail contest: The Grey Goose Ten.

Bartenders from ten countries are competing. They are:

• France - Joseph Biolatto (Bar Le Forum, Paris)
• Brazil - Marcelo Serrano (Brasserie des Arts, Sao Paulo)
• Canada - Jay Jones (Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver)
• China - Yao Lu (The Alchemist, Shanghai)
• India - Nitin Tewari (Bar Consultant, New Delhi)
• Israel - Moshe Budnik (Social Club, Tel Aviv)
• Mexico - Felipe Guajardo Silva (Bar Consultant, Mexico City)
• Puerto Rico - Diego Diaz (Bar Consultant, San Juan)
• UK - Richard Woods (SushiSamba, London)
• US - Emilio Tiburcio (The Light Group, Las Vegas)

I don't think I've met any of these folks before so I'm excited to see what they come up with. 

I'll do my best to update Alcademics.com frequently while I'm there, and as usual you can follow my adventures in real-time at:

- The Alcademics Facebook Page

- The Alcademics twitter account @Alcademics 

Coming to Austin: Whiskies of the World on November 2

Whiskies of the World comes to Austin November 2. 

Progressive and vibrant, Austin is known for having more festivals, shows, and other types of gaiety per capita than any other city in US. But until recently, it was missing something…

Good news for all of us whisky lovers and artisanal spirits appreciators-Whiskies of the World, the oldest and most original whisky tasting event of San Francisco, is bringing its whisky vigor to Austin. Those who experienced a grand whisky tasting know what they’ll be entitled to: sampling of literary flood of whiskies, from your conventional whisky fix to the new and exciting whisky releases, often hard-to find or first-on the market. The whisky rivers will originate from everywhere: as close as Texas to as far as Australia and India. As always, you’ll be able to sample your way through them to choose the new picks for your liquor cabinet…and to approvingly nod to the old favorites already in there. Not the least factor to the success of your whisky casting is meeting with the global whisky ambassadors, master distillers, et all, and learning about the different production, aging, and maturation processes that make each whisky, its flavors and aromas, unique. After such an extensive outside guidance, plus the inside one, conducted by your own palate, the choice of a perfect whisky(s) becomes not so painstaking!

The event promises sumptuous food to keep you satiated between your tasting sessions (and specially created to pair with whisky). Whisky Masterclasses, a way to get real close with the whisky creators, and their creations, will be held all evening long, warm and inviting. Cigar and Whisky pairing and seminar, whisky specialty booths, bumping into the renowned whisky guests from Scotland and other whisky domains. Austin, have you ever done that?

Whiskies of the World Expo & Artisanal Spirits Fest in Austin
Friday, November 2, 2012
Hyatt Regency, 208 Barton Springs Rd.
7:00pm – 10:00pm (VIP hour 6:00pm)

Tickets (Purchase here)
General admission tickets: $120.00
VIP tickets: $150.00

This post was sponsored by Whiskies of the World.

Cocktail Menu: New Drinks at The Alembic in San Francisco

Daniel Hyatt of The Alembic bar in San Francisco has updated most of the drinks on the "New School" portion of the cocktail menu. The menu goes live next week.

I see: cucumber ice, bourbon infused with toasted rice, pistachio cream, onion juice, walmeister syrup. Looking forward to trying these!

New School

The Vow of Silence
a rubenesque version of the derby
cocktail, we use wild turkey rye whiskey,
benedictine, creme de griotte, and a dash
of bitters. responsible for breaking more
than one vow.

Kool Thing
just in time for our indian summer, we
present this brisk little elixir. appleton
estate rum, housemade lime cordial and
soda served over cucumber infused ice
with a little cherry on top. remember to set
an alarm because we aren’t living on island
time here.

Brown Sugar
how come you taste so good? oh yeah,
that’s because we infuse larceny bourbon
with toasted brown rice and mix it up with
fresh mint, peach brandy and a touch of
chai spices. it’s the devil’s julep.

Last Caress
yeah, i got something to say, but that can
wait. first, try a little housemade limoncello
with sweet vermouth and a touch of
blue bottle coffee tincture topped with a
bit of pistachio infused cream. Then we’ll
talk.

Rise Above
when it’s time to pump your fists, we humbly
suggest you’re holding one of these.
tapatio tequila with lillet rose, fresh
lemon juice and some rose hip syrup. pink
rock at its finest.

Southern Exposure
another refreshing elixir plucked straight
from the garden, our spin on the classic
southside uses junipero gin, fresh mint,
lime juice, a touch of sugar and a little
shot of fresh celery juice. loaded with
antioxidants to help deal with the haight’s
population of free "radicals".

Shine on your Crazy Diamon
anytime of daycould be the right time for
the old morning classic bloody mary. so go
get one someplace else, we have a better
idea. on a solid base of london dry gin,
we’re slapping down a mix of red bell
pepper, anaheim chile and onion juices with
a little dash of crystal hot sauce and a
cinnamon toast crouton. ask nicely and we
might drop a raw quail egg on there for
you ($1 extra, nothing is free)

Green Fuzz
we just had to take the opportunity to kick
the old shandy in the backside. our sister
pub and brewery crafts a great german
style golden ale, but we like to drink it
with a bit of apple brandy and housemade
waldmeister syrup. jump to your feet and
let us get you high.

 

A Shandy from Maine

Over at FineCooking.com, I posted a recipe for a rather simple Shandy variation using ingredients from Maine. 

 

• 
• 

 

 

It comes from a new book Drinking in Maine, which features cocktails with ingredients from Maine. 

The recipe is here.

New SF Venues on WorldsBestBars.com

Hey, it looks like I'm writing for WorldsBestBars.com now. 

For my first installment, I wrote up three newish bars:

• Local Edition
• Tradition
• The newly-reopened Burritt Room. 

So if you haven't been to one of those yet, you might want to check it out over at WorldsBestBars.com.

 

Photo of Local Edition courtesy of Local Edition

 

Cocktail Menu: Bravo Pizzeria Grill in Niagara Falls, Canada

I really respect the cocktail bar pioneers, those bartenders who set up a quality beverage programs in the middle of the cocktail tundra. In them, every customer transaction ends up being an educational session, as there is always a learning curve with people new to proper cocktails where there were none before. These bars can have a great impact though, and turn a small community into a thriving cocktail city. 

It seems there is such a pioneer in Niagara Falls, Canada. Nick Nemeth, a veteran of Tales of the Cocktail and Art of the Cocktail, has put together a drink program at Bravo Pizzeria Grill, a restaurant that doesn't exactly scream "gourmet cocktail experience" from the looks of its website.

Best of luck, Nick, and for the rest of us, we now know where to drink when getting hitched up in Niagara Falls. 

The list is below the jump.

Agave Spirits from India

Thanks to reader Urvi S. for writing to tell me that they're making agave spirits in India. 

She writes:

Far, far away from Mexico, an Indian entrepreneur has brought agave to his country, growing it in the Indian Deccan plateau, and has recently launched his brand DesmondJi that creates and markets 51% and 100% agave spirits.

The story behind this brand is fascinating and may appeal to you. Desmond Nazareth, the founder, freshly returned from the States could not find the right ingredients to make his favorite cocktail- Margarita, and decided to create his own brand that would help quench his thirst. In the process, he created DesmondJi, which makes Margarita and Blue Margarita blends, Orange Liqueur and Blue Curucao, as well as 51% and 100% agave. The brand has been launched recently and is not yet available nation-wide, let alone internationally. 

 

More information is on the website. 

I love that they call the mixto 51% agave product "51% Agave."  

I knew that they were growing agave in South Africa but not in India. I'd love to taste this stuff sometime. 

 

Honey and Hot Sauce

Tim Philips of Australia created this simple and delcious drink for the Diageo Happy Hour at Tales of the Cocktail this year. 

It is tequila, manuka honey syrup, lime juice, and a few dashes of Tabasco. The key is getting the delcious, earthy manuka honey. 

The recipe is on FineCooking.com here.