Alcademics

I just returned from New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, a cocktail convention attended by many of the world's top bartenders, drink writers, PR representatives, and superenthusiasts. I think this was my favorite year of the convention to date. I tweeted every cocktail I had over the week. Let's see how messy that looks added up! Tuesday July 20, starting at 5PM Vieux Carre and an Abita beer @ Monteleone Bar Another Abita beer at Carousel Bar at Monteleone makers mark on the rocks out of a plastic cup at acme oyster house Sazerac at Carousel Bar Vieux Carre... Read more →

A few months ago, founder Mike McAdams of Drinkwel reached out to me. This product is meant to be a vitamin for drinkers rather than just a hangover cure. I told them that I was unsure about one of the ingredients in the mixture, milk thistle, as I'd heard reports that rather than being good for the liver it may actually cause harm. This caused a conversation that I thought I'd share. McAdams replied: It's also funny you mention milk thistle because that was really our only ingredient that had an interaction paper on it. I've taken it on and... Read more →

No, I'm not 50 years old, but I visited my 50th distillery/blending house here in Scotland at the Isle of Jura distillery. I'm lucky to have seen so many places around the world and look forward to seeing many more. I'll post more information about the trip later, but here's the glamour (note European spelling) shot. Read more →

You may think all I do is futz around with ice all day, and you'd be mostly correct (for proof, see the index of all of the ice experiments on Alcademics here). I attempted to make another site banner today using a clear piece of ice stamped with ALCADEMICS, but I think I like the orange peel one (too big as it is) better. Click it to see it bigger if you're interested. Read more →

This past weekend I spent about 12 hours cutting ice and it was awesome! As part of a bartender catering gig with Rye on the Road I worked a wedding and rehearsal dinner in Monterey. With a trusty ice saw and my new ice pick from Cocktail Kingdom I went to town on those blocks of ice, chopping out fat cubes, attempting to carve spheres, and even making a heart to show the ice how much I love it. Despite how it looks in this picture I didn't have my hand replaced with an ice saw, but now I'm thinking... Read more →

What happens when a booze writer takes two weeks off from booze? Late nights, hangovers, and lots and lots of bitters. That wasn't supposed to happen. Read more →

People complain that you can't get a Budweiser at Rickhouse. But do they think they should be able to get a McDonald's hamburger at Chez Panisse? Read more →

This past fall I took the B.A.R., Beverage Alcohol Resource, five-day course in New York. The course has two levels- "Ready" and "Certified", with the only difference in the number of drinks one has to make within a certain time on the practical bartending exam. The course ran for about 12 hours each day for the first four days, with nearly a full day of testing on the last day. It was a real butt-kicker. People seemed to come away with different impressions of the course, but what stuck out most to me was what you need to know not... Read more →