Alcademics.com

Come to my Sugar Seminar at Tales of the Cocktail!

On Thursday, July 26th from 3:00 - 4:30 PM I'll be giving a talk at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. Please come!

Sugar: How Sweet It Is!

In this seminar we’ll study sugar from the stalk to the still and beyond. We’ll take a look at the pre-history of sugar cane, its spread around the world, primitive and modern sugar cane harvesting and sugar processing, and the various forms sugar takes around the world, from treacle to turbinado. Then we’ll study sugar in distillation as sugar cane juice and as molasses and take a peek at the changing global sugar/molasses market that provides the base for rum. Finally we’ll look at sugar and syrup’s use in cocktails, including practical information about viscosity, saturation, inversion, clarification, and more.

I'm leading the talk with David Cid, Bacardi Brand Master. 

We're currently working on our cocktails for the seminar, but it looks like we'll be serving up creations including smoked cotton candy!

More information is here.

 

Come Hear Me Speak at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic May 14th!

I am giving three talks at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic in New York on May 14th. I hope if you're in town you'll come hear them.

First sign up for the Industry Invitational (all bar industry and media are welcome). These seminars require an rsvp and you can do that on the schedule page. It's all free. 

Filtration In Spirits

Monday May 14, 2012 11:30am - 12:30pm @ Beverage Media Room: Studio 3 - Second Floor (485 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018 USA)

 

We don’t often speak about filtration in spirits, yet it is the defining factor in Tennessee whisky, makes vodka vodka, turns aged rum clear, and has allowed for the creation of a new category of tequila. In this seminar we'll talk about various forms of filtration used in spirits: charcoal/paper/screens/membranes and other filters, chill-filtration, and more. We’ll also discuss the purpose of filtration: to remove particulates, color, cloudiness, or flavor. We'll demonstrate some tabletop science experiments, find out if you can improve vodka with a Britta filter, and learn what spirits taste like before and after filtration.

 

The Ice Capades: Exotic Ice Beyond Big Cubes 

Monday May 14, 2012 2:30pm - 3:30pm @ Beverage Media Room: Studio 3 - Second Floor (485 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018 USA)

"Ice Capades" looks at new frontiers in cocktail ice. The hour will consist of a brief overview of the history of cocktail ice, from its first appearance to the invention of the ice machine in 1850 to the development of fast-freezing technology and ice delivery- and what this has meant for cocktail development. Then the presentation will turn to exotic ices that have appeared of late. These will include a) flavored ice (coconut water, bitters, fruit, etc) that allow the cocktail to deepen and morph as it’s sipped; b) shaped ice and ice vessels like the hollow, liquor-filled spheres that have been brought to wider attention by Aviary in Chicago.; and c) other exotic ice including smoked ice created by Evan Zimmerman in Portland, Oregon, machine-carved ice spheres, 10,000 year-old glacial ice imported from Greenland filled with microscopic bubbles of ancient air that snap like Rice Krispies as it melts, and a few cool uses for dry ice.

This seminar will be lead by Wayne Curtis and I. 

Tequila is the New Vodka, Tequila is the New Scotch

Monday May 14, 2012 5:30pm - 6:30pm @ Beverage Media Room: Studio 3 - Second Floor (485 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018 USA)

Tequila is one of the fastest-growing spirits categories in America, with nearly two hundred new brands hitting store shelves each year. But is tequila becoming the new vodka: over-saturated with expensive designer bottles, celebrity sponsorships, and flavorless imitation brands that are all made at the same few distilleries? Or is the 100-percent agave category more like scotch whisky, showcasing innovation in ingredient sourcing and processing, barrel finishing, and distillation technology while working within the rigid framework of government regulations? In this lively and likely controversial talk by journalist Camper English we’ll discuss the rapidly-changing tequila category and all the hope and hype that comes with growth.

I hope to see you there! 

Whiskies of the World in SF

Whiskies of the World in San Francisco is on March 31, and tickets will probably sell out soon. There are more than 200 whiskies available for sampling. A few I'm looking forward to tasting are: 

• Amrut (India)
• Corsair Artisan Triple Smoke Whiskey
• Sullivans Cove Single Malt 46% (Australian)
• Bruichladdich The Laddie Ten
• Glen Scotia
• Bruichladdich Octomore 4

There are also a bunch of events in advance of the big tasting. See below.

Modern Day Pond and Lake Ice Harvests in America

I got it into my head that I want to see a pond or lake ice harvest, despite my contempt for winter. 

Commercial ice harvests changed the cocktail landscape in America in the early-mid 1800s, allowing for the creation of juleps and cobblers and the popularization of the drinking straw and the cocktail shaker. 

Today there is still ice harvesting on many American lakes and ponds. As far as I can tell it's more historic reenactment more than practical, with most of the places that have an ice harvest limited to a single day of the year. 

Most places bring out the old tools - the long saws and the hooks - and allow people to cut up pre-scored sections of ice. Then they float it to the collection point on the lake, grab it with a hook, and slide it on a series of ramps (or sometimes pull it with a horse or tractor) into an ice house, where the blocks of ice are stacked with layers of sawdust in between.

I was looking for one that I might visit and came up with several places, so I thought I'd share them with you in case you live nearby. 

Modern Ice Harvests

- Tobyhanna ice harvest - Near the Steamtown National Historic Site near Scranton, Pennsylvania. They run a train to the ice harvest. A write-up on the harvest is here.

- Howell Living History Farm - in Lambertville, New Jersey. I believe the ice harvest date is January 28th. In addition to harvesting, you can make ice cream with the ice. Information from last year is here.

- Curran Homestead - Located near Bangor, Maine. The next Ice harvest is on February 11, 2012. 

- Cape Pond Ice - This is not an ice harvesting location, but a modern manufactured ice house in Gloucester, Massachusetts. They offer tours. 

- Thompson Ice House -  Located in South Bristol, Maine, which looks pretty far out there. The ice harvest is in February but the date hasn't been announced yet.

- Hanford Mills Museum -  Not far from Cooperstown or Oneonta, New York. The 2012 ice harvest is on February 4, 2012. Besides the ice harvest there are vintage cooking demonstrations and lots of food for sale.

- Brookfield Ice Harvest - In Brookfield, Vermont, a ways from Burlington. Not sure of the website or the exact date, but last year it was January 29. Call 802-276-3959 for information. Some details here. "Activities include ice cutting and ice boom demonstrations, an ice-hauling contest, a chance to try hand-made snowshoes and view ice sculpting."

 - Longfellow's Wayside Inn - In Sudbury, Massachusetts. Nothing on the calendar yet, but last year they did ice harvesting.

 - Old Sturbridge Village - In central Massachussetts. Had ice harvest demos in the past, I don't see any on the calendar for 2012. 

 - Ice Alaska - This is more of an ice carving celebration/competition near Fairbanks. The park is open February 28 - March 25, 2012. They harvest ice from an on-site pond with a more modern tool that looks like a saw on legs. I don't know if the ice harvest is demonstrated for the public or not. 

- I haven't seen any case where it's a public event, but some Amish people harvest ice. There are some good write-ups online. 

Please let me know in the comments if you find any others. 

Join Me At Speed Rack on January 8 in San Francisco

I'm helping to judge a cocktail contest in which bad-ass women bartenders make cocktails as fast as they can and then we judge how they actually taste. You are in charge of cheering and drinking.

You should buy a ticket because this involves:

1. Significant numbers of cocktails on a Sunday afternoon with pretty much everyone good in the local bartending community. 
2. Empowerment of female bartenders.
3. The money goes toward breast cancer education, prevention and research.

This is 100% win.

You'll want to watch this video from the New York event.

Speed Rack Sneak Preview from Speed Rack on Vimeo.

 

The contestants are:

• Victoria Damato-Moran- Belden Taverna
• Rhachel Shaw- Rye
• Brooke Arthur- Wo Hing
• Tina Ross- Rickhouse
• Jennifer Colliau- Slanted Door/Small Hands Foods
• Gabrielle Barnes- Cantina
• Jennifer Embleton- Rye
• Yael Amyra- The New Easy
• Jessica Maria- Hotsy Totsy Club (Albany)
• Claire Sprouse- Rickhouse
• Jill Webster- Lazlo
• Lauren Steele- Rickhouse/Bourbon and Branch
• Melissa Boyd- Beretta
• Lucia Creed Gonzales- Prizefighter (Emeryville)
• Keli Rivers- Hotsy Totsy (Albany)
•  Kim Rosselle Flora/ Dona Tomas
• Gail Izaguirre- Laszlo
• Danielle Marchant- 222 Hyde

These guys will be the barbacks: Dominic Venegas (formerly of Range, Rye, Gitane, etc.), Jon Santer (Prizefighter), Neyah White (former NOPA now Yamazaki brand ambassador), Kevin Diedrich (Jasper's Corner Tap), Danny Ronen (omnipresent), Marcovaldo Dionysos (Smuggler's Cove), Marc Goldfine (83 Proof), Trevor Easter (Heaven's Dog), Tony Devencenzi (Bourbon & Branch), and Adrian Mc Carron (Rye on the Road).

Below are the full details. Buy tickets here. It will be awesome.

Great Seminars at SF Cocktail Week

The full schedule of seminars for San Francisco Cocktail Week were just announced, and there are some really great-sounding ones. I didn't know we had so many people coming in from out of town for this. 

The full seminar descriptions are here.

I just want to highlight the out-of-town guests who will be coming in to give talks. 

Don Lee, one of the biggest drink nerds in America, will be talking on The Nerdy Aspects of Gin Cocktails.

 Kirsten Amann, a founding member of LUPEC from Boston, will be part of a talk with scientists called The Science of Taste.

Philip Duff, a great speaker and former Irish citizen, will be talking about How San Francisco Saved The Irish Whiskey Category: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of The World’s First (And Finest!) Whiskey. 

John C. Burton, a guy from Santa Rosa with a huge collection of Bay Area bartending books and memorabilia, will be giving two talks on Sunday. The latter one sounds awesome: Bartending by the Bay: an Historical Tale through San Francisco’s Saloon and Cocktail History.

Have fun learning!

 

Camper English Speaking at SF Chefs Food Wine Industry Series

I'm giving a talk geared toward restaurant owners at next week's SF Chefs Food Wine next week, along with H. of Elixir and Duggan of Cantina. 

It's a little bit freaky in this day and age to walk into a notable restaurant only to find they haven't bothered to put out a cocktail menu, or the one they hand you is filled with flavored vodka drinks written by the beverage distributor rather than a bartender. 

We'll be talking about how a few simple changes to a cocktail program can make a big difference for a restaurant in terms of increasing both profit and press. 

Cocktail Clinic: The Bartender is In

Tuesday, August 2nd

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

The Westin St. Francis

Presented by Ecolab and Liquor.com

Specialty cocktails, fresh ingredients, punches, and creating a cocktail menu can bring your bar media attention and make it more profitable. Find out how a few easy changes can create an exciting cocktail program in any restaurant overnight. This interactive session will be presented by a panel of experts led by H. Joseph Ehrmann (Elixir), Duggan McDonnell (Cantina), and Camper English (spirits journalist, San Francisco Chronicle, Alcademics.com).

Classes are free to GGRA members and are $25 for the general public.

Ticket Price: $25 
Visa Signature® cardholders receive special perks and ticket savings.

 

Sponsor Shout-Out: Tales of the Cocktail

Thanks to Tales of the Cocktail for sponsoring Alcademics! 

I'll be at the event, July 20-24 in New Orleans, for my fifth year in a row. Tickets are on sale now. 

This year I'll be one of five official Tales bloggers doing deep coverage of the event, and between now and then I'll be posting a few preview blog posts about seminars I'm looking forward to seeing. 

Will I tweet every drink every drink I have at Tales of the Cocktail again this year? Yeah, maybe. 

If you've never been to Tales before, I highly encourage you to come. It's a great time.