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A Punch That Packs Absinthe

Over at Fine Cooking, I list a very simple recipe for an absinthe punch, courtesy of Pernod. 

It contains just absinthe, lime juice, water, and cucumbers, and it is delicious as all get-out. 

Check out the simple recipe over at FineCooking.com. 

London: Paramount Club, Cottons, and Callooh Callay

Yesterday in London I hit three spots. We had an afternoon lunch at the Paramount Club which is on I think the 32nd floor of a building with 360 degree views like this one. I don't know what it's like at night but I liked being there during the day. 

Later that night, we had dinner at Cottons, rum ambassador Ian Burrell's restaurant. The place oozes comfort and good vibes, with a soul singer near the front door, several rooms for dining, and of course a huge rum selection. Funnily enough I ordered a dish that came with roti, the same food I had the last time I saw Ian in Trinidad. 

Then we hit up Callooh Callay, a cocktail bar with a neighborhood feel in Shoreditch. We had a bunch of daiquiris and a couple of bowls of punch in super hipster punchbowls. The bowl sits on a platter covered with astroturf and guarded by three gnomes in Kanye sunglasses. 

That's all I have to say for today. It's going to be a long one. Wish me luck.

Beverages by the Bowlful in San Francisco Magazine

My latest story in San Francisco Magazine is online here. The pictures are way better in the print version.

 

Beverages by the bowlful

By Camper English, Photograph by Shaun Roberts

Though punch predates the classic cocktails San Franciscans have been sipping for the past few years, it has taken a while for local mixologists to commit to it. But in this post-ultralounge era of quieter celebration and more complicated drinks, well-crafted booze in bulk makes a lot more sense than the overplayed bling of bottle service at nightclubs. With punch, you’re paying for an expertly prepared, jumbo-size cocktail, instead of a marked-up and underchilled bottle of vodka (plus mixers).

I describe what's going on, the punch at Rickhouse, and where else to drink from the bowl around town. The rest is online here, and in the September issue of San Francisco Magazine.

Must-Try Punch at The Alembic

This Sunday July 26 at The Alembic in San Francisco is the monthly Savoy Cocktail Book Night where the book is the menu. Pick a drink and the bartenders will do their best to make it. This event grew out of Erik Ellestad's Savoy Project, in which he's making all the recipes in the book in order.

One recipe that you simply must try is the Milk Punch that Ellestad has been making. If you didn't know it was milk in the drink it might take a while to figure out what the unique flavor and texture was. It's amazing and delicious. Come down and try it.

Glossy Booze: Late June Edition

Glossy Booze is regular Alcademics feature; a round-up of spirits stories in magazines.

Details (June/July) has a story on punch and places to get it around the country, plus a small feature on Hauz Alpenz products. 

ReadyMade (June/July) has another story by Alex Day, this one on ice. Looks like some good advice on how to freeze and split a pan of ice.

Town and Country  (July) has a feature on new food and drink cookbooks for summer.

GQ (July) has three fizz recipes: the Ramos Gin Fizz, the Rum Fizz, and the Gin Fizz.

Mutineer (June/July) has a story on the movie Beer Wars, a feature on craft distillers of the Pacific Northwest, a big story on absinthe, a tour of Maker's Mark, and an interview with Max Riedel of Riedel glass.

Bon Appetit (July) has some recommended blanco tequilas, lists a recipe for the Strawberry Muddle (recipe: muddle strawberries. add prosecco),and a story on IPA beers. 

In Esquire (July), David Wondrich takes a break from writing about cocktails to tell us we don't drink enough champagne.

In Food and Wine (July), we have a recipe for Peach Sangria, a story on creating a wine list, a story on texture as a wine pairing guide, one on Argentinian wines, some recommended restaurants in which to drink wine, and the best beers for wine lovers.

Men's Journal (August) has a ton of booze coverage: recommendations for High West whiskey, Sam Adams Imperial White, and Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, plus a story on four summer classic cocktails with a twist with recipes by Sean Muldoon of Belfast's Merchant Hotel, Chris Hannah or Arnaud's, Jamie Boudreau of Tini Bigs, and Jeffrey Mortenthaler of Clyde Common. There is also a recipe for an Heirloom Bloody Mary, and Jimmy Buffet recommends a drink that's just rum, coconut water, and a slice of lime.

Camper's Clampers Bonus: Plaque Pics

As a bonus supplement to my story in the SF Chronicle on E Clampus Vitus, here are pictures I took of the historic plaques located around SF. I didn't get a picture of the Anchor Brewing or Molloy's Tavern in Colma, but here are the other four.

Bonus: Bummer and Lazarus plaque.

Inaguration Party Like It's 1829

Eric Felten has a hilarious (as usual) story about Andrew Jackson's inauguration party in the Wall Street Journal.

The unruly bunch pushed into the White House, clods standing on the silk-upholstered furniture in muddy boots to get a glimpse of the new president (who was trying not to be crushed by his well-wishers). "The reign of King Mob seemed triumphant," wrote Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, appalled. When the stewards finally delivered buckets full of Orange Punch, the crowd lunged for the pails, overturning furniture, smashing the glassware, and -- perhaps worst of all -- spilling the punch itself. Quick-thinking waiters lugged the remaining barrels of punch out onto the White House lawn, enticing Jackson's admirers to take the party outside.

The story also includes an updated recipe for the Orange Punch served at the party. Read it here.

Party Tips from Esquire

I think it's a little odd to put your New Year's party tips in the January issue of a magazine instead of December, then to give away all the content online before it's even January, but that's why I'm not a rich and famous magazine editor.

Nor am I a David Wondrich, who wrote all the booze stories for the issue. They include:

Esquire's Guide to Hosting

A complaint about oversized Martini glasses

And batch-sized recipes for party drinks: the Gin Daisy, Manhattan, and an original drink called the Saint Valentine (umm, wrong month again?) that includes rum, port, Grand Marnier, and lime juice.