The day after the Ministry of Rum festival, there was a rum event put on for bartenders that involved a boat ride sponsored by Bacardi followed by a debate from multiple rum producers in Oakland. I learned a couple things about Bacardi rum on the boat before things got tense:... Read more →
I created a drink last night that is simple and tasty. The occasion was Thursday Drink Night (TDN), over at the Mixoloseum chat room. On Thursdays starting at 7PM EST all the folks in the chat room makes drinks according to the theme of the week. One person will suggest... Read more →
Ice nerds got a real treat this Tuesday, for Andrew Bohrer from Seattle was guest bartending in San Francisco along with Amanda Womack from Cask. He brought chainsaw Thursday to the city in order to chop up giant blocks of clear ice from an industrial ice maker into big cubes... Read more →
Bar Agricole opens in San Francisco August 16th (note: not the 15th). Last night St. George Spirits hosted a first preview of the space as a launch party for the new Agua Libre rum from fresh California sugar cane. We were treated to Agua Libre versions of Ti Punches, El... Read more →
San Francisco bar Burritt Room's Kevin Deidrich has finally launched the summer cocktail menu now that it's almost time for San Francisco's summer. The menu contains all the drink recipes so I don't think I should post the whole thing here, but it looks really interesting and I'm looking forward... Read more →
Some Canadian whisky news: Phillips Distilling Company is re-launching the brand Revel Stoke in September. The brand was originally launched in partnership with Maxim magazine in 20o0. It is a "Spiced Canadian Whisky" that is 45% alcohol. From the press release: Since 80% of the rum market includes spiced rums,... Read more →
Last week I helped judge the Ministry of Rum competition in San Francisco. We only had to judge 50 or so rums over the course of two days, so it wasn't nearly as grueling as other judging competitions, but it was still pretty interesting. Ed Hamilton, who runs Ministry of... Read more →
This coming week is the pre-opening of Bar Agricole, the big big big restaurant/bar project from Thad Vogler about which I am very excited. Bar Agricole opens on August 16th (15th according to the SF Chronicle). I asked Vogler about his bar staff- and got a surprise. All the bartenders... Read more →