Author: Camper English

  • Beverages by the Bowlful in San Francisco Magazine

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    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…

  • Oakland Names Official Cocktail

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    … and it's the Mai Tai. Or maybe not. (Apparently they don't fact-check the newspaper's blogs.) Instead it was official Mai Tai day in Oakland, and they're trying to get the drink recognized as the city's official cocktail. For a debate on the origin of the Mai Tai, read this, and for Trader Vic's version…

  • Bartenders Hitting Their Hoes

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    For some reason, the San Francisco Chronicle didn't choose the above title for my story that comes out Sunday August 30th. I can't think of why. More bars growing own cocktail ingredients Camper English, Special to The Chronicle Friday, August 28, 2009  Victoria D'Amato-Moran grows tomatoes, Asian pears, Fuji apples, blackberries, roses and many herbs…

  • Does Distilled Water Freeze Clearer than Tap Water?

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    In my last set of icesperiments, I froze, melted, and refroze (tap) water to see if it became clearer on successive refreezings. It did not. This time I compared tap water with distilled water to see if one would freeze more clearly than the other. I froze it, then melted and refroze it four more…

  • Gin Definitions

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    A few months back I attended a seminar hosted by Plymouth and Beefeater gins. This was held on the same day the new EU definition of London gin became law. The law sets down three categories of gin by production method- not by flavor. They are: Gin- Can be basically vodka with flavors added at…

  • Does Refreezing Ice Make it Clearer?

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    I am trying a series of experiments to find the best and most practical way to make clear ice in my home freezer. Future experiments include distilled vs. tap water, boiled vs. not boiled, hot vs. cold water, different shapes of containers, etc. For this experiment, I started with plain tap water. I then froze…

  • USB Drives are the New Press Kits

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    I get a lot of press kits in the mail. Lately the USB drives they put the images and information on have been getting really colorful. You know how some people have really awesome collections of vintage barware and cocktail books from the 1800's? Maybe in 50 years I'll have the biggest collection of branded…

  • The Ultimate Test of your Liquor Cabinet

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    Not only is the Laphroaig Project delicious and surprisingly tropical for its ingredients, it's a test of your liquor cabinet. If you have all of these ingredients at home you are a huuuuge cocktail geek. The Laphroaig Project was created by Owen Westman at Bourbon & Branch and it's also available at Rickhouse, both in…

  • Drinks With: Cuervo Tequila Bigshots

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    Drinks With… is a regular Alcademics category where I share what I learned when meeting with industry notables. Last week I asked Alcademics readers what I should ask Francicso Hanal Alfaro, Cuervo's Maestro Tequilero and Araceli Ramos, Director at La Rojeña, the Cuervo Distillery. You answered here and on Facebook. I didn't get to ask…

  • Moldy Ice

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    I got these alphabet ice molds on Amazon. They're fun because I can send love notes to myself in my cocktails, and leave subliminal messages in other peoples' drinks. The item description says they can also be used in the oven and for things like butter molds and chocolate, but that sounds hard. I'll stick…