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(Almost) All the Cocktails & Spirits Books Published in 2015, For Reading or Gifting

Throughout the year I post new drink books to Alcademics, because I love drinking and books. Below is all of them put together so that you can make your holiday wish list for yourself or see them all together to pick presents for friends and family.

Know of a book I missed? Let me know and I'll add it.

Culture and Fun

You Suck At Drinking: Being a Complete Guide to Drinking for Any and All Situations in Your Life, Including But Not Limited to Office Holiday Parties, Weddings, Breakups and Other Sad Times, Outdoor Chores Like Deck-building, and While in Public, Legally and Illegally By Matthew Latkiewicz

Toasts: The Perfect Words to Celebrate Every Occasion By June Cotner and Nancy Tupper Ling

Party Like A President: True Tales of Inebriation, Lechery, and Mischief from the Oval Office By Brian Abrams

The Field Guide to Drinking in America By Niki Ganong

You Deserve a Drink: Boozy Misadventures and Tales of Debauchery by Mamrie Hart

A Visual Guide to Drink by Pop Chart Lab: Ben Gibson, Patrick Mulligan

Vintage Reprints

Hoffman House Bartender's Guide By Charley Mahoney

The Ideal Bartender By Tom Bullock

W. C. Whitfield's Mixed Drinks and Cocktails: An Illustrated, Old-School Bartender's Guide by W. C. Whitfield (Author), Tad Shell (Illustrator), Joaquín Simó (Foreword)

Shaking Up Prohibition in New Orleans: Authentic Vintage Cocktails from A to Z
By Olive Leonhardt and Hilda Phelps Hammond

Historical Books

Cocktail Noir: From Gangsters and Gin Joints to Gumshoes and Gimlets by Scott Deitche

Lost Recipes of Prohibition: Notes from a Bootlegger’s Manual by Matthew Rowley

To Have and Have Another Revised Edition: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion by Philip Greene

Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist by Tim Federle

Cocktails of the Movies: An Illustrated Guide to Cinematic Mixology by Will Francis , Stacey Marsh

Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar (Updated and Revised Edition)
By David Wondrich

Contraband Cocktails: How America Drank When It Wasn't Supposed To by Paul Dickson

Narrative Cocktail Books

The Cocktail Chronicles: Navigating the Cocktail Renaissance with Jigger, Shaker & Glass by Paul Clarke

Drinking the Devil's Acre: A Love Letter from San Francisco and her Cocktails by Duggan McDonnell

Ten Cocktails: The Art of Convivial Drinking by Alice Lascelles

Cocktails from Specific Bars

The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual: Secret Recipes and Barroom Tales from Two Belfast Boys Who Conquered the Cocktail World by Sean Muldoon, Jack McGarry, Ben Schaffer

Experimental Cocktail Club: Paris, London & New York by Romée de Goriainoff, Pierre-Charles Cros, Olivier Bon, Xavier Padavoni

Cuban Cocktails: 100 Classic and Modern Drinks by Ravi DeRossi, Jane Danger, Alla Lapushchik

Tujague's Cookbook: Creole Recipes and Lore in the New Orleans Grand Tradition by Poppy Tooker

Cocktails for Dingdongs Vol. 1. by Dustin Drankiewicz and Alexandra Ensign

Themed Cocktail Books

Summer Cocktails: Margaritas, Mint Juleps, Punches, Party Snacks, and More! By MarТa del Mar Sacasa and Tara Striano

The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, with Recipes & Lore By Gary Regan

Cocktails on Tap: The Art of Mixing Spirits and Beer By Jacob Grier

The Tippling Bros. A Lime and a Shaker: Discovering Mexican-Inspired Cocktails by by Tad Carducci & Paul Tanguay with Alia Akkam

Classic Cocktails by Salvatore Calabrese

Tea Cocktails: A Mixologist's Guide to Legendary Tea-Infused Cocktails by Abigail R. Gehring

The Mason Jar Cocktail Companion by Shane Carley

Tiki Drinks: Tropical Cocktails for the Modern Bar by Robert Sharp and Nicole Weston

The Manhattan Cocktail: A Modern Guide to the Whiskey Classic by Albert W. A. Schmid

Paris Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by the City of Light by Doni Belau

Wild Drinks & Cocktails: Handcrafted Squashes, Shrubs, Switchels, Tonics, and Infusions to Mix at Home by Emily Han

The Periodic Table of COCKTAILS by Emma Stokes

Forager's Cocktails: Botanical Mixology with Fresh, Natural Ingredients by Amy Zavatto

Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails: Restorative Vintage Cocktails, Mocktails, and Elixirs by Warren Bobrow

The Essential New York Times Book of Cocktails by Steve Reddicliffe

Good Things to Drink with Mr Lyan and Friends by Ryan Chetiyawardana

The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion by Julie Reiner

Whisky and Whiskey

Whiskey: What to Drink Next: Craft Whiskeys, Classic Flavors, New Distilleries, Future Trends By Dominic Roskrow

Bourbon Curious: A Simple Tasting Guide for the Savvy Drinker by Fred Minnick

Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey by Reid Mitenbuler

Spirit of Place: Scotland's Great Whisky Distilleries by Charles MacLean

The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All: Know Your Booze Before You Choose by Richard Betts

The Birth of Bourbon: A Photographic Tour of Early Distilleries by Carol Peachee

American Whiskey, Bourbon & Rye (New Edition): A Guide to the Nation's Favorite Spirit by Clay Risen

Other Spirits

Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters & Amari: 500 Bitters; 50 Amari; 123 Recipes for Cocktails, Food & Homemade Bitters by Mark Bitterman

How the Gringos Stole Tequila: The Modern Age of Mexico's Most Traditional Spirit By Chantal Martineau

Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal, and the Politics of Production by Sarah Bowen

Gin: The Manual by Dave Broom

Vermouth: The Revival of the Spirit That Created America’s Cocktail Culture by Adam Ford

Branca: A Spirited Italian Icon by Niccolo Branca di Romanico

Science-Minded

Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson: Recipes for Innovation from IBM & the Institute of Culinary Education

Hidden Scents: The Language of Smell in the Age of Approximation by Allen Barkkume

Miscellany

Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and other Treats By Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall

The River Cottage Booze Handbook by John Wright

The Beer Bible by Jeff Alworth

Cider Made Simple: All About Your New Favorite Drink by Jeff Alworth

Discovering the New York Craft Spirits Boom by Heather D. Dolland

Branding: Distilled by Cynthia Sterling

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December 15, 2015
The Science of Barrel Aging on PopSci.com

I wrote a story for Popular Science on the science of barrel aging. The story was inspired by a trip to The Glenlivet where I tasted a 50-year-old whisky without any smoky qualities – but 50 years ago this and most whisky would have been at least lightly peated.

So I went into the article specifically looking for what happens with the smoke, but ended up writing about wood interactions as well.

To do the story, I read several wood science articles sent to me by Diageo whisky ambassador/smart-guy Ewan Morgan, spoke with Dr Bill Lumsden from Glenmorangie, interviewed Bryan Davis from Lost Spirits, and illustrated the story with a chart from Lew Bryson's excellent book Tasting Whisky.

Hopefully I didn't get anything wrong. Read it here.

November 30, 2015
How to Freeze a Bottle in a Super Clear Ice block

I've done a few years' worth of ice experiments here on Alcademics, and sometimes bartenders contact me on how to solve ice problems. (That should be my new reality show: Ice Whisperer.)

Here is the index to the ice experiments on Alcademics, where you'll find how to make clear ice blocks, clear ice cubes, clear ice spheres, and many other ice successes and failures.

One bartender was curious about some ways to present bottles in ice yet still be able to read the labels. I presented a few ideas and have probably found a solution that works for the bar (that I'll share when it's open), but this method is something that does work but wasn't a great fit for that particular program.

Anyway, enough with the backstory. Look at this cool spinning bottle!

This technique uses directional freezing (freezing inside an insulated cooler with the top off so that it only freezes from the top-down), with the bottle raised high so that it's in the clear part of the ice block.

Method for Freezing a Bottle in a Clear Ice Block:

1. Fill a picnic cooler with water.

2. Place some sort of stand on the bottom of the cooler. I used a plastic box in one experiment and an oversized metal piece that looks like a napkin ring in another. Anything that lets water move through it is ideal.

3. Place the bottle on its side, diagonally across the cooler. Note that very tall bottles may not fit in your cooler. Fill the cooler with water to an inch or two above the bottle.

4. Leave the top off the cooler and let it freeze for a couple of days.

5. When the block freezes either all the way through to the bottom of the cooler, or (better year) just to the point at which it starts to become cloudy at the bottom part of the block, remove it from the freezer. Tip over the cooler and let the block slide out.

6. Let the ice slowly warm to temper it, then use an ice pick (the three-prong one is my preferred tool for this task) to scrape off the cloudy section. You can break off the cloudy ice in any creative way you want. As you can see, for the Tanqueray I did a super cool nugget-style chipping, while for the Plymouth Sloe Gin I did a scrape on only one side so that it's super flat on the front surface.

As you can see, the top of the bottle is at the corner of the block, so you can easily open it and pour from the bottle still.

Example One

Looking down on the cooler with a big napkin ring at the bottom on which the bottle will sit.

The bottle sits on the stand with enough water to cover it.

From the bottom: Now to chip off that cloudy layer!

Ta Da!

Example Two

Frozen block with bottle. You can see the yellow of the plastic open box I sat the bottle on.

Enjoy.

Related articles

Hey, Who Put Science In My Drink?

September 17, 2015
Cocktails in Sydney’s Downtown District

While I was in Sydney for the Bacardi Legacy global cocktail competition earlier this year, I checked out a bunch of the bars.

Here is a write-up I wrote for Departures.com of several of them more or less in the Downtown areas closest to the Opera House.

September 11, 2015
Science on How Spirits Change or Age in the Bottle, Rather than the Barrel
At Tales of the Cocktail, I attended a seminar led by Ian McLaren and three scientists, all from Bacardi. It was called Genie in a Bottle: How Spirits Age.

Being part of a gargantuan spirits company they were able to call upon the science that had been done in the past and specifically for this seminar about how spirits change in the bottle. I think there is a general acceptance that in opened bottles stored for many years, spirits get a little bit flatter in flavor. In this seminar they took it way further than that.

The most important information is on this slide:

Here are a lot of notes:
- Temperature: They found that for heat, degradation really occurs at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8C). They tracked the temperature of bottles as they were shipped around the world to see if they ever reached that in the process of getting from the distillery to the store, and found that when it happened, which was unusual, it was in the process of getting from the truck to the boat – on the docks- so they put in place some systems to prevent that for their most temperature-sensitive products.
- Heat accelerates aging processes including oxidation, evaporation, adds cooked fruit notes to high sugar content liqueurs, affects the flavor of flavored spirits with low pH, so that's particularly citrus flavors.
- 40F (4.44C) is the optimal temperature at which to store spirits
- Light impacts spirits too, not just by adding heat. Aged spirits like bourbon and scotch can lose a significant amount of their color (which impacts our perception of their flavor).
- Light effects are impacted by bottle color (amber will have the least impact), bottles with more glass exposed (so Angostura bitters with its oversized label would be less impacted than a clear, printed bottle), the type of light source (direct sunlight, LED, fluorescent light) though it's not an easy determination of which is the worst (sunlight is really bad though) because it's the combination of the light's frequency and wavelength, and proximity to the light source.
- Oxidation changes flavor: Acetaldehyde from oxidation reaction can be good in small quantities – adds fruity aromas; but in larger quantities it transforms in acetic acid (vinegar). Gin loses citrus flavor and gains "moth balls" flavor. Whisky loses its creamy fatty acids, gains fruity but then rancid and nail polish remover flavors. Rum gains vinegar aromas.
- Oxidation happens not just with heat and light, but also headspace in the bottle (the St. Germain bottle was cited as one particularly badly designed as you get a lot of headspace as soon as you open it), how frequently you open it (as that changes the equilibrium in the bottle- each time the air above the liquid gets exchange with fresh air), the type of closure (corks allow oxidation; screw caps less); and pour spouts can have an effect even if you cap your bottles at the end of the night.
- So to reduce oxidation you should keep precious liquids in small brown bottles with screw caps rather than 1/3 empty bottles with corks.
That was just a fraction of what was shown at the seminar, but I hope it's helpful.

I cringe every time I see the back bar against the windows (in San Francisco I always think that when I see Zuni Cafe, Absinthe, my local liquor store's wine selection, and the new Black Sands, but at least it doesn't usually get that hot in SF), but hopefully they move through product quickly so that the effects are not as dramatic.

McLaren showed a lot of slides of brightly-lit LED and fluorescent-lit back bars, with particularly bad ones being when the spirits sit on a light box as that adds heat as well.

So maybe all those candlelit, brick-walled speakeasy-style back bars aren't so bad after all.
September 10, 2015
Carbonation Fun Facts Explained with a New Carbonation Device, Plus Bonus Math!
I was sent a sample of a new carbonation device called the Bonne O, and in trying it out I had a lot of questions about how it worked. That lead me to learn a bunch of new (or needing repetition) facts about it.

The Bonne O carbonator is different from a Soda Stream carbonator in two fundamental ways:
- Instead of a CO2 tank, it takes tablets that work like giant Alka-Seltzer tablets to create CO2
- You can carbonate more than just water. With Soda Stream (at least the current models), you carbonate only water and then add syrup to it to make soda. With this device you can add other ingredients into the carbonating chamber.
But I was confused as to how specifically it works. You add most of the liquid and any solid ingredients to the bottle that will be carbonated, then on the base of the machine the fizzing tablet to one chamber, and the sweetening/flavoring syrup to a separate chamber. That last part particularly confused me.

So I emailed with Bonne O inventor Darren Hatherell. He explained to me (and also did a good job of it on this blog post, from where I stole most of these images), and now I'll explain to you.

The Stuff You're Carbonating Must Be Cold, But the Chemical Reaction Should be Warm

For maximum carbonation, you must have cold liquids, as cold liquids hold more carbon dioxide in solution. However, the particular acid-base Alka-Seltzer-style fizzing reaction in the Bonne O works best when the liquid added to the fizzing tablet is warm. (To verify this, try adding Alka-Seltzer to warm vs cold water and see how much longer it takes to fizz.)

They way they got around needing both cold and warm liquid is: The device takes the temperature of the liquids in the bottle (it sucks some into the machine from the top), and if it's too warm for effective carbonation, it just beeps at you and won't even try to carbonate. If it's nice and cold, however, it sucks in that liquid and heats it to an ideal temperature before sucking it into the carbonation chamber with the fizzing tablet.

This warm liquid (and dissolved tablet) doesn't go back into the bottle. It stays in the chamber and you dump it out at the end. Keep reading for how and why…

Sugar Makes Foam And That's Bad

The main reason you don't put syrup flavors into the Soda Stream is that when you carbonate syrupy water, it foams up and out of the bottle, then will clog up the gas system, perhaps only to explode later. Sugary things make foam.

The Bonne O gets around this by holding the syrup in a separate flavor chamber (you can add flavors to the bottle, including solid ingredients like strawberries, but the stuff in the bottle ideally shouldn't be super sugary).

When you hit the button to turn it on, the Bonne O sucks in liquids from the top of the bottle into the carbonation chamber where it fizzes and creates CO2 gas, and pushes out the syrup or other liquid from the flavor chamber (along with the newly-created CO2 gas) into the bottom of the bottle. So the space in the bottle from the stuff that was sucked out is replaced with the syrup or other stuff from the flavor chamber. Thus the flavor chamber always has to be full, even when you're not flavoring your liquid.

So if you're just carbonating water, you add cold water to the bottle and water to the flavor chamber. (Same if you're carbonating a bottle of tequila, which I did live at Tales of the Cocktail – you put tequila in both the bottle and the flavor chamber.)

If you're carbonating a soda or cocktail like a Gin & Tonic using tonic syrup, you add the gin and water to the bottle and the tonic syrup to the flavor chamber. If you were going to carbonate a cocktail with a liqueur like a Margarita, you might want to put the liqueur into the flavor chamber instead of mixing up the full cocktail first. I haven't experimented with adding something syrupy to the bottle to see what happens.

The Downside To Both

The downside to a Soda Stream is that you ultimately add carbonated water to syrup, which will reduce its overall carbonation.

The downside to the "keep the syrup separate" model of the Bonne O is that if you're a perfectionist you have to do some math to get your cocktail right: Some of the liquid in the bottle will be sucked out and discarded to be replaced by the syrup, so you have to control for the change in volume.

The bottle holds 750ml

The flavor chamber holds 142 ml

Thus, you need 142 ml extra un-sweetened liquid that will be discarded from the bottle.

Let's Do Math!

For example, if you used Strong Tonic syrup to make a carbonated G&T, the brand recommends 1 part syrup to 2 parts gin to 4 parts water. For the final 750 ml that you will make, that means each "part" is 1/7th of 750 ml:

107 ml syrup
214 ml gin
428 ml water

But not all of that goes into the bottle- remember the syrup goes into the flavor chamber. The flavor chamber holds 142 mls, so you can add the full 107 ml of syrup to it, and then top it off gin and water. But how much? We need 35 ml total of non-syrup to get to our 142 ml.

So the total of non-syrup (that's the gin and water combination) will be 750ml (that's what fits in the bottle) + 35ml extra for the flavor chamber = 785 ml of gin/water.

So 785 ml of gin/water in a proper 1:2 ratio is:
262 ml gin
524 ml water

Checking our math on actual quantities used in final drink:

Flavor Chamber: 107 ml syrup + 35 ml gin/water in 2:1 combo (12 ml gin and 24 ml water)
Bottle: 750 ml gin/water in 2:1 combo (250 ml gin and 500 ml water)

But remember that 142 ml of the bottle is discarded. 750 – 142 = 608 ml gin/water combo will actually go into the drink, plus everything in the flavor chamber, which makes our total of each ingredient:

Syrup: 107 ml

Gin from flavor chamber = 1/3 (35ml) = 12 ml
Gin from bottle = 1/3 x (750-142 = 608) = 203 ml
Gin total = 215

Water from flavor chamber = 2/3 (35ml) = 24 ml
Water from bottle = 2/3 x (750-142 = 608) = 405 ml
Water total = 429 ml water

So our final recipe is:

Mix 262 ml gin and 524 ml water and make sure the combo is very cold. Fill Bonne O bottle to top with this combination.

Add: 107 ml Strong tonic syrup to flavor chamber plus rest of gin/water combo (35ml) to flavor chamber.

Add carbonating tablet to carbonation chamber and press the button to carbonate the liquid.

Science is fun!

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September 9, 2015
Cocktail Citratres: What, Why, and Where?
At the Tales of the Cocktail convention, I attended a seminar hosted by Ira Koplowitz and Nick Kosevich of Bittercube Bitters called On Creating Cocktail Citrates & Elixirs.

The seminar lead up to the point that if you want to make lasting kegged (and often carbonated) cocktails, you might need to use citrates.

One of the presenters smartly called kegged cocktails "the new punch," and interestingly, like vintage punch, citrates start with oleo saccharum then add some science.

Citrates are an approximation of sour mix: sugar and citrus combined, but in a form that is predictable, reproducible, and stable. They start with an oleo saccharum (citrus peels and sugar), then add other acids and mouthfeel agents.

This is important, they say, because citrus changes dramatically after being juiced/cut (BRIX level falls, pH rises, organic compounds change and degrade) especially after 24 hours. They also noted that for carbonated cocktails, citrates reduce nucleation points that interfere with good carbonation.

So the goal of a citrate is to replace or reduce citrus and syrup in a cocktail. They noted that citrates are not identical to sour mix – if you just match the BRIX and pH level, you won't get to where you need to be. And you can't just use citric acid either.

Citrates Are Composed Of:
- Water
- Sugar
- Mouthfeel agents (tapioca starch can be used; also pulp)
- Natural oils
- Acids (this is their basic formula)
  - Citric acid 95%
  - Sodium citrate 1% (gives a bit of salty mouthfeel)
  - Malic acid 4% (gives sourness)
Elixirs, by their definition, are compound flavor citrates plus water.

You can read more about them in this PDF document on the Bittercube website. It gives a good overview of the what and why of citrates and elixirs. It also includes recipes for several citrates, elixirs, and a kegged cocktail.

Many bars that use citrus in their kegged cocktails use a citrate by some form (and often by another name), so you might have unknowingly tried one already.

For more reading on the topic, check out Dave Arnold's book Liquid Intelligence.
September 3, 2015
How Drinking in 1948 was like Drinking in College, or in 2005

Recently I was speaking on a panel based around the era of David A. Embury's book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, first published in 1948.

Then, they were coming out of Prohibition that ended in 1933 and World War II that ended in 1945.

He notes what coming out of an era of bad drinks into a good one is like:

Most of the present generation learned to drink and most of the present-day bartenders learned their profession during the past thirty-seven years. The first fourteen years of this period were devoted to the famous ‘experiment, noble in purpose,’ and the remaining years have not yet been sufficient to erase wholly the ignoble effects of that era.

During prohibition the overwhelming majority of available liquor consisted of bathtub gin and Scotch "just off the boat" (ferryboat from either Hoboken or Brooklyn).

So unutterably vile were these synthetic concoctions that the primary object in mixing a cocktail became the otherwise emollient and anti-emetic ingredients (cream, honey, Karo, canned fruit juices, etc.) to make it reasonably possible to swallow the resultant concoction and at the same time to retain a sufficient content of renatured alcohol to insure ultimate inebriety.

Just how much dilution of the "gin"-bottle content might be necessary to accomplish this supposedly salutary result depended largely on the intestinal fortitude and esophageal callosity of the particular individual involved.

During the talk, I mentioned how that was like drinking in 2001 or 2005 or so, when fresh ingredients were not the norm. That first fresh lime juice Margarita you had changed everything.

But also it's a lot like being a grown-up drinker as opposed to a college-aged one where you were trying to hide the taste of the liquor underneath brightly-colored sugary liqueurs.

We live in much better times now.

September 1, 2015
Making Clear Ice Balls with Tovolo Sphere Ice Molds and a Cooler
We already know that you can make perfectly clear ice balls using a round silicone ice mold and an insulated mug.

(Read about all the ice experiments on Alcademics by following the link to the index.)

Now Alcademics reader Jason F. has refined the process using larger Tovolo Sphere Ice Molds and a cooler.

The equipment is specifically the:
- Tovolo Sphere Ice Molds
- Rubbermaid 10 qt. Victory Personal Cooler
If you're new to the ice experiments on Alcademics, it might help to read the top stories linked to from the Index of Ice Experiments on Alcademics.

This ice ball process is similar to the method using the insulated mugs and making ice blocks/cubes in a cooler:
- You fill the ice ball molds with water, and float it hole-facing-down in water in the cooler.
- As the water freezes from the top-down (due to the insulated cooler), it pushes any trapped air and impurities toward the bottom of the cooler, leaving only clear ice in the mold.
Method:

Fill the cooler almost full with hot tap water. Allow it to cool for a few hours until it is about body temperature. Separate the molds put them in the water and re-assemble them under water making sure that all of the air is out of them.

Grasp the top and bottom of the mold keeping one finger over the drain hole of the mold. Take it out of the water and dump the water remaining in the white plastic part of the mold.

Place the mold back in the water, hole side down and release your finger from the drain hole on the rubber side of the mold. This will ensure that air has not gotten in and give the top some buoyancy.

Place the cooler in the freezer for 48 hours. The ice will form at about 1 inch per 12 hours. The block will not freeze all the way through and that is exactly how you want it!

When you remove your cooler it will look like this:

Chip away the surrounding ice using the ice pick. Reserve the ice as you will have some nice, clear rocks for other cocktails.

You will get a block out with the molds frozen in it. Work on the shammy or tea towel so it does not slip around.

Remove the sphere from the molds, they will just pop out no need for running water over them.

Tempering The Ice

Allow the spheres to temper (sit out) on the towel for about 10 minutes. Tempering them is an important step so that they don’t crack when liquid is poured over them.

You can store them in the freezer but remember to temper them when you remove them.

When they come out of the mold or freezer they will be dull on the outside. You know they are tempered when they are clear all around.

Thanks much to reader Jason F. for the method, the text, and the pictures!

The index of all ice experiments on Alcademics is here.

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August 31, 2015
The 99 Items I Packed to Give a Cocktail Seminar…
…and I didn't even make drinks.

I gave two full-length seminars and one mini-seminar at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans this year. For my seminar on Prehistoric Cocktail Technology, I went kinda big.

Here is my packing list, without multiples. 99 things, dayumn.
- ice cream maker balls
- cream
- lemon + lime juice
- knife
- sugar
- simple syrup
- eggs
- orange flower water
- East Imperial soda water
- East Imperial tonic water
- batch container
- measuring containers
- rock salt (1/2 cup container)
- ladel
- ice cracker tool
- Bar towels
- pipettes
- Clamp post
- clamps
- plastic poster tubes with perforated red caps
- aquarium filters- bio bags
- coconut charcoal
- mavea charcoal
- coffee filters
- Unfiltered cake vodka
- Filtered cake vodka
- dehydrated cake vodka
- Milk
- Bar spoon
- Funnel
- Clarified Zacapa
- Test tube rack
- Test tubes
- Dehydrated blueberries
- Dehydrated strawberries
- Annatto seeds
- Saffron
- Cochineal
- Magnifying glass
- Blure
- Tonic syrup
- blue water
- Acid Phosphate
- Isi Siphon
- CO2 cartridge
- Blacklight flashlight
- Salt
- Black sheet
- Cooked agave
- Small plates
- Wet naps
- Clear bucket
- Ammonium nitrate
- Stir bar
- Thermometer gun
- 2-liter bottles
- white wine vinegar
- baking soda
- funnel
- U-Fizz hoses
- U-Fizz bakind soda tube
- big pitcher
- measuring cup
- Burton Water salts
- piloncillo pyramids
- piloncillo syrup
- clarified piloncillo syrup
- Bottle of chill filtered scotch
- Bottle of not chill filtered scotch
- Juniper oil
- Infusion of DJ blanco with baked pine shavings
- Oak essence
- Grape seed extract
- Caramel coloring
- Glycerin
- pine shavings
- baked pine shavings
- Bonne-O Carbonator
- Extension cord
- Carbonator pills
- Long tube with cap on one end
- soda water
- Insta-Foam
- Bottle opener
- Nuun for Alka-seltzer demo
- Zacapa Rum 2 bottles
- Don Julio Tequila Blanco 2 bottles
- Don Julio Tequila Reposado 1 bottle
- Don Julio Tequila Anejo 2 bottles
- Don Julio Tequila 70 (70th anniversary clear anejo) 1 bottle
- Label Maker
- Extra Label Maker Tape
- Sample cups
- Tripod holder for poster paper
- Tasting straws
- Cinchona bark
- Microscope attachment for computer
- Bamboo Straws
- 2 Ice chest/bucket
- White background paper/Black background poster paper
Plus I packed 200 baggies of dehydrated liqueur for my other seminar and some other stuff. Perhaps the greatest achievement was fitting it all into 3 suitcases.

Good times! Thanks to those who attended!

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July 20, 2015