Over the past year I've noticed the Gibson popping up on cocktail menus, so I decided to have a deeper look and write about it for Details.com.
Category: camper_clips
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International Eggnog: The History of the Drink and Variations Around the Globe
Way back in 2010, I wrote a story for Mixology Magazine about Eggnog. The story was published in German (I wrote it in English and they translated) but this year they put the English version of the story online.
It covers what I could learn about eggnog at the time (keep in mind this is 4 years ago), including the history of the drink and its possible relation to British egg drinks like posset and wassail, along with other American drinks like Grog and the Tom & Jerry.
It also covers international egg drinks, including:
- Eierpunsch – Germany
- Lait de Poule – France, Canada
- Coquito – Puerto Rico
- Rompope – Mexico
- Biblia Con Pisco – Peru
- Sabajón of Colombia
- Advocaat from Holland
The story also includes a few eggnog recipes. Check it out here.
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A Nine-Page Feature on Trick Dog’s Caitlin Laman
The fine folks at the Bay Area Newsgroup, which includes newspapers the San Jose Mercury, Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times, and others, asked me to write a long profile of Trick Dog's Caitlin Laman, so that's what I did.
The story comes out in this Sunday's Eat Magazine, an insert into all those papers. I'm not sure if it's going online in traditional format, but here it is in Issu, the online magazine format. If it comes out as traditional text I'll share the link.
They did a nice job! Lots of photos and a lovely layout.
The article also includes illustrated recipes by 8 Bay Area bartenders:
- Caitlin Laman of Trick Dog
- Suzanne Long of Longitude
- Nick Kosevich for Mortar and Pestle
- Antoine Nixon of Jack's Oyster Bar and Fish House
- Russ Stanley of Jack Rose Libation House
- Jimmy Marino of The Lexington House
- Brandon Clements of The Village Pub
- Andrew Majoulet of Rich Table
They asked for ten but chose eight – sorry if yours was one of the ones left out.
Go read the story here!
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The 2014 Spirits Gift Guide Is Now Up On Details.com
Too early in the year for holiday gift guides? Perhaps!
Each year for Details.com I write a gift guide of spirits to consider for holiday gifting or just winter drinking. This year's list includes 11 spirits and 1 book, nearly all of which came out in the later half of the year (as Details is all about new stuff).
Spirits are mostly from well-known brands and include bottles from:- Milagro
- Auchentoshan
- Monkey 47
- Ancho Reyes
- Michter's
- The Glenlivet
- Herradura
- Grey Goose
- Lost Spirits
- Patron
- Parker's Heritage Collection
- And a book by some bartenders you know.
Check it out on Details.com here. Note: It's a slideshow so there is lots of clicking, sorry.
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Camper English Awarded International Cognac Writer of the Year 2014
Last week I had the honor of being awarded the International Cognac Writer of the Year for 2014. The annual award is granted by the Bureau national interprofessionnel du Cognac, the BNIC. They are the industry promotion group for cognac.
Previous winners of the award include David Wondrich and Salvatore Calabrese, so I'm in excellent company.
I was given the award at the annual La Part des Anges charity auction held in Cognac, which this year raised over 237,600 euros for the Children in Crisis charity. The charity's patron Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was there to host the event. (I sat at the next table over with her assistants.)
My friends Eric Fossard and Thierry Daniel were awarded the Cognac Personalities of the Year award for their running of the Boutique Bar Show in Paris.
In addition to the certificate to hang on the wall of my office, they gave me an engraved bottle to tempt me from storage.
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Sacramento Drink Scene Story is Now Up on ImbibeMagazine.com
That big feature I wrote on Sacramento's cocktail, coffee, and craft beer scene has gone up on the magazine's website.
Even if you're not a subscriber (and you really should be), you can read the story online here.
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The Trendiest, Yet Mostly Secret Cocktail Ingredient Right Now Is Salt
In a new story for Details.com I wrote about bartenders using salt in cocktails.
The first time I ever heard of such a thing (besides around the rim of a Margarita glass) was from Duggan McDonnell of Cantina. That was probably four years ago.
Now it seems that everybody is in on the secret and is using salt in their cocktails – whether they tell you about it or not.
Check out the story on Details.com about how and why and where bartenders are using salt in their drinks.
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13 Newish Bartender-Recommended Gins on Details.com
In my latest story for Details.com, I asked bartenders which new gins they love to drink.
I only included ones with multiple recommendations, and here is a list of 13 that rose to the top. I tried to limit them to gins launched in the last two years, though there may be an exception or two.
Rev your G&T with these new gins.
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Here I Am Talking About Ice Again
In the new issue of Cheers Magazine, I was interviewed by writer Kelly Magyarics about ice.She covered topics relevant to bartenders, such as machines, molds, making ice in industrial quantities, the Aviary's ice program, etc.
You can read the online magazine (page 32) at this link.
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All About the Apples (Drinkable Ones, Of Course) on Details.com
In my latest story for Details.com, I wrote about the return of apples in cocktails and spirits.
The story mentions the return to drinks after the great Appletini shame and lists a ton of mostly-new apple products.
