Category: Uncategorized
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Watch Me Say Things About Japanese Bartending in this Awesome Short Film
Alan Kropf and Matthew Noel made a short film about Japanese bartending in which they interviewed knowledgeable US bartenders, filmed working Japanese bartenders, and also had me say a few things.
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The Weird History of Vodka in Sweden
In Sweden, vodka was originally made from grapes and grains. Then the potato took over as did a government monopoly on production (except for a little export product called Absolut). But when the country joined the European Union, that all changed. Now potato vodka is back again.
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The History of Grenadine Use in Cocktails: Theories and Conclusions
After reviewing the literature of grenadine in cocktails, I have a few observations. Grenadine Use Was Probably Influenced by Europe We know that pomegranates had been grown in the US since the 1700s, and that they were grown commercially before 1917. But as far as I can see, grenadine as a cocktail ingredient really…
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Visiting Olmeca Altos Distillery
Today we visited the distillery Pedro Domecq, where they make Tezon, Olmeca Altos, and Olmeca tequilas. I wrote about this distillery before on Alcademics. The post is here. Tezon is made from 100 percent tahona-milled agave. It is no longer on the US market. Olmeca Altos is a blend of tahona-milled agave and rollermill…
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A Sneak Peak at Jim Beam’s New Visitors’ Center
I previously visited the Jim Beam distillery in Kentucky and got a great in-depth tour of the facilities (read about it here), but until recently regular tourists have only had a pretty mediocre visitor's experience. They didn't get to see the actual distillery as it's a very industrial workplace. Now they're greatly expanding the visitors'…
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Extreme Aperol and the No Baloney Negroni
As ongoing part of the Solid Liquids Project, I decided to make high-proof Aperol. I haven't talked about this use of dehydrated liqueurs yet, which is making high-proof spirits with them. Simply add neutral grain spirits plus dehydrated liqueur, plus some of the original liqueur to keep taste consistency. First I dehydrated some Aperol (I…
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Irish Whiskey in the San Francisco Chronicle
Hooray! I have a story in the San Francisco Chronicle about Irish whiskey. It discusses the popularity of Irish whiskey, some reasons for that popularity, its lack of use in cocktails, a cocktail recipe from Phil Mauro of Rye, and Ireland's three-and-a-half distilleries and their brands. I was able to get through it without even…
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A Kim Kardashian Shrinky Dink Sun Catcher Painted in Dehydrated Midori
I found a new use for the dehydrated Midori I made in the Solid Liquids project. I made a sun catcher in the shape of Kim Kardashian from her Midori ad, and painted it with dehydrated (and rehydrated) Midori for her dress and X-Rated Fusion liqueur for her hair. Because why not? I started with…
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Which Liqueurs Crystallize When Dehydrated?
In the Solid Liquids Project I've experimented with various methods to dehydrate liqueurs into solids. I've found that not every liqueur does crystallize through conventional heating methods to boil off the alcohol and water. Ones that do not crystallize usually leave a thick, sticky, gummy glob at the bottom of their container. I have not…