A Dash of Bitters

A weblog detailing cocktails, spirits, liqueurs, barware, bars, and bitters. Maintained by Michael Dietsch, a writer and hobbyist mixer in Brooklyn.

Churchkey

October 4th, 2012

From Food Republic comes this rundown of cool and interesting beer-can designs. I was never a can collector; my next-door neighbor was, when I was a kid, and he was a fat, sweaty, loud-mouthed bully, so y’know, fuck those guys. But nevertheless, when I go through the vintage ads, I always see the flat-top steel cans and think, damn, those look kinda cool.

So one can in the FR lineup in particular stands out:

Churchkey has a website, so head on over to read more.

Country star makes a Manhattan

October 2nd, 2012

I got a funny sort of PR email today. A country artist I’ve never heard of, Kelleigh Bannen, has a new song out, and to promote it, she did a video in which she makes a Manhattan.

Ordinarily, I’d let this sort of thing pass me right by, or if I were mildly interested, I’d watch the video and then forget about it entirely. A couple of reasons I’m not doing that now. Watch the video; it’s under three minutes. I think you’ll see the first notable thing right away.

[YouTube]

Tell me you weren’t surprised by the whiskey. Oh, and she chose rye, which sadly is notable in itself. The cherries aren’t a bad call, either. Technique? Y’know what, I don’t sweat shaking vs. stirring when it comes to mixing a drink at home. The primary reason to stir a Manhattan is to maintain clarity in the drink when you serve it. Shaking agitates the cocktail and makes it hazy looking. Aesthetics matter in cocktail making, but they’re not always crucial. Serving it on the rocks? Well, first, it’s the giant Tovolo tray, so there’s that. Second, here’s my shameful secret: I prefer Manhattans on a giant rock like that.

My only real quibble is why she’s so adamant that the bitters go on at the end.

Czechs Ban Liquor

September 17th, 2012

A strange story this weekend: the Czech Republic on Friday announced a full, national ban on any alcoholic beverage over 20% abv — namely, any hard spirit. The problem, which began a couple of weeks ago, is with bootleg liquor, some of which contains methanol, which is toxic to humans. So far, 20 people have died, and 36 are in critical condition.

I can’t quite understand the rationale for a blanket ban; the government says that bootleg spirits are often sold as legitimate product, which would mean it’s hard to know the true quality of that bottle of Absolut you just bought at a Prague shop. Here’s a telling detail, though:

The BBC’s Rob Cameron in Prague says that with the number of reported deaths slowing, attention is focusing on saving those who survived drinking the tainted alcohol and finding those who bottled it in the first place.

So the idea is: prevent future poisonings, care for those afflicted, and track down the culprits. A full ban still seems like an overreaction to me, though.

The ban is expected to be temporary, but no Czech officials are speculating yet as to when it may be lifted.

Poland has now taken the step of banning spirits imports from the Czech Republic.

Thus far, police have failed to locate the source of the tainted hooch.

Ad of the Week: The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous

September 7th, 2012

September 6, 1937, issue of Life.

schlitz-full

schlitz-detail

 

Let’s just have some fun with this, shall we?

 

From the Library of Congrass, a 1903 song proclaiming the famous Schlitz slogan:

http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/202/

The beer that made Milwaukee famous made all New York drunk!

Finally, what made Milwaukee famous has made a loser out of me:

A Dash of Bitters

A weblog detailing cocktails, spirits, liqueurs, barware, bars, and bitters. Maintained by Michael Dietsch, a writer and hobbyist mixer in Brooklyn.