I’ve been waiting to share my San Francisco cocktail photos with you for some time now. My big travel story comes out in the Statesman this Sunday. Pick up a copy, and feel the magic of reading it on paper. Or, cheat and read it here on Statesman.com. There’s also a few bars that didn’t make it into the print edition, which you can read about here on Liquid Austin.
Stay tuned! I have even more pics and thoughts to post here. Whether you like it, or not.
Kisses.
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While researching the bartender’s role in American history for the Q&A that runs in today’s paper, I came across this poignant quote in David Wondrich’s “Imbibe!” The lyrical painting of a bartender’s skill that follows originally comes from “Household Words” printed in 1853, by George Augustus Sala. It was a bit too long to squeeze into print, so I thought I would share it with you here instead.
“The bar keeper is a scholar and a gentleman, as well as an accomplished artist, captain of a fire company, and I believe, a man of considerable property, and unapproachable skill in compounding and arranging these beverages, and making them not only exquisite to taste, but delightful to view.
His drinks are pictures.
The barkeeper and his assistants possess the agility of acrobats and the prostidigitative skill of magicians. They are all bottle conjurers. They toss the drinks about; they throw brimful glasses over their heads; they shake the saccharine, glacial and alcoholic ingredients in their long tin tubes; they scourge eggs and cream into froth; they send bumpers shooting down the bar from one end to the other without spilling a drop; they swear strange oaths, smoke, chew and expectorate with astonishing celerity and dexterity.
I should like to be a barkeeper, If I were clever enough.”
Check out the interview with Fino bartender Josh Loving in today’s print edition of the Austin American-Statesman. Or you can read it here online.
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Here are some photos from the shoot I did at the Austonian last week that didn’t make the cut for Austin360. I went to Bar Congress a few days later to drink some — they’re some of the most beautiful drinks around. I love the careful attention to detail Adam Bryan shows with his creations, and the way he’s pushing the envelope with a progressive menu. They’re beautiful to look at, and even more beautiful to drink 
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I wrote an article for the Statesman that came out last week on New Year’s Eve cocktails. I think I played the recommendations fairly safe, nothing too fancy. Delicious though! We enjoyed Champagne cocktails at our own NYE party, in addition to a punch out of Wondrich’s book on the subject. I wanted to include a punch in the article, since punches are all kinds of wonderful, but since the focus of the article was more on “how to stock your bar,” I decided to keep it simple.
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If it seems like I might have been hiding under a rock for the last few months as far as internet-posting goes, well, I have. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working diligently behind the scenes to bring you lots of cool stuff. So here it is– this week I finally launched the highly-anticipated Cocktails Database for Austin360.com.
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Photos from the Texas Spirits Lunch at TOTC this summer. What a grand meal. Here’s a full write up on the event at Austin360.com. Read more here to see all the photos.
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Tres CoopsI can’t even begin to describe how AMAZING this drink is. So I won’t try. Just imagine that it tastes as delicious as it looks.
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The Brave
By Bobby Heugel, co-owner of Anvil Bar and Refuge, Houston
1 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
1 oz Hacienda del Sotol Plata
.5 oz Averna Amaro
1 tsp Marie Brizard Orange Curacao
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Stir in a glass without ice and mist Angostura bitters on top. Flame an orange zest above the cocktail for garnish.
Check out more cocktail photos and my recent story in the Austin American-Statesman.
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