Portland, Oregon is the best, as everyone knows. The city is largely unhindered by the cruel oppression of the sun’s toxic ultraviolet rays, which keep skin cancer and unnecessary happiness at bay. Mount Tabor, a dormant volcanic “cone” lies within the city limits, which is in no way absolutely terrifying. And a large near-sighted Amish | Read More

Photo Credit: Zach Lewis (www.zachmlewis.com) Susan writes: I am a frequent bar customer. I need an explanation of the concept behind buybacks. One bartender who I was friends with would not let me pay for my drinks, ever. He said they were on him. One day when it was very slow in the bar I | Read More

You guys don’t realize how good you’ve got it. See, when I was a young blogger, we didn’t have all these new, fancy blogs that you guys have got nowadays. There was none of this Kaiser Penguin business, and certainly not the Scofflaw’s Den. Hell, Boudreau was probably still in Canada back then, for all | Read More

The world is gearing up for Repeal Day this Friday and I couldn’t be more pleased. My good friend Kevin Erskine over at The Scotch Blog has a big summary of Repeal Day history and events posted – thanks for the kind words, Kevin. How’s Your Drink author Eric Felten devoted his weekly column in | Read More

A few years ago I posted some thoughts about why Americans should celebrate the anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition, and since then people from all over the country have written to tell me about the events they’re organizing, the celebrations they’re planning, and the parties they’re throwing. I’ll be in Washington, D.C., celebrating the | Read More

Update: I’ve been given permission to use some of Silamith Weir’s photos that she shot over the weekend, so you’ll see some new/better pictures interspersed in the post now. I landed in New Jersey a day after the competitors arrived in New York, so upon arrival I was immediately whooshed away to the beautiful home | Read More

I’m packing my backs, loading up the camera with virtual film, charging the phone and (possibly) the laptop for New York city tonight after work. I’ll be there witnessing the first Master’s Competition put on by Martin Miller’s Gin, and pitting some of the best bartenders in the United States against some of the United | Read More

No, not Election Day, you chucklehead. I’m referring, of course, to Repeal Day, the day that Americans decided to call bullshit on Prohibition and repeal the Eighteenth Amendment to the constitution, giving many of us the ability to have a beer at a picnic, crack open a bottle of wine with dinner, work as a | Read More

After attending and presenting at the Bar Convent Berlin in September, I felt like taking a few days off and not blogging. I know it sounds like whining, but I needed a break even if it meant that I didn’t get to write up the tail-end of my trip to Germany. So I’m going to | Read More

I’m not really much of a writer. It takes me a long time, I have to constantly erase and re-write huge passages, and I’ve always, always, always got a case of writer’s block. So I was thrilled to come up with my latest-and-greatest blog post last week while I was in Germany : My Five | Read More

It is with a heavy heart and much sadness that I must say goodbye to Germany tomorrow morning, and I wanted to thank everyone I met here for all of the kindness, grace and generosity I encountered while here. The BCB team put on an incredible bar show, so far the best I’ve attended. I’d | Read More

I’ve put together a transcript of my presentation at the BCB as well as all of the slides I used, especially for those of you whose first language is not English. I had a great time presenting and sincerely hope I can do it again next year! My name is Jeffrey Morgenthaler, and I’m a | Read More

I greeted the evening with a late-night invitation to the Beefeater party at Maxim, a huge club here in Berlin. I wasn’t able to make it to the party, unfortunately, but I’ll promise a reasonable explanation – along with a definition of the term “Irish Goodbye” as an answer to the obvious question. Once I’d | Read More

In an amazing display of organization and efficiency, the gorgeous Bar Convent Berlin (Berlin Bar Convention) started this morning. Since I had the rare wisdom to leave early last night, I was able to be there for the first presentation of the day, Cachaça: The Soul of Brazil, presented by the brilliant Jared Brown and | Read More

I have to be up and running around the BCB tomorrow morning, so this post promises to be an exercise in efficiency, and while my last name belies this, I fear that it won’t be the German type. So, here we go: 1. I begin my day at a restaurant recommended to me by Helmut | Read More