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Packing for The UK and Iceland

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Right now I’m packing my bags and making last-minute preparations for a very special trip. Martin Miller’s Gin has graciously offered to fly me to London and Iceland for a week of gin education, touring, cocktail judging, and the possibility of merriment at some of the finest bars and restaurants in the world. Being a | Read More

Powell’s Books, Portland Oregon

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If you’re ever wandering aimlessly around Portland on a Friday morning, it’s always a good idea to stop by the cocktail books section at Powell’s. You never know what you might find.

The Great American Distiller’s Festival: Q&A on Northwest Absinthe

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We’re fortunate to have some great minds in absinthe here in the Pacific Northwest, and on Sunday a few of them came together to share their extensive knowledge with the attendees of the Great American Distiller’s Festival in a panel titled “Q&A on Northwest Absinthe” The panel featured Gwydion Stone, founder of the educational organization | Read More

Old Forester Repeal Bourbon

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Things are really starting to ramp up for the 75th anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition on December 5th! Today I received a package from the folks at Old Forester bourbon, who are showing their support of my favorite day by releasing a limited edition Repeal Day bottling of their whiskey. From the press release: | Read More

Come to Portland and Win a Thousand Bucks!

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Last year, I had the tremendous fortune to stumble upon the Great American Distiller’s Festival in Portland and meet up with some really excellent Portland-area bartenders. That afternoon in August, coming together with so many talented individuals that I hardly knew existed prior to that day, laid the foundation for the Oregon Bartenders Guild. So | Read More

Amerikanische Bartender im Berlin

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For those of you not in-the-know, I’ll be heading to Berlin at the end of September to give a presentation at the BCB (Berlin Bar Conference). It’s an annual event put on by Mixology Magazine, which I’ve been contributing to for several months now. Anyway, I’ll be delivering my presentation on the topic of “The | Read More

Pairing Dinner with Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page

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I don’t know how food writers do it. Talking with Andrew tonight, he told us about their last-minute pairing dinners and the challenges of putting together an article the night before the Washington Post’s due date. And so here I am, trying to write a simple blog post after six courses, complete with wine pairings | Read More

Matusalem Gran Reserva 15

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I see a fair amount of liquor in my average day. I work in a bar and am surrounded by 200+ bottles of the stuff for ten hours a day. Liquor reps drop by the bar and leave me samples of new products on a regular basis. I get press releases, forwarded emails, RSS feeds, | Read More

Mixology Monday: New Orleans

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I spent the week leading up to Tales of the Cocktail revisiting the Vieux Carré cocktail, which was created at the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone by bartender Walter Bergeron in 1938. I tried several of the recipe variations out there on unsuspecting customers all week long, perfecting the Vieux Carré before getting on | Read More

Autumn Leaves

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This recipe is part two of my New Orleans Mixology Monday post. For the complete story behind this drink, please click here. And here’s a short video of the Autumn Leaves shot by Philip Beech:  

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page…

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What to drink with What you Eat …are coming to Eugene! The authors of one of my favorite books (and many others) are going to be in town for a very special pairing dinner at one of my favorite restaurants (and previous employer: hi, guys!). I just made my reservation after receiving this in my | Read More

Swag Off ’08: We Have a Winner!

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Since I was deep in the thick of competition and couldn’t take notes, I enlisted the services of Portland, Oregon food writer Ms. Lizzy Caston. Following is her report. What does a group of creative bartenders do with bags full of promotional alcohol samples, mixers and condiments? Hold a contest to determine who can make | Read More

I’m Over Here!

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If you’ve noticed a dearth of posts from me while I’m at Tales of the Cocktail, please join me at the collaborative cocktail blog, TalesBlog.com I’m attempting to liveblog some of the events I’m attending, and my colleagues are doing the same. I will, of course, be posting lots of photos and sharing some of | Read More

Tales of the Cocktail: Day Zero

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I’m calling this “Day Zero” since the events don’t officially start until tomorrow. Although, you’d never know it by the sheer quantity of cocktail luminaries amassed in the French Quarter right now. My day started with an internal miscommunication about the actual date of my departure (that’s what I get for booking the trip three | Read More