Last Night at Tales

The last night at Tales was something that almost seemed like the party scenes in the last Matrix movie.
Put 100's of bartenders/mixologists in on very open plan building, add outstanding cocktails from multiple bars set up in said building, add music and well... you can see the pictures and videos we shot in both flickr and facebook. Party didn't break up till 4 AM or so officially and then we all dispersed - the more well behaved ones went to their hotels for a little lie down, the rest were loosed on the streets of New Orleans till dawn - yet again.

Disclosure Statement

Below is the disclosure statement I came up with for my various sites (primarily the website).
Everyone feel free to use this. Please cite or credit me as the inspiration if you like and feel free to use it as a template for your own disclosure piece.
In a way it was therapeutic to write it and it clarifies a number of questions about myself and my webpage both to the world and to myself- or at least sets it down in writing.
Samples and Disclosure Statement

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT:

As noted in Samples (below) we solicit samples for review. Otherwise we could not afford to do this. Unless otherwise noted assume that someone, somewhere, sent us whatever it is in the hopes we would review it - and hopefully like it. Just because someone sends us something does not mean we will show any mercy. We will do a fair review of whatever is sent but the mere fact it was free does not buy us or even rent us. We review products with objectivity and professionalism wherever and however they were acquired.

We do not currently accept advertising but when we do it will only be for items we feel are of excellent quality and something we are not embarrassed to accept advertising from, endorse , or otherwise be identified with,and nothing we feel would be compromising to our integrity, tastes, or values. Again, we are open to offers in the future but will only accept those of products we liked in the first place. We will not change ratings or enhance them in any way in exchange for money or product. Likewise our endorsements are not paid or for sale - we review a product for free and you can quote us for free - the only condition we do ask is you cite us and/or hyperlink to our page as the source.

We will also happily accept travel expenses to visit a distillery, tasting, or whatever else to cover it for the webpage, blogs or other forms of media and will disclose who paid us if/when that ever happens (hasn't happened yet - but see above on our conditions to accept offers).

Samples

I am always looking for new products to review and/or feature on Spirits Review. I will not only sample a product, but any variations or line extensions of the same product. So please feel free to send examples of different bottlings, expressions, etc. Also please send any shelf talkers, literature, or other sales merchandise you feel may be useful.

How to Get Your Product Reviewed

Shipping Instructions/Suggestions:

1. Wrap the items carefully (lots of bubble wrap!).

2. If possible, please send via FedEx (They seem to do the best job) or UPS.

3. Quantities: spirits and wine (minimum 375 ml per item to be reviewed); beer (minimum 2 12-ounce ounces per brew or type to be reviewed). Part of our reviews is on packaging, we like to include drinks as part of the review and we do our own photos/bottle shots this is all difficult with minis. Please see our About page for further details on what we do. Also please send any shelf talkers, literature, or other sales merchandise, POS etc., you think we might find useful.

4. Please email me so I know to look for your samples.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me via email: Chris(at)spiritsreview.com

Please forward sample(s) to:

Samples can be sent to:

Christopher Carlsson
86 Nunda Blvd
Rochester, New York 14610
USA

Cheers,
Chris

"We Don't Have Things Like This In The Third World" III

"Tales crowd is doing its best to kill the night and greet the morning" Around 6 Am or so some stripper from a local club (sorry won't say which) tried selling my English mate some methedrine (his accent marked him as not from around there and unlikely as law enforcement ). He had an outstanding rejoinder (no wonder he gets all the action) No, thank you. I deal in something much more dangerous - alcohol but I do it very responsibly (went on to explain bartending) chatted up the two pneumatic blondes quite nicely for a bit. Finally sometime after the sun rose and before it got to bright we all headed back to the hotel, another night gone and a new day at Tales beginning.

(Apologies for breaking the story up but it seems the only way to be able t0o post the photos Anywhere near where I want them.)

"We Don't Have Things Like This In The Third World" II

Eventually ( as the opening was running late) we were all greeted by Charlotte Voisey - Hendricks Gin Ambassador who, even more so than usual , (given the costume and circumstances), looked like a slumming angel .

Charlotte , who always is a good sport about such things, wore her costume with grace and poise, greeting all of the guests into the darkly lit room beyond the golden doors.

I ran into David Suro ( Of Tequilas Restaurant in Philadelphia and Siembra Azul Tequila) and Dr Rodolfo Fernandez (Noted expert on all things Agave and more) at the burlesque show - Rodolfo had a great line as we were watching the whole spectacle - "We don't have such things in the third world " a pause then, "But we do have American TV which can be similar"

The burlesque show itself was, at turns, amusing and scary, depending on the acts - some of which reminded me of a old saying about prostitutes in Paris but I digress as usual.

Following the Hendricks party I caught a ride with David and Rodolfo to Herbsaint down the street. Bottles of Mezcal somehow appeared from out of a briefcase someone else brought and we are drinking it from the bottle on the sidewalk at the cafe. After getting some more refreshments and a desultory conversation or two we went back to the Monteleone Carousel till it closed down for the night. After that it was off down Royal and somehow ending up at the Erin Rose around 4 AM or so.

The place was unbelievably packed and people of every possible type, persuasion and state of sobriety were there,a major player in the business was there , hooting,raving falling over and having a good time, locals, tales goers of all stripes, it looked like the Meet Cafe from Naked Lunch, some many people of so many different types and enthusiasms were packed in there it was hard to tell who was doing what to me , if they were just being friendly,something more or just trying to let someone else go by. It really didn't matter really, everyone was getting along just fine. We bumped into numerous old friends, made new ones and finally, regretfully, headed down to the Alibi to decompress a bit and await the dawn with a few of a die hard friends.

"We Don't Have Things Like This In The Third World"

Wednesday July 8th Evening - Thursday July 9th Morning

"We Don't Have Things Like This In The Third World "
-Dr Rodolfo Fernandez

The evening started tamely enough and slowly decayed into another another walking into the dawn, "I swear I will never do this Again!", debacle .
Dinner was with the crew from Baddish PR and Remy Cointreau at Mr B's across the street from the Monteleone - surprisingly a number of people in the dinner party were drinking Tourment Vert (the only absinthe/pastis on the menu admittedly) including myself. It really did taste fairly good with lots of ice (OK I was dehydrated and ready to drink almost anything at that point that was cold - but still...).
After a lovely dinner with the crew it was time to go out and see what parties there were on offer for the night- funny the idea of sleep doesn't occur during Tales for most of us it seems...
First there was the Beefeater 24 party at the Roosevelt, a somewhat jarring change from the plush , classy and and low key celebration they held last year for Desmond Payne's Jubilee . This one was full of techno music,suckling pigs, and lots of dancing (in no particular order). The new Beefeater 24 was the spirit of the hour and many different types of drinks were available to showcase this new gin - all of which seemed quite nice and were presented in great profusion to any and all who wished to sample them.

It probably was a particularly bad omen that we were dancing with a mime before 9 PM - dancing with a mime at any hour would have been a bad omen of things to come but before 9 well....
After that lamentable spectacle we proceeded downstairs to await the opening of the Hendricks Burlesques Show, bumping into several luminaries such as Dale DeGroff and Simon Difford. We also knew at this point that if Gary Regan was not here, at this event, he was either dead or seriously MIA.

First Night at Tales - Where All My Troubles Began

This Post was submitted to the to the Blogging Tales crew and never got published there, so I finally decided to publish it here.
O.K. The plan sounded reasonable at first blush, get to Tales early ( by noon from the East Coast ) the day before it all starts (Tuesday ), Yes it did involve getting up at 5 AM , but the thought was , well I'll just have a little lie down before my 6 PM dinner plans with some friends.
That would have worked well if I had gotten more than 3 hours of sleep that night and also if I had not been told upon arrival that my room would not be ready till 4 PM.
Great I thought - all ready sleep deprived and no place to go - back part of the Carousel is shut off and too hot and sunny to sleep in a park.
So I belly up to the Carousel Bar and order an Abita, checking to see if I recognize anyone else.
A few people are already filtering and we have some desultory conversation and look over our paperwork (registration is not open yet either) and try to come up with some plans in lieu of sleep.
The desk staff at the hotel swear they will call me when the room is ready- It's around 4:30 when I get the call.
I retrieve my gear, settle in a bit, have a quick shower, then peruse my maps and contact lists,
I make a few calls and make sure the arrangements for a Fernet Branca 2 pack hung on my doorknob each morning till Sunday is set - there are priorities here.

I met up with the Bartenders Apprentice group - these are the bartenders that do all the heavy lifting , behind the scenes work prepping, and preparing the hundreds of gallons of cocktails for various functions and presentations.They are in a sense similar to the "Black Gang - the workers who shoveled coal into the boilers of steamships - never noticed by anyone but absolutely vital to the operation.

Remy Cointreau has set up an appreciation night for them in advance and I was invited to tag along. First there was some team building games and some competitions - including one that involved guessing the contents of a bag of very disparate items- which later became props for a number of people to wear later in the evening.....

First stop was Arnauds a short distance away for drinks and in some cases cigars. Followed after a bit by the Old Absinthe House then was Tujaques which was a lot further away than many people realized.

A number of us eventually ended up at our usual haunt the Alibi - a place that never closes (Actually they do close for one hour a year for cleaning whether it needs it or not) and is the service industry bar near Bourbon St.

Party breaks up around 4 AM or so with some of us still hanging around till 6 or so.

So much for an early night at the beginning of Tales.

In Praise of Vodka II

Bee Sour
2 oz Bee Vodka
2 oz Fresh lemon Juice
1 oz Simple syrup or agave syrup or 1/2-3/4 oz Honey
1 oz Egg White
2 Dashes Angustora Bitters
Shake vigorously with or without Ice (no ice makes of better foam but chill shaker in freezer)
Pour into Old Fashioned Glass with ice
Garnish with slice of Lemon and Marashino Cherry

This is a drink that is very simple in its ingredients but somehow complex.
It uses a 100% New York State Honey Vodka ( Bee Vodka from Hidden Marsh Distillery ) which has a very distinctive taste and mouthfeel. Floral, citrus, toasty, a dry high proof mead in a sense.
It is a very light frothy kind of drink with a lot of subtle flavors and complexity to it without being overdone. Similar to a Pisco sour but more subtle - and yes you can put the bitters on top of the foam Pisco Sour style as a variation.Refreshing, easy to drink and quenching. Light but not bland.

In Praise of Vodka

My friends would politely label or name me as an anomaly . I am many different things and capable of having multiple enthusiasms about disparate issues, causes and substances.
One of these many things is beverage alcohol in it's many splendid and multifarious forms.
Some of my chief enthusiasms for that subtle poison for without which life would become rapidly unbearable are for whisk(e)y, gin, brandies and eau de vies. But I also have dedicated a lot of time and attention to vodka. By last count I have almost 200 of them of every conceivable type from all over the world. They all are interesting (some if only in a bad way or humorous way), different and worthwhile in some way. And yes they even have a sense of terrior , a Russian vodka from the Yaroslavl area is as distinctive from an Estonian vodka as an Islay scotch is from a Highland,
It's just more subtle and in a narrower range of difference. I have Russian friends who can not only tell you what distillery but what shift made the vodka at Russian distilleries. It's a matter of attention to detail. Example:
A cola drink has roughly 50 + flavor notes to it. A lemon /lime clear soda (7 Up, Sprite etc.,) has only about 7 - but of course you can tell 7 UP from Sprite . Same holds for mineral water - the differences between most are quite remarkable , Gerolsteiner tastes nothing like Perrier and so forth.
Vodka can and does have unique differences that make it interesting, subtle yes, but interesting.
As to drinks think of it as a blending or catalyst agent. It is absolutely necessary for the mouthfeel, weight and mixing of some ingredients to make a successful cocktail, but many were you don't necessarily want a extra taste(s). If one were to use only alcohol containing eau de vies in a drink rather than juices or other non alcoholic liquids you would be either making very small drinks or a rapidly mind numbing cocktail. Vodka does serve a vital purpose as something to facilitate blending of ingredients and to give a feel and taste to a drink.
Also it serves a very useful function which I rapidly learned to appreciate while socializing with my Russian friends.
When you are eating a Russian smorgasbord type of meal with friends there are a huge variety of heavy, protein rich, foods that each would cling like grim death to taste-buds interfering greatly with the appreciation of a new item.The only way to clear your palate for the next course (O.K outside of slices of cucumbers , but what fun is that?) is to do a Russian Shot of Vodka - this is not some 1 oz shot or even a 1 1/2 oz jigger but a 4 finger 100 ml (that's 3.38 oz minimum) of vodka to clear and rinse the palate.
Above is a prefilled Russian shot glass - tear off top as you won't need to reseal it (they always unscrew a cap of a liter bottle and throw it over their shoulder too - but that is another story).
Such pieces of glassware -and the vodka to fill- it is an indispensable part of a proper Russian gathering both for the enjoyment of the food, conviviality and comradeship that will break out.
Using any other form of alcohol just does not work, nothing clears a palate like a large shot of clear cold mineraly vodka - leaving the palate refreshed and ready for more. Another point is hangovers - if you are doing things properly and having many toasts , you need something exceedingly clean of any other chemical compounds (the ones that lend color,taste, and mouthfeel in other alcohols) because you are going to do a lot of it - you just can't do them in the same quantities.
As my favorite drink for vodka (or at least the way to drink it) many times it is something my many Russian friends ( Paratroopers, ex Partisans, Chekists,) taught me- just a glass of pure vodka at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit (too cold and it loses too much taste) in a Russian shot glass you clutch it in your hand and bump fists with your friends so you don't alert anyone - (Army Officers, Fascist Invaders of the Motherland, or whoever ) that you are drinking . You are simultaneously celebrating life, relaxing, and getting one over on authority - what could be better?

World Breastfeeding Week Cocktail
Regan Gin Fizz (Variation on of course Ramos Gin Fizz)
Named after Gary Regan - the ONLY reason being that Gary always tells me I have to much time on my hands when I indulge in strange or pointless projects- no other reasons expressed or implied.

2 oz Aviation Gin
1oz agave syrup,
.5 oz fresh lemon juice,
.5 oz fresh lime juice.
1 egg white
1.5 oz human breast milk (hind milk is best)

Shake madly with ice for 2 minutes.
Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.halogenlife.com/stories/2984-world-breastfeeding-week-time-for-a-cocktail

Lost Entry from 2008 Tales
It's 6 AM,again yes,we said we wouldn't do this again,today, whatever it is, we walked into the dawn again,past the night watchmen,even the prostitutes and beggershave called it a night hours ago.
It all started off innocently enough,full of good intentions,and plans of rest after a quiet night .
After a long day of workshops and networking, we started off at the cocktail hour a broad expanse of cocktails running the gamut from the sublime to the regretable.

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tales test

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Testing the remote blogging system using an old Palm Tungsten C - this was long before twitter when this software came out !
Due to the fact my notebook is not only very heavy and of questionable durability I am going to use my palm handheld and a note book instead aong with my camera( I will be posting on both here and flickr)

Drink Up New York Absinthe Tasting April 30th 2009

Drink Up New York held a Absinthe Tasting at the Bourgeois Pig April 30th for a packed crowd of enthusiasts. With over 13 Absinthes and a few gins thrown in for good measure, it was a crowded venue. Along with the enthusiasts there were many of the actual distillers on hand to discuss and share their products with the enthusiastic crowd. Pictures are on flickr are linked HERE - Sorry there are not more but it was hard to drink and photograph at the same time (have to really work on that before Tales again).
For those who would like to see many more and I dare say higher quality photographs please use this link to go to the slide show of the professional photographer who was there Kat Cheng of http://katcheng.com (who appears next to Joan in a couple photos) .
Ran into quite a few people including Absinthe Ben of the Absinthe Review Network, Lance Winters of St George, Robert Cassell of Philadelphia Distilling (Vieux Carre Absinthe ), Ted Breaux of Nouvelle Orleans and Lucid fame, Gwydion Stone of Marteau Absinthe , among many others.
Will write more after we get some sleep. Been uploading videos from the USBG New York Chapter for far too long!

USBG Bartenders Cocktail Competition May 1st 2009

Laura Baddish and Jonathan Pogash were kind enough to invite us to the United States Bartenders Guild Cocktail Competition held at the World Bar in (a) Trump Tower (corner of 48st and 1st Ave). It was quite the gathering of mixologists,writers, distillers, and assorted others.Bartenders as far away as Moscow came to watch. The link to the still photos and some of the videos (flickr won't allow us to post one of them as it is too big) is HERE . The YouTube videos are HERE . We will continue to label, edit, and describe the various pieces as we piece together the information for each one. This is a bit of a rushed post to get the pics and video up - we will add more info later on.

Is Absinthe in Danger of Becoming The New Mezcal?

I've been watching Absinthe for a number of years now, and despite what many people perceive as a booming market I am afraid for its future.
Yes , it is now legal in Europe and the United States, Yes, there are all kinds of it being imported now and the variety and quality has never been better.
I'd give it about 2-5 years before it utterly collapses- tops. It will be relegated to a couple cheap brands that only the young and stupid will buy.
Why ?
People think it will make them high. Nobody understands it ( O.K. very few of the general public understand it). It is too much a niche drink. Bartenders hate it. Explanations below:
Too many people think there is some hallucinogenic properties to it (like the worm in mezcal stories- equally untrue) that will cause them to consume too much of it in college (or younger) , wake up in a alley and/or have a experience that will prevent them from drinking it again for at least 20 years or so.
Very few people (in the general public) understand it, it's history,variety, nuances or even what quality absinthe should taste like. There is very little education and outreach among brands to consumers or retailers. Most retailers are content with 2-4 brands max and couldn't tell you the difference between any of them. It's just a product. No one seems to promote it much as a diverse category like a scotch or bourbon, where people are encouraged to explore the differences and and variety of tastes each product brings. The consumers don't ask and just grab whatever bottle is on the shelf. They rarely come back for another one. Unless there is some education, activism, and appreciation for it as a catagory it will wither and die due to sheer indifference and ignorance.
No one serves absinthe cocktails or even remembers them. For absinthe to survive and thrive, it needs cocktails.The industry needs to publish all the extant cocktail recipes from the era when there were such things and develop new ones damn soon. If there is not a menu of cocktails and hopefully some new popular ones soon its use and consumption will go nowhere.
Bartenders hate it because of all the serving headaches inherent with the current absinthe popular culture and the serving options.
Fire, too many people believe you should set it on fire. This is a malignant and stupid rumor that was started by someone (who will remain nameless) who wanted to create a new ritual and hook for Czech Absinthe. Fire in a bar, people looking to get wasted and high, the rum fire lawsuits, Oh yes, great formula for success and acceptance. Serving French style- fragile, easily knocked over, or stolen fountain, slow mixing , just what a bartender wants. Add expensive, fragile glassware, expensive serving spoons ( both easily stealable to) and yes, we have a problem. That and the length of time to prepare each frappe is going to cause a riot on Saturday night.
Many early pieces of absinthe glassware and spoons were heavy, cheap and mass produced. It was meant to be durable and not worth stealing- or if it was - a minimal loss.
The industry needs to start producing heavy duty restaurant grade glassware and spoons to match. Libbey and Oneida spring to mind as possible sources. Bars and restaurants don't use sterling silver and crystal (for the most part) for service, absinthe needs to have serving equipment that is not a headache. Also Absinthe cocktails would help eliminate this problem - no special glasses and spoons.
I think that unless these issues are addressed will relegate absinthe to the level of mezcal - a drink that while it can be wonderful and has a small handful of afficicandos is misunderstood by most of the public and retailers and is a highly niche market except for college students.

New Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Bitters is Out ! (2009 or 3rd Release/Edition)

Just got back from the Headquarters of Fee Brothers a few minutes ago with a bottle of the 2009 Version ( or 3rd Release in the series depending on how you keep track of such things) of the Whiskey Barrel - Aged Bitters.
Label is virtually the same as last time (earlier version had minor graphical changes) only difference on label this year is annotation of "Oaken Maturity Achieved in 2009" so you can tell it apart from last years - at least if you look closely.
Will have a review and comparison tasting review ( of all three years) up in a bit!

Review of New Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters (2009 - 3rd Release)

Here are my preliminary impression of the new bitters and a comparison of all three:
Very pronounced cinnamon, followed by ginger, ,gentian, angustora, cardamom, caraway, scents of bitter zest of bark and citrus oils (orange?) also. Nice lingering finish drying finish with fair amount of gentian and other bitter alkali herbs. Cinnamon is a touch much more aromatic, vanilla and orange/citrus are a bit more pronounced than batch one and two.

TASTING ROUND UP:
Batch One (2007) is earthier with more angustora and bitter herbs with citrus on nosing, more bitter on tasting.
Batch Two (2008) is more subdued (and the most subdued of the three) with more clove and bark with ginger sweetness and zest.
Batch Three (2009) has a lot more cinnamon and cassia notes, with a good deal of quinine like notes for finish

Noilly Prat Dry- The New Versus the Old, or Should I Say, The American Versus The European ?

I recently had the opportunity to try both the old, at least as I define it, meaning the standard American dry Noilly Prat and the new, but some would say traditional, dry Noilly Prat. Most Americans however, would refer to the new Noilly Prat as new despite the fact it is the European version which has been available for decades in Europe. They would do this because there was a uniquely American product also called Noilly Prat Dry but an entirely different product from its European cousin.
This American version, as I will call it, has only been available since about 1970 at least according to some sources, others place it slightly earlier. Whatever the case may be, it is now being phased out in favor of the European dry version much to the consternation of many martini drinkers.

Eric Felten of the Wall Street Journal and author of "How's Your Drink?", summed it up very nicely in a column about three weeks ago ( which can be found on WSJ.com). In short form it can be summed up as the coming of the martini apocalypse. As Eric accurately pointed out, martini drinkers are very conservative group by nature, and will by and large probably hate the new version.
Is the new European version as bad as this? Is it dramatically different? No and yes actually, no it's not bad, but yes it is dramatically different. While it has its charms, it is not the old Noilly Prat.
Again as Eric suggested in his column, you need to use about half of the amount of Noilly Prat you would use if you were using the American version. Even then it's not the same, the color is slightly different, the new formulation and the wood notes are striking ( but not necessarily unpleasant), and there is even a different mouthfeel to the martini itself.
We will shortly be posting reviews on both the American and European versions on our website Spirits Review.com with impressions of each. In the interim we wish to express our mystification as to the motives of Noilly Prat and why they would choose to abandon a iconic classic and alienate its market share to pursue a new crowd in the hopes of selling their new version or European version as an Apertif. If you wish to make a more or less traditional martini using the new European version, you need to use about half the vermouth you normally would this of course means that people will be using half the vermouth they normally use to mix their martinis. This effectively cuts their consumption by half, and that that is only the people who choose to stay with Noilly Prat, as opposed to those who may be forced to choose other vermouths altogether. So the logic of alienating all of their faithful drinkers in the hopes of chasing new ones, and even if they retain their faithful ones makes no sense to us whatsoever. Adding the new or European version is a line extension however, would make sense, and possibly spur additional sales for people looking for something new. One would hope the Noilly Prat would look to Coca-Cola and the new Coke as an object lesson. While the new version may have its charms and certainly does, abandoning their faithful customers does not to us seem a wise move. Offering these customers more choice, however, certainly seems more diplomatic and positive. We can only hope that the executives of Noilly Prat have a moment of clarity and decide to add the European version, possibly with a slightly different name such as Noilly Prat Amer to their current offerings to offer more, rather than less choice.

New Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters Review

Just reviewed the new Fee brothers Cherry Bitters and came up with a cocktail for it.
http://www.spiritsreview.com/reviews-bitters-fees-cherry.html

Going to Tales !

Headed to Tales of the Cocktail soon!
Will be going back to Tales for further punishment and to host the second annual Ernest Hemingway Bar Crawl

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That Smell is My Eyeball Burning....

Just got my eyes lasered yesterday.I think the official term is LASIK, excimer laser, mixed vision,(One for long distance, one for short distance, reading, computer,etc.,)
They did a couple work ups and then gave me a pouch of medications, goggles sunglasses and scrips for prescriptions on the Friday before and had me come back on Wednesday the 4th (of June to do the actual surgery.
They put a number of numbing local anesthetics in my eyes then painted them with Betadine (felt like they were tanned like leather after that)and had me take a 5 mg Valium.
After they laid me down on the table they put a patch on my left eye then taped my right eyelid down and put a eye speculum (remember "A Clockwork Orange"?) and suction on my eye to pull the cornea up.
They then turned off the lights so they could "flap" my cornea - read cut the top with a scalpel and fold it back - without me having to watch (sounds like something from a bad horror movies so I was glad I didn't see it).
Then they said focus on the blinking red light - it didn't hurt but the smell of the cornea being vaporized was like the smell of burning flesh - they forgot to mention that bit beforehand - held my breath and tried not to think about it as much as possible. While a nurse held and occasionally tappped my upper arm to distract me.
They then turned the laser off and put the cornea flap back,smoothing it out like putting tinting on a window (very carefully to avoid bubbles)with a lot of stroking it with a small instrument to lay it down.
They then did the same procedures on my left eye (while a nurse helpfully held my hand).
Everything seems to have gone well. There is a constant rain of eye drops ( 4 different ones - a steroid, 2 antibiotics and a preservative free artificial tears, that I have to use (some every hour, others about 2 hours apart)and a pair of goggles/eye shields I have to wear to bed for the next week or so to prevent my rubbing my eyes during the night.
Above is me with my new "Motor Vehicle Card" which says I don't have to wear corrective lenses to drive anymore.Very cool I thought. Glad to have it! -It was a very nice surprise that the Doctor gave me the day after surgery.

Fermenter Room Panorama

Fermenter Room Panorama
Originally uploaded by Spirits Review

Stitch Photo of Mash Fermenting Room at Michters

Just finished up a tour of the abandoned Michters Distillery full photo set is at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiritsreview/sets/72157604984602396/
Most of the equipment is intact but the roofs have fallen in on some buildings.
Also there is a lot of raccoon excrement and mold in the place.
Something seems to have got me....
Sore throat,trouble breathing and a body temp of 97.Dizzy and sick. Hope I can write a story abou the place to pay for the doctors bills...
Anyway please check out the photos.

Century Pittsford Nicole's Liquor Store Review

The much delayed , much anticipated Pittsford Century,Nicole's Liquor Store is now Open.
Wegman's Does Wine the Same Way they do Sushi or Anything Else-
Badly.corporate,soulless,Potemkin Village. It has that Wegmans feel, take something and corporate manage it to death - like their sushi,cheese or natural foods, lets bulk up on questionable cheap products that are mediocre and serve them up in a overly big,brightly lit store that has much charm,interest or fun as a cat litter (but to be fair, cleaner) ignoring interesting products or doing any research to find truly good products.

The selections are uninspired, the selection LOOKS big but is not- they have a lot of the same product side by side to bulk up space but the selections are lacking.
Where are the artisanal items,small production,interesting or quirky things? What about all the new and interesting products out there?This place is a homogenized,pasteurized and antiseptic version of a store with no soul.
The information are has 1 computer to look things up, the spirit books selection is poor to middling.

I won't do a point by point critique of each area but it was uninspiring,unimaginative,and unexciting- not to say boring and lacking.

As to their tastings,the stuff they had in the spirits section today was undrinkable kiddie Koolaid with regretabble vodka.On their opening day they chose this?
Even the ABC chain liquor stores in Florida do a lot better job in terms of breadth of selection.

Yeah, it looks flashy,big,supposedly great but I wouldn't go back. After all this I'll probably be banned from the property anyway!

The Eliot Spritzer

I guess this goes to show what happens when I am unsupervised...
I started thinking about Eliot Spritzer and a drink that would be fitting and I was foooling around with various options,Champagne was obvious for the spritzer and success, then something for madness or loss of any even remote self control. hmmm, mezcal?, gin, then I thought the obvious, Absinthe,why not ?
Most people actually believe those stories, so it would be humorous. So then I thought "Death in the Afternoon,Hemingway , etc.,
and Campari for a bitter bloody ending, why not?
We of course used upstate New York Champagne given Eliot's love of upstate too.
Original - Quite Bitter- Especially at End

1/2 oz of Campari
1 oz Absinthe
3 oz Champagne
(Basically a Death in the Afternoon variant)
Pour the Campari into a champagne flute
Float 1 oz of Absinthe (I prefer the Kubler Clear/white for looks or if you want a sweeter version use Lucid)
Float the champagne over all of it. (The absinthe will mix with the champagne)
Another method to make it is to add the Absinthe and champagne first then put the Campari in the bottom using a turkey baster or other syringe type device to layer it below the other ingredients.
If you want a sweeter version add sugar or simple syrup to the absinthe before hand
Of course the story is champagne (sweetness of success) followed by the Absinthe (Madness and Sex)and then the Campari (a bitter,bloody red end)

Sweeter Version

1/2 oz of Campari
1 oz St Germain Liqueur
1 oz Absinthe
3 oz Champagne

Pour the Campari into a Champagne flute
Mix the St Germain, Champagne and Absinthe together then float over the Campari
Another method to make it is to add the mix first then put the Campari in the bottom using a turkey baster or other syringe type device(marinade hypo) to layer it below the other ingredients.
Of course the story is champagne (sweetness of success) followed by the Absinthe (Madness and Sex)and then the Campari (a bitter,bloody red end)
Cheers,
Chris

What I'm Reading Lately- and Can Reccomend

There have a been a few really excellent cocktail books out there lately amidst all the dross: First one is "How's Your Drink ?" by Eric Felten, a second highly recommended book is David Wondrich's "Imbibe !" and the third and last Is Simon Difford's Cocktail Guide #7 While there are vast differences in the style and content of all three books they share a few common traits; They are all immensely well written,readable, entertaining,and useful in a practical sense If you buy any or all of these books for yourself or as gifts it is money well spent and whoever gets them will enjoy, and perhaps more importantly use them - maybe even to mix a cocktail or two for whoever got them the book(s).
My extended commentary and reviews of them can be found on: http://www.spiritsreview.com/reviews-books.htm
and a interview of Eric Felten can by found by clicking this link:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452319854/bctid1320109652

A new way to access Restaurant and Bar reviews

We're now reviewing restaurants and bars in Rochester, NY - we're using Google's new "Yelp" interface - check it out!

Recent reviews by Christopher C.

What's this?

Posting to Technorati

In an effort to expand readership we are going to register with Technorati.
Technorati Profile
Along with, of course, posting more stories

Michael Jackson - The Beer Guy - Not the Clown

Michael Jackson was an Icon in both the beer and whisk(e)y having written extensively on both, with a passion and humor unmatched by anyone. He will be sorely missed by all of us. We hope there is beer (and whiskey) in heaven and Michael is taking notes for the rest of us.
His breadth of expertise, humor and class made his writing and speaking irreplaceable. The beer and whiskey worlds have lost their most articulate spokesperson. The love, passion and dedication to his subject and trade were unmatchable, he was the master.
He was considered one of the(if not the) experts on Single Malt Whiskey(read Scotch)and Whisk(e)y in general. He was the author of "The Single Malt Companion" (5 editions) which was the guide to single malts,the Malt Whisky Companion, and his latest book Whisky The Definitive World Guide Scotland and its Whiskies, along with writing extensively for Malt Advocate and Whisky Magazine and was widely known as a whisk(e)y judge/critic etc., the world over and was considered an expert in all forms of whisk(ey) about which he wrote extensively. He also wrote Michael Jackson's Bar and Cocktail Companion (If you do a search on Amazon you can probably get a count of how many books he actually did) He was also referred to as the "Whisky Chaser" along with the "Beer Hunter"
I think he was equally as big in the spirit world as the beer one - and also (to our loss) there are a damn sight fewer spirits writers/experts than beer people. Only Jim Murray might be considered in the same class as him for the whiskies(Jim is a nice guy with a lot of expertise but there is no one who can replace Michael in both worlds/fields). Michael was the Cyrano de Bergerac of Beer and Whisk(e)y,his prose about something approached high art in writing and his enthusiasm was contagious. It inspired myself and scores of others to explore and write about beer and whisk(e)y enticing us into the world of malt beverages and ink with nary a backward glance. Our only solace is that we know Michael will have the beer and whisk(e)y sorted out by the time we join him.

Tales of The Cocktail in New Orleans Day 1 July 18th The Conference

This is the 5th Tales of the Cocktail to be held in New Orleans Louisiana and the first one I attended.It ran from Wednesday July 18 through Sunday July 22nd.Absolutely jam packed with excellent workshops,seminars, and sessions on every facet of the Cocktail the organizers and presenters could think of-history,theory and practice of almost every type of cocktail and spirit.
The presenters - and the crowd that came for the event - were almost as dazzling.You could not throw a rock in the hotel without hitting a world famous bartender, author, or restaurateur.The presentations were first rate, the food delicious, and the parties well... lets just say there were equal to the attendees.

Tales of The Cocktail in New Orleans Day 1 July 18th

I had gotten this great deal to go to Tales of the Cocktail through Travelocity-6 Nights and Airfare from Rochester , New York for $610 including a shuttle to and from the airport.The hotel was a 2 star supposedly according to their website like a small French hotel.They forgot to add the adjectives Marseilles Waterfront- down by the old U Boat Pens.
It took 3 tries before they found me a room that had working air conditioning,broken phone door whose lock took at least 8 tries to open each time,cracked sink and a air conditioning unit that barely worked at all.The elevator worked some of the time, the fire alarm was broken, the cockroaches were big and the other guests scary.

Hurricane at Laffites Blacksmith Shop

Hurricane at Laffites Blacksmith Shop
Originally uploaded by Spirits Review

Part of the walking tour of New Orleans involves a bit of drinking

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing. If you want to see specific topics click on sets at the top of the page.We have a lot of interesting photos from our travels - distilleries,brewpubs etc.,

Tales from Tales

The photographer who took these pictures said something about blackmail and I said "You are assuming I have a sense of shame"

This is a story about how I tried to show that you can't outdo anyone from Tales,we are professionals, and we have a reputation to live up (down) to.
We went on the walking tour of New Orleans Bars Sunday afternoon (after the Hemingway Memorial Bar Crawl) and were in the oldest Gay Bar in the United States - Cafe Lafite in Exile it goes down hill from here....read on if you must...
Before we went in the the place the guide warned us "Guys, be ready they love to play games with the tourists and try to freak them out - it keeps them amused, so be ready."
I replied "If anyone hits on me I take it as a compliment" so this Drag Queen is Vamping in the doorway taunting us to come in (See Drag Queen in Doorway)
we come in and she comes up to me and (see Kissing Drag Queen)... They didn't get the actual contact but trust me Cheryl will tell you....I may have given her mental scars for life...Then they gave me this drink (see P7220320.JPG photo) and this is what I did with it (see During photo) again they missed the wink to the crowd, but the crowd saw it and loved it after that I asked the Bartender



The photographer who took these pictures said something about blackmail and I said "You are assuming I have a sense of shame"

This is a story about how I tried to show that you can't outdo anyone from Tales,we are professionals, and we have a reputation to live up (down) to.
We went on the walking tour of New Orleans Bars Sunday afternoon (after the Hemingway Memorial Bar Crawl) and were in the oldest Gay Bar in the United States - Cafe Lafite in Exile it goes down hill from here....read on if you must...
Before we went in the the place the guide warned us "Guys, be ready they love to play games with the tourists and try to freak them out - it keeps them amused, so be ready."
I replied "If anyone hits on me I take it as a compliment" so this Drag Queen is Vamping in the doorway taunting us to come in (See Drag Queen in Doorway)
we come in and she comes up to me and (see Kissing Drag Queen)... They didn't get the actual contact but trust me Cheryl will tell you....I may have given her mental scars for life...Then they gave me this drink (see P7220320.JPG photo) and this is what I did with it (see During photo) again they missed the wink to the crowd, but the crowd saw it and loved it after that I asked the bartender (about the size of Martin from Forbidden Tiki ) for a blowjob (which he handed me) for some reason I started getting these free drinks... anyway I then I proceeded to carry this drink around with me for the rest of the tour (see after) including stopping to chat with Laurence Fishburn (who to his credit only raised one eyebrow slightly at the sight of me - Hurricane (from Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop of course) in one hand and that in the other .
Anyway I think I helped establish that anyone from Tales can hold their own at Cafe Lafitte in Exile and more importantly can probably get at least one round free.

Ernest Hemingway Memorial Bar Crawl in NOLA Saturday July 21st

Well it all started innocently enough as we always say.....
We were at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans last week both as a Journalist and for the Ministry of Rum Rum Competition When we heard Absolut was going to hold a Ernest Hemingway's birthday party at the Old Absinthe House from 7-9 PM on Saturday - some of us felt that was - well, just wrong - 7-9 PM ?, 2 hours? We started at 9 AM,(after about 4 hours sleep-maybe) drank through the conference workshops (where plenty of drinks were served) and started what we now call "The Ernest Hemingway Memorial Bar Crawl" through the French Quarter after the workshops and the last two standing from the entire Tales conference left the Alibi Bar at 8 AM on Sunday to get ready for workshops at 10 AM.
It was a motley group of Public Relations people,Maitre D's ,Bartenders,Investment Brokers, Journalists,Importers, and other assorted motley individuals who gathered in memory of Pappa and to celebrate his birthday in a barcrawl dedicated to his memory and was to have the distinction of being the last people standing from the entire contingent of all the crew from Tales of the Cocktail on the Saturday night of the conference.
It started up Bourbon Street stopping at numerous bars,Pat O'Brien's for Hurricanes, further on for Hand Grenades.Somehow we ended up on Decatur St,at Pravda where the Absinthe flowed and young nubile Goth girls slithered into each others laps and spanked each other (these were customers, not professionals so they were quite enthusiastic).The party staggered on to the Apple Barrel at the end of Bourbon and Decatur St., with only one casualty who was escorted back by another person to see them safely back.
It continued back through the streets finally coming to rest at the Alibi Bar a Service after hours bar that is the haunt of bar and restaurant workers after shifts.The last saw the backs of the others around 6:30 AM and decided it was not yet full enough daylight to call an end to the quest.They finally left the bar a little after 8 AM knowing that at least some had honored Papa in a way he would have been proud of.

Wine Section Expanding

Again in response to popular demand, we will be starting or should say expanding, our wine review section.while our focus is on distilled spirits for the most part, we do enjoy and will review wine and beer on the site.
The reason we have not done much with wine or beer on this site, is there are so many other ones out there that cover wine and beer extensively.so in order to specialize. We pretty much stuck with distilled spirits. However, we have now decided to take them on, at least in a limited way, with our main focus still being on distilled spirits.

Absinthe Section Now On Spirits Review

Due to popular demand we have launched a new section in our reviews on Absinthe
We not only do reviews of absinthe itself, but also the many fountains, spoons,and other assorted barware related to Absinthe.
Much of our research was done out of the country to the legal restrictions on absinthe in the United States at the time. Due to the rapidly changing legal landscape we will still provide links for people to order absinthe overseas if they wish to do so until Absinthe is more available in the U.S.

Spirits Review is Adopting Flickr for Adventures

In an attempt to get more of our trips and adventures online more quickly, we've decided to start using Flickr to post all of our photos as soon as we get them off the camera along with a least some narrative to let people know what we're up to. Over the next few weeks we will be posting roughly 2500 photos chronicling a number of trips to distilleries and a few gatherings and later I will be posting them more formally on the website under our adventures section.We haven't figured out exactly where to put the link for Flickr, but be assured it will be easy to find.

Cachaca

Cachaca (Ka-shaa-suh) is a colorless unaged spirit from South America made from sugar cane juice. There are of course some exceptions-some are aged and have color,some are made from molasses.The bulk of them come from Brazil (which has over 5000 brands plus probably an equal if not greater number of bootleg,homemade brands/producers).
It could be considered a type of rum as the ingredients are the same but most rum producers are happy that the Cachaca producers keep making the distinction.
Cachaca has been becoming more popular of late (read commercially viable beyond a very narrow ethnic/specialty market)by dint of aggressive marketing in Europe and North America. This is in no small part because it is one of the last frontiers of exploitable drinks.
Vodka has been done to death,gin is complicated to make,Rum is crowded (and good luck against Bacardi White and its marketing muscle),whiskey takes too long to make and there are limited distilleries,whereas Cachaca has a huge number of distilleries who produce it if for virtually nothing,are close to their markets (in terms of shipping-compared to China or Korea - other possible future producers of the next "New" spirits) and are willing to but your label on their product for very little.
Problem is, most of the stuff tastes like (and is used for) fuel. All it is is plain old ethanol (read drinking or drinkable alcohol) and most of the producers use a criteria of quantity and cheapness over quality.It was and is a drink of the poor in South America much as Moonshine or Samagon is in other countries-cheap, fiery alcohol sold for pennies per drink. (liter of Cachaca in a slum is about 25 cents).
There are of course exceptions to this rule,much like the fact that there are very good or excellent bootleg whiskey or vodka producers,there are distillers of Cachaca that take pride in their products- and produce them legally.
Most cachaca (legal) is produced in column stills- a high volume/low cost way of producing massive quantities of alcohol (same way ethanol plants for fuel do- with much the same results).
Higher end artisanal Cachaca is made in Alembic type pot stills in batches and carefully distilled in smalll batches with an eye towards quality.
Almost all of this Cachaca is drunk as Mojitos- a mix of Cacahca,mint and sugar with or without some lime juice thrown in.Basically a Mint Julep using a unaged white spirits instead of a whiskey.Most of the cheap and/or illegal stuff is drunk striaght out of the plastic bottle or jug it came in - usually a recycled drinks or sometimes a pesticide bottle.

Status Report

Well the computer crashed in late December and it took about 3 weeks to establish it was lost forever and another 2 weeks to decide what to do and rebuild.
We have scrapped the idea of running XP in a virtual environment (within Ubuntu Linux) as the VM ware kept crashing and losing our files. We now have rebuilt the computer and are trying to catch up ASAP on our reviews. Things are going much faster on the rebuilt system and we should be caught up soon.
Thanks for everyones patience as we regroup!
Cheers,
Chris