The Whoa, Nellie!² calls the Cafe Adelaide and Swizzle Stick Bar in New Orleans its home. It was contributed to the Swizzle Stick’s menu as a tribute to the first Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina and in a stupefied fit of unfit drunkenness I ordered it and it broke through my haze of disorientation and inebriation and brought the guiding light of clarity and “Damn, this is GOOD,” to my soul and I scratched out the recipe from the poor bartender’s lips as I slurred my way through understanding.

Whoa, Nellie!

• 1.25oz Rye Whiskey (Sazerac or the like)
• .75oz Dark Rum (Coruba or Myer’s)
• .75oz Cointreau
• .5oz Grapefruit juice
• .5oz Lemon juice
• .5oz Simple syrup

Shake all ingredients and double-strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Think recuperative thoughts.

As my friend Rick said upon first tasting this drink, “The first sip reminded me of the Alamagoozlum in its strangeness. The melange of ingredients produces a symphony where no one instrument is heard, yet a chorus of sound echoes in your ears.” Yes, something like that.

The Whoa, Nellie! brings the unusual pairing of Rye and Dark Rum together in a way that allows this to be more than a sour but, even with the grapefruit, less than tiki. It’s one of my favorite types of drinks, built on simple and easy-to-find ingredients but bringing with it enough complexity to be wildly interesting without being fussy and demanding voodoo-like ritualistic principles of process or construction to achieve its goals. In short, it’s divine and yet accessible. It also goes great with hearty summer dishes such as grilled sausages, grilled flat-iron steak, or barbeque. This is a drink that cries out to be put into rotation as the mercury threatens to burst out of the thermometer out your window and poison the Hydrangeas you’ve nurtured so well.

Also, if you’ll allow me, back to Ted Haigh and New Orleans. Tales of the Cocktail is next week and, with it, a gaggle of cocktailians, bartenders, and other enthusiasts descend upon the Big Easy and raid bars like the Swizzle Stick and make them their own. One of the things I look forward to most at Tales this year is the release of a new version of “Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails,” by Ted Haigh³ . The first edition was the second serious cocktail book I purchased, right behind “The Joy of Mixology.” Ted opened my eyes to such wonderful drinks as the Blue Moon, the Alamagoozlum, Picon Punch, the Income Tax Cocktail, the Pendennis, and many others. He also did it with a degree of grace, detail, and intrigue that made it great fun to read.

In this deluxe edition Ted brings us back to those drinks but with new insights, new sources, and with a look at how the Internet has affected and supported the burgeoning cocktail culture. If you are thinking of dipping your toe into cocktailian waters and are at a loss for a place to start, you can’t do much better than this guide. If you are a seasoned mixologist or aficionado of quality drinks and don’t yet have this on your shelf, your library is incomplete. Buy it at Tales and get it signed by Ted himself⁴ or order it on Amazon, it’s one of the good ones.

Last Night's Dogbite: Whoa, Nellie! is a post from: cocktailnerd

1. alsonotreally
2. one of the top 10 modern drink names, to be sure
3. remember I mentioned those great achievements, this is one of the honest-to-god ones
4. this was fact-checked through SeanMike – beat him senseless when Ted wonders why you’re harassing him with a book in your hand

“The internet helped in tracking down these ingredients and recipes could be found for the ingredients that were not commercially available. My book collection grew steadily….When I finally gathered all the books in one place there were close to 2,000 books from 1940 and earlier. Now my collecting madness includes innumerable bottles of long discontinued booze.”

Then, something changed. Suddenly, Creme de Violette, Pimento Dram, and other long-forgotten cocktail ingredients, so many of which are required to faithfully reproduce the recipes in the vintage tomes Greg had assembled, began appearing on the market. And, likewise, a burgeoning community of cocktail enthusiasts were publishing, and promoting, recipes for lost liqueurs and spirits on the Internet and in mainstream magazines such as Imbibe. And Greg was sitting on an accidental Alexandrian Library of the Cocktailian Arts. “In other words, the books were now a living history and part of the cocktail renaissance that was in full force. And, once I decided to republish the books, they had to be as accurate as possible.”

But, how would the purists, the collectors who had been using out-of-print cocktail books as a commodity for trading as collector’s items, and the general reader receive these reprints? Fortunately, because these are not mere “reprints” but faithful reproductions of the original works, down to the paper’s weight, the book’s binding, the typeface, the embossing and imprints, and the dimensions, they have been widely welcomed. “The cocktailian community has been incredibly supportive of Mud Puddle’s cocktail book publishing program,” confides Greg with a mixture of pride and relief. “It has been incredible to see bartenders across the world re-creating old drinks and also creating new ones based on the old recipes form the books [and,] for the most part, cocktail book collectors are happy with the reproductions…luckily for [them], the reproductions seem to actually have increased the value of the originals. Perhaps more people are aware of the old books now.”

And so, from “Barflies and Cocktails,” a book in which Greg had to find, “…a printer that was wiling to go the extra step [of using] 3-piece binding that is never used today,” to “The Modern Bartender’s Guide” which has the original “blind stamping” on the front and back Greg has brought us Mud Puddle Books’ Cocktail Kingdom. The original books to publish were selected through the best possible means imaginable, “Bartender and fellow cocktail book collector from London, Jeff Masson and I sat down with David Wondrich and Ted Haigh at the French 75 bar in New Orleans during Tales of the Cocktail to discuss what books to publish next.” This organic process of selecting and reproducing classic and vintage books has been a boon for cocktail enthusiasts interested in the first recorded recipe for Parfait Amour as well as the casual reader wanting to enter into the world of better drinking with books such as Robert Hess’ “Essential Bartender’s Guide.”

In fact, so flexible and open-ended are Greg’s pursuits for the next cocktail classic reproduction that he relates how his latest project came about in this way:

“Mud Puddle is a small company and we are all very hands-on. It would be difficult to be as flexible as we are if the company was larger. For example, while in the Mixoloseum chat room last week it was suggested that we should republish “The South American Gentleman’s Companion” by Charles Baker. And, we started working on the project the very next day. Sterling Publishing was a much larger company and while we published cocktail books, they were a tiny part of the business. “

Greg freely confesses that it’s “by some miracle” that the Cocktail kingdom endeavor has stayed afloat. I highly recommend any of the beautiful reproductions but especially Embury’s “Fine Art of Mixing Drinks“, Jerry Thomas’ classic “The Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks: A Bon Vivant’s Companion” and Charlie Paul’s “Recipes of American and Other Iced Drinks“. Between these three vintage books you will find yourself immersed in the language and history of the American Cocktail and can appreciate its history, colorful contribution to culture, and keep yourself mired in long lost flavors for as long as your heart, and your curious mind, desire. Just be sure to keep the miracle alive and start building your collection today. You won’t be sorry.

This is a reposting of my work over at The Mixoloseum’s Blog, please take a look over there and what other great work you can find.

The Great Aggregator: Greg Boehm and Mud Puddle Books is a post from: cocktailnerd

See, above all, this is a literate book. Felten spends what, at first glance, appears to be an inordinate amount of time discoursing on oil speculation in North Dakota, salacious gossip rags in Colonial America, or pilgrimage practices of Native American tribes of New Mexico² leaving the reader to wonder, ‘Exactly where are we going here?’, only to turn the page and find a recipe bringing the narrative to a point where cocktail intersects history and culture and provides a rich feel for the context in which the cocktail came to be, and often, who enjoyed it and why. This is where Felten’s jazz influence comes into play. The sections between recipes often feel meandering and loose and finally hit a strong rim-shot where a recipe is sprung on the reader and, more often than not, the reader finding the idea of having that drink right away extremely appealing. For example, in discussing the Negroni, Felten includes not only how the drink originated with Count Negroni in Florence but what its significant role in everything from Tennessee Williams’ The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone to Nick Naylor’s film Thank You for Smoking has been and further illustrating how both demonstrate the Negroni’s “touch of corruption”.

The only complaints I have against the book are that the Jazz riffing tone of literary and historical subjects and their intercession with various cocktails sometimes leaves the transitions falling flat or feeling awkward and tacked-on, and that it would be very difficult to use as bartending guide given how the recipes are interspersed throughout. And, while being a bartending guide is not its primary intent, even having a final section that compiles all of the drinks into one area for reference would increase its value, especially since there are so many worthy ones here. The index will serve this, I know, but sometimes I just want to flip through a list and see what strikes me and I won’t be able to easily turn to for this or that purpose.

All in all, while Grimes’ Straight Up or On The Rocks works the intellectual side of cocktails as a sociological phenomena, Felten uses his Jazz training and improvisational ear to work a literate and historical perspective to mixed drinks that strikes a perfect note between education and enjoyment. It’s a perfect counter-point to Grimes. I suggest owning both as between the two you will have a very thorough and enjoyable understanding of mixed drinks, how they came to be, and why they are such a fine idea. Also, you’ll be inspired to try a few new things, put on a classic jazz album, or put on a tux and dance, and that’s never a bad thing. It’s a great small gift or stocking-stuffer for the cocktail enthusiast in your life and you can click here to pre-order, and I suggest you do.

How’s Your Drink Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: How's Your Drink is a post from: cocktailnerd

1. note to publisher: the original cover was far better, if more staid and formal – that whole cursive script thing just ain’t working for me
2. and yes, they’re all covered

“For most of the world, America is the great entertainment factory…In the Declaration of Independence they [the colonists] enshrined, along with life and liberty, the inalienable right to pursue happiness. But happiness is hard. Happiness takes work. Even worse, happiness is a long shot. So, America settled for fun, perfected it, and sold it to an eager world…the seductive sound of ice chattering in a cocktail shaker – this is a tangible, consumable expression of the lofty principles in the Declaration of Independence, the free culture of a free people.”

Wow! And the whole damned thing is written at that same level of quality, and that’s after my shoddy editing job. Seriously, this is the thinking man’s introduction to the influential and indelible mark cocktails have left on the American psyche and the world at-large. The first chapter deals, naturally, with the Martini, and where contention exists about a drink’s origins Grimes does a good job of presenting the most likely of the origin tales and then unassumingly states his case for his preference.  The book moves from the Martini into discussing colonial and pioneer drinking habits and on through the ‘golden age’, prohibition, and to the modern American cocktail revival. All of this with a sharply written, well-lettered, and entertaining tone. In discussing vodka and its pervasive (and to many detrimental) encroachment on American drinking habits, Grimes develops vodka as an allegory for the Cold War struggle:

“For just as the United States was preparing for an apocalyptic struggle against the Soviet Union…the American way of drink was slowly succumbing to Russian influence. Its most cherished cocktails were being infiltrated-and falling, one by one, like so many dominos-by vodka”

Just brilliant, and best of all, true. William Grimes is listed on the cover as a restaurant critic for the New York Times and he’s written a book of the sort I wish I were capable of one day writing. So, my hats off and thanks to him, and thanks to Paul Clarke for introducing the book to me through his interview at Salon.com. My only detraction from the book is its lack of bartending or history of bartending essentials and techniques; but, it’s not that kind of book (though it does contain a very good set of well-grounded recipes). For the best book of that sort, taking a bartending perspective towards the history and techniques of quality cocktail mixing, The Joy of Mixology is still my go-to tome. But for a pure, informed, and thoroughly insightful book on the impact the cocktail has had on American society and the world, it doesn’t get much better than this. Buy it here, or somewhere else, please. You can get it for a song and will be glad you did.

Straight Up or On The Rocks Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Straight Up or On the Rocks is a post from: cocktailnerd

The book covers a very broad set of subjects touching not only on the technical aspects and history of alcohol production and advances in their various forms but also in the social and personal implications these advances had. Every major category of spirit, liqueur, booze, hooch, and temperance movement is covered with at least a smattering of attention; often with humorous results. For example, when discussing ‘dandy facts’ about champagne, Lendler notes:

“After defeating Napoleon, the British banished him to the island of St. Helena. To further the punishment, Napoleon was allowed only one bottle of champagne per day.  This was clearly too barbarous for English nobleman Sir Walter Scott, who protested that it was cruel to deny the fallen Frenchman the “solace of intoxication.”"

It seems in this book there’s an interesting gem such as that on every other page and the pages in between are informative and illuminating in how alcohol is manufactured and its impact throughout history.

I have only two minor complaints with this book which are that the flow between topics is sometimes very shaky and awkward which makes the book feel less a whole than a compendium of slapped-together factoids, and that the first-half of the book seems to be more fleshed-out and even-keeled than subjects in the latter-half. The segments on beer and wine at the beginning feel much more thoroughly researched and hefty than, for example, those on liqueur and cocktails; topics which I feel there is plenty of subject-matter, resources, and interest in to warrant more attention and depth.

However, it’s a fine addition to just about any cocktailian’s library as I’m almost certain at least a large part of the information within is not contained in other sources necessarily at your disposal. And while the content sometimes feels and smacks of something less than academic and indubitable in its research, if you’re that worried about that and it’s ruining your fun, then you should really go and have another drink. Clicking under ‘Drinkage’ to your left should get you well on your way.

Alcoholica Esoterica Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Alcoholica Esoterica is a post from: cocktailnerd

Rob Chirico does an excellent job of first acknowledging the luminaries of the cocktailian craft that assisted him in his research (primarily Dale DeGroff and Gary Regan) and the bibliography reads like a Who's Who of what books you should have on your shelf if you're serious about studying classic, vintage, or new classic cocktails that honor their culinary and artistic history and nature. So, that out of the way, I delved in and was immediately impressed by two things; how entertaining the book was while being educational (and accurate) about the cocktails' origins and histories, and how he included (in true Field Guide form) information such as flavor affinities (food pairing options), graphic icons beside each cocktail's subcategory for quick reference, and 'Areas and Times of Occurrence' (i.e. when you're likely to 'spot' a particular cocktail). Fantastic!

For me, one of the great opportunities in the ever-growing cocktail appreciation movement is a comprehensive tome about what liquors, spirits, flavor profiles, and mixed drinks pair well with what foods, cuisine styles, and/or courses of meals (and why)¹. Now, this isn't it, but I was very pleased to see each cocktail given its own food pairing notes and to see a drink like the Aviation paired with a classic shrimp cocktail or deviled eggs (I couldn't agree more). So, it immediately adds additional value to most cocktail/bar bookshelves in that alone.

Another striking, and pleasing, thing about this book is the humor with which it's written. Regarding the Gimlet's "Areas and Times of Occurrence":

"The proverbial 'old man's bar' is the befitting crusty venue for the Gimlet. The sun must be down, and it helps if someone named Big Al is asleep on the bar top with his head in the pretzel basket."

The book provides simlar and other humorous asides throughout when discussing a drink's 'General Description' and 'Season'. It occasionally goes off the tracks for me when it ventures into modern variations on classic drinks, but at least it's true in being sure the original drink is given its due and attention and is fully understood before moving forward. I think this is an excellent gift and/or 'starter' book for anyone expressing burgeoning interest in cocktails or who doesn't know what to order in a bar (yes, there are 'what to have when going out' ordering tips and tricks) as it reads easily as a cover-to-cover book. Fortunately, what it lacks in depth it makes up for in honesty, humor, and mirth in spades. The color plates in the center of the book (again, true to Field Guide form) are beautiful representations of each drink and give well-drawn examples of each of the icons used throughout the book. I give it four stars only because it lacks depth and isn't something you'll go to as a primary source for drink or spirit information. However, this book goes about what it's trying to accomplish extremely well and it's a fine addition at the price. Click here for an excerpt page or click here to purchase it.

Field Guide to Cocktails Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Field Guide to Cocktails is a post from: cocktailnerd

1. I know some attempts have been made at this such as 'What to Drink with What you Eat' but it's still far too heavy on the wine-side of things for me, and not nearly as exclusive as what I have in mind

Another interesting aspect of this book is when it covers a particular class of spirits, such as Eau de Vie or ‘Nut Liqueurs’ (read that the wrong way and it’s really really hilarious), it gives very detailed instructions on how they are traditionally served (often with details from the spirit’s native country) and then proceeds with describing the prevalent producing countries’ styles or quirks in the spirit’s manufacturing or flavor. The book also has an extensive non-alcoholic beverage section in which it gives similar flavor and serving notes on topics such as coffee, hot chocolate, and lemonade, leaving very little to assumption.

The book is a tad short on recipes (and some of the recipes seem a bit off from the ‘classic’ version of some drinks) and it certainly doesn’t claim to be or seek to be committed solely to classic and vintage cocktails. Overall it provides a great deal of background information and detail on spirits, liqueurs, and cordials from around the world, without going too overly in-depth into any one subject, and I find it especially useful as a reference tool.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

However, buyer beware; recently while browsing the ‘Spirits and Wine’ section of a bookstore I found a tall attractive book titled ‘The Complete Guide to Cocktails and Drinks’ (obviously Mr. Walton doesn’t suffer from a lack of hyperbole or guile) and I opened it up only to find *SHOCK AND AWE* the exact same layout, recipes, photos, and number of pages from ‘The Ultimate Book of Cocktails’ throughout the whole thing. It is basically the same book repackaged by a different publisher though I’m sure the book’s merit is intact. The only difference being that one can be had for around $6 USD (or used on Amazon.com for $0.59) and the other for $17.95 or so… sleazeballs. 

Book Review: The Ultimate Book of Cocktails is a post from: cocktailnerd

My only two complaints of the book are that the drinks seem to sometimes only be loosely connected to the highlighted author and the writing samples are too brief. The excerpts for each writer are well chosen and highlight how drinking was romanticized or portrayed in the author’s works. No doubt many suffered no shortage of passages from which the editors could select.

Overall, the book is a bit shallow as a cocktail guide and likewise shallow as an introduction to the authors’ drinking habits and works. However, it’s a clever idea, it’s beautifully illustrated and arranged, it’s great for a quick read or to touch on now and again for light reading, and its strengths and charms far outweigh its detractions.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Hemingway and Bailey's Bartending Guide is a post from: cocktailnerd

This book changed my approach to mixing drinks and the categorization of drinks it provides is invaluable in understanding how drinks are related to one another and why. While the ingredients for the cocktails can be esoteric because the book attempts to go back to the original recipes (Bitters that were mixers of choice when cocktails were born are difficult to get here in Tulsa, though thanks to Robert Hess’s references, I’ve been able to find many online), the cocktail recipes are, so far, well-balanced and demonstrative of the classic style.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: The Joy of Mixology is a post from: cocktailnerd