Apologies for the lack of posts lately. I spent the last few days at the very nice Sunriver Resort outside of Bend, OR for the Oregon Restaurant Association’s annual convention. Lance Mayhew and I were there to give a presentation on contemporary mixology, offering tips to attendees about how to manage their bars, demonstrating cocktails, and introducing them to a few spirits they may not have tried before. Our talk was well received, helped in no small part by the alcohol that went along with it!
With all of the events going on I had no time to write, so I’m going to consider just getting the morning links up without repeating the “outocoems similar to War” incident victory enough. In the meantime here are a few food and drink related book recommendations:
Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, Ted Haigh — I’ve been looking forward to the new edition of this book for a long time. Ted Haigh, aka Doctor Cocktail, is an avid promoter of forgotten cocktail recipes and a driving force in the revival of the bartending craft. In this book he presents 100 drinks along with his characteristically good-humored writing, thirst-inducing photos, and plenty of vintage artwork. The emphasis is on spirits that are readily available or will be soon, so readers with access to good liquor markets shouldn’t have too much trouble assembling ingredients. A nice touch is the book’s spiral binding, which makes it easy to leave open on the bar while mixing a drink. This has become my favorite resource lately for finding new cocktails and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Land of Plenty and Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, Fuschia Dunlop — The first book covers Sichuan cuisine, the second Hunan. Together they’ve vastly improved the way I cook at home, spoiling me against restaurant versions of some favorite dishes. That’s a good thing. Searching out ingredients sometimes requires diligent shopping, but the resulting dinners have been consistently worth the effort.
Cocktails ‘09, Food and Wine — Food and Wine’s annual cocktail guide changes format this year, shifting from chapters organized by spirit to chapters dedicated to individual bartenders (with one chapter of “mixologist’s drinks” featuring cocktails from a variety of people). Many of the drinks require an extensive liquor cabinet or time prepping ingredients, but as always it’s a great place to look for inspiration from some of the country’s top talent.
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Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, barista, mixologist, and magician in Portland, OR. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post, Reason Online, The Oregonian, and other publications.
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