Dwink.com- 3.15.11
Tales of The Cocktail
Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans is fast becoming a Mecca for the more zealous bartender. Like a pilgrimage, it seems like a journey that every true follower of cocktail culture must make, donning his best suspenders, waxing that moustache to eel-like levels of slipperiness, and devoutly travelling to the birthplace of their chosen religion.
However, instead of an overriding feeling of brotherhood and purpose, bartenders tend to have an overriding feeling of drunkness and poverty, making such a trip financially and logistically tricky. But one of the benefits of our particular dogma is that it was born in the good ol’ USA, a place with scant regard for such quibblesome ideas as history, accompanied by an almost British-like leaning towards colonialism.
And so it came to pass that Tales of the Cocktail announced in November that it would be spreading the word and taking their show on the road. Tales of the Cocktail on Tour’s first stop is in Vancouver, a real boon to the city’s burgeoning bar scene, and seen locally as reward for the last few years of progress in the field. Looks like the mountain upped sticks and will come to you after all.
The first day of Vancouver’s moment in the cocktail spotlight (cocklight?) ended in the manner to which all were expecting. Steaming drunk, crawling around on all fours, frantically searching for the ever-elusive dignity that I seem to think hides in the toilet bowl.
Up until this reporters personal moral reckoning, though, the day had been an unqualified success. Registration at the Fairmont was a rum old shindig, all the local barstars mingling and celebrating a bona fide legitimate reason to drink before 2, along with a little tasting of Root and Snap, two new spirits flavoured like root beer and ginger. Artfully transformed into a punch and a flip to make a drink menu that read more like a Batman fight scene (Snap Punch! Root Flip!), these were two interestingly spicy products that make you feel all Caribbean inside.
After a black tie event where the official Tales cocktail was being served, most of the local barkeeps made their way back to the Diamond to smash a few drinks and gear up for the bulk of festivities on Monday. Seminars and midnight croquet are promised, along with a pig roast on Tuesday. My home from home never felt so good.
Dalhousie Cocktail (Official Tales of the Cocktail Vancouver cocktail) by Jon Smollensky
60ml Black Plum infused 18 year Gibsons Canadian Whisky
15ml Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
10ml Unicum Zwack
1 dash Bokers bitters
Stir and strain into a chilled martini glass
Garnish with a discarded lemon twist and a plum fan
If you’ve never been to Vancouver, all you really need to know is that they filmed this movie there.
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