Linkdump: well hello, print media!

 

It seems a pity that print media's starting to get interested in bartending and cocktailmaking just as the medium dies. Then again, they've all got websites, and you know what they say about publicity...

• The economic crisis leads the Guardian to send Mark Fothergill to London's Lab to learn the trade - after all, what better way to save money in the downturn by replacing your £7 Cosmo with a £20 bottle of vodka, a £20 bottle of Cointreau and £75 worth of equipment? There's also a selection of winter cocktail recipes to try your hand at.
• New York Magazine reports on the latest area of society to achieve gender parity: alcoholism.
• The New York Times continues its recent blow-out of bar-related articles with a look at the emergent class of cocktail geeks - non-professional mixologists - and what it means for the cocktail renaissance (via Barbore).
• One man's quest for a Zeppelin shaker leads the LA Times into the murky netherworld of cocktail memorabilia.

I am Jack's full-time job

(Via MeFi).

The Local News: no Indy, no Ackroyd

Bar jobs have the unfortunate effect of entirely rewiring your calendar. It's like working a 9-5, but one that starts at 6pm with weekends running Tuesday-Wednesday. Essentially, my internal clock is running roughly on Pacific Standard. In the middle of next week. This is relevant because it means I miss a bunch of interesting things if they happen over what the rest of civilisation calls the weekend, such as a mysterious and possibly ancient artifact going on display just up the road from my flat.

For one day.

The object in question is one of the fabled crystal skulls, the handiwork of either an ancient South American civilisation or skilled forgers in the 1950s and the inspiration for both the most recent Indiana Jones movie and a new, frankly insane vodka fronted by famed Ghostbuster Dan Ackroyd.

In other news, a City Councillor has proposed to ease congestion in the City Centre by introducing a pedestrian 'fast-lane' on Princes Street, despite research that suggests a similar effect could be achieved by introducing capital punishment for buskers, mimes and charity muggers*.

Elsewhere, controversy reigns as the localpress proclaims Edinburgh to be the UK's greenest city - behind only five other cities, according to Treehugger.

Finally, coming soon to ednbrg, the return of posts about cocktails. Crazy, I know.

* There's a decent chance that this is a lie.

The Local News: under review

After all of last week's electoral excitement, it's been a quieter week round these parts. It hasn't been a week without danger, but the threat of Edinburgh losing its World Heritage Site status has lifted with the news that "the overall state of conservation is absolutely fine." Other World Heritage Sites include the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and the ancient city of Thebes and its Necropolis, all places characterized by their short supply of Buckfast and deep-fried Mars bars.

There hasn't been any real chance of Scotland losing touch with its heritage: just last year, our finest bartenders spent an evening beating the best England had to offer in the 2007 Liquid War. This year's final took place in Glasgow earlier this evening with North vs. South contests in flair and mixology. Results when they're posted, which will probably be when the hangovers clear up. Sometime in February, then.

In the meantime, if you wanted to infuse that hard-won heritage with a touch of international style, then Totty Rocks on Victoria Street can furnish you with a handbag. This handbag, in fact. For £3,250.

And finally, it's time to wish everyone at Bramble a very happy second birthday - they just announced their own bouncing baby blog! They're also clearly not getting a present, what with all the awards and international acclaim they've gained over the past two years.

Seriously, let someone else with something for once.

(Edinburgh panorama from George L Smyth's photostream on Flickr, under a Creative Commons licence.)

The Imbiber's 100 meme

I'm not entirely sure what comes from completing this exercise, but I'll be damned if I let a decent listmeme pass me by. Over at Art of Drink, Darcy has come up with a list of 100 things that competitive connoisseurs of liquids should try before they die. If I end doing shots of Green Chartreuse at any point before then, it'll be way too soon.

Instructions

1) Copy this list into your blog, with instructions. 2) Bold all the drinks you’ve imbibed. 3) Cross out any items that you won’t touch 4) Post a comment here and  link to your results.

List of Drinks You Must Try Before You Expire

1. Manhattan Cocktail
2. Kopi Luwak (Weasle Coffee)
3. French / Swiss Absinthe
4. Rootbeer
5. Gin Martini
6. Sauternes
7. Whole Milk
8. Tequila (100% Agave)
9. XO Cognac
10. Espresso
11. Spring Water (directly from the spring)
12. Gin & Tonic
13. Mead
14. Westvleteren 12 (Yellow Cap) Trappist Ale
15. Chateau d’Yquem
16. Budweiser
17. Maraschino Liqueur
18. Mojito
19. Orgeat
20. Grand Marnier
21. Mai Tai (original)
22. Ice Wine (Canadian)
23. Red Bull
24. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
25. Bubble Tea
26. Tokaji
27. Chicory
28. Islay Scotch
29. Pusser’s Navy Rum
30. Fernet Branca
31. Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
32. Bourbon
33. Australian Shiraz
34. Buckley’s Cough Syrup
35. Orange Bitters
36. Margarita (classic recipe)
37. Molasses & Milk
38. Chimay Blue
39. Wine of Pines (Tepache)
40. Green Tea
41. Daiginjo Sake
42. Chai Tea
43. Vodka (chilled, straight)
44. Coca-Cola
45. Zombie (Beachcomber recipe)
46. Barley Wine
47. Brewed Choclate (Xocolatl)
48. Pisco Sour
49. Lemonade
50. Speyside Single Malt
51. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
52. Champagne (Vintage)
53. Rosé (French)
54. Bellini
55. Caipirinha
56. White Zinfandel (Blush)
57. Coconut Water
58. Cerveza
59. Cafe au Lait
60. Ice Tea
61. Pedro Ximenez Sherry
62. Vintage Port
63. Hot Chocolate
64. German Riesling
65. Pina Colada
66. El Dorado 15 Year Rum
67. Chartreuse
68. Greek Wine
69. Negroni
70. Jägermeister
71. Chicha
72. Guinness
73. Rhum Agricole
74. Palm Wine
75. Soju
76. Ceylon Tea (High Grown)
77. Belgian Lambic
78. Mongolian Airag
79. Doogh, Lassi or Ayran
80. Sugarcane Juice
81. Ramos Gin Fizz
82. Singapore Sling
83. Mint Julep
84. Old Fashioned
85. Perique
86. Jenever (Holland Gin)
87. Chocolate Milkshake
88. Traditional Italian Barolo
89. Pulque
90. Natural Sparkling Water
91. Cuban Rum
92. Asti Spumante
93. Irish Whiskey
94. Château Margaux
95. Two Buck Chuck
96. Screech
97. Akvavit
98. Rye Whisky
99. German Weissbier
100. Daiquiri (classic)

66/100. What do I win?

Update - 11 March 2011 - we're up to 72, people. At this rate, I should get the full house sometime around 2016.

Update - 9 June 2013 - aaand we're all the way up to 74.