Perfect 10?

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I am nothing if not a dedicated following of the whole drink-blogging fraternity and, over at Kaiser Penguin, they've birthed a bouncing baby meme that I am, of course going to jump right on board. So - what would I have if I could only have ten bottles of alcohol for the rest of my life? Looking around, I noticed that the choices at the Pegu Blog included six gins, so I'm going to make my life that much more awkward by limiting myself to one of each of the main spirits and approaching this from a cocktail creation point of view - what's going to let me make the widest range of drinks?

Gin - Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength has that same cool eccentricity as Hendrick's, but for me it's backed up by a really bold, flavourful juniper base that comes through well in old-school gin drinks. Vodka - Wyborowa. Now, luxury vodkas are great. No-one here's saying they're not. It's just, look...It's not you, it's me. I'm sorry, maybe I'll change in time. Let's stay friends, ok? Rum - Mount Gay XO gets it because a) I have no imagination and b) I'm a fool for big, punchy English style rums, heavy on the molasses and the vanilla. Whisky - I'm going for Monkey Shoulder because, genetically, I'm wired to pick a Scotch. Handy that it works so well in bourbon-based drinks, too. Brandy - Remy Martin VSOP. Brandy = something I need to work on.

I figure that I could probably get by without a Tequila, Cachaca or Pisco. Obviously, my desert island drinks cabinet will be of little use if any Central/Southern Americans stop by. Any Yankees would probably be pissed, too. But, still got five to play with:

Cointreau, because you'll always need a decent triple sec - actually, the same goes for bitters where Angostura Aromatic Bitters would get the nod. A bottle of Cinzano Rosso satisfies the need for vermouth as the big ednbrg Book of Truth says dry martinis are essentially pointless. I'll lob in a bottle of Tuaca for its versatility and that leaves the final spot for...

Ooh, toughie. I'd be tempted to go for Chambord, again for the versatility, but then I don't like it that much. On the other hand, I love St Germain elderflower liqueur but it's kind of limiting in what you can use it with. So, a liqueur, I guess. Oh, sod it. I'll be here all night. Stick in a bottle of Disarrono Amaretto and be done with it.

I'm now having visions of the brands I didn't pick looking disappointed and shaking their heads at me. Definitely creepy.

On mixology

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I've never been a huge fan of the term mixology, and today I got around to working out why. Calling the creation of cocktails and the attendant skills mixology suggests a degree of scientific process. For me, these processes and skills are artisanal than scientific and that is, I guess, the root of my discomfort.

It is, I believe, possible to apply scientific principles to cocktail making and creation and those who do are certainly more deserving of the title mixologist than someone who can put a twist on Cosmopolitan. And me? I'm a creative bartender.

I think I threw up in my mouth a little.

The British are coming!*

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* Not really. Interesting stuff in the latest batch of videos posted at the Small Screen Network - Hendrick's Gin brand champion (now that's a job title) Charlotte Voisey on a hypothetical British invasion of the American cocktail hour.

Using tea and jam in cocktails isn't particularly new to me - but some of the local bartending legends operate near the bleeding edge of mixology. At any rate, there's a bunch on interesting information here and the revelation that a good proportion of TotC attendees wear stupid hats.