bringing drinks to life

It’s undeniable that we’re in a new 'golden age' of cocktails; you can tell that this is true by the fact that cocktails are making it into mainstream culture. Want proof? Look no further than programmes such as Madmen and Boardwalk Empire. Want proof a bit closer to home? Well take a look at Tesco’s ‘Real Food’ website and you’ll notice a new cocktail section that’s gone live recently. Now maybe like me when you hear the word ‘cocktail’ you don’t immediately think of a national supermarket chain, but sure enough Tesco have caught on to the cocktail craze. So when they contacted me to ask if I’d be willing to come up with a Christmas cocktail or two from a box of random ingredients, I pushed aside fears of being sent a box of unusable ingredients and said yes.

A week later a large red box arrived and I eagerly unwrapped it, filled with equal parts excitement, trepidation, and of course hope at what the contents might be. Now before I tell you what was in the box (the photo to the left might give it away!), I should make it clear that I have enough self-awareness to know that I’m a bit of a spirit snob, I like my bourbons premium, my rum well aged and my tequila 100% agave. But I’m also a realist, so I knew I wasn’t going to be greeted by a bottle of El Dorado 15yo and a crystal mixing glass, but I was quietly hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to cocktails and spirits, so it’ll come as no surprise to you that I spend a good amount of time sat in bars staring at the back bar or the cocktail list. I’m always fascinated by the choices made by bars as to which products they buy into and choose to use. Obviously you have your house pouring spirits, which are often selected based on finding a balance between quality, price and support offered by the brand, but then you have a whole back bar of products that tell you something about the venue you’re in.

It’s interesting when visiting other countries that you find certain products that consistently appear on the back bars of the best cocktail bars. Many times they are the same from country to country, but sometimes you notice something different. Not necessarily a product that is local to that market, but maybe a brand that has caught on in one place but not in another for reasons unknown. So the last time I was in New York I found it strange to see Banks 5 Island Rum almost everywhere I went, when it’s so seldom found in UK bars. It made me think that I should probably take another look at this product.

I love cocktail books; in fact over the past few years I’ve assembled a nice little collection of antique books that take pride of place in the b&t drinking room. One of the things I like about them is that they paint a picture of drinking trends in different eras. Looking at a book from the 1930s, like the Savoy or the Café Royale Cocktail Book, you see absinthe added to every other drink and passion fruit is one of the most popular ingredients listed. You can almost sense the excitement of the bartenders from that era as they discovered what were at that time, new and interesting ingredients to play with.

It’s fair to say that generally speaking I prefer the old cocktail books to the new, but never the less there are some modern books that have been added to my library too. The thing about many of the modern books is that while they have beautiful glossy pictures and several hundred recipes to tempt the reader, they don’t really engage you in the same way that the old books do. Reading books from the late 1800s you experience bartenders explaining the art of serving customers, setting up your bar for service and dealing with drunken guests. Many have sections dedicated to toasts, or even how to use different spirits to cure your ailments. They really bring the world of drinking to life and help you imagine how it might have been to drink in that era.

There are lots of websites out there that review spirits, cocktails or bars; of course some are good and some less so, but all of them, as far as I’m concerned, have a responsibility. You see if you choose to put your opinions out in the public domain, you are in essence telling the world that you know what you're talking about. You’re sharing insight in the hopes of guiding people to a better drinking experience, or trying to help them avoid poor drinking decisions.

At b&t we strive to offer our unbiased thoughts on a range of cocktail and spirit related subjects. We do this free of charge so that we’re never in a position where we might have to compromise our integrity. If I write about a particular brand and sing its praises, it’s because I like it, think it’s a quality product and want to encourage others to experience it for themselves. If our readers disagree with me then I welcome their comments, especially if it sparks debate. I’ve disappointed friends in the past by refusing to write about the brands they work for because I don’t think it’s the right product to discuss with our readers. It comes down to integrity.