Thirsty in NOLA: Tales of the Cocktail 2011

The last time I was in New Orleans, it was many years before Katrina, when my girlfriend and I stayed at her best friend’s house in the Garden District and we spent two weeks eating and drinking our way through the Big Easy. Now, after far too long a gap between visits, I’m heading back to New Orleans to join thousands of other attendees at the 2011 Tales of the Cocktail!

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Charles Munat, Left Coast Libations Originator, Needs Our Help

Charles Munat, originator of Left Coast Libations and Tales of the Cocktail Webmaster, was recently the victim of a professional robbery in broad daylight on the streets of Buenos Aires. The thieves made off with his laptop and all his drives, leaving him without a means to make his living. Here’s what you can do to help.

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Holidaze 2010: Words to Drink By

Let’s assume your favorite imbiber already owns the Holy Trinity of modern cocktail books: The Essential Cocktail, Imbibe!, and The Joy of Mixology. (If he or she doesn’t, read no further; you know what to do.) Following are gift ideas that will appeal not just to the cocktail geeks on your list, but history buffs…

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Best of the West: Left Coast Libations Release Party at The Varnish

Ever since I received a preview copy of Left Coast Libations (LCL), I shamelessly posted recipes from the excellent book of 100 cocktails, created by 51 of the best bartenders on the West Coast. To celebrate the book’s release, LCL creators Ted Munat, Michael Lazar, and Scott Bodarky have spent the last few weeks hosting…

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Say Aloha to Kōloa Kauai Dark Rum

Of all of the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is perhaps the most fitting place for the Kōloa Rum Company to call home. Captain James Cook (commanding the HMS Resolution) and the HMS Discovery first landed on the Hawaiian Islands at Waimea, Kauai in 1778; in the holds of both ships were barrels of rum. Hawaii’s first sugar plantation was founded in Kōloa, Kauai in 1835, and small batch rum was said to be produced from the very first harvest, which took place in 1837. It’s from this Kauai town that Kōloa Rum gets its name.

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Have Bitters, Will Travel: The Bitter Truth Traveler’s Set

From their origins as medicinal products, bitters became an integral part of the Golden Age of cocktails, providing drinks with flavor, depth and complexity. Prohibition devastated the bitters industry; only a few brands survived and many disappeared, never to return. Thanks to the ongoing cocktail renaissance, bitters have clawed their way from the brink and…

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Cocktails Go Dutch with Bols Genever

With the Netherlands reaching the World Cup final for the first time since 1978, the genever is sure to be flowing this Sunday, and mixologists and cocktail enthusiasts alike will be reaching for Bols Genever. Founded in 1575 by the Lucas Bols family, Bols Distilleries is the leading producer of genever, aka Holland Gin or…

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The Spirit of the Season: Beefeater Summer Edition Gin

Desmond Payne has done it again. Following on the success of Beefeater 24, Payne’s modern take on the iconic Beefeater London Dry Gin, the Master Distiller has unveiled a limited-release, seasonal gin: the Beefeater Summer Edition. I first encountered the Summer Edition this past spring at the Gin Symposium, when Payne and Plymouth Gin Master…

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