GSN’s One For the Road: Rochester Cocktail Revival

Whenever I’m on the road and mention that I’m from New York, most people assume I’m either in NYC or what New Yorkers call “upstate”.  Actually, I’m located in Syracuse, the exact center of the state in the area regionally known as the Fingerlakes or Central New York.  To the west lie Rochester and Buffalo.  To the east lie Utica and Albany.  None of these areas are known as destinations for cocktail lovers.  If you do like to drink, you will find an abundance of beer festivals and wine festivals, but little else.  However, a few weeks ago, this all changed with the debut of the Rochester Cocktail Revival (May 2-4, 2014).  A well planned event supported by several local restaurants, a distillery, the Fee Bros. company and major spirit brands attracted several hundred people over three days.

The GSN staff was able to attend the first two days and get a feel for what the cocktail scene is like in Rochester.  We were highly impressed, having been to bars like PDT, the Clover Club, the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Bar and many, many others across the U.S. Rochester’s drinks are amazingly creative and well executed, the bartenders and servers top notch, the food incredibly luscious and the seminars diverse and interesting.

Special guests included Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff, Tobin Ellis of BarMagic Las Vegas, Joe Fee of bitters fame, James Beard Award nominated chef Paul Myers, and Jackie Summers (creator of Sorel liqueur).

With the success of this event, we’re looking forward to attending again in 2015!

Here are some pictures of the event to give you an idea of what we experienced.

The tasting room at Black Button Distilling in Rochester

The stills at Black Button

Kimberly Frodelius enjoying a taste of Black Button’s Citrus Gin.

Our first two cocktails at the opening reception at The Revelry

The scene inside The Revelry on Friday night

Good Luck restaurant hosted the Campari America Spirit Dinner

The evening’s menu

“Cocktails and the Creative Process” seminar held at the RoCo Museum

The lineup for Dale DeGroff’s “I’ll Take Manhattans” seminar

Passing out Manhattans

Dale DeGroff deconstructing bitters

Joe Fee at Cheshire discussing the finer points of bitters

Spirited Dinner tokens for Cheshire

Time for one last drink before we hit the road

GSN Review: Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Aromatic Bitters

Dale DeGroff aka King Cocktail now joins the ranks of Gary Regan and Jamie Boudreau in creating his own bitters blend.  And no, it’s not remotely olive flavored.  Pimento is simply the term for the allspice berry, which certainly has an aromatic nose and intense flavor.  What Dale’s done here is to recreate a style of bitters long since gone the way of obscure cocktail ingredients from the golden age of bartending.  Working with absinthe expert Ted Breaux, these bitters define class, from the gold wax seal to the cork dripper spout.  As an added bonus, the first 3,000 bottles are also signed by Dale.

Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Aromatic Bitters (90 proof)
Nose: Quite spicy with a heavy allspice nose married with a molasses type sweetness.
Taste: Very dry and spiced with allspice pimento.  Less “mentholated” than pimento dram, but with similar notes.  Certainly more intense than Angostura, but also more in the vein of the antique style bitters of the 19th century.
Finish: The flavor lingers long and brilliantly bright with an elegance that belies its production.
Overall: These are perfect for punches calling for bitters.  Tiki drinks will benefit greatly as well.  Try them in pisco sours and rum old-fashioneds for a twist.
GSN Rating: A

For more information go to: KingCocktail.com

GSN Interview: Dale DeGroff

Dale DeGroff needs no introduction.  He’s been at the forefront of the cocktail revival since the 1980’s and continues to lead the way through programs like B.A.R. and BarSmarts.  As well, he has been touring a show called “ON THE TOWN! A Salute to Saloons, Bars, & Legendary Cocktail Palaces!” for the past few years.  I had the opportunity to talk with Dale via phone a few weeks ago and ask him about his bartending history, where the nickname “King Cocktail”  came from, his new Pimento Bitters, and the most important thing every bartender should know.

You can listen to the interview below:

Dale Interview Part 1

Dale Interview Part 2

Dale Interview Part 3

GSN at Tales 2012: Lesson Two (Choose Your Words Wisely)

Photo by Chris Kridler for The Times-Picayune

You never know who you might be talking to when you make an off-handed remark.  On the first night of Tales of the Cocktail, there were two kick-off parties.  The first one was Absolut-ly surreal with an indoor winter village.  Under blue lighting, there was an artificial “snow” machine blowing white stuff around with huge fans, creating a chilly yet inviting reception.  While catching up with old friends from Barsmarts and The Hukilau, I caught a woman out of the corner of my eye who was taking photos.  So, I turned around and posed for her.  She asked my name and I said jokingly, “Are you trying to interview me?”  Turns out, she said she would.

Since the theme of the evening was Absolut, her topic of inquiry was about vodka in general.  It was interesting to be on the other side of the microphone.  I’m usually the one asking the questions.  So, lesson number two is: be careful what comes out of your mouth.  You never know who you might be talking to.  Turns out she was a reporter for the Times-Picayune and my words ended up alongside those of Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff.  It just may be the only time both of our names will ever appear in print together.

You can read the article here.  And thanks, Chris for teaching me another lesson at Tales. 🙂

GSN Review: Winter 2009 Cocktail Guides

Lots of great cocktail, spirits & mixology books came out this last year.  Here are my top recommendations.

The Art of Distilling Whiskey and Other Spirits: An Enthusiasts Guide to the Artisan Distilling of Potent Potables by Bill Owens & Alan Dikty
Not only a beautiful book, but an extremely informative one for anyone interested in the history and current methods of distillation.  (And who among us, isn’t?)

the bartender’s GIN compendium by Gaz Regan
Think you know everything there is to know about this sublime spirit?  Think again.  Gary Regan has filled this tome with virtually every minutiae about gin and then some.  Plus, a handy guide on difficult to find gins.

Diffordsguide Cocktails 8 (Diffords Guide) by Simon Difford
You may love or hate Simon Difford, but you have to agree that if nothing else, he is thorough in his cocktail recipe collections.  It’s no wonder he’s on volume 8.  Each year he adds several hundred new recipes from around the globe.

The Essential Bartender’s Guide by Robert Hess
This is really quite essential.  Written for a beginner, but full of recipes for the advanced mixologist as well.  A handy reference guide that I pull out ALL OF THE TIME.  Nice one, Robert!

The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks by Dale Degroff
So, what’s the difference between this book and the previous volume?  This is the Cadillac of cocktail books.  Not only is it full of beautiful photographs, but the writing is engaging.  Dale manages to make you feel like you’re sharing a drink with him.  Simply an amazing achievement.

Food & Wine 2009 Cocktail Guide by Food & Wine Magazine

You might think this slim volume is lacking depth, but you’d be wrong.  The guide holds more information than you think about glassware, the latest cocktail trends, and the up and coming bars around the US.  Well worth the few bucks it costs.

The Mixellany Guide to Gin by Geraldine Coates

What?!?  Another guide to gin?  Isn’t one enough?  Unfortunately for your wallet, the answer is no.  Geraldine’s book makes a perfect match to Gaz Regan’s prosaic levity by remaining fairly serious, but not in an academic way.

Mixologist: The Journal of the European Cocktail, Volume 3 by Jared Brown & Anastasia Miller

I continue to be amazed at the prolific output by Jared & Anastasia.  Their research continually enlightens and delights.  This volume studies the history of cocktails and mixology in Europe.  Great stuff!

Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-be by Natalie Bovis-Nelsen

This book is worth it’s weight in gold for anyone who has tended bar at a party where some guests don’t want alcohol, but also don’t want a soda.  Natalie has compiled a fantastic selection of easy to make non-alcoholic cocktails that taste amazing.  Not only for expectant mothers.Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink by Jared Brown & Anastasia Miller
If there was a worthy successor to David Wondrich’s “Imbibe!”, this would be it.  The entire history of fermented beverages around the world.  I think this would make a great BBC series, guys!

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie
100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them by Ted Haigh
Technically, this book was published five years ago and isn’t a new title.  However, the upgrade really makes it invaluable.  More cocktails, more photos of rare spirits and ephemera, more history and more resources in the back.  The only disappointment, if it could be called one, is that you will catch Ted’s bug to track down the unusual ingredients most of these drinks call for.

Also, you can’t go wrong with any of the reprints of rare cocktail books published by Mud Puddle Books or the guides put out by Mixellany Ltd. Both of these publishers are doing a huge service to the cocktail community by reprinting long out of print (and out of price range) copies of seminal cocktail guides.  If you want to understand the history of what you do behind the stick, grab these books and prepare to be enlightened.