Pretty cool, but not necessarily groundbreaking — Anyone remember Eben Freeman and Bacardi’s “Mojito of the future“? Any thoughts?

I’ll admit, it took me a while to get into ‘Mad Men’.. It usually takes a while for a drama to really warm to me. However, after seeing the abundance of booze and classic cocktails feature throughout the show, I found it pretty easy for the show to quickly take hold of me. I don’t think I’m the only one, either — I’ve seen Mad Men pop up in conversation from the likes of guys like Philip Duff rather regularly, too.

Building on the success of the show’s popular 3 martini lunches, AMC has just release the Mad Men ‘Cocktail Culture’ App via iTunes.

From AMC: “Think you can make an Old Fashioned as good as Don Draper can (or a Tom Collins as deftly as daughter Sally)? AMC’s Mad Men Cocktail Culture game challenges your skills at making popular cocktails of the ’60s. How much vodka do you pour in a Gimlet? Do you shake or stir a Martini? What glass do you use for a Blue Hawaiian? Get everything right, and Roger Sterling just may just invite you to his next party!

Once you’ve made your virtual cocktail, you can drink it yourself and also share your results with a friend. Just for fun or when getting ready for the next episode of Mad Men, this app lets you master the art of cocktail making — in Mad Men style.”

To get the full app, it’s gonna cost you $1.99, but you can also download a free trial of it from here.

Anyone else tried this yet? What do you think?

In the latest video preview (displayed above), the Alinea team demonstrates the use of some of the newest Polyscience equipment, and how it works to superchill liquids to -6C, plus talks on how they can make the technology work with their coming arsenal of cocktails, and talks of tiki and blended drinks and the applications for those.

Molecular mix geeks.. eat your heart out.

You can follow the progress of Aviary intently (like me) via Alinea’s Youtube Channel, website, or through a couple of Twitter accounts. I’ll hopefully be down in Chicago by the end of the year.. you can bet that Alinea (and hopefully Aviary) will be on my list of stops.

For now, check out the image below, posted via Grant Achatz on YFrog.. a sign of some great things that are hopefully to come from Aviary — homemade celery, lavender, and orange bitters, plus a good handful of Chartreuse? Count me in.

May 31, 2010 – A Mountain of Crushed Ice: “ORIGINAL NEW ORLEANS COCKTAILS pt5 – Peychauds & Sazerac”When I was in New Orleans last year for the very first time, I distinctly remember my first cocktail order: a Sazerac at the Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Bar. Just weeks before that, the drink had been declared the city’s official cocktail, and because of the lack of Peychaud’s bitters or a proper Absinthe here at home in Ontario, I had yet to try one! After reading this latest post from A Mountain of Crushed Ice, about the intertwined history of Peychaud’s bitters and the Sazerac, my mouth has already started watering in anticipation!

June 5, 2010 – Art of Drink: “The Ultimate Gin Bartender”
By now, I’m sure most people are sick of me talking about G’Vine Gin and their upcoming (I leave today) Gin Connoisseur’s Program, so I won’t talk for long. While we’re away, I will have very limited access to a computer or email, so I invite everyone to follow along over at Art of Drink, where Darcy O’Neil will be blogging as we progress through the intense series of challenges we await.

June 3, 2010 – The Chuck Cowdery Blog: “Sale of Hudson Whiskey Brand Gives Craft Distillers New Credibility.”
Craft distilling just got a huge leg up this week, as William Grant & Sons partnered with Tuthilltown Spirits for the production and worldwide distribution of Tuthilltown’s Hudson Whiskey brand. Tuthilltown spirits received a lot of attention earlier in the year for their barrels as Jeffrey Morgenthaler popularized “barrel aged cocktails”. For fans of the Hudson Whiskey brand, Tuthilltown will continue to produce the product themselves, but the rights to sales and distribution now belong to William Grant & Sons. Tuthilltown’s unaged spirits program will remain unaffected.

June 1, 2010 – The NYTimes Blog: “Case Study | Vintage Cocktails”
A few months ago, Jeffrey Morgenthaler and Portland, Oregon’s Clyde Common received (deservedly) quite a bit of attention regarding their barrel-aged cocktail program. In one of the latest posts from the New York Times Blog, we get a further glimpse into Morgenthaler’s inspiration: Tony Conigliaro of 69 Colebrook Row in London, England. For quite some time now, Tony has been subtly aging cocktails in bottles behind his bar, and Jeff’s venture to the cocktail to the next logical step. Curious to learn more? You should be.

Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Whiskey
First came the news that the group would be picking up Tuthilltown Spirits’ Hudson Whiskey. Of the offerings at Tuthilltown, none have struck a cord quite so successfully as their Hudson line, and the product fills the much needed gap in Grant’s whiskey program. Tuthilltown spirits received a lot of attention earlier in the year for their barrels as Jeffrey Morgenthaler popularized “barrel aged cocktails”. For fans of the Hudson Whiskey brand, Tuthilltown will continue to produce the product themselves, but the rights to sales and distribution now belong to William Grant & Sons. Tuthilltown’s unaged spirits program will remain unaffected.

Art in the Age ROOT Liqueur
And now, it seems that the brand has also picked up Art In the Age’s most peculiar “Root” liqueur. In the press release that followed, Simon Hunt, Managing Director – North America, William Grant & Sons said, “ROOT’s highly unique story, presentation and taste, as well as the company’s past track record for success make this an extremely exciting time for us.  We see the potential for ROOT and the additional Art in the Age variants to be game-changing spirits, in the same way as Sailor Jerry Rum and Hendrick’s Gin redefined their categories.” ROOT is just the beginning though, already in the works, SNAP will pay homage to flavours unique to historical recipes for Pennsylvania Dutch black strap molasses ginger snap cookies, and the company continues to expand beyond that.

If you’re unfamiliar with their ROOT liqueur, check out this wicked, quick video on it’s origins and production.

What’s next? Who knows – but I know I’ll be keeping an eager, ever closer eye on William Grant & Sons to see how much bigger and better their portfolio can become.. What do you think the next step is?

May 29, 2010 – Thirsty in LA: “The Three Hour Tour: Around the World in Five Cocktails”
Because of an upcoming 10 days in France with G’Vine gin, and an equally long stint in New Orleans this summer for Tales of the Cocktail I didn’t get a chance this past month to visit New York for the first annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic. Believe me, it wasn’t an easy decision to make, especially after hearing all the hype and anticipation built up via Facebook and Twitter – believe me, I did my best to ignore it. One can’t help but wonder though, just how much fun I missed out on, and Daniel of Thirsty in LA has done a superb job of recapping the event I’m most sorry I missed out on – The Three Hour Tour.

May 26, 2010 – TheStar.Com: “Cocktails: The Great Canadian Caesar Chase”
For those of you unfamiliar with it, think of the (bloody) Caesar is our Canadian equivalent to the Bloody Mary – the main differences being the choice of Clamato (Clam & Tomato Juice) juice instead of tomato, and a rim of celery salt, compared to regular salt. Beyond that, many of the ingredients are identical, and variations of our national cocktail stretch as far as the imaginations of our bartenders. In it’s 40th year of notoriety, the savoury cocktail is enjoying revelry in bars and media across Canada, and this most recent article delves into the world of creative variations, and where you can find the best Caesars in Ontario. My favourite? The Miller Tavern’s (Toronto, ON) inclusion of bacon-infused vodka, dill pickle brine, and bacon dust around the rim.

May 26, 2010 – RumDood: “Hemingway Daquiri”
Just in time for summer, and as the requests for daquiris surges at an uncontrollable pace from the Johnny Rocco’s bar, Matt Robold aka “RumDood” has taken a second to enlighten us on the recipe and elusive history of this cocktail, the Hemingway Daquiri. To quote Matt, “If the Daiquiri is the Holy Grail of rum mixology, the Hemingway Daiquiri may be the Lost Ark. Everyone claims to know what it is, but the actual history around it is somewhat nebulous.”

May 24, 2010 – Art of Drink: “Big Fish, Small Pond”
Yes I know, this one doesn’t quite fit within the constraints of this group of dates.. but I had to post it. As someone who aspires to have my own cocktail work in print one day soon, one of the seminars I look forward to the most at Tales of the Cocktail this summer is Darcy O’Neil’s “Big Fish, Small Pond”, which covers all the basics you need to know about self-publishing within the cocktail world. If cocktail publishing is in your near future too, check out Darcy’s sneak preview over at Art of Drink, and register for the seminar!

Right off the bat, I should mention – the inclusion of “spirits” in the title of the program is a bit of a misnomer. Of the 8 classes included for the Intermediate Certificate in Wine and Spirits, it wasn’t until we got to class 8 that spirits begun to be mentioned, and even then, half the class was devoted to wine-based spirits like Port, Madeira, and Sherry. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little disappointed in that.

With that said, the remaining portion of the program was spent talking and tasting great wines from throughout the world, and these classes most certainly did not disappoint. The program took two approaches to talking about wines; Some classes would be spent talking about the mechanics of specific varietals (ie. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) and the locations that happen to be doing an exceptional job at crafting them. You hit a bit of a snag though once you start talking about indigenous varietals (ie. Sangiovese or Temperanillo), so a handful of classes were instead devoted to specific areas of the world, and the indigenous varieties that have put them on the map.

What made our class unique, though, was that one of our instructors (Rob Power) is a currently practicing winemaker for Creekside Estates and the Wayne Gretzky winery here in Ontario. With that, throughout the course we were given the opportunity to test barrel samples highlighting the effects on particular treatments on that specific varietal (American vs. French Oak, to name one example).

I won’t go into detail on everything, but here’s a look at how the weeks went:

Week 1: Introduction and Food & Wine Pairing
Nothing too out of the ordinary here, though it was very interesting to see how much the flavours in a particular piece of food can affect a wine. For example, after tasting a particular red, we were instructed to bite into a salty, briney olive.. the salt completely killed the flavour of the wine, and actually made it quite unpleasant.

Week 2: Factors Influencing the Style of Wine

Week 3: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
One of my favourite classes. I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge on French wine is severely lacking, so this one was a real eye opener for me. Of course, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir isn’t exclusive to France (hell, Niagara is making some of the best Pinot in the world), so the class gave examples from throughout the United States, Australia, to name a few. I’m very happy to admit that my previous aversions to Chardonnay have since ceased, and I even liked one of the wines so much that I listed it at Johnny Roccos. Come on by and enjoy a bottle of Domaine de la Tour Monts-Main Chablis 1er Cru ($32.95, LCBO #159731) – We’re selling it at only 48 bucks!

Week 4: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc

Week 5: Syrah / Shiraz, Grenache, and Riesling

Week 6: Italy, Spain, and Portugal
The best class of the course. Ok, I’ll admit, through my experience with Johnny Rocco’s, I’ve come to be particularly partial towards Italian wines, so to sit down and taste through a few great examples, and hear about the origins of each, I was in my glory… plus, I left the class with a partial bottle of Marchesi di Frescobaldi ’06 Chianti Ruffina ($59.95, LCBO #304501).

Week 7: Sparkling and Sweet Wines

Week 8: Fortified Wines and Spirits

In the end, while the program may not have been what I had initially hoped for and anticipated, I’m certainly happy that I saw it through. I have no problem in recommending this course to anyone hoping to expand their knowledge of wines throughout the world, and for the cost and time commitment, it’s tough to say no to this course. The instructors are top notch, the material is great, and the wines are pretty damn tasty. The WSET is based out of London, England, their worldwide training is standardized, and the program is internationally recognized.

Program Cost: $650
Length: 3hrs/wk for 8wks + Examination
Instructors: Rob Power (Creekside Estates, Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery), Peter Bodnar-Rod (13th Street Winery)
Location: Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute – St. Catharines, Ontario
Click here for program start dates and additional information.

After this, I have to decide whether I move on to my Sommelier Certificate, Level 3 of the WSET.. or both. Any thoughts?

Unfortunately, in an effort to streamline a few features of the website, I managed to click my way through a series of warnings telling me I was about to dump every database my site had run off of for the past year. In an instant, I lost everything. Initially, the hope was just to restore as much of the content as I had access to, and resume business as usual, and luckily, through the Google Cache, and quite a few hours worth of copying and pasting old posts, I managed to restore about half of the content I had created. Cocktails and Cordials was back in action, but then.. Facebook made a very important announcement.

At Facebook’s f8 Conference this past week, creator Mark Zuckerberg announced a slew of additional “social-minded” plugins Facebook would roll out, with the goal of increasing the presence of Facebook-driven communities across the internet. Combined with the presence of already important Twitter and Google Buzz features, I knew immediately that Cocktails and Cordials required a socially-friendly makeover.

As the presence and popularity of social media application surges throughout the web, so too does their surge grow within the bar and beverage community. How important is it? I’m sure if you keep an eye on the social media section, you’ll find some more answers soon enough, or you can join me this summer at Tales of the Cocktail, as I lead “Social Media: Creating Cocktail Legends“. Either way, the main goal for the redesign was to better incorporate Social functionality, and to help foster the growth of community within Cocktails and Cordials.

The ironic part about running a bar blog, or about the countless hours I’ve spent tinkering over the past few weeks is that I used to do this for a living. Web design and programming used to be my life, but after hundreds of boring, thankless hours in front of computer screens, I escaped to the bar — And I suppose now it’s come full circle.

Anyways, I’m very happy to finally present Version 2 of CocktailsAndCordials.com. I would really like to get some feedback on the changes I’ve already made, or the ones you think I should still be working towards. Please leave a comment below, and let me know what I may have forgotten.

Cheers.

March 22, 2010 – Examiner.com: “Beefeater Gin distiller teases with new limited edition gin sample “
According to Robert over at Examiner.com, Beefeater is getting set to release another special edition of their gin in time for summer. In the search for a lighter, summer-friendly gin, Master Distiller Desmond Payne, infused the gin with three additional botanicals: Hibiscus flowers, Elderflower and Black Currant leaf. Their last special edition gin, infused with Japanese Sencha Tea, Seville Orange Peel, and Grapefruit Peel, became so popular that Beefeater 24 remained a permanent fixture in the lineup. If all goes well, expect the new expression this summer.

March 22, 2010 – Kaiser Penguin: “10 Rums Everyone Should Have”
A few days back, I posted some trends you can expect from this year’s cocktails. Among the trends, I mentioned that with the influx of Tiki Cocktails and punch popularity soaring, we can expect rum to have it’s day this summer. So which rums should you make sure you have on hand? Head on over to Kaiser Penguin to see the top 10 rums you should make sure you get ahold of this year, with advice from experts like Beachbum Berry, Wayne Curtis, and more.

March 22, 2010 – The Pegu Blog: “Someone Call the FAA, There’s An Aviation Controversy!”
It’s no secret that the Aviation cocktail is one of many drinks experiencing quite a spirited (lame, I know) revival in the midst of cocktail culture growing exponentially worldwide. However, as the drink grows in popularity and ingredients like Maraschino and Creme de Violette can often be scarce, it’s proper recipe is the source of much debate among cocktail geeks everywhere. The Pegu Blog has some of the best of the debate collated and linked for your cocktail geekery pleasure.

March 23, 2010 – Embury Cocktails: “Fantastic Mr. Fox Cocktail Judging, Party, & Winners”
Over the course of the past month, Embury cocktails has been running a contest celebrating the release of the film, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox”. The event concluded this week at Louis 649 in New York, with a host of curious cocktails inspired by the film being sample and judge. For the winning cocktail, honourable mentions, and a summary of the event, head on over to Embury Cocktails.

March 24, 2010 – Serious Eats: “Is it Time to Take Vodka Seriously?”
In cocktail bars and lounges across the world, Vodka has taken on the “Spirit That Must Not Be Named” designation as it’s supposedly odourless, tasteless, definition has made the spirit laughable to most of those serious about crafting quality cocktails. But, as the once-passé spirit is starting to find it’s way back into quality cocktail lounges, could the spirit be worth a second look for your craft cocktail bar?

Did I miss any noteworthy posts, or did you just update your blog with a great cocktail post? Fill me in via the comments below.

Rum, Punches, and Tiki Cocktails
The buzz for tiki cocktails and the demand for their glassware has become so strong, that Cheryl Charming recently introduced a Tiki Mixology section to the store at BarProducts.com, and this summer’s Tales of the Cocktail event made the tiki drink the focus of their annual officical Tales cocktail competition. If you ask Wayne Curtis, he’ll be quick to tell you that rum will see it’s day this summer, whether it’s featured in a tiki cocktail or punch, or served on it’s own.

If you like to follow or participate in Mixology Monday, this month’s event challenges you to create your best punch. Hot on the heels of the announcement that David Wondrich will be releasing an entire book devoted to this drink, could the punch see it’s day in 2010?

Gin is In!
Maybe I’m wrong on this one — 2009 seemed to be a pretty strong year for Gin sales, and maybe we’ve seen things plateau already. If Niagara is any indication, though, I think you can expect to see Gin do even better this summer. With the release of so many tasty new gins, that are pushing a much easier-to-palate balance of botanicals, I think that gin cocktails have a tremendous leg up this year.

It seems like promotion of the spirit is up substantially this year as well — I don’t know about you, but I’m hearing a hell of a lot more about brands like Hendricks, G’Vine, and Tanqueray, than the typically dominant vodka focus on marketing campaigns.

Fortified Wines, Infusions, and Unique Spices
Recently, I had a chance to stop in at my favourite bar here in Ontario: Frankie Solarik’s BarChef, which makes its home on Queen St. West in Toronto. Frankie gave me a sneak peek of this spring’s cocktail menu, which he plans to launch this coming Tuesday, March 23rd. Among it, expect current buzzworthy spirits like Mezcal and fortified wines like Madeira, and the standard inclusion of seasonally-friendly fruits and herbs. My favourite cocktail? Strawberry infused gin, Campari, fresh lime juice, orange flower water. Make sure you give the Campari Spring a try.

Frankie’s not alone though, fortified wines, like Sherry and Madeira, have been creeping onto cocktail menus and backbars alike over the past couple of years. Two of my favourite spirits this year were finished in barrels previously reserved for the wines – If you get a chance, check out Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve, and The Balvenie Madeira Cask.

Where do you think this year’s cocktail menus are headed, and what to you plan to feature on yours? Any spirits in particular?