Notes From The Bar

by Keith Talent
I’m a cocktail purist. It’s one area of human endeavour that requires very little research and development work – better that creative bartenders spend their time sequencing DNA or tinkering with combinations of drugs to treat disease rather than devising new ways to trick me into consuming apple schnapps.

Congratulations to Andrew Starritt of Cask Strength and his wife:
“Eamon Andrew Tully Starritt was born on Tuesday May 15th at a sturdy 6lbs. 12 ounces. His older brother is thrilled and his mother is recovering well. Myself I am a pretty happy man. [...]

LAST WORD
1 oz gin
1 oz maraschino liqueur
1 oz green Chartreuse
1 oz lime juice
Shake vigorously and double strain into a cocktail glass.
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This 1920’s cocktail, by Frank Fogarty of Detroit, is the perfect example of a cocktail that is more than the sum of it’s parts. While amazingly simple to make, as it is 4 ingredients all [...]

by Barrett Jones
Dosing an espresso is the most critical technique in the preparation of any espresso drink. It’s the basis of the flavour. It’s also overlooked – a lot. Too much. Some simple goals of dosing:
1. Even distribution of grounds in the portafilter basket.
2. Identical dosing, time and time again.
3. Avoiding undoing all the good, [...]