Simon Ogden

From The West Wing, Season 3, Episode 17: ‘Stirred’ by Aaron Sorkin:
President Bartlet: Can I tell you what’s messed up about James Bond?
Charlie Young: Nothing.
President Bartlet: Shaken, not stirred, will get you cold water with a dash of gin and dry vermouth. The reason you stir it with a special spoon is so not to [...]

Vancouver is losing one of its great barmen. Up until about a year ago I lived a block away from Parkside Restaurant – a wonderfully classy little room snuggled into the leafy heart of the West End – which meant I was seconds away at any given time from one of Charles Forsberg’s magnificent Whiskey [...]

Is it really New Year’s already? Good Lord. Is it me, or did 2008 just fly by? My head is still spinning. Time to put the brakes on and take a look at the state of the union for a minute. It’s a funny one this year, there’s an air of concern both within the [...]

 
Ah, bless the holidays. The one season of the year where you are actually encouraged – nay, expected – to imbibe. It’s also the most creative time of the year for us bartender types, both professional and home hobbyist. It’s a perfect opportunity to get a little showy, as the staples for holiday cocktail flavours [...]

There’s an irritating and potentially embarrassing scene that all bartenders have to deal with on occasion, and every time we’re confronted with it we vow it will never happen again. But it always does, it’s as inevitable as a cheap tequila hangover, and all you can do is fumble your way through it with some [...]