Camper English's Blog, page 25

A New History of San Francisco's Anchor Brewery

For the SFStandard, I wrote up a brief announcement and a few fun facts about The Anchor Brewing Story: America's First Craft Brewery & San Francisco's Original Anchor Steam Beer that is out today. 

[Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop]

The story is here. 

 

Ode to PCH, the Pacific Cocktail Haven

For AlcoholProfessor, I wrote up a "Bars We Love" feature about San Francisco bar PCH. Check it out here. 

Book Review: The Bartender's Manifesto

This review first appeared on AlcoholProfessor.com. Feel free to read the original here.

Purchase the book via these links: Amazon or Bookshop. 

 

This is the bartending book for bartenders who’ve already read a lot of bartending books and are sure they don’t need another. Toby Maloney, an owner of Chicago’s famed Violet Hour, has written a guide that is largely how to think about bartending and cocktail creation, more than a guide to bartending and creating cocktails.

The distinction is important. It is about bartending and creating drinks with intention rather than according to formula. It is mis en place for the mind.

Overview

In The Bartender’s Manifesto Maloney (along with co-author Emma Janzen who also co-authored The Way of the Cocktail with Julia Momosé) lays it all out in five sections: Cocktail Mechanics, Drink Philosophies, Recipe Flourishes, Bartending Tenets, and Creative Process. In the first he shares how he establishes baselines for ingredients by picking a touchstone spirit for each category and then comparing others to it: is this gin I’m evaluating more or less juniper-forward, more or less citrusy, lower or higher proof than my touchstone Beefeater? Similarly, he places 1:1 simple syrup as a 5 out of 10 on a sweetness scale and rates others against it (maple syrup is at 3.75 and homemade grenadine is at 7.25).

Techniques Defined & Named

Sometimes this tool-building is formalizing vocabulary around processes we already know. He divides shaking and stirring into the coupe shake, collins shake, whip shake, coupe stir, chunk stir, and rocks stir. A bartender should understand already that they should shake a cocktail that will later have added carbonated liquids to it for a shorter time than a cocktail that is going right into a coupe glass exactly as-is. Here these are divided into the collins shake (the drink upon straw-tasting after shaking might be slightly boozy, bold, and sweet) versus the perfectly ready cocktail resulting from a longer and more dilution-added coupe shake. Drink recipes listed in the book refer to these distinct shakes and stirs in their instructions, reinforcing the lesson.

Other tips in the Cocktail Mechanics section include how each type of citrus twist impacts drinks differently (orange is warming and implies sweetness, for example), how cocktails should be “bottomed” with their splash of soda or champagne rather than topped with it, and why “texture is the single most important element of a cocktail.” At the end of each of the first four parts of the book are 25 recipes designed to demonstrate the manifestation of the concepts of that section. This invites the reader to look closely at each recipe for what it can teach us, even if we never intend to make the drink ourselves.

Philosophies & Flourishes

In the Drink Philosophies section, Maloney quickly covers material that will be familiar to professional bartenders who have collaboratively created menus: a drink might need to be invented to fill a hole on the menu for something stirred and savory with a gin base, for example, so that’s the starting point. Or perhaps you are designing drinks around comfort that can be evoked by playing up sense memories, well-wornm classics, and ritual serves. Or, rather than create a drink that stimulates emotions, you might create one that stimulates the mind and sparks curiosity – the “surprise and delight” experience in liquid form.

In Recipe Flourishes, we learn several techniques for layering flavors “in a way that will transform a good drink into an extraordinary one.” These techniques are echoing, complementing, juxtaposition, and narrative arc, and they include tricks such as stacking ingredients with the same flavor note (like mint plus Fernet-Branca) or opposite ones (like a lemon peel on a bourbon drink). You probably already know that Fernet tastes minty and it can work together with mint in a drink and The Bartender’s Manifesto doesn’t spend much time naming a bunch of specific flavor combinations; what it does is give names to potential tools to use when you’re in the situation of needing “a little something to make this drink pop.”

Refreshingly, the book skips most of the basics of bartending and explaining cocktail categories, assuming the reader is familiar with them already. Home bartenders can take away from this book more about the why of cocktails and their ingredients than the what of them. Professionals may benefit from some really excellent tricks and tips sprinkled throughout the text, in addition to the formalization of processes and vocabulary around tools, ingredients, and philosophies of drink creation.

 

The SF Bars that SF Bartenders Recommend

My latest for the SF Standard:

When bartenders travel, they tend to visit—surprise!—bars. And when local barkeeps act as guides, they often steer their guests toward the best watering holes they know. We polled some top Bay Area mixologists, asking them to reveal their favorite spots and what makes them special.

Read it here.

A Segment on Wisconsin Public Radio with Camper English

I appeared in a half-hour segment on Wisconsin Public Radio talking about booze and medicine in support of Doctors and Distillers.

Listen here. 

Six Books on Booze Brands and How They Were Built

The launch of Brand Mysticism inspired me to think about other books about building brands, and that inspired this blog post.

Three Books from Brand Founders

 

Brand Mysticism: Cultivate Creativity and Intoxicate Your Audience by Steven Grasse and Aaron Goldfarb [amazon][bookshop]

My review on AlcoholProfessor of this one is forthcoming. Grasse is "the mind behind beloved brands like Hendrick’s Gin and Sailor Jerry Rum and the guy who made cheap-beer-standbys like Narragansett and Miller High Life cool again." 

The book has a lot of material about the stunts and fun of making brands cool, plus how he finds inspiration in weird history to use. After finishing the book, I went right to the library, so it inspired me in a couple ways even though the only brand I'm "building" is my own. 

It's described as: "So how did he do it? Through practicing brand mysticism, a mentality for all endeavors based on keeping an open mind, taking risks, and developing authenticity—skills that have benefited him in booze, business, and beyond. In this book, he’s sharing this practice with the world. Through lessons (big life things that feel like just cool stories), case studies (how did Sailor Jerry become the punk rock Captain Morgan?), and magical ingredients (what makes a great message sing), Brand Mysticism guides you through the steps it takes to channel entrepreneurial spirit into a brand, a business, a creative practice, or a life that breaks with tradition to achieve the remarkable."

 

 

 

"That * Will Never Sell!": A Book About Ideas by the Person Who Had Them by David Gluckman [amazon]

I have not read this one yet - it has been on my list for a long time, but Phil Duff mentioned that this new Kindle version includes lots of bonus material and original ads you can view and such. So get the Kindle rather than the book version. 

Gluckman is behind "multi-billion-selling Baileys, Smirnoff Black, Tanqueray Ten, Cîroc vodka, Sheridan's, The Singleton, Aqua Libra, J&B Jet, Purdey's, Piat d'Or and more"

and the book promises:

•Baileys: How a 30-second idea went on to sell billions of bottles globally

•Cîroc: How the world's first grape vodka started life in a brandy distillery in Tbilisi

•Guinness Light: How a “sure-fire hit” collided spectacularly with reality

•Le Piat d’Or: How the French “adored” a wine they’d never tried

Plus, now in a brand-new special edition eBook version, Gluckman adds over a hundred live-action links —to atmospheric video content, newsreels and the greatest, nostalgia-inspiring adverts of his career— to take readers back to the golden age of advertising.

 

 

Every Bastard Says No by Justine with Geoff Ross Troy [amazon]

I bought this one back in 2011 or so, when 42Below Vodka was still a thing. (It was purchased by Bacardi and few have heard of it since.)

I know the book is about the irreverent style of advertising and crossing boundaries by the brand founder. The book's description is:

Initially brewed by Wellington advertising man Geoff Ross in his garage, everythingabout this vodka was audacious, from the very notion of making high-end vodkaDownunder to its irreverent ad campaigns and the fact that it would go on to beat the world's great vodka brands in international competitions. But the most remarkable thing about 42 Below was the way it won the respect and support of the world's leading bartenders and eventually attracted the attention of liquor giant Bacardi, which paid millions to buy the brand four years ago.Every Bastard Says No is the rollicking tale of how Geoff Ross, his wife Justine, andtheir business partners and loyal staff risked all and worked their butts off to do whatNew Zealanders so dream of doing but so rarely manage: build a brand that makes the world sit up and take notice. It's an inspirational business story that will appeal toentrepreneurs, business students, creatives, and everyone who loves a brave - andultimately successful - Kiwi start-up.'This book will bamboozle those who look for neat classifications. Is it a business book?A biography? Or a beverage bible? I don't know - and it doesn't matter. It works. It'sbrilliant! Like 42 Below.' Mark Weldon, CEO New Zealand Stock Exchange

 

Three More Books on How Booze Brands were Built

 

These books weren't written by the founders of brands but about brand building. 

Inside The Bottle: People, Brands, and Stories by Arthur Shapiro [amazon][bookshop]

Shapiro was in the room when many brands were created or marketed. I used the info about Captain Morgan in Doctors and Distillers. 

From the publisher:

"Inside the Bottle: People, Brands, and Stories is an intimate and informative behind-the-scenes window to the global liquor and wine business by one of the industry’s leading marketing gurus. As an industry insider and publisher of the popular blog, Booze Business, Arthur Shapiro provides a unique view that appeals to a diverse audience. Marketing, alcohol, and short story enthusiasts alike can learn from and laugh along with Shapiro’s experiences. Inside the Bottle gives a sometimes shocking look at the U.S. alcohol industry in a conversational and entertaining style. It focuses on the key players, their relationships, and stories. It’s about marketing and sales, brand building, image and product excellence, and what it takes for a brand to win. It’s about how a successful industry has evolved and been fashioned."

 

The Business of Spirits: How Savvy Marketers, Innovative Distillers, and Entrepreneurs Changed How We Drink  by Noah Rothbaum [amazon]

I read this one back in 2007 when it came out. It is described as:

Walk into a liquor store today and you’ll be faced with an unprecedented variety of vodka, gin, whisky, cognac, rum and even tequila. In the past decade, the amount of spirits sold in bars, stores and restaurants has climbed nearly sixty percent. Celebrating the acumen of the businessmen and craftsmen responsible for this phenomenal sales growth, The Business of Spirits: How Savvy Marketers, Innovative Distillers, and Entrepreneurs Changed How We Drink, is a cocktail of history and insight into a rapidly growing industry. Journalist Noah Rothbaum takes readers from the cellars of Cognac, France, to the Scottish Highlands to the agave fields of Mexico to find out what’s now driving this age old industry. The book explores new production techniques, cutting-edge marketing campaigns and introduces a new crop of crafty entrepreneurs.

 

A Long Stride: The Story of the World's No. 1 Scotch Whisky by Nicholas Morgan [amazon][bookshop]

This one I only peaked into to pull out some information I used in Doctors and Distillers about how soda water and scotch was considered a healthy beverage. But it's great and I can't wait to finish it, Nick Morgan is a great writer and expert.

The history of Johnnie Walker, beginning in 1820, is also the history of Scotch whisky. But who was John Walker―the man who started the story? And how did his business grow from the shelves of a small grocery shop in Kilmarnock to become the world’s number one Scotch?

A Long Stride tells the story of how John Walker and a succession of ingenious and progressive business leaders embraced their Scottish roots to walk confidently on an international stage. By doing things their own way, Johnnie Walker overturned the conventions of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain, survived two world wars, and flourished despite prohibition and the Great Depression to become the first truly global whisky brand, revolutionizing the world of advertising along the way. Ultimately the story is a testament to how an obsession with quality and a relentless drive to always move forward created the most recognized Scotch whisky brand in the world.

 

Most Anticipated Cocktail Books for Winter 2022

For AlcoholProfressor.com, I wrote up 10 of my most anticipated cocktail books coming out this winter, out of more than 40. 

Read the article here.

 

These are the books: 

A Bartender's Guide To The World: Cocktails And Stories From 75 Places By Lauren Mote And James O. Fraioli
The Cocktail Edit: Everything You Need To Know About How To Make All The Drinks That Matter By Alice Lascelles
Behind The Bar: Gin: 50 Gin Cocktails From Bars Around The World By Alia Akkam
The Cocktail Cabinet: The Art, Science And Pleasure Of Mixing The Perfect Drink By Zoe Burgess
Cure: New Orleans Drinks And How To Mix ’Em From The Award-Winning Bar By Neal Bodenheimer And Emily Timberlake
Twist: Your Guide To Creating Inspired Craft Cocktails By Jordan Hughes
American Rye: A Guide To The Nation's Original Spirit By Clay Risen
Brand Mysticism: Cultivate Creativity And Intoxicate Your Audience By Steven Grasse And Aaron Goldfarb
Modern Classic Cocktails: 60+ Stories And Recipes From The New Golden Age In Drinks By Robert Simonson
A Sense Of Place: A Journey Around Scotland's Whisky By Dave Broom

 

 

 

 

New Booze October 2022

Below are bottle shots of mostly new- and a few just new to me- spirits products that have come onto the market in recent months. These are from my Instagram account and you can get more information about each of them there. 

Where to Drink Negroni Sbagliatos in San Francisco

In my latest story for the SF Standard, I wrote up a few bars in which to drink the hottest cocktail of now, the Negroni Sbagliato. 

 

News Story about Drink Masters Netflix Cocktail Competition

I wrote a short newsy story for the SF Standard about a local bartender, Suzu from Wildhawk, competing on the forthcoming Netflix series Drink Masters.

Read it here.