Martini Groove

I contributed to a book about Vodka.  What?  Vodka's cool!  VODKA'S COOL!! Some other people are in there too.  I don't exactly remember their names but I think it's Kevin Moleskin, and Jeff Emmentaler, and President Gary Reagan, and the guy from O'Neil Surfwear. Anyway, it's free and in .pdf format. If you want it on paper, you can hit "Print" and kill trees and stuff. Check it out here . It's free but you can send me money if you want.

Food & Wine magazine has just launched their list of the Top 100 bars in America.  Surprisingly, the list is actually GOOD.  Some of the bars are fairly obvious (Tini Bigs, The Drawing Room, Absinthe) but others are a great addition.  I'm glad to state that I've been to all the ones in San Francisco and I'm even a regular at ones like Nopa, Beretta, and Bourbon & Branch.  Clyde Commons in Portland is a great spot and Morgenthaler is running it now (no pressure, Jeffrey).  B Flat and Milk & Honey in NYC are absolute must-visits.  Check out the full list in Food & Wine Cocktails '09 - US$10.17

Here's a funny thing: I got this book to review near the end of last summer, which didn't make much sense because it was a summer book but there was no summer left. Also, I don't usually review books, so I had to learn how to read without moving my lips. The Backyard Bartender: 55 Cool Summer Cocktails by Nicole Aloni made me long for summer as I used it to keep me warm through the cold, wet California winter. Just kidding, California winters are awesome. Anyway, the book covers a lot for such a tiny little tome. From how to stock your bar, to what tools you'll need to look like a pro, to plenty of tasty recipes to refresh and relax you on the veranda. (Would you like to kiss me on the veranda? No, the lips would be fine.) One of my favorite sections that a lot of other books ignore is the section on Cocktails for a Crowd. When you throw a summer party you're not always interested in standing around and mixing cocktails for each person, this section teaches yo...

99 Schnapps is giving away a free shot book so that you can actually do something with all those bottles of Schnapps you have around the house from when you were trying to make a drink that a girl would actually like. 99 Schnapps Free Shot Book

Lucy Brennan is one of Playboy's Top Bartenders in America and has two extremely successful bars in Portland, OR, Mint and the 820 lounge. I've been to the 820 lounge and can vouch for the quality of drinks and thoughtfulness of every detail that goes in to them. Some might think that her heavy use of tropical juices in a lot of her drinks make them a little "girlie" but these drinks are all business with flavor profiles that flow together so well, the last thing you'll worry about will be your masculinity. My favorite? Her "Ad Lib" which is Crater Lake Vodka muddled with Cilantro and Lemon Lime juice, served up in a sugared Martini glass. Now her recipe book has hit the shelves and it relays all of the interesting and unique cocktails that she's come up with that are great tasting and not super hard to make for yourself. 60 full recipes will keep them coming back for more. Hip Sips: Modern Cocktails to Raise Your Spirits - US$11.53

Two book recommendations made by others came to my attention and they both look like good ones so I thought I'd pass them on. Miss Charming's Guide for Hip Bartenders and Wayout Wannabes: Your Ultimate One-Stop Bar and Cocktail Resource is a fun, go-to source for drinks and entertaining and all the way to complete bar management. The best part is that the author's real last name is Charming. You know she's got the goods to make this one happen. via Days That End In Y Hemingway & Bailey’s Bartending Guide to Great American Writers is written by Mark Baily and Ernest's grandson, Edward Hemingway. If I was writing papers in college and I had that guy's name, I'd just sign it "E. Hemingway." How DARE they give me anything but an A???? The book is all about your favorite authors and what they drink/drank. It even goes in to the recipes, so you can make sure you're drinking the right thing. What Bourbon goes with Old Man and the Sea, anyw...

San Francisco's Absinthe Brasserie and Bar is one of the penultimate drinking places in The City. It is to drinking what Michael Minna is to food and tends to be a lot friendlier as well. Bartenders (I hate the term "Mixologist") Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz have collaborated on a new recipe book that not only includes recipes for the classics, but plenty of new drinks as well as spins on the old classics. The book also takes a look at the history of many of the drinks, stories behind them, and anecdotes and reflections from their days at working at the bar. The Art of the Bar - US$24.95