It nice to be back in London on a cold wet windy blustery gloomy summer evening. The sunscreen business must be awful, but I am sure the parka industry is booming.
I am enjoying a nice pint of Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager at the Rising Sun pub which sits across from St. Bartholomew The Great Church (from the 12th century)
Almost three years ago I wrote a post on one of my favorite Manhhattans that I have ever had. That drink was served by an excellent bartender. I decided to go back to the Cortiina Hotel Bar in Munich and see if that fantastic drink still existed.
My only request was for it to be made with Basil Hayden bourbon. I left the rest up to the bar host/server (Djemal) and bartender. Note: The fact that this bar has at least seven different types of real bourbon tells me they are serious. Many times in Europe a bar carries Jack as their “bourbon”… And that’s it. Ugh- oh please.
As with my first time here, I knew upon arrival of my cocktail, and before I tasted it, that is was perfect. The mixed liquids were beautifully see-through. (A 4:2 ratio was used for the bourbon and vermouth) and very importantly, they never saw the inside of a shaker. The amount of vermouth didn’t darken the drink to look like over steeped English tea, it was still a bourbon colored cocktail. Perfect.
Well, I was right. It was made perfectly by a bartender who definitely cares about what they are doing and knows how to do it. The drink was as crisp as physically possible, they used what I presume to be home made or small batch brandied cherries that could likely be locally acquired. Everything was perfect, including the slight hint of bitters.
I definitely recommend this bar as a must do while in Munich, but as it is small and popular, I recommend that you plan to wait to get in or make a reservation.
Tonight I had a fantastic fondue dinner at Weinhaus Schneider in Munich. This very eclectic restaurant dives guests into a Bavarian hunters lodge. 🙂
At Oktoberfest 2015 I was fortunate enough to have a tall glass of Hofbräuhaus’s Weißbier at their “tent”. If you have even been here during this festival you will know that the tents at Oktoberfest are not small and are definitely not tents. In fact some hold as many as 10,000 beer slamming, brass band listening, very happy people. Read the rest of this entry »
On a relaxing Friday afternoon I was able to relax at Roast restaurant at Bourough Market in London. I had a perfectly made Manhattan made with Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel Bourbon
Martin, a exemplary bartender from Slovakia, made my drinks with equal parts of white and red vermouth and a freshly cut orange peel. The result was a perfectly made drink that I had to have repeatedly.
So I sat in a Houston hotel lobby this week waiting for colleagues to arrive to enjoy a nice steak dinner. While I waited I decided to enjoy a Manhattan made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Like many bourbon drinkers, Woodford has been one of my go to bourbons for a long time now. This is due to a few easy reasons; it is very smooth, full of flavor, and possibly most importantly, it is available in most of the nicer bars around the country. Availability should never be underestimated!
On that note, what I interesting is that while nicer bourbons are fairly common in the United States, they can be very hard to come by in other parts of the world. Bourbon simply doesn’t get the respect it deserves around the globe, especially when compared to Scotch and Vodka. Far too often when I ask for a good bourbon in far away lands I get Jack Daniels. No disrespect to good old Jack, but it simply does not reflect the fantastic bourbons that can and should be offered instead.
I think we should remedy this, what do you think?
I happened to be lucky enough to be in Seattle on the day of the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Victory Parade. While admittedly I am not a Seahawks fan, I have to say it was cool being around so many festive and excited people. Read the rest of this entry »
Dining and drinking solo at Hush, a restaurant in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, was made less pathetic by ordering a duo of Manhattans. The first made with Buffalo Trace and the second with Wild Turkey 101. Firstly, the bartender made two identical drinks. Exactly as any classic cocktail book would instruct them to be made. There was no deviation from recipe tonight. So which did I like better? …. Oddly enough I thought the Buffalo Trace version tasted very … “normal”. It was exactly as it should have been made. It tasted exactly as it should have tasted… That is why tonight I chose the Wild Turkey 101 entry. It was remarkably bright. Incredibly smooth. Clean, even a little soapy ( in a good way somehow) with an after taste lingering of mild tobacco. Very nice, interestingly surprising.
Sometimes business trips take you to a restaurant that is way off the beaten path. This doesn’t always work out well, but in this case at the The Front Porch in San Francisco, I was very impressed with their Southern style cookin’. In addition to the fun and fantastically prepared food I had the perfectly made Manhattan made with the always amazing Hirsch Bourbon
 | daroodesigns on First Proper Pint in Awhi… |
 | Susan Tobin on Flowers in Mug |
 | bnmd on Discovering Nate Burbeck |
| daroodesigns on Highlighted Artist – Dav… |
 | Collin Santucci on A Perfect Custom Manahattan at… |
MickoWrites 