Here in my small town of Olympia, there is only one worthwhile cocktail bar, a bit conservative, but they take cocktail-making seriously. There is a great dive bar here, but it's more of a shot and beer place, no fancy cocktails.
My main introduction into the modern cocktail movement was through Murray Stenson, the great cocktail revivalist who ran the Zig Zag Cafe bar in Seattle. I also spent my time behind bars for many years where I learned a few tricks myself.
I agree with your basic philosophy of building off of classic models.
That said, I spent much of the last year working with my own experiments and variations. Here are two that I perfected and happily revisit from time to time.
Gdansk Cocktail
1 part rye,
1 part brandy
1 part wysniak
2 dashes angostura bitters
garnish with a cherry
A Manhattan meets Thunderclap variation. The rye I used was Bulleit, but I'm drifting more and more towards Rittenhouse. The bandy was Korbell, a classic California mixer. And the Wisniak was homemade, but apparently (in Poland at least) there are commercial versions of it.
Doug-tini
1 part Douglas fir tip-infused vodka
1 part Vermut Carpintero seco
2 lavender/thyme bitters
Garnish with lemon twist
My own infusion of Douglas Fir, endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, and vodka, my own very dry vermouth (which is fairly Rosemary and Sardinian Sage forward), and my own bitters. A very tasty, not overly alcohol-hot cocktail that can probably only be made by me and perhaps a few mad infusionistas here in the PNW. But if you ever make it to this neck of the woods, I'd love to make one for you.
Feliz Año y gracias por compartir una lista tan espectacular. Termini Soho es uno de mis favoritos, sin duda, y Little Red Door fue inolvidable. En 2021, viajar no a sido posible, pero si me permite, le comparto cocteles de otros tiempos. También en Londres, me encanto el Martinez de Happiness Forgets. En Lima, el Chilcano de Antigua Taberna Queirolo es regresar al antaño. En Tokyo, el coctel de autor Tokyo Station de Hisashi Sugimoto en Bar Oak es una historia sentimental. ¡Salud!
Silver Bullet (14 De La Rosa)
Thanks for the great list.
Here in my small town of Olympia, there is only one worthwhile cocktail bar, a bit conservative, but they take cocktail-making seriously. There is a great dive bar here, but it's more of a shot and beer place, no fancy cocktails.
My main introduction into the modern cocktail movement was through Murray Stenson, the great cocktail revivalist who ran the Zig Zag Cafe bar in Seattle. I also spent my time behind bars for many years where I learned a few tricks myself.
I agree with your basic philosophy of building off of classic models.
That said, I spent much of the last year working with my own experiments and variations. Here are two that I perfected and happily revisit from time to time.
Gdansk Cocktail
1 part rye,
1 part brandy
1 part wysniak
2 dashes angostura bitters
garnish with a cherry
A Manhattan meets Thunderclap variation. The rye I used was Bulleit, but I'm drifting more and more towards Rittenhouse. The bandy was Korbell, a classic California mixer. And the Wisniak was homemade, but apparently (in Poland at least) there are commercial versions of it.
Doug-tini
1 part Douglas fir tip-infused vodka
1 part Vermut Carpintero seco
2 lavender/thyme bitters
Garnish with lemon twist
My own infusion of Douglas Fir, endemic to the Pacific Northwest of North America, and vodka, my own very dry vermouth (which is fairly Rosemary and Sardinian Sage forward), and my own bitters. A very tasty, not overly alcohol-hot cocktail that can probably only be made by me and perhaps a few mad infusionistas here in the PNW. But if you ever make it to this neck of the woods, I'd love to make one for you.
Feliz Año y gracias por compartir una lista tan espectacular. Termini Soho es uno de mis favoritos, sin duda, y Little Red Door fue inolvidable. En 2021, viajar no a sido posible, pero si me permite, le comparto cocteles de otros tiempos. También en Londres, me encanto el Martinez de Happiness Forgets. En Lima, el Chilcano de Antigua Taberna Queirolo es regresar al antaño. En Tokyo, el coctel de autor Tokyo Station de Hisashi Sugimoto en Bar Oak es una historia sentimental. ¡Salud!
Que honor! Muchissimas gracias!!