the cocktail circuit: August 2011

about the cocktail circuit

This indifferent-to-trend and often openly anti-social site is about the enjoyment of cocktails, beers, wines, spirits and some books. I discuss the enjoyment of the presence of these, often in combination, in daily life. There isn't much here that you might call a purebred review of a drink or a cocktail or even of a book. No, the one consistent belief is that even god-awful cocktails and spirits and certainly questionable books may be found to be exquisite under the right circumstances, and also that dependably perfect cocktail concoctions and poetry and prose may be deplorable at many times. Brands are mentioned, and frequently, and honestly, but mostly I contemplate times, situations, events, and how they relate to favored experiences.

To argue any point or to strike up the possibility of unwanted and highly opinionated 3,000-word correspondences with the author, you may try or luck with joseph.mailander@gmail.com. Or find more info about the proprietor here.

The bartenders at Absinthe Brasserie in San Franciso have put together a classic. Carefully interpreting classic cocktails, the book focuses on taste sensibilities while remaining highly sensitive to cocktail history. Like two brilliant architects renovating classic Victorian row houses with touches of sleek postmodern designs that breathe life into classics, Hollinger and Schwartz hit all the right notes. Even the book's bibliography is a delight.