When a Gathering Was a Gathering

Recently I've been getting nostalgic for the "classic" years. Those not-too-long-ago days when social networking meant simply gathering together with friends. There were people, chairs, a table, some drinks, food, maybe some music in the background and that was it. The evening would be filled with long conversations and laughter, uninterrupted by buzzing smartphones. People gave their unadulterated attention to the moment because they weren't distracting themselves with the half-dozen other virtual conversations happening online in their pocket - a time when thumbs weren't doing the talking at the table.

I'm reminded of these times when I watch classic films. A character pours a drink, there's dialogue and the plot thickens. They're not checking e-mails, updating their Facebook status or uploading a picture of their drink to Twitter (I know, I'm one of the worst offenders).

Though the atmosphere of bar life and social interaction has changed, the classic cocktails enjoyed back then by the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery and Alec Guiness are thankfully still alive and thriving today. To celebrate this, the Museum of the American Cocktail hosted "Cocktails of the Silver Screen," (which I've written about here) highlighting cocktails from Hollywood classics like "Casablanca," "The Thin Man," James Bond and "Our Man in Havana." An all-star cast of DC's brightest bartenders paid homage to the greats like the Champagne Cocktail, French 75, Rum Collins, the Martini, the Knickerbocker Cocktail and the classic Daiquiri.

Though technology hasn't made it possilbe to go back to a time of less "interactive" imbibing, we definitely have the ability to bring those times back. Next time I go to meet friends at the bar, it'll be a classic cocktail for me and I think I'll hit the off switch on my phone (or maybe even leave it a home - GASP!) and see what happens.

Cocktails from Warmer Climes

From left: JP Caceres, Duane Sylvester and Jamie MacBain.

As the temperature climbs The Museum of the American Cocktail hosted a seminar with a trio of DC finest bartenders to enlighten us about the cocktails from South of the Border. Rum, Cachaça and Tequila took center stage at Bourbon Steak in DC. Duane Sylvester got swizzling as JP Caceres demonstrated dirty-dumps and dry-shakes while Jamie MacBain got his beet on. One stop shopping for your summer cocktails!

"On the Town" in DC with King Cocktail

If there is anyone to thank (and bow down to) for the for today's growing appreciation and revitalization of the US cocktail culture, it's Dale "King Cocktail" DeGroff. On April 12 Dale graced and intimate audience at the Warehouse Theater in Washington where he performed his “On the Town: A Tribute to Bars, Speaks, and Legendary Saloons,” incorporating tales and songs about the watering holes of yesteryear and Dale’s own career path as a bartender. It was a rare treat for all to hear Dale's stories of the New York cocktail scene from the late 1960s and its transformation, under his leadership, from fern bars serving processed, ready-made piña coladas to establishments such as Aurora and the Rainbow Room where he brought many cocktails such as the Gin Fizz and Singapore Sling back out of virtual extinction, using top-shelf spirits and fresh-squeezed juices. His style focused on bringing the profession of bartending back to its glory providing an atmosphere where the bartender took center stage in welcoming and interacting with guests.

Read my post about Dale's performance for The Museum of the American Cocktail.

Vodka Classics

On March 20 Phil Greene of the Museum of the American Cocktail hosted a Vodka Classics Seminar. He introduced guests to one of his original cocktails called the Cook Strait Sling No. 2 with vodka, lemon juice, Cherry Heering Liqueur, St. Germain, Fee Bros. Aromatic bitters and Fee Bros. Gin Barrel Aged Gin Bitters. It was a fantastic mingling of sweet, floral and bitter flavors.

An interesting note is that vodka didn't really become popular in the US until the 1950s. To get Americans to buy more vodka, which many found bland, they hired celebrities like Woody Allen as spokespeople to promote the Moscow Mule made with vodka, ginger beer and lime juice - served in a copper mug. As vodka became more popular it made appearances in pop culture including in the James Bond books and films with the appearance of the Vesper and Vodka Martini "shaken, not stirred." Read more here.

George Washington and the Drinking of the Nation

The Museum of the American Cocktail recently hosted a seminar featuring Dennis Pogue, author of "Founding Spirits" on the history of the American whiskey industry. According to Pogue, George Washington was quite the rye whiskey distiller, making more money off his hooch than anything else grown on his Mount Vernon estate. Derek Brown of The Passenger and Columbia Room gave a demonstration on how to make a classic Old Fashioned and Phil Green of the Museum showcased the New Orleans Cocktail Trinity. With six rye whiskey recipes to boot, my latest installment for the MOTAC blog will have you swirling in our nation's history of drinking!

DC Gets Its Holiday Cocktail On

Reporting for the Museum of the American Cocktail, an all-star ensemble of DC's bartenders (the likes of Gina Chersevani of PS7s, JP Caceres of Bourbon Steak, Jon Harris of the Gibson, Katie Nelson of the Columbia Room and Dan Searing of Room 11) convened at PS7s for a holiday cocktail seminar. Let me tell you, we've got some creative minds and palates in this city! A "Sweet Potato-Ginger Sparkler" with a roasted oolong marshmallow, "Fall in a Cup" with butter-infused elderflower liqueur. A tequila, sherry and clementine punch and a Tom and Jerry. I think we've got the beginnings of a new holiday carol.

DC Celebrates Repeal Day in Style

December 3 marked the 4th Repeal Day party hosted by the DC Craft Bartender's Guild. I was there on behalf of the Museum of the American Cocktail to report on the grand affair. If there was any reason to go, it was for Chantel Tseng's "Darmoney Sucker Punch" in a claw-foot tub.