Dispatches - News and Notes from Around the World.

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Eats -  Up and Dow(n) Trends.

Farm to Markets and celebrations of same. From rural to metropolis celebrations of this return to fresh local produce has come alive. Does this celebration have its roots in the Parisian and New York "White Dinner"? Where all dressed & party in white, you don't learn the location of the grand dinner til 30 minutes before hand. 

Locally Made Liquor.

You know, speaking of locally made - in this case - liquor, like Tito's Vodka of Austin, or Old Potrero Single Malt Rye, San Francisco -  have you noticed the increase in hand made, local liquor being produced around the country? I was surprised to read in a NYT review of vodkas that most of the mass produced vodka we imbibe is actually produced in the Midwest and this ethanol is sent to the producer for clarification, bottling, etc. Hmmmm. Makes me re-think my brand selections or to more closely know who is producing what. In the future I will be looking for producers that make their vodka "en premises". 

Drinking and Reading.

Reading Rosie Schapp's  Drinking With Men. Her style is admirable. She is becoming my second best author, the first Elaine Sciolino.

 Mergers and Acquisitions.

Bols. Bols, Bols. Expect to see more of this liquor brand as the company has taken over its own marketing in the USA. This Dutch manufacturer of the original gin (genever) and flavored liquors has opened its own marketing office in New York City  for the USA. 

Ins and Outs.
Out of the water is the Costa Concordia. What a fete that was lifting this ship off the granite shelf and "righting" it. Or is the correct nautical term parbuckling. What a visual treat it was to see the ship - on time lapse photo - being righted. More to follow on that. 

Politics.

Angela Merkel of Germany remains in again and her opponent is out, French prime minister Francois Hollande is still in and has been visited again by  IMF leader Christine Lagarde ( of France) - so that's good there is some company. Isn't it ironic that France was our only major partner on the proposed bombing of Syria, and England not!

And what's going on in Havana? 

 

"Later my friend".

Cocktail. The John Hancock from Burger and Lobster of London.
1,5 oz. Chivas                         1 tsp. simple syrup
2/3 oz. lemon juice                  2 dashes Angostura bitters
2/3 oz. vanilla syrup                2 1/2 oz. Sam Adams
shake all but the beer, pour and top with the Sam Adams



PS if you are a UAL traveler you may have noticed that either UAL is using the "Dispatches" or I have plagiarized from UAL magazine.

Bar à Cocktail - 22nd Lounge Frankfurt

22nd Lounge Frankfurt/Main

Located in Frankfurt's financial center's Helaba Bank, on the top floor, this superb bar with a grand view of Hessen is a veritable find amongst the somewhat staid bar atmosphere in this beer country. Located across from Deutsche Bank's twin towers, this classic venue sits high above the green treetops of the Taunaslange. Frankfurters proudly refer to the view as their own "Mainhattan".  Entrance is gained from the main floor by announcing to the concierge staff pointing up and saying "22nd". The glass elevator on the side of the building offers the view as you make your way up.

The Plus

If your in town for the evening this cocktail bar offers all that you could hope for and plus! The crowd is typically financial types stylishly dressed from the work day, so in this "Melia Hotel's" INSIDE  Frankfurt Eurotheum you'll be comfortable in a hip outfit. 

Who To See

You will want to check in with Orhaz Toprak, bartender extraordinaire originally from Istanbul. He is the maker of the 22nd Smash and the keeper of the bar menu. Of course any of the serve staff will help you wind your way through the menu and appetizers from the hotel's restaurant. My favorite date and I were able to chat with the young GM - Martina Müller-Frasch who regaled us with her comments on the decision made by she and her husband's choice for the children's names.

In The Well

Top notch liquors: Four Roses Bourbon, Jim Beam, Campari, Kahlua, Malibu Rum, "Cachaca" and  cocktails with freshly made juices and herbs.

The Cocktails

The bar list is extensive and you will be very surprised by the range of liquors, beers, wine and cocktails. Having not had "marc", France's answer to "grappa",  this offered the opportunity from a choice from  3 brands of marc. In addition to the house special cocktails, the wine list is extensive from both Germany and Europe. Drink of the evening - 22nd Smash.

Tunes

Light lounge music in the background in the evening. Reported live jazz at other times.

Cocktail
22nd Smash
Fresh basil mulled, Lillet, gin and lime juice.

22nd Lounge located in Helaba Bank Building, Neue Mainzer Straße 66-68, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. +49/(0)/ 2 10 88 - 0. http:www.innside.com/en/22nd-barlounge-frankfurt.html.  

 

Reading With Spirits!

It's summer time and nothing beats the heat and humidity here in the Mid-Atlantic States then having a Beefeaters Gin and Schweppes Tonic presented with a slice of lime! No lime, try cucumber. My best girl brings the drink to me at the end of the day, served on a pewter bar tray. The tray has condensation  from the cool drink on the warm tray in this humid weather.

So I am passing my time with a new list of books to read.  My interest in reading was sparked anew by a lifestyle change and two books given to me by new friends an old – the subjects are Frankfurt bars and a botanist who drinks.

What’s it worth – my renewed entre into reading? That’s a seductive question. I find that reading is refreshing (OK, that is the GandT). But seriously it’s refreshing to find the mind energized by the words. I find the mind begins to anticipate, embellish and “color” the events described in the book. So different then the visual experience. So not only does it entertain me, expand my horizons and educate, I find the real value in re-newed reading is expanding the horizons of my experiences.  Much like the recent trip to Paris.

The subject of the books differs; In the educational realm is The Drunken Botanist, DrinkSkool.com & The PDT Cocktail Book serve as excellent tools. The Drunken Botanist in particular has been a real find in understanding liquors, origin, ingredients with recommendations on what to purchase and why! Such as the difference between tequila and 100% agave tequila.

Entertaining me I have Drinking With Men,  The Frankfurt Bar Tale is a recent gift from the Frankfurt am Main 22^nd Lounge and it along with Barbarians At the Gate are serving as true real entertainment!

So in conclusion – reading is a much neglected pursuit that has many health benefits for the reader and those around him or her. 

                      My current reading list-

Frankfurt Bar Tale, An Intimate Insider’s Guide. Angelika Zinzow, Thorben Leo and Nicole Hoehne . 2006.
The Drunken Botanist – The Plants That Create The World’s Greatest Drinks. Amy Stewart. 2013.
DrinkSkool.com. 2013.
Drinking With Men, A Memoir. Rosie Schaap. 2013.
The PDT Cocktail Book – The Complete Bartenders Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy. Jim Meehan. 2011.
Barbarians At the Gate – The Fall of RJR Nabisco. Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. 1990.

On the “Purchase List”

Le Ritz Paris – Une History de Cocktails.  Colin Peter Field.  2012. 

The cocktail here is dedicated to a committed reader.  “JC” thanks for the kick in the pants!
Cocktail

The Bloody Mary – originated by Fernand Petiot, 1921 at  Harry’s New York Bar, Paris.

2 oz.   Ketel One Vodka

2 oz.  tomato juice

Dash of  lemon juice 

Cover the bottom of  the shaker with four large dashes of salt, two dashes of black pepper, two dashes of cayenne pepper, and a layer of Worcestershire sauce; add a dash of lemon juice and some cracked ice, put in two ounces of vodka and two ounces of thick tomato juice, shake and pour. Credit to Wikipedia.

Garnish with 2 celery stalks, lime on the side and 3 olives impaled on a pick.

Appetizer -

Serve with a small dish of Raclette.

'A bientot -
Constantine

Parental Discretion Advised! Bars Bars Bars

How to add value to the vacation or work travel experience by the bar you choose.

At a wedding cocktail party recently I spoke with Clement IV from San Diego, and it caused me to reflect on why we choose the bars or lounges we go to.  I offer that, the choice of bar is simply one that adds to our experience. Whether a favorite in town or one that we seek out when traveling. My encounter with Madeline, has inspired me to write, in the future, on why we select the restaurants that we choose. (Curious of Madeline?)

I want to share with you the bars – that in my travels – have brought joy to the experience of where I have visited. You will more than likely find these bars in some other reference.  They may not be the current fad, nor require an  annual fee, nor will you likely find rope you have to pass some test for. What you will find is an experience, visual, like gorgeous chicks, or a skyline of a foreign city, or the bar itself, like Firefly or Rouge in DC's Kimpton Hotels. Other reasons I choose to make these recommendations are for the music or for historical reasons. Not certain why I make a particular recommendation, contact me. 

So here is my list of favorites -

Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia
     Piano Bar at The Prime Rib

Austin     The Driskoll Hotel Lounge

Boston     Mandarin Bar

Charlottesville     C&O Bar

La Jolla     The Marine Room Bar

New Orleans     Laffitte Blacksmith Bar

New York  Pressroom Rooftop Bar at Ink48

Stockbridge     The Porch at the Red Lion Inn

Washington     Round Robin Bar, Bar at Firefly and Rouge

Williamsburg     Trellis Lounge, Blue Talon Zinc Bar and
     the Veranda, Williamsburg Inn

Athenai     The Grand Bretagne Roof Bar, and Cafe - Lykavittos Hill

Frankfurt     22nd. Lounge, Neue Mainzer Strasse

Havana     La Floridita

Deserving of the special treatment one sometimes observes patrons receiving at the bar? Be engaging with the bartender. Ask the hostess for the name of the bartender and call her or him by name. Sincerely ask about a drink or her favorite cocktail. Ask the bartender to concoct a drink for you!

         Amuse-toi bien.

Santorini Sidecar – Tom, bartender at Mourayo Restaurant, Washington

1 oz Metaxa Brandy

½ oz orange infused Ouzo
¼ oz lemon juice

New Year Greetings

Happy New Year and may you enjoy many more in the future -

It is going to be a great white Christmas week and New Year this year - at least for those of us sitting in front of the fireplace at the Red Lion Inn, in  the Berkshires Stockbridge, Massachusetts. A train ride to Springfield Massachusetts should present a view with a different splash of color from the Fall 2011 trip. We'll be travelling on Amtrak's Vermonter beside the Connecticut River. There will be no concerts at Tanglewood, - BSO's summer music theater, but my favorite date and I will enjoy some light jazz in the Red Lion Inn's "Tavern", a concert and the play, Victor in Great Barrington.

Speaking of whom, on a recent evening out  with my favorite girl the other day, she mentioned a certain blog by Rex Parker. Curious - I asked "How many times do you visit my blog?". Once or twice was the answer. No telling people's tastes. So I say a special thank you to my visitors.

Holidays are times for entertaining and parties to be with old friends and new. And this is a time to present your special talents in the genre of entertaining. So I am sharing with you two delightful cocktails that I guarantee will be a big hit at your New Year's blast!

So invite some friends over, dress up and serve cocktails and welcome in the New Year.

Happy New Year!

In the meanwhile, I am on a mission for a variety of bitters.

Two special holiday cocktails are -

Cocktail
French 75
1/4 oz of lemon juice
1 teaspoons of powdered sugar or castor sugar
2 oz. of Gin
stir to dissolve sugar
top with Champagne or Sparkling wine (Gruet)
Decorate with a cherry, red or green

Dirty Prosecco or "Sbagliato"
1 oz of Campari
1/2  oz of dry Vermouth
Top with Prosecco
garnish with orange slice

Alternatively, you may substitute Aperol, sans the Vermouth, for the Campari. A rendition of an Aperol Spritzer.

Conversation with a bier meister.

Parental caution; you must be 21 years or older to enter this site.

Conversation with a bier meister. 

The following conversation took place in early November 2012 – a conversation with a bier meister and sometime hop grower.

Herr Robert: I have a problem with the batch that I made and told you about recently …do you recall the 30 bottles of beer I am making?

Constantine: Yes, what’s happening?

Herr Robert: I am not quite certain but my research so far seems to indicate either a combination of insufficient sugar or the amount of yeast.

Constantine: So what happens? How do you know it’s ruined?

Herr Robert; Well it’s not necessarily ruined, it just goes  <<pht!>>, when I uncap the bottle.

Constantine: Have you considered getting in touch with someone at AmBev (Ambev* formally Companhia de Bebidas das Américas (official English translation: "Americas' Beverage Company"). *“Wikipedia”

Herr Robert; Well that might be a little overkill; and their scope of magnitude is greater than 30 bottles.

Sigh!

Constantine: So what now? Do you start over? How does the beer taste?

Herr Robert: I don’t have to start over. I have been doing some research and it appears I may be able to add some additional yeast and or some sugar. But I don’t think it’s the sugar. So my approach is to add more yeast.

The taste is of course flat, somewhat bitter, yet sweet.

Constantine: {thinking to myself, “I don’t understand what he is saying … how can it be described as bitter and then, yet he says sweet?}

I pondered our conversation.

Cocktail
Autumn Bonfire
A Rosie Schaap Jack Rose cocktail alternative
1 oz. apple ciders or juice
1 oz applejack
1 oz smoky Scottish Whiskey
1 scant teaspoon maple syrup
2 dashes bitters Black Mission Fig or Angostura
Stir in ice, pour cocktail glass and garnish with apple fan (slices)

Parental Discretion Advised! A Side Trip to Spain.

An associate recently made a trip to Spain, Morocco & Gibraltar … as I learned of it; I became quite interested in the planned excursion.  Upon Bob’s return he was eager to share with me the experience, all of which was positive. One bit that he shared intrigued us both, as he spoke of the trip. Upon ordering a Gin and Tonic he was taken when the waiter brought the bottle of Beefeater Gin to the table and commenced pouring until Bob indicated it was sufficient. Flummoxed - Bob indicated he may have waited a little too long in telling the waiter to stop pouring.  We both found the pouring curious, compared to how a drink is poured and served in the U.S. You ask how I know it was Beefeater? Bob told me when placing the order he had a choice of Beefeater or Tanqueray. The Tanqueray was 3€ greater, so that was an easy starter – go with the Beefeater.

La Prensa Cocktail

The Press Lounge, Rooftop at INK48 Kimpton Hotel

Silver tequila, pear & agave nectar, Vanilla essence, Spiked with Cinnamon bark