Niko and I have been mad busy these last two months, so much so that this will just be brief update. Nicolas is currently living in Brooklyn and working at Dram bar. Nico is in love with NYC after a disappointing trip to Montreal.
I have recently made a lot of trips to Toronto and was able to discover a couple of bars that really interested me! Ame the two bartenders there really knew their shit and were on point with the drinks. It's refreshing in Canada to be able to order drinks how I like them and actually get them that way! Finally someone who made a Sazerac how I like it! And with Cognac! After a lengthy discussion with Moses McIntee we have seen a gap in the Alcohol market here and have come up with an ingenious project due to enter first phase very soon. It should have a huge effect on the bar scene not only in Canada but in North America...... So stay tuned people. Hopefully my brain will not overload with all the pressure on at the moment and I will not die from exhaustion to see this through.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tim's Philosophy
Tim Adams and Nicolas De Soto are tired of shitty bars, and crappy drinks. We see eye to eye on a principle that was sold to me a long time ago, if you can't taste the alcohol then what's the point? Usually when I say this to someone I will get a laugh and a someone will nod their head agreeing with me. But then when I point out their red bull and vodka my comment instantly becomes taboo and offensive, and they will dismiss my comment as being snobby and pretentious. So let me explain......
Someone once told me 'If everyone could drive a Maserati, or a Ferrari everyone would! But they can't because it's too expensive. If someone can afford to go out however why not indulge in finer, more sophisticated drinks because it's not that much different from the generic cheaper version!' The comment is a little broad, I know, but it does make sense. Why spend $8.00 on a Canadian Club rye whisky and Coke and not spend $10.00 on say a Sazerac Rye straight up. Well here's my argument 1) it's a spirit of exceptional quality and the result of incredibly skilled artisanal labor. 2)You put coke in anything it's gonna taste like....coke.
So what's the point in drinking alcoholic coke? The answer comes back that the person wants to get drunk. I realize that 'being drunk' is sometimes fun, that said, if this is the persons sole goal then there is something fundamentally wrong here socially. Alcohol is essentially a poison, it intoxicates our bodies and acts as a depressant. it numbs motor skills, slurs speech, and can ultimately be detrimental to our health. Don't get me wrong from time to time I get drunk, and on those occasions it is normally fun for a little while. It's fun until I start to feel uncomfortable, disorientated, nauseous. It's fun until I find myself throwing up, being sloppy, and becoming agitated. It's fun until I start to become socially awkward, belligerent, and maybe even violent. It's fun until I find myself stuffing my face with some unspeakable greasy combination as I desperately try to combat an impending hangover. I could go on..... Alcohol in moderation is also fun. Being able to enjoy a social gathering, appreciating a beautifully crafted drink made with sprits of exceptional quality is more fun to me. To get back to my point about masking alcohol with something so sugary and overpowering that all you taste isn't the alcohol you order it with, so then why order it at all? Why not just order a red bull, or a coke? There is no shame in that! It would be a lot cheaper and you could save your money to move on to better spirits when you are ready. There seems to be some kind of pressure upon us to automatically want to order alcohol so as to be more accepted amongst a group on a night out. Surely we learned in School that these kinds of pressures are wrong and shouldn't affect our decisions. I guess ultimately if you feel that you have to rely on 6 Vodka red bulls to get through a night then there is something wrong with your social aptitude.
If your argument is that the reason you order a Vodka with Red bull is because you need more pep, then maybe you shouldn't be out in the first place! if it's because you don't like the taste of Vodka then you are a moron. If your drink is vodka water then you are fucking moron! Vodka believe or not is meant to be drunk neat and at room temperature. Yet we seem to have such a twisted view on what Vodka should be. It is sophisticated grain spirit with origins in Russia and in Poland it is the most sold spirit in the world. Yet it has been bastardized and ruined in most of Europe and N.America. with the illusion that not only should it be served freezing but that it should also be served mixed. Vodka is an incredibly delicate but extraordinary palette to it. Served at room temperature it provides a range of potential flavors and botanicals that is miles away from the odorless, flavorless spirit that the markets have us believe. A recent campaign by 'Ciroc' vodka has rapper P-Diddy telling us to mix it with lemonade and grape juice. Really!!!! What am I 14 years old again?
I am not saying that mixed drinks are a no go, I am just pushing the emphasis onto why we should maybe learn to appreciate the alcohols we choose to drink. I see it, as the difference between eating a big mac to a Michelin star plate. Let's start a revolution of good taste and eradicate these shitty drinks from our menus and social gatherings. Let's remember why these spirits evolved and where from, and if you think it tastes like shit move onto something else.
Apothecary Tales will be updated frequently by myself and Nicolas De Soto. We are currently both traveling in North America. It will be a mix of criticisms, anecdotes, stories, tales, history and accounts. We're not trying to convert you just tell it like we see it.
Someone once told me 'If everyone could drive a Maserati, or a Ferrari everyone would! But they can't because it's too expensive. If someone can afford to go out however why not indulge in finer, more sophisticated drinks because it's not that much different from the generic cheaper version!' The comment is a little broad, I know, but it does make sense. Why spend $8.00 on a Canadian Club rye whisky and Coke and not spend $10.00 on say a Sazerac Rye straight up. Well here's my argument 1) it's a spirit of exceptional quality and the result of incredibly skilled artisanal labor. 2)You put coke in anything it's gonna taste like....coke.
So what's the point in drinking alcoholic coke? The answer comes back that the person wants to get drunk. I realize that 'being drunk' is sometimes fun, that said, if this is the persons sole goal then there is something fundamentally wrong here socially. Alcohol is essentially a poison, it intoxicates our bodies and acts as a depressant. it numbs motor skills, slurs speech, and can ultimately be detrimental to our health. Don't get me wrong from time to time I get drunk, and on those occasions it is normally fun for a little while. It's fun until I start to feel uncomfortable, disorientated, nauseous. It's fun until I find myself throwing up, being sloppy, and becoming agitated. It's fun until I start to become socially awkward, belligerent, and maybe even violent. It's fun until I find myself stuffing my face with some unspeakable greasy combination as I desperately try to combat an impending hangover. I could go on..... Alcohol in moderation is also fun. Being able to enjoy a social gathering, appreciating a beautifully crafted drink made with sprits of exceptional quality is more fun to me. To get back to my point about masking alcohol with something so sugary and overpowering that all you taste isn't the alcohol you order it with, so then why order it at all? Why not just order a red bull, or a coke? There is no shame in that! It would be a lot cheaper and you could save your money to move on to better spirits when you are ready. There seems to be some kind of pressure upon us to automatically want to order alcohol so as to be more accepted amongst a group on a night out. Surely we learned in School that these kinds of pressures are wrong and shouldn't affect our decisions. I guess ultimately if you feel that you have to rely on 6 Vodka red bulls to get through a night then there is something wrong with your social aptitude.
If your argument is that the reason you order a Vodka with Red bull is because you need more pep, then maybe you shouldn't be out in the first place! if it's because you don't like the taste of Vodka then you are a moron. If your drink is vodka water then you are fucking moron! Vodka believe or not is meant to be drunk neat and at room temperature. Yet we seem to have such a twisted view on what Vodka should be. It is sophisticated grain spirit with origins in Russia and in Poland it is the most sold spirit in the world. Yet it has been bastardized and ruined in most of Europe and N.America. with the illusion that not only should it be served freezing but that it should also be served mixed. Vodka is an incredibly delicate but extraordinary palette to it. Served at room temperature it provides a range of potential flavors and botanicals that is miles away from the odorless, flavorless spirit that the markets have us believe. A recent campaign by 'Ciroc' vodka has rapper P-Diddy telling us to mix it with lemonade and grape juice. Really!!!! What am I 14 years old again?
I am not saying that mixed drinks are a no go, I am just pushing the emphasis onto why we should maybe learn to appreciate the alcohols we choose to drink. I see it, as the difference between eating a big mac to a Michelin star plate. Let's start a revolution of good taste and eradicate these shitty drinks from our menus and social gatherings. Let's remember why these spirits evolved and where from, and if you think it tastes like shit move onto something else.
Apothecary Tales will be updated frequently by myself and Nicolas De Soto. We are currently both traveling in North America. It will be a mix of criticisms, anecdotes, stories, tales, history and accounts. We're not trying to convert you just tell it like we see it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
