Modern Alchemy… it’s for YOU
Some unexpected information and inspiration came from my job interview this past Friday with respect to what I’m doing here at Modern Alchemy. My mission for this blog is to educate and remove the intimidation people feel toward mixed drinks. I feel that lately I’ve bent the direction of this blog toward content for fellow cocktail bloggers instead of the professional just home from work who needs a damn fine drink.
A blog for bloggers is not the goal I’ve set for myself. My goal is education and inspiration.
Thanks to Scott (one of my interviewers), I was reminded that all my talk of flavor notes and texture profiles and shaken vs stirred and complexities and intricacies (catch your breath)… While that is all interesting to me… What really matters is the drink tastes good.
That’s it.
The drink should taste good.
For the month of March I am going to put a real challenge on myself. Something I know I will benefit from. I’m going to get rid of all the fancy bartender tools for one month and go back to my roots when I started mixing drinks in the dorms for friends during my freshman year of college four years ago.
One month. Twelve drinks. The way I used to make them in the dorms. None of the glitz and glamour. None of the eyeballing the drink and commenting on legs and colour. No bullshit talk of spiceness, herbacious flavors or any other such nonsense. No smelling the drink or intellectualizing over the flavors.
You want to know how to make drinks that taste good and will impress your friends? That’s what we’re going to do. Because what did I start out with?
- 1 bottle of contraband whiskey
- 1 shot glass
- 1 rocks glass
- 1 meal plan that gave me access to fruit, fruit juices and sodas
- 2 big brass ones
That’s it. And many of you tell me that’s pretty much where you’re starting too. No stirring spoons or shaker tins or bitters or small, ever-growing libraries of exotic imported booze. You have one or two bottles and a lot of questions. I did too. Let’s put a drink in your hands and start answering them.
Please comment below (not on my private Facebook where no one else can see, you goobers!) with your thoughts, your comments and especially the questions you have! This is educational for all of us, and I want to do all I can to help you and your confidence in making drinks.
Now I’m going to somberly enjoy my last wonderfully complex, perfectly ruby-coloured Manhattan. It’s so wonderful the way it smells of oak and sweet spices, and the way the sharp bite gives way to vanilla notes that just linger on the palette… But what I’m really trying to say is, it just tastes good.
Scott, if you’re reading this - thanks for reminding me how important it is to cut through the bull and get down to the basics.
Let’s have some fun making drinks together, people.
