Martini cocktails, martini bars and martini culture
Big news: my book on the Martini is out! After more than 20 years of Martini blogging, drinking, reading and talking, I have tried to condense all my Martini knowledge in a book, in Italian for now. I did that not in a traditional way by writing a book with Martini recipes, history, legends and …
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Generative AI has finally reached the world of cocktails, with apps such as https://www.bargpt.app/. Yes, Bar GPT... I gave it a try, asking for a classic martini cocktail with a summer twist, a drink able to represent the history of the martini. Here is what I got: Vintage Voyage Martini Embark on a sensory journey …
While doing resaearch for my new book on the Martini Cocktail (!!!), I found a little gem, that for some reason I had forgotten. In the interlude of the first ever (lovely) book dedicated entirely to the Martini (1976), John Doxat reports about an allegedly unpublished passage from Alice in Wonderland, in which Alice meets …
Dale DeGroff, known as the king of cocktails, is one of the most important figures in the cocktail reinassance movement of the 21st century. Co-founber of the Museum of the American Cocktail, author of classic books on the themes, mentor to a copuple of generations of bartenders, etc. (see his achievements here). In this video, …
While doing research for my book on Zen and the Martini Cocktail, I had the chance to read again the Italian book In defence of the olive in a martini. This is a little wonder, where writer Vito Cassano explores all aspects connected to the green gem in our Martini: the olive. The book talks …
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If you love old cocktail books as much as I do, have a look at the free digital versions of more than 1000 (!!!) classics books available at http://euvslibrary.com/. This is the on-line version of the books collection by the Exposition Universelle des Vins et Spiritueux, a Museum in Bendor Island, in south of France. The Museum …
Fantastic conversation about Martinis between Tristan Stephenson (aka the Curious Bartender) and Alice Lascelles, drinks journalist and author of one of the greatest books on Martini even written (totally recommended). History, culture, techniques and many more Martini wisdom shared here, thank you to both Tristan and Alice! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjGXiPOHrIE&t=152s
In this article, Emma Janzen explores the story and the contemporary role of bitters within Martinis, concluding that "bitters have not secured a definitive role in the modern Martini". And the conversation goes on here. Initially, bitters were a staple in Martini recipes, but the trend diminished post-Prohibition as bartending simplified, leading to a bitters-less …
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Am existential question that every barfly should reflect on, especially after a few martinis, is: what are the essential components of a cocktail bar? Going back to the essentials is especially important in the present times of cocktail craze, where bars are often equipped with 15 kinds of glasses, 50 bitters of any taste and …
"Kissa bars" originated in Japan in the 20s, as places where to go, get a drink and listen to jazz music, at the time when imported jazz records were way to expensive for ordinary people. In a very Japanese fashion, these minimalist bars prioritized the experience of listening to music in intimate and peaceful spaces, …
The Martini Hour 