ESQUIRE - UK

More than likely you can't read the actual article, well blurb so I've written it below for you.

Babicka - This Czech blend's flavour comes from corn and wormwood - a digestion aid once used in Witchcraft as an aphrodisiac. The contents certainly seduced us: expect a smooth, soft, citrussy spirit.

JADE JAGER BOUTIQUE LAUNCH

Babicka flowing at the Launch of the Jade Jager's new boutique on All Saints Road.

TheDieline

The Dieline recently posted a small piece on Babicka:

"The sleek design of the Babicka bottle is a contemporary interpretation of the medicine bottles of old. Harking back to the babicas with their bottled tonics and tinctures, our design features a wooden stopper and a simple "handwrittten" black on white labeling.

The overall design of the bottle is long and lean. Clean lines and cool frosted glass echo the purity and smoothness of the vodka showcased within. A green 'thujone-ometer' down one side of the neck marks the amount of thujone allowed by law in each bottle, 10 ml per liter or a perfect 30ml shot."

via: http://www.thedieline.com/blog/

Pocket Bar.

A great new bar in Darlinghurst has opened, this is one of many bars opening up around Sydney due to the new liquor laws. Sydney City Council has finally seen the error of there ways, they are trying to allow a slice of Melbourne's bar scene atmosphere in Sydney, it will be a while till Sydney is anywhere near as cool as Melbourne's bar scene. Pocket bar is a good start though. The only problem with Pocket Bar is it doesn't stock Babicka.... aside from that it's a great Bar.
Pocket Bar
13 Burton St.
Darlinghurst 2010

TOKO - Sydney.

TOKO Restaurant + Bar Surry Hills has become renowned for its boutique bar which is a huge hit among prominent bar hopers who appreciate stunning surroundings and premium drinks. The drinks menu, created by TOKO’s bar manager and one of Australia’s first Sake Sommeliers Paul Birtwistle, includes an extensive list of sake, schochu tonics for a pre-dinner cleanse and an extensive list of irresistible and inspiring cocktails. TOKO’s bar menu is also the perfect compliment to an after work drink, with the food prepared in the restaurant’s kitchen, which guarantees delicious and high quality bites.

Whilst there ask Adam for a Babicka special & he will make you the most amazing Babicka cocktail from scratch every time its different and always better than the last.

Drunken Sailor Gets the Heave Ho From History

LONDON—A government-funded agency in the UK has changed the title of the classic 19th century sea shanty “What to Do With a Drunken Sailor” to “What to Do With A Grumpy Pirate.” Libraries throughout the UK recently received the update in books for toddlers.
Other alcohol-related lines, such as “Keelhaul him and pass the bottle” and “Round with the rum and scotch and whiskey” were changed to “Do a little jig and make him smile” and “Tickle him till he starts to giggle.”
The agency, in its overweening political correctness, decided that rather than having a bit of fun with the hard-drinking seamen who defended England, they should instead encourage children to attempt to tickle a bloodthirsty outlaw who would undoubtedly run them through with his cutlass.
Parents protested the changes, rightfully deriding the agency for attempting to rewrite and sanitize England’s history and tradition.
via: moderndrunkardmagazine.com

CITY OF SYDNEY HOSTS INAUGURAL SMALL BAR SEMINAR

The City of Sydney this week hosted the first of three free seminars designed to assist people wanting to open a small bar in NSW.

Changes to the legislation on July 1 last year simplified the application process of opening up a licensed venue in the state and significantly lowering the cost of obtaining a liquor license for venues with floor areas of less than 200sq-m.

Offering information about liquor licences and some of the issues and benefits of small bars, speakers included City of Sydney councillor John McInerney, NSW Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing's senior project officer, Ross McCulloch, and the owners of the first bar to open under the new laws, Luke Herd and Chris Lane.

The City of Sydney's laneways business development co-ordinator Richard Roberts described the first seminar as a “huge success".

“Feedback from the seminar was positive and encouraging,” he said. “Attendees receiv(ed) expert advice from Melbourne's small bar pioneer Craig Allchin, City Planners, the Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing and successful small bar operators," he said.

“There's no shortage of creative people looking to open up small bars and laneway businesses within Sydney.”

The next session to be held on July 28 is fully booked, however places are still available in the third session on November 5.

Via:theshout.com.au By Rebecca Harris

Scientifically Proven Hangover Cure: Bacon Sandwich.

Researchers claim food also speeds up the metabolism helping the body get rid of the booze more quickly. Elin Roberts, of Newcastle University's Centre for Life said: "Food doesn't soak up the alcohol but it does increase your metabolism helping you deal with the after-effects of over indulgence. So food will often help you feel better.

"Bread is high in carbohydrates and bacon is full of protein, which breaks down into amino acids. Your body needs these amino acids, so eating them will make you feel good."

Ms Roberts told The Mirror: "Bingeing on alcohol depletes neurotransmitters too, but bacon contains a high level of aminos which tops these up, giving you a clearer head."

Researchers also found a complex chemical interaction in the cooking of bacon produces the winning combination of taste and smell which is almost irresistible.

The reaction between amino acids in the bacon and reducing sugars in the fat is what provides the sandwich with its appeal.
Ms Roberts said: "The smell of sizzling bacon in a pan is enough to tempt even the staunchest of vegetarians. There's something deeper going on inside. It's not just the idea of a tasty snack. There is some complex chemistry going on.

"Meat is made of mostly protein and water. Inside the protein, it's made up of building blocks we call amino acids. But also, you need some fat. Anyone who's been on a diet knows if you take all the fat from the meat, it just doesn't taste the same. We need some of the fat to give it the flavour."

She explained that the reaction released hundreds of smells and flavours but it is the smell which reels in the eater. "Smell and taste are really closely linked," she said. "If we couldn't smell then taste wouldn't be the same."
via: telegraph.co.uk

Other uses for Vodka.

1. To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The Solvent dissolves adhesive.
2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a Trigger-spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set five Minutes and wash clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.
3. To clean your eyeglasses, simply wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. The alcohol in the vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.
4. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting Your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfectsthe blade and prevents rusting.
5. Spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with a brush, and then blot dry.
6 Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.
7. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo. The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.
8. Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle and spray bees or wasps to kill them.
9. Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water in a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for a slushy, refreshable ice pack for aches, pain or black eyes.
10. Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers, fill the jar with vodka, seal t he lid tightly and set in the Sun for three days. Strain liquid through a coffee filter, then apply the tincture to aches and pains.
11. To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.
12. To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.
13. Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.
14. Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the Urushiol oil from your skin.
15. Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.
via: drinkoftheweek.com

Fliptop Cocktail Shaker

Metrokane's Fliptop Cocktail Shaker is simply the only cocktail shaker you will ever need. You push the fliptop shut which stays completely sealed, shake it, push the fliptop open, and your drink is ready to pour. There's no seperate strainer or lid to mess with because everything is built in.
Via:aquiremag.com

Raspberry.

Raspberry syrup On summer’s first really hot day (and that day will come, unlikely as it seems), when fresh berries turn to pulp before you can eat them, do this: Boil 3/4 cup of sugar in 3/4 cup of water until dissolved, and let cool slightly. Purée a cup of raspberries with the warm sugar syrup in a blender, then strain and let cool completely. Keep in a clean jar and use the raspberry syrup in place of sugar or simple syrup in any cocktail recipe, particularly those with lemon. Or stir 2 ounces of syrup into 6 ounces of seltzer for a lovely, if expensive, soft drink.

Via: nytimes.com c/o: Pete Wells

Ginger.

Ginger ale never went away as a mixer — a spigot with a button marked “G” is standard equipment in most bars — but it lost its fizz, not to mention its zing. Bartenders are restoring both. At the easiest level, this means buying high-quality ginger ale or ginger beer, the kind that burns a little as it goes down. Poured into a tall glass over ice and vodka, with a teaspoon of lime, it makes a Moscow Mule. With dark rum and lime, you have a Dark and Stormy. But there are other ways to drink your ginger. You can throw in thin slices of ginger root when making SIMPLE SYRUP for a ginger syrup that combines sugar and spice. Or get your hands on ginger juice. You can make it if you own a juicer, or you can buy it at juice bars, health food stores and Whole Foods, among other places. Dissolve an equal amount of sugar into it and you have a much more energetic ginger syrup. One last tip: in a pinch, you can grate ginger and squeeze it. You won’t open a ginger ale factory this way, but you can extract enough juice for drinks.
via: nytimes.com c/o: Pete Wells

The Merchant Hotel Bar Book Volume 2

Via The New Yorker.

The Agrum Collection by Schweppes.

Schweppes worked with celebrated mixologist Mike Enright to create two speciality cocktails for the recent fashion show that Schweppes presented with Toni Maticevski at the IVY Ballroom in Sydney. The Blood Orange Cosmopolitan featured Babicka and a combination of Agrum Blood Orange and Cranberry Juice served in a Boston glass, While the Schweppes Passion Punch was based on the White Grape and Passionfruit flavour, with a mix of pureed fruit, a hint of vanilla and poured over crushed ice in a high ball glass.




The Blood Orange Cosmopolitan
45ml Babicka Vodka
15ml Cointreau
10ml Lime juice
2 Drops orange bitters
30ml Cranberry juice
30ml Agram blood orange
Add all ingredients in a Boston glass with cubed ice Shake and fine strain into a Cocktail glass. Top with Agram.
Garnish:
Burnt orange zest



Schweppes Passion Punch
60ml Babicka Vodka
30ml Passionfruit puree
15ml Peach puree
30ml Lemon juice
15ml Vanilla syrup
30ml Agram white grape/passionfruit
Add all ingredients in a Boston glass with cubed ice Shake and pour into a Highball glass Top with Agram.
Garnish:
Crushed ice
Passionfruit pulp
1 Swizzle stick
1 Long straw

Did you Know?

The five largest spirits categories are: Chinese spirits
(607m cases, 27% global share), vodka (501m cases, 22.3%
share), shochu/soju (255.6m cases, 11.4% share), non-Cognac
brandy (97.6m cases, 4.3% share) and Brazilian cachaça
(94.8m cases, 4.2% share).

via: just-drinks.com

CANADIAN DISTRIBUTOR

Wine Boy Imports Inc.
3344 - 49th Street SW
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3E 3Y3
+1 403 398 9306
info@wineboy.ca
Michael Green at michaelgreen@wineboy.ca +1 403 472 8549
David Partridge at david@wineboy.ca +1 403 923 1002

GREAT CONCEPT

Here’s an interesting take on the bar scene - MiniBar, a new establishment in Amsterdam, looks to take the wait out of bar socializing with a self serve deal. Whether there is a control to check on intoxication of the patrons is another issue, but damn, this is Amsterdam. How does it work you ask? “Customers leave a passport or driver’s license with a staff member and are given an ice bucket and a key to their bar. The numbered mini fridges fill an entire wall, and vary in size and content—guests can choose from beer bars, champagne bars and mixed bars. Like anold-fashioned food automat, the mini bars are stocked from the back, making for easy restocking and out-of-sight logistics.” (springwise)

This article originally appeared on Selectism.com.

BABICKA OPENS IN LONDON

Alex has been in London setting up the European Babicka office. The new office is at:
60 Keslake Road
London, NW6 6DG
M.+ 44 7969 313 858
T. + 44 208 969 5074
E. alex@babickavodka.com

THE TOFF, BEST BABICKA GIMLET I'VE HAD IN YEARS.

“In the murky saloon bars of the East End of London…where the scum of the earth got drunk and the chief topic of conversation was crime, they called the Hon Richard Rollison ‘The Toff’.”

So in case you’re wondering, that’s where this new bar’s name came from. In fact, John Creasey wrote hundreds of books on The Toff (The Toff and the Curate, The Toff and the Terrified Taxman to name a few) but The Toff in Town was published in 1948. They say he used the Toff to show how well the Mayfair man-about-town could get on with the rough diamonds of the East End.

So anyway, back to drinking. Though it’s third in a large bar trilogy for the owners of Revolver and Cookie, The Toff in Town does not suffer from the sequel syndrome. Just like an old train carriage, the bar has heaps of private booths, each with a silver button for summoning wait staff. The European style menu operates on a timetable system (aperitifs 4pm-7pm, mains 7pm-11pm, supper from 11pm-late). There’s a proper performance space with a mezzanine bar and a real David Lynch style stage with curtains. Watch out for comedy, live music, cabaret, and no doubt some rough diamonds of the East End here in future.
By Penny Modra @ threethousand.com

http://www.thetoffintown.com

Czech Cubist master Emil Filla
"Still Life with Absinthe & Fan"
1914

Jeff Koons
Baccarat Crystal Set
12 ½” by 16” by 16”
stainless steel
1986

ALCOHOLIC ARCHITECTURE

Alcoholic Architecture April 2009
the UK's first walk in cocktail

Alcoholic Architecture arrives in London with Bompas & Parr’s walk in cloud of breathable cocktail. Step inside a cocktail with gin and tonic mist, giant limes, and massive straws.

Location: 2 Ganton Street, W1F 7QL
Dates: 16-18 and 23-25 April 2009

VINTAGE MARTINI POSTERS

SILVER MEDAL WIN.

We have won another Medal, this time its a Silver Medal at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the first comprehensive, international spirits judging ever held in the United States on an annual basis. Founded in 2000 by directors of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, Anthony Dias Blue and Carol Seibert, the Spirits Competition continues each year to grow in entrants as well as stature within the industry.
Originally from http://www.sfspiritscomp.com/.

Ivan The Terrible & Wormwood.

A 16th Century Russian medic at the court of Tsar Basil III prescribes the use of wormwood. (see details below) Wormwood comes in many forms, and it is unclear if the writer means grande wormwood, or another variety.

What is interesting is to see the writer mention wormwood use in conception (could be a translation error). Is this an early reference to absinthe’s noted aphrodisiac effect? I don’t know, but it got me thinking. Tsar Basil certainly had problems producing an heir - he divorced his first wife as she was barren. His second wife later managed to produce a little darling called Ivan The Terrible! Ivan went on to beat his daugher in law causing a miscarriage, and then killed his own son.

Many people think that knowledge of herbs were much deeper in ancient times, that we have lost many secrets, is that right?

It is partly right. For instance modern physicians advice to take wormwood liqueur to improve appetite and stir up digestion. Nickolay Lubchanin advises to take wormwood juice with honey and sugar to those suffering from fever. To improve blood composition one must boil wormwood in wine and take it on an empty stomach in the morning.

Another prescription is for ill eyes and eyelids: one must mix up wormwood juice with honey and smear one’s eyelids for “the eyes to become light”. If one drinks this compound, according to Nickolay Lubchanin, it helps conception. Wormwood juice was considered more useful than herb extract. Here is the analogue of modern popular “liver cleaning”: drink wormwood juice ten days running 3 zolotniks (1 zolotnik is equal to about 4,23 gram) mixed with sugar. It will give one a good skin colour.

Dr. Tatyana Isachenko talking to Pravda about a manuscript by Nickolay Lubchanin (1534)

via: http://czechabsinthe.wordpress.com/category/wormwood/

CHOCOLATE COCKTAIL 1.

Chocolate lovers rejoice! This cocktail is appropriately named Death by Chocolate because it is heavy on the chocolate and is sure to kill your craving. Be careful not to over indulge.

Ingredients:
2 scoops chocolate ice cream
1 oz chocolate syrup
1 oz coffee liqueur
1 oz dark crème de cacao
1 oz Babicka vodka
whipped cream for topping
maraschino cherry for garnish
1 cup crushed ice

Preparation:
Pour all the ingredients into a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Pour into a stemmed glass such as a hurricane glass.
Top with whipped cream.
Garnish with the maraschino cherry.


CHOCOLATE COCKTAIL 2.

Indulge yourself with this Chocolate Martini rimmed with cocoa. It's a perfect dessert drink when hosting a dinner party or for those days when you have a little sweet tooth.
There are many versions of the Chocolate Martini, this is only one of them. Another recipe that uses a chocolate martini mix can be found in this video: Chocolate Martini. Personally I prefer to use a chocolate liqueur instead of a pre-mix. But if you're really fond of Chocolate Martinis or working in a bar where they're popular, the mix is convenient and tastes pretty good.

Ingredients:
2 oz Babicka vodka
1 1/2 oz creme de cacao, white
Hershey Hug or Kiss for garnish
powdered cocoa for rimming

Preparation:
Pour the ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with cocoa


POMEGRANATE JUICE COCKTAIL.

The Blushing Lady is a perfectly designed fruity cocktail that is the right blend of tropical flavors and looks stunning when served in it sugar-rimmed glass. It's a great cocktail for almost any occasion, any time of year. The flavor of a Blushing Lady is a medley of sweet, sour and tart. One may find themselves entranced in this beauty of a drink, making it easy to reach the "one too many" mark and having one blushing as pink as the drink.Ingredients:
1 oz Found Pomegranate Juice
2 oz Babicka vodka
1 oz pink grapefruit juice
lemon wedge
coarse sugar for rimming

Preparation:
Rub a wedge of lemon around the rim of a martini glass and dip the glass into a plate of coarse sugar. Set it aside.
Pour the remaining ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake and strain into the garnish martini glass.


PINEAPPLE JUICE COCKTAIL.

Get a little flirtatious with this pineapple flavored rendition of a Champagne Cosmopolitan. This is a great Champagne cocktail for romantic summer evenings, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve or any other special occasion you want to celebrate. Mix this up just before serving so that the Champagne doesn't loose it's bubbles.

Ingredients:
2 pieces fresh pineapple
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Babicka vodka
1 oz pineapple juice
3 oz Champagne
maraschino cherry for garnish

Preparation:
Muddle the pineapple pieces and Cointreau in the bottom of a mixing glass.
Add the vodka and pineapple juice.
Stir well.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Top with Champagne.
Garnish with the maraschino cherry.


STRAWBERRY COCKTAIL.

There's no gaurantee that this cocktail is a love potion of any kind and it's probably not Madame Rue's magic shot. However, I can gaurantee that it looks nothing like Indian ink nor does it smell like turpentine. This Love Potion #9 is actually a really good frozen cocktail.

Ingredients:
1 oz Babicka Vodka
1/2 oz white crème de cacao
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
scoop of vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup ice
strawberry for garnish

Preparation:
Pour the ingredients into a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Pour into a chilled margarita glass.
Garnish with a strawberry.
If the mix is too thick, add berries or milk; too thin, add ice or ice cream.


LYCHEE COCKTAIL

In the Red Lotus cocktail the distinct flavor of lychee liqueur is accented with the lighter taste of cranberry. It's an interesting play of flavors that is both intensely sweet and delicately refreshing. I like to garnish a Red Lotus with three pitted lychees skewered on a cocktail pick.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Babicka vodka
1 1/2 oz Lichido Liqueur
1 oz cranberry juice
3 Lychees

Preparation:
Pour the vodka, Lichido and cranberry juice into a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake well.
Strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass filled with ice.


All the above cocktails are from www.cocktails.about.com

BABICKA FEATURED IN QHA REVIEW MAGAZINE.

Engineering Collection Glassware by Ruckl Crystal.

The ruckl crystal glassworks in the Czech Republic manufactures an extensive range of cut 24% leaded crystal in a wide variety, from the simple to the extremely complex, with gilt, hand painting and sandblasting.
Inspired by the sometime archaic-seeming world of the engineer, each piece in the the engineering collection is so named for the etched designs on all the pieces involving the dimensions and spec's of each piece.
The engineering collection also includes three additional lines: involute gearing, basic quotation, and the splined shaft designs.

Alessi Cocktail shaker.

This cocktail shaker from Alessi is the epitomy of 1920's style. The design is a contrast of forms - it has a large spherical body and slender handle. It's made from polished stainless steel and forms part of the 'Alessi Officina' collection which includes their most sophisticated, experimental and innovative products, as well as small-scale and limited productions.

Initially attributed to Marianne Brandt (Bruckmanns Silber Lexicon, Munich 1982, and H. Wikmann, Die Neue Sammlung, Munich, 1995), subsequent studies by Peter Hahn, director of the Bauhaus Archiv, this cocktail shaker has since been attributed to the Swedish designer Sylvia Stave and was manufactured between 1920 and 1930 by the C. G. Hallbergs company of Stockholm.

Old Wormwood Recipes

Wormwood Bitters

Take two gallons of rectified spirits, two drachms of the oil of Seville orange-peel, one drachm of oil of caraway, one drachm of oil of wormwood, a quarter of an ounce of almond cake,half an ounce of corainder-seed, half an ounce of Virginia snake-root. one quart of clarified sugar, and fill it up with water: steep the coriander-seed, almond cake, and Virginia snake- root, in the spirits for three or four days, and kill the oils, as before mentioned in spirits of wine.

The Wholesale and Retail Wine and Spirit Merchant’s Companion by Joseph Hartley (1839)

via: http://czechabsinthe.wordpress.com/