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/

OYSTER MAGAZINE INTERVIEW.

Be Genki turns 2

Babicka helped celebrate Be Genki's 2nd Birthday at Becker Minty in Potts Point, Sydney.

V-Style Episode 6 - Babicka feature

Click on the below image to be taken to the V-Style website, Projekta and V-style have a produced a small Video on Babicka.
The Babicka article is in the last 30 seconds of the video.

Hong Kong 香港 Fragrant Harbour.

Babicka is now available exclusively at:
Annex
Balalaika Central
Cafe Deco
Home
Langham Hotel
Linq
Madison's
Palate
The Pawn
W Hotel

BABICKA IS DISTRIBUTED BY NORTHEAST WINES & SPIRITS.
Thanks to Lillian and her team for all their great work.

Halloween Cocktails.

Czech yourself before you wreck yourself
40ml Babicka
10ml Port (tawny)
40ml White peach puree
10ml Thyme and cardamom syrup
15ml Citrus juice
2 dashes Peach bitters
Garnish: Orange zest
Shake all ingredients together and fine strain into cocktail saucer.

Babicka Blossom
40ml babicka
1 bsp Roast pumpkin puree
50ml apricot nectar
10ml orange blossom syrup
20ml lemon juice
3 dashes peach bitters
Garnish: pumpkin skin slice
Shake all ingredients together and fine strain into cocktail glass.

FOUND ORGANIC SUPER JUICES

Our friends at Found launched with one single flavour, Organic pomegranate juice, and has expanded distribution of the product nationally toward the cafe and health retail industries, marketing the product toward the core nutritional benefits of the superfood.
In September 2008, Found is set to release a range of organic flavours that are all extremely healthy choices compared to the current options available to consumers.




All Found Organic products are made entirely from cold pressed fruit. Each batch is unique in colour and texture due entirely to the climate during the harvest.
They are certified organic by USDA / OU certifications and are Kosher.
The juice is 100% natural - there are no additives, no preservatives, no artificial flavours and the juice is NOT from concentrate like most others on the market.

BABICKA FEATURED IN WALLPAPER MAGAZINE.

DEUS EX MACHINA NEW STORE LAUNCH

PARTY PICS - LA SALA APERITIVO

APERITIVO AT LA SALA

Festa di Apertura (*Opening Celebration)
Wednesday 17 September 5.30pm until 8.30pm at Bar La Sala
Join us for divine antipasti and bellinis by La Sala, and spectacular
cocktails by Babicka Original Wormwood Vodka.
Ground Floor 23 Foster Street,
Surry Hills. NSW 2010. T: 9281 9034.
RSVP Ali Hainsworth - ali@showandtellpr.com
or tel. 02 9281 5736

ST&ARD LAUNCH PARTY

Found Organic Super Juices & Babicka sponsored the Launch of St&ard Denim, A new denim brand that is sold exclusively through General Pants. St&ard uses the highest quality japanese Selvege Denim on the planet. This is not just another denim brand, The collaborative design team behind St&ard has over 25 years Experience in Denim, This would have to be best denim to ever come out of Australia. They will not fall apart like other Australian Denim brands.

Found and Babicka Created a Pomegranate, Babicka, soda & lime concoction for the event.

The launch party was held at a St&ard pop store on Oxford St, Sydney. Australia. The pop store was there for 4 days only.

MEDICINAL BENEFITS OF WORMWOOD.

In folk medicine, wormwood has also been used for poor digestion and preventing sickness after meals, lack of intestinal muscle tone, inflammation of the digestive tract, stomach-ache, liver disorders, anaemia, menstrual problems, occasional fevers, colds, rheumatism, jaundice, diabetes, arthritis and flatulence. Externally it has been used to aid wound healing and as a remedy for insect bites and skin ulcers and blotches.
Wormwood has also been used to improve blood circulation, as a cardiac stimulant, as a pain reliever for women during labour and as an agent against tumours and cancers.
http://www.cancersalves.com/botanical_approaches/individual_herbs/wormwood.html

An old love charm.
On st. lukes day, take marigold flowers, a sprig of marjoram, thyme, and a little wormwood; dry them before a fire, rub them to powder; then sift through a fine piece of lawn, and a simmer it over a slow fire, adding a small quantity of virgin honey, and vinegar. Anoint yourself with this when you go to bed, saying the following lines three times, and you will dream of your partner
“that is to be”:

“St Luke, st Luke, be kind to me,
In dreams let me my true-love see”.

LUXURY MARTINI.

Dash sugar syrup.
30mls Babicka Vodka
10mls Absinth
10mls Chambord
Dash Lemon Juice
60mls Cranberry Juice
Muddle cranberries & sugar, add remaining ingredients.
Shake & strain into chilled Martini glass.
Garnish w 3 speared cranberries.

60% WATER.

As all vodkas are 60% water the following information is a very important factor in the quality of Babicka.
The basis of vodka is water and the character of this water creates an imprint, which determines the quality and taste of the final product.

The city of prostejov lies in an old geologically stable area, which forms a plateau known for thousands of years as HANA, with a low mountain range beginning a few kilometres from city. Prostejov lies on the remains of the land fissures laid down by sea currents from ancient geological times. Rivers and waterways flowing from these mountains have levelled of the area while also creating drifts of gravels and base. The natural cleansing action of sand is well documented.
The water used is from deep wells in this area, which reach down to the deepest springs. Further water is obtained by drilling into very deep reservoirs. Hydrologists age this water at 10,000 years old. The result of these two supplies of water is extremely hard water containing ca, mg, mn and other elements, which together create specific sensuous characteristics. This unique formulation and taste enables us to produce products our competitions cannot match.

CZECH COOLER.

A wicked fusion of Babicka Vodka and fresh blueberries. Spiked with strawberry/rhubarb tea and crowned with absinth-served long over crushed ice.
6-8 Blueberries
5ml Creme de Mure
45ml Babicka Vodka
45ml Cranberry juice
1 table spoon strawberry/rhubarb tea
Float 10mls Absinth
garnish with a fresh wormwood sprig.