This review featured in the November issue of Australian Bartender

Old Man Drinks: Recipes, Advice and Barstool Wisdom
By Robert Schnakenberg

Cosmos and Appletinis? Forget about it! Old Man Drinks ain’t a tome for girly pink concoctions but rather a manifesto for all that’s manly in booze. That’s right we’re talking about whisky, rye, bourbon and gin.

If you’re ready to start drinking like an old man then this is the book for you. It’s not a book of high end Mixology - save that for the young bucks - rather this work is jammed packed with barroom characters with sage advice, wisdom and colourful anecdotes.

There’s a smattering of cocktail history to introduce the 70 drinks contained herein but don’t go thinking that this is a scholarly work - all that study will jut get in the way of good ol’ fashioned drinking. Makes an amusing armchair read with a whiskey in hand.

Need an all round gadget that’ll open just about anything behind the bar? Check out Posi Pour’s latest trick - an all-round, multi-functioning bottle opener.

For more info on getting a few of these cracker items for your bar email info@posipour.com.au or visit the website http://www.posipour.com.au/

Recently, the 2012 Campari Calendar, now in its 13^th edition, was unveiled in Milan, Italy.

Entitled It’s the end of the world, baby!, the 2012 Campari Calendar takes its inspiration from the buzz around the prediction that,  according to the ancient Mayan culture, the world as we know will end on 21^st December 2012 and enter a transformative period.  

While it might not be the most inspiring news you heard this week (about the end of the world that is), you can be assured that this calendar will go some way to allaying your depression with it’s sensational pics!

Check out some of the shots in the gallery below.

By Gaz Regan

Touted as the sequel to Gaz Regan’s groundbreaking 2003 release, The Joy of Mixology, The Annual Manual has some serious shoe filling to do.

Uncle Gaz’s new volume is designed specifically with the bartender in mind - a consumer rag it ain’t. And apart from a quick autobiography on Regan himself work dives straight into hearty bartending content.

Regan, as always, is a champion of the service orientated barkeep - any old chump can make drinks in his philosophy - what’s important is being a ‘mindful bartender’ and this is the book to make you just that.

The work also contains a section on methodology, Gaz’s top barkeeps and innovators as well as 101 cracking drinks he’s collected from around the globe over the past couple of years. The work can be purchased on Amazon or via Mixellany.com 

Just in time for Sydney Show Week was Fee Brothers latest bitter concoction - Black Walnut Bitters.

Only recently made available, and on show for the first time in Australia, Joe Fee was presenting his company’s latest concoction in Australia for budding bartenders.

For further information contact Think Spirits 02 9627 1022

The Flavour Thesaurus
By Niki Segnit

Do you ever get stuck on finding an inspiring flavour combination for your next cocktailian or culinary creation? Well this book might well be your flavour pairing savour. It contains not only an extensive list of successful flavour combinations, but recipes and ideas for creative cooks which can easily be adapted for budding bar chefs.

What’s more some serious kitchen heavyweights have given this book their seal of approval. UK celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from the River Cottage has described the work as: “Intriguing, surprising and remarkably useful,” whilst Heston Blumenthal reckons it’s: “An original and inspiring resource”.

Apart from flavour wheels to guide you to a successful paring the book is incredibly well indexed and easy to use. A handy tool in any bar - you’ll just have to fight the chefs to keep it from disappearing into the kitchen.

The team at CCA have been very busy for the last six months building this helpful little app - called Formula. It’s sure to be a hit with the savvy iPhone equipped bar professional and what’s great about Formula is that it’s not just cocktails that it covers, as much as a broad range of content areas that don’t often get a look in.

For example there is a great section on cellar support with tips by Paddy Mahar on changing kegs and gas bottles, as well as understanding different beer styles and what foods match well.

Barista champion Paul Asquith provides tips on machine maintenance and making the perfect coffee and well known industry figure, Jason Crawley, educates on all things spirit and cocktail related, as well as showing some extra fun stuff like cool bar tricks to show your customers.

Most of this training can be watched via their 50+ helpful videos and over 200 step-by-step photos. It’s refreshing to see something that’s not necessarily just aimed toward the top-end cocktail geek and this one-stop-shop app provides loads of useful and practical support for what is the majority of the industry.

A handy tool for newcomers to the trade, and established professionals alike - and it’s only $1.19. Well done CCA!

This product featured in the May issue of Australian Bartender magazine.

OK, so it’s a citrus reamer but it’s still a pretty funky looking one you have to admit, so give it a chance.

The designer, Niklas Jakob, consulted numerous possibilities on the products basic shape before he settled on the sphere, why did he choose it? Jakob believes that the sphere “is a geometrical form that exudes calm and balance” and that’s what we all need in the middle of a busy right, calm and balance - so he might be onto something.

The materials used all join together in ‘undisturbed natural harmony’ and the Rise n Shine citrus reamer comprises simple utensils that have clean lines and look so good on display it’s almost worth having on the bar as your own little piece of zen - it also juices limes, lemons and all things citrus admirably, so it lives up to its purpose as well.

For more information about this product contact www.habitusliving.com

This product news featured in the May issue of Australian Bartender magazine.

An Australian-designed world-first technology has launched, offering a solution to the industry-wide issue of the ‘wobbly table’.

Flat is a new technology that instantly stabilises tables and also includes a unique function that levels and aligns table tops. Six years and $10 million worth of research and development has produced this levelling and stabilisation technology that adjusts to any surface, locking into position to keep the table stable.

The Flat technology works by using smart hydraulics and a fluid-based braking mechanism that uses gravitational force to set each leg’s load evenly across the table base.

When the first leg makes contact with the ground, the fluid in that cylinder is forced out through the hoses and into the other legs. Once the final leg makes contact, the weight of the application is transferred through the fluid, automatically triggering the locking mechanisms in the cylinders or hoses.

Tony Pike, the founder and creator of Flat, explains: “I first started looking into this idea over 15 years ago, which resulted in the establishment of Flat”. Flat currently comes in a range of five different table base designs to suit any style

For more information on this product call Stellar Concepts 02 9692 0035.

This book review appeared in the May issue of Australian Bartender magazine.

Illustrated by L. J. Allen

This wee vintage find from 1949 is treasure trove of good old fashioned chauvinism, strong drink, and tips on how to run a successful party. There are recipes for bouillabaisse, instructions on how to carve, receipts for making Chatham Artillery Punch, rules for various card games, tips on dressing and even an etiquette refresher.

The entire work is charmingly illustrated and contains more than a few full page cartoons. As far as the drink recipes go many are booze heavy, vermouth heavy or simply unbalanced, but amongst all the chaff there are a few gems. Mostly you’ll want this book for its charm and the vignette it opens into 1940s and ’50s life. Reproductions can be cheaply purchased online and even the odd original work still pops up.