Day of the Dude: Lightning Round

It's that glorious time of the year again, folks: the Day of the Dude, when we celebrate the anniversary of the first time the Dude, Donny, Walter, and all their buds graced the big screen. It's something of a minor holiday around these parts, as the film is a shared favorite of the A&T guys and the day has become as good a reason as any for the three of us to get together and hang out for a bit, blog style.

We thought we'd mix it up a bit this go around and do a little Lightning Round Q&A session. David, John and Pablo each sent in some questions, and we all had a go at answering them. Without further ado, here we go! 

Repeal Day 2020: Repeal Day Recap and Resolutions

On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the US Constitution repealing Prohibition was passed.  Eighty some-odd years later, the anniversary of this momentous occasion continues to serve as inspiration for the three gents behind A&T to actually post some thoughts. Today, the guys catch each other up on their year and talk about plans for the year ahead.

2020. What a year. What a spectacular, dumpster fire, Rob-Schneider-feature-film, worst-Old-Fashioned-you-ever-did-see of a year. It wasn't all bad, of course. Stanley Tucci spread the gospel of the Negroni (or ruined the drink forever... 2020 encapsulated in a viral moment). The US took one big step back from the brink. And... ummm... yeah, that was it. 2020 was the worst.

That said, on the A&T front things weren't all bad. Pablo brought a new Paldao into the world. David wrapped up his first year in his new day job and remodeled his bathroom (talk about an overachiever). John successfully navigated the weirdest transfer season of all time and got his family - dog included - safely to its new home in Baku. Oh, and all things cocktails, of course. There were drinks to be had.

In honor of Repeal Day this year, the guys thought they'd get together for a drink - virtually, of course -  to recap the year gone by and discuss some resolutions for the year ahead. 

One for the Road... Bar Equipment Essentials

In "One for the Road", us three take a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This time, we're finally covering what equipment we each use for the benefit of Pablo's nephew, a soon-to-be productive member of society. These are affiliate links below so buy everything! 

In the coming months I have another nephew graduating college and venturing into the big, wide open world--although in light of current events there won't be a graduation ceremony, he's still done it. He has a job lined up and knows where he is planning to live. In acknowledgement of him achieving this academic feat combined with his birthday, I asked him what would be helpful in terms of presents. I couldn't be prouder of his response--he said he should move beyond the college era and would like a starter kit of barware and glassware as well recipes and any other advice related to mixing drinks. While I am no pro, I'm always happy to help. I put together a collection of things that I already had on hand to get him started--there are some nice, vintage pieces and other things that while utilitarian aren't the prettiest. But one day he will again need to "graduate" to not necessarily bigger but certainly better things.

One for the Road... Träkál - The Spirit of Patagonia

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This time, Pablo delves into a new spirit: Träkál.

It seems like it was just last week when our RSA contingent, John, shared the news of a new spirit, Träkál, he'd read about in Food & Wine: The New Spirit That Allegedly Smells Like a Patagonian Forest. In fact, it was last week.

Being from Argentina and having spent every other summer vacation there during their winter I was immediately intrigued by the title and that description and started tracking down a bottle with the help of family in various states. 

Three Dudes and, well, their opinions, man.

Happy Day of the Dude, A&T dudes and dudettes! As you know by now, David, John and Pablo are big fans of The Big Lebowski. We may have written about it a time or two on/about March 6, the anniversary of its release date. This year is a big one, though: The Ballad of the Dude is turning 21. It's legally allowed to drink!

In celebration of this momentous occasion, the guys at A&T put together their own preferred reading lists to help The Dude graduate into proper cocktail-hood. The ground rules are basic: list up to four "traditional media" sources (books, magazines, pamphlets, bottle labels, etc.) and/or "new media" sources (websites, facebook pages, instagram pages, twitter handles, etc.) that have proven instrumental in our immersion into the cocktail-verse.

Not that we actually expect him to pick up a book or shift away from vodka, Kahlúa, and milk. That would be very un-Dude. But maybe you, dear reader, will feel inspired. There's some good stuff here... a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot what-have-yous. Enjoy!

Repeal Day 2018: If You Can't Drink the One You Want, Drink the One You're With

On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the US Constitution repealing Prohibition was passed.  Eighty some-odd years later, the anniversary of this momentous occasion inspired the three gents behind A&T to actually post some thoughts. On this particular occasion, it's not about making the perfect drink but rather making do with what you've got at hand.

Hello beloved readers. Yes, it's been a while since we posted here. That doesn't mean we haven't been putting things out in the world. Don't forget to follow our Instagram and Facebook pages for more regular updates. That said, in honor of this most hallowed of days, we thought we'd grace the interwebs with some of our long form thoughts on what we've been drinking, specifically how to make do when the great thirst grips you but supplies at hand might be lacking. And here.we.go.

One for the Cup

On June 7, 2018 the Washington Capitals finally won the Stanley Cup. Hot damn.

They did it!

One for the Road... Fat-Washing

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, Pablo delves into a topic befitting his physique: fat-washing. 

A couple of years back John wrote about one of my favorite drinks: the Boulevardier. A lesser known but fantastic cousin to the Negroni, where bourbon or rye substitutes for the gin in approximately equal parts, depending on your taste, with Campari and sweet vermouth. 

But this isn't about the Boulevardier, per se. This is about Campari. Nay, this is about fat. Specifically, this is about fat-washing.

A Celebration of The Dude... by three dudes

March 6 is a special day of the year for the guys here at A&T. For it was on this day (or thereabouts), twenty years and a few acid flashbacks ago, that the world first met The Dude. Or El Duderino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing. As with most great works of art, the film in question was not appreciated immediately upon release (perhaps a source of subconscious inspiration for the drinks that follow). Over time, however, it has evolved from a late-night, dorm room classic to a national treasure. No, seriously - in 2014 the Library of Congress selected it to be added to the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance. While that's just, like, their opinion, man, we get it. So today, on the Day of the Dude, we honor The Big Lebowski.

One for the Road... Now they call me Mr. Bitterness

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, Pablo delves into a topic befitting his personality: bitters. 

A few years ago Gabriella Mlynarczyk said (not to me, in an interview) that “technically, in the classic cocktail world, a cocktail is not a cocktail unless it contains bitters. If you don’t add bitters, you can taste something missing. They add this final kind of balance that brings everything together–like the glue.”

For Repeal Day, a celebration of creation... sorta. Introducing the Graveyard of Empires

The subject of today's post is irony.

Specifically, the irony of a cocktail with the nickname of a place where you can't buy alcohol. The irony of a cocktail--image of refinement and the subtle interplay of flavors--named after a country at war.

Specifically, the Graveyard of Empires.

Before anyone starts heating up the righteous indignation, I should point out that this isn't an Afghanistan joke, it's a colonialism joke.

The actual origin of "graveyard of empires" as a nickname for Afghanistan is obscure, but it's not something the Afghans themselves invented--rather it was applied by one colonial power or another in bitter recognition that they had joined the roster of centuries' worth of invaders who had tried and failed to hold on to the country. Most recently the roster has included the British, Soviets and--dare we say it--Americans, but the succession of attempts goes back at least as far as Alexander the Great, long before there was a nation on the map with the name "Afghanistan." Regardless, the political accuracy of the term isn't at issue;

Saffron is.

One for the Road... Batched Drinks.

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, John discusses batched drinks and a new A&T original: The Margarita O' Love.

Background 
Over the past couple of years I've been experimenting more and more with pre-made drinks batched at varying scales. This has included traditional punches - as documented on this very blog back in 2014 - batched cocktails served from dispensers (a quasi-punch), and pre-bottled cocktails. Having a few tried and true recipes in your repertoire can be super useful when you don't want to spend your entire evening behind the bar, or if you're working a large event and want guests to have easy access to a drink without having to wait in line for one that is made to order.

One for the Road... What the Fernet?

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. For his first go around on the blog, A&T's newest contributor Pablo delves into an ingredient as incorrigible as he is: Fernet Branca.

Introductions
In case you haven't noticed, David and John have been a touch delinquent with their posting around here of late. Just because they aren't writing about it doesn't mean they aren't still mixing drinks and talking about it behind the scenes on a regular basis. In fact, there's been an addition to those ongoing discussions (we have the What's App group to prove it), and he's ready to jump into the fray and shake this blog out of its doldrums. So without further ado, we welcome the shiny new addition to A&T: Pablo. 

Two Guys and a Drink: Once Upon a Cape

In "Two Guys and a Drink", Dave and John focus on a single drink and experiment with multiple recipes and ingredients as they search for their own "perfect" recipe. Of course, the "perfect" recipe is purely subjective; as with life, the cocktail is a journey, not a destination, and you should find your own. For this post, they are taking on a travel-inspired original: Once Upon a Cape

Check, check... is this thing on? What do you know, it is. 
So, you may have noticed we've been MIA on the blog for a while. But that doesn't mean we haven't been documenting our drinking endeavors. Keep an eye out for our more regular online activities on Facebook here and Instagram here and here.

Background

Enjoying the view... or contemplating
ratios for a new A&T Original?

It's rare the two halves of A&T are in the same time zone, let alone in the same room long enough to share a drink together in person. For a few blissful weeks in October, though, David and John managed to squeeze in a much needed reunion in beautiful South Africa. From Faerie Glen to Maboneng, Hout Bay to Franschhoek, Pilanesberg to... some very off-the-beaten-path destination in Limpopo, the A&T crew rode again. And wouldn't you know, they came up with a drink to commemorate the whole thing. 

One for the Road... the Old Diplomat

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, John presents an original: the Old Diplomat.

Background 
Back in June our friends over at Cait+Tiff presented me with a small but thoughtful gift: a bottle of Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters. Never having worked with chocolate bitters before, I immediately started researching and testing recipes, including a variation of the Sparrow, a distant cousin of the Boulevardier. The great thing about new ingredients, of course, is that it sparks the imagination.

A few weeks later in July, I did a shoot with Tiff at Samai, a local rum distillery here in Phnom Penh. In between takes, our host Daniel let me try some of the high end rums Samai keeps on hand for inspiration. Being something of a rum novice, it was an eye opening experience. There was one bottle in particular, Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, that I just could not get out of my head.

A week for classics, and a celebration of New Orleanian resilience ten years after Katrina: the Sazerac

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, David presents the Sazerac.
 
Every city has a personality. Like people, some are stronger than others, more complex, more forthright or mysterious, urbane or rustic. Infinite variations given history, and climate, and population... but some cities have a more powerful energy to them. A soul, something beyond and encompassing the combinations of people, buildings and sights that we usually think to describe.

Two Guys and Drink: Corpse Reviver #2

In "Two Guys and a Drink", Dave and John focus on a single drink and experiment with multiple recipes and ingredients as they search for their own "perfect" recipe. Of course, the "perfect" recipe is purely subjective; as with life, the cocktail is a journey, not a destination, and you should find your own. For this post, they are taking on a pre-Prohibition classic: The Corpse Reviver #2.

A LITTLE HISTORY
"Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again." So wrote Harry Craddock in his seminal The Savoy Cocktail Book. Craddock's written contribution to the cocktail arts is filled with a multitude of similarly witty quips, but this particular one is at least partly responsible for #2's revived popularity. How can you read that and not want a taste? To be fair, four of most cocktails will likely send you to bed (or worse), but it was thoughtful of Craddock to issue the warning because this tasty concoction is one that will leave you asking for more.

One for the Road... The Boulevardier

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, John presents the Boulevardier.

Background 
Sometimes at the end of a long day you just want a drink to help take the edge off, one that doesn't require too much fuss or thought. It's easy to turn to a glass of wine, a bottle of beer, or perhaps two fingers of your favorite scotch in such a time. But maybe, just maybe, you can rouse enough effort to pull together a cocktail.

The Boulevardier is such a drink to add to your repertoire. The basic recipe is a snap, the ingredients are standards of any well stocked home bar, and the end result is supremely satisfying. 

One for the Road... The White Russian

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, David channels the Dude--a bit belatedly, of course--and serves up a White Russian.

Background
On March 6, 1998, the world first got introduced to The Big Lebowski, and the immortal Dude (or His Dudeness, or El Duderino, if you're not into the whole 'brevity' thing). Lo these many years later, I sit here typing this blog on a laptop with a parody of a Shepard Fairey print stuck to the front of it--a silhouette of the Dude where Andre the Giant's face used to be, with the word "ABIDE" beneath it.

I love that sticker. It really ties the computer together.

One for the Road... The Cinzano Sparkling Cocktail

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, John presents the Cinzano Sparkling Cocktail

Background 
First off, happy 2015! We had a few bottles of Brut laying around after our New Year's celebration (apparently the only thing not emptied out that night), so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to experiment with a variation of the Champagne or sparkling cocktail.

The Cinzano Sparkling Cocktail comes to us from the Savoy Cocktail Book. Mr. Henry Craddock first published this gorgeously designed book in 1925, and I think it is fair to describe it as a bridge between the pre- and post-Prohibition cocktail eras. Mr. Craddock fled the US in 1925 for wetter environs in London, where he became the head barman of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel. Pre-Prohibition cocktail culture found a welcoming home away from home at the American Bar, and Mr. Craddock's collection of more than 700 recipes immortalized the drinks he offered up to his thirsty patrons.