Great piece. The 'why' of bartending at home is too often ignored or subsumed in the rush for 'great' in some listicle fashion.
It goes to why good bartending is a skill versus mixing drinks, right? Years ago, I was bartending a friend's 'Repeal' party where the menu was front-loaded with classic but potent drinks. As the night wore on, I over-ruled what many people thought they wanted in lieu of a Champagne cocktail where I could control the alcohol. And while slightly resistant, everyone ultimately appreciated both the fanciness of the Champagne, the custom service and that I tapered down their trip. The nut is that drinks - more than anything else aside from hard hallucinogens - are about context and intent whether in a professional service setting or a home. They should make someone feel special and cared for elsewise just crack a beer.
I've often argued that if you want to care for your guests at home and make them feel special. invest in great glassware even beyond what you think you can afford. Whether Baccarat or thrift store vintage, it makes all the difference in world. (On a tiny budget, you can readily source enough vintage glassware to make each guest have their own selected piece. Yeah, I stole this from a coffee shop in Tokyo.)
Oh, and the Grill has the most divine Alaska on the planet. Fight me.
Great piece. The 'why' of bartending at home is too often ignored or subsumed in the rush for 'great' in some listicle fashion.
It goes to why good bartending is a skill versus mixing drinks, right? Years ago, I was bartending a friend's 'Repeal' party where the menu was front-loaded with classic but potent drinks. As the night wore on, I over-ruled what many people thought they wanted in lieu of a Champagne cocktail where I could control the alcohol. And while slightly resistant, everyone ultimately appreciated both the fanciness of the Champagne, the custom service and that I tapered down their trip. The nut is that drinks - more than anything else aside from hard hallucinogens - are about context and intent whether in a professional service setting or a home. They should make someone feel special and cared for elsewise just crack a beer.
I've often argued that if you want to care for your guests at home and make them feel special. invest in great glassware even beyond what you think you can afford. Whether Baccarat or thrift store vintage, it makes all the difference in world. (On a tiny budget, you can readily source enough vintage glassware to make each guest have their own selected piece. Yeah, I stole this from a coffee shop in Tokyo.)
Oh, and the Grill has the most divine Alaska on the planet. Fight me.
Good stuff, as always. Although I dislike Bernard DeVoto's fussiness, I like his ratio of gin to vermouth in a martini: 2.7-to-1.