Recipes from the third annual Cognac Summit, in which an international host of bartenders were asked to recreate classic Cognac-based cocktails — including the Stinger, the Mint Julep and the Sidecar — with the contemporary mixologist and consumer in mind, are available at this mouthful of an address for direct download - http://carbonniercommunications.cmail4.com/t/y/l/oxjrr/utujdjjky/y.
Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller are hard at work bringing good works back to print: now it’s Gary and Mardee Haidin Regan’s The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskeys. Originally published in 1995, the book details every aspect of American whiskey production up to the mid-1990s, a concise historical overview of how whiskey in America evolved from the time of the Pilgrims through the end of the 20th century. Every distillery that was around at that time is comprehensively documented, and the vast majority of American whiskeys on the market are described. Check out this and their other wares at www.mixellany.com.
For those of you with an itchin’ to create your own spirit, perhaps a few days with the small distillers of America would be enlightening. The American Distilling Institute has set the date and a schedule for its 2010 conference in Louisville, Ky. An all-day trip to a variety of distilleries, sessions on building a distillery, selling spirits in Europe, marketing production, sensory evaluation and many other topics head the daytime events, plus there will, of course, be plenty of tasting, a silent auction, banquet and awards. Info at http://www.distilling.com/conference.html
If you can’t get to Louisville and live in the Pacific Northwest, then maybe the craft distilling course at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Wash., would fit you. Scheduled for March 22-26 with instruction by Berle 'Rusty' Figgins Jr., a viticulturist, winemaker and distiller, and Judith Smasne, a compliance consultant and insurance agent who specializes in wineries, breweries and distilleries, the five-day workshop will cover the history of distilling, the distillation process, types of distillation equipment, the licensing and legal considerations, physical plant considerations, grain, tuber and fruit fermentation fundamentals and much more. For more information go to http://www.artisancraftdistilling.spruz.com/ or email CBISinfo@bigbend.edu.