Hey check it out – Party Drinks (that good ol’ book of lore and libations) is sitting pretty with some artsy action at an Artisan Gallery in Northhampton:
My super swell and awfully awesome agent, Lisa Ekus (who is the finest in the land), who lives out that-a-way, saw it and took a snap.
I was over at some friends the other night (and yeah, for those smart-mouth readers, I do have some friends. Well, at least my wife does) for a little birthday party—Michael’s birthday, if you demand specifics. The party was at his and his wife Heidi’s house, and they’re fine folks, the best kind of bon vivants in that they like the good food and drink but don’t get fussy about it. Anyway, the cocktails were getting made, and so I was peeking around their liquor shelves (cause that’s what I sometimes do, just in a roundabout and not a creepy way), and guess what I saw? A copy of Dark Spirits, tucked in right tight between a copy of the beauteous Bitters by swell Brad Parsons and legendary The Savoy Cocktail Book, by swell Harry Craddock (the latter “swell” I’m taking on hope, as he was gone before I was here. The former I know for a fact). Now, that’s all kinds of awesome.
This is sorta obvious, but New York City’s a helluva place. I could start a list of great things there with bars, history, museums, eateries, comic book stores, and keep listing things out until the list trotted off the page like a pony. And I still wouldn’t cover it all. But with all that said, in my mind the best of the best of New York is found in an apt in Brooklyn: Chris, Shannon, and Josephine. I can’t tell you the exact location (cause they get enough rock star paparazzi already), but can say that Christ and Josephine were out the other day and wandered into a bourtique pharmacy called City Chemist and saw a wonderful summer-y display with Party Drinks right in the middle! How sweet is that? Sweet I tell you. Party Drinks doesn’t get as much mention as it should on this blog, as it kicked off the whole drink-writing thing for me, more or less. And while I may make a few of the drinks in it in a different manner today, I can still affirm that if you follow every recipe in it to the letter, you’ll end up with 50 delcicious drinks. Yeah, I’m modest. Anyway, Chris and Josephine (Shan wasn’t there, but she’s swell, too) are so awesome that they took a pic of the cute tableau and sent it my way. Now, here it is:
PS: Chris does a million things, once of which is write web comic called Productivity Zero. Go read it.
Well, the Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz Rob Roy release party was yesterday afternoon, and it was all ten kinds of awesome. Super-duper huge thanks to Andrew, Bryn, and Anu from the Rob Roy crew who made it all possible, and the same size thanks to those who stopped by to join the GBVF Army! The Ginger Bliss and Violet Fizzes were stacked on the bar (where they like to be):
there was a sweet and stylish crowd:
sipping fine drinks off the special menu:
those drinks being the Bitter Handshake:
and the Bruja Smash:
and then some drinks from Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz were poured that weren’t on the menu, like the Ladies Cocktail:
and much talking, laughing, and Saturday afternoon drinking was had by all. Thanks again everyone, for making me the happiest dipsographer in the land.
PS: Thanks to Andy Sweet for the Bitter Handshake, Ladies, and crowd pic, and Nat for the others.
PPS: If you missed the shindig, I think the Rob Roy still has a couple extra copies for sale. So stop on by why dontcha?
PPSS: Not in Seattle and sad about your lack of GBVF Army induction? Get Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz online and start liqueur boot camp.
Super-rad Indiana pals Jon and Nicole recently bought their first home! Give a whole heaping helping of cheers for them (even if you don’t know them—trust me, they are sweethearts, and you would be happy to sit at any bar, even one underwater, drinking and chatting with them)! And lookie lookie what their new kitchen/bar shelf has on it:
I think there are at least three books o’ mine on there, and maybe more? Jeez, that’s enough to make a guy blush to a shade that’s red as Campari.
Now this looks like quite an awesome evening: lots of little bottles of booze, a fine DVD to watch (from what I’ve been told, inside that red DVD envelope is a Townes Van Zandt documentary), and copies of old friends Good Spirits and Party Drinks. I’m guessing the lady who took this pic (it was the mother of my pal Rebecca Staffel, chief tasting officer of Deluxe Foods, just in case you’re curious) had an awesome evening indeed:
PS: Do you have a book-in-action photo? Send it to me post-haste.
If you’re wondering, Dark Spirits likes the rock. Likes the metal, and the indie rock, the 70s flair, and the punk rock (natch). Dark Spirits (it’s sorta weird giving a book this personality, but in some ways sorta fun too, especially when it’s almost like it’s typing this now, talking about itself ala Bob Dole) especially likes the rock when the rockstars give it the faceout treatment in bookstores, so that all other books fall back behind its dark glory. This occurrence is shown in photographic full color in the picture below, as the hand holding Dark Spirits belongs to none other than Ron Lewis, the rock madman known not only as Ghost Stories but also as a member of the Fruit Bats (whose new album, Ruminant Band, is awfully good). He was in LA recently doing some TV work (as rockstars do), and shopping for books (ditto), and saw the Dark Spirits and gave it a high-five and the above-mentioned shelf faceout. Thanks Ron, from both Dark Spirits and me. You rockstars are all right.
Talk about a good way to spend the summer: kicking back in the recliner in shorts with a cold drink in one hand and a heavy book in the other (the book to keep people from pawing your drink). Really, that’ll beat the heat and have you in a dandy mood no matter what day of the week, month, or year. And if you need an example, check out the below lovely pics of pals and Spiked Punch readers Jon and Nicole. Dang, I’ve never seen a finer looking couple of cocktail-swilling kids (and hey, the fact that they’re reading the good old Good Spirits is just a happy by-product of their awesomeness). And now, in honor of Nicole (who may have hinted that my blog posts tend towards the lengthy), I’m going to stop here and let the photographs tell the story:
The Man Behind the Evening's Plans
A.J. Rathbun is a freelance food and entertainment writer, poet and author, a frequent guest on the Everyday Food program (Martha Stewart Living/Sirius satellite radio), and is a contributor to culinary & entertainment magazines such as Every Day with Rachael Ray, The Food Network Magazine, Real Simple, Wine Enthusiast, and many others. Of course, there's so much more to it than that...
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