April 2012
14 posts
“Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness. ~ Seneca”
8 tags
No School Like Old School
Above: Do not pass go, Do not collect 200 Dollars…
Previously on the alchemist says… we featured a true original in Alex Kratena in straight up with…, and International Gin and Tonic Day. There is reason to celebrate on a daily basis on the alchemist says.
Be wary of strong drinks. It can make you shoot at tax collectors… and miss. ~ Robert Heinlein
A more appropriate way...
“Now do not say you cannot swear off drinking; it is easy. I have done it a...”
5 tags
The Daily Bitters:
Above: EL GINTONIC always insisted his Gin & Tonic have cucumber and not lemon.
On the 9th of April the industry commemorated International Gin & Tonic Day. The Classic gin and tonic hocus pocus was introduced to the world in India during the 18th century by the armies of the British East India Company, gin was added to their daily intake of a quinnine based tonic water to make the...
10 tags
Straight up with Alex Kratena
Straight up refers to an alcoholic drink served neat without the addition of ice, water or any other lengthening agent. In other words…straight to the point.
The ultimate foundation of a great bartender is personality! Everything else, one can either; study, master or improve.
Alex Kratena is one of the best bartenders on the international arena in England. A native of the Czech...
4 tags
The Daily Bitters:
120 Years of Ice Cream Sundaes:
On this day, the Ice Cream Sundae turns 120 years old. On Sunday, April 4, 1892, after services at the Unitarian Church, Reverend John M. Scott paid his usual visit to the Platt & Colt Pharmacy in downtown Ithaca, New York. Shop proprietor, Chester C. Platt, was the church treasurer, who often met with John M. Scott for conversation after...
“It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her...”
6 tags
The Daily Bitters:
Above: Harry C. Craddock, arguably the most celebrated bartender of the Prohibition era.
On this day, Harry C. Craddock retires from London’s Dorchester Hotel Bar in 1947. He was 74 years old.
More to follow…
…alchemist says
5 tags
Cocktail Kingdom: Barware.Books.Bitters →
Cocktail Kingdom offers a full spectrum of professional and custom barware, artisan bitters and syrups fit for the most discerning bartender. With knowledge as a bartender’s most valuable tool, Cocktail Kingdom provides books of remarkable recipes and bar know-how spanning from pre-Prohibition era publishing to the world’s most modern concoctions.
“Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and...”
4 tags
alchemist and the City: Please Sir Can I have some...
Previously on the alchemist says…we educated consumers and bartenders of an ingredient / product found within venues / establishments across the country that has beleaguered the industry within South Africa, the “bartender” of yesteryear and the “progression” of the bartender through grass root initiatives in Less is more and the...
