An online speakeasy of potent potables and other pabulam.

Scofflaws Den has paired up with start-up Bookalokal to offer some very intimate cocktail classes throughout the summer. And before you start getting all hot and bothered, by intimate we mean small. Classes will be a maximum of 4 guests who will get to spend a couple of hours with our chief class instructor Marshall drinking and discussing cocktails, spirits and history. The classes will be very laid back and provide attendees the chance to delve into the subject matter with very little distractions (except for the sound of cocktails being shaken!)

Bookalokal is a company that connects local experts in various cities with people who want to experience local flavors, dishes, drinks or meals in a safe, comfortable environment. It’s free to sign up and you only pay the price of the event you want to attend. The hosts are verified by a Bookalokal employee so you can be certain you won’t sign up for an Evening with Indian Food and find a BDSM torture chamber instead.

We have scheduled three classes so far. Below are the descriptions of these classes.

Basics of Bitters
Most bars worth their salt have at least one kind of cocktail bitters on their back bar. But what are bitters? Why use them? Why does there seem to be a hundred different kinds on the market nowadays? If you enjoy cocktails and have always wondered about the mysterious dashes and drops your bartender is adding to that drink, this class will let you in on the secret! Learn the history of cocktail bitters, how and why they are used, and taste several different types of bitters. You’ll also get to try three cocktails where the use of bitters is not only called for, but essential. For those who wish to try their hand at making bitters at home, we’ll also discuss how to go about starting, what you’ll need and how long the process takes.

Home Bartending Basics
Come learn how to stir, shake and muddle your way to a successful cocktail party! You will learn the techniques of making cocktails, how to stock your home bar, and three recipes to show off your new talents. Oh, and the professional tools you use to practice your new skills? Yeah, you get to keep those! This class is a must for anyone wanting to throw a cocktail party!

Welcome to the Tiki Lounge
Summer is here and what better way to celebrate than relax with an icy, fruity, boozy tiki drink? This summer when you invite friends and family over for a cook-out and some drinks, throw in a touch of Polynesian flair by serving the best tiki drinks around! Learn the history of tiki drinks, the tricks to making them and hot Tiki became synonymous with Americana. And probably light things on fire.

Due to the limited seating in these classes, if there is demand, we will repeat them throughout the summer. We also plan on offering additional classes on various subjects and will let you know about those here and on Twitter.

Please click here for dates, times and cost of these classes. 

We hope to see you soon! Cheers!

Hey folks, just a quick note to let you know that the DC Chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) is organizing an event in collaboration with the Smithsonians and fellow LUPEC chapters.

On March 27th, for Women’s History Month, DC LUPEC is reviving a 2011 Tales of the Cocktail seminar given by four fabulous women on the history of women behind the bar. The speakers are Misty Kalkofen, Lynette Marrero, Meaghan Dorman and Kitty Amann from NY and Boston. LUPEC DC will be crafting the cocktails.

If you are interested in purchasing tickets, click here!

Cheers!

The internet is an amazing thing. It allowed us to read about the nascent cocktail resurgence and become a part of the excitement. You can read about the cocktail scene in far flung cities. Twitter and Facebook allow you to follow friends and acquaintances all over the world and share in their endeavors and successes.

Such is the way I followed the opening of San Diego’s Polite Provisions and its proprietor Erick Castro. Over the years I have met Erick at several cocktail events and was even able to introduce him to a friend at StarChefs one night at New York’s Milk & Honey. All this is to say I knew his talent behind the bar was superb and he had a personality to match. When he announced the move from San Francisco to San Diego to open his own place, I couldn’t wait to see how it worked out. As he built Polite Provisions, I watched via Twitter and knew I’d have to go visit.

The only problem? I have never been to San Diego! So when discussing our Christmas plans with my wife, I was excited when she suggested we take a few days away from visiting her folks in Cali and spend them in San Diego.

Which, a few days after Christmas, I found myself walking through the front door of Polite Provisions.

This bar is simply gorgeous. The tile floors, dark wood and metal seats and tables make you feel like you’ve stepped into a swanky soda shop. Now I can talk about how good the drinks are (fantastic) and how attentive and nice our bartender Frankie was (extremely) but I want to mention some of the small details that truly made drinking here a treat.

First, the chairs for the high-top tables have built in foot rests that are actually comfortable. If you can’t sit at the bar but still want to see the action, these are great seats. Second, there are copious hooks under the bar for coats, hats, purses, etc. Third, there is a perfect amount of light. It’s just dark enough that the candles and other sources of light provide great ambiance but not so dark that you can’t read the menu. I hate going to a bar and needing a flash-light to read a menu.

A few other things I noticed which really impressed me: Each bartender station had an antique desk lamp built into the bar allowing them to see their work (and their work to be seen!) without ruining the guests’ time with excessive lights. Along the bar at several intervals were multi-level lazy susans holding various bitters, tinctures and tonics. Much less bar space taken up with their prodigious bitters collection since they go up rather than out. One of the neatest things I noticed were the hidden storage built into the columns behind the bar. These were used to hold glassware, extra tools and at least one bottle of George Stagg Bourbon.

It was also great to look across the room and see row upon row of my friend Darcy’s Acid Phosphate and Lactart for sale.

The bottom line is that if I lived in San Diego, Polite Provisions is a bar I would be spending a lot of time. It had everything that makes my haunts here in DC so loved – great drinks, great atmosphere and, most importantly, great people.

Polite Provisions
4696 30th Street
San Diego, CA

http://politeprovisions.com/

Continuing from my last post I wanted to give you a few things that I think would make good gifts to that special person in your life who loves cocktails or cooking. These are things I use all the time and was either purchased by me, my wife or was a gift from friends or family. Nothing came from a PR company or the manufacturers.

The next thing I want to highlight is the Cuisinart Electric Kettle.

It holds 1.7 liters (that’s almost 7.2 cups to us non-metric folks) of water and has a handy window to see exactly how much water is in the kettle.

The kettle is “cordless” which means that the base is plugged into an outlet and the kettle heats up by being placed on the base. One design that I love on this appliance, and one I wish other manufacturers would implement, is that while the cord is rather long there is a built-in cord wrap on the bottom of the base. This lets you reach far outlets if necessary or keep the kettle close to an outlet without excess cord getting in the way.

The main selling point on the kettle though is the automatic temperature settings. Each setting has the temp and general type of beverage for that temp (even french press coffee!!!) and a “Keep Warm” function.

We use this kettle almost nightly for hot tea, on weekends for french press coffee and any other time we need boiling water. And you know what, it’s perfect for hot toddies!!!

My next gift suggestion is a simple CO2 soda siphon. Now I know you can go to the market and pick up soda water. Or you can get one of those fancy soda rivers that make all sorts of fizzy drinks. But I don’t want to keep buying plastic bottles of soda water that will go flat after I only use half of it. I also don’t drink lots of fizzy drinks so a machine that spits out all different types is overkill. That’s why I like the simple soda siphon.

This is the siphon I use at home. It also happens to be a wedding gift from my cohort SeanMike. I’ll admit it’s a little fancier than most models but you can find a bunch of different types on Amazon.

Well there you go, two more suggestions from me to you. Both the electric kettle and the soda siphon are practical gifts for the cocktail fan or budding chef in your life.