I'm so sorry... 😢

I'm sorry I have no new video to share from the past week. It's been another busy week although I do have a number of vids that I'm working on that I think you'll love - a beginners guide to mezcal, Campari cocktails for people that hate Campari (for Negroni Week), etc.. Do you like mezcal? How about Campari? What type of videos do you want to see on the channel?

What have I been up to this week?

Friday was World Coconut Day so we threw a Piña Colada party to launch our new coconut gin! We served up Flor de Cana 4yr, Threefold coconut gin, pineapple juice, fresh coconut water and lime in freshly cracked coconuts... it was an epic night!

Saturday was opening day at the Royal Adelaide Show. We joined 500+ exhibitors to show off our range of gins with free gin tastings for the masses. The show is a 9 day long carnival / fair that attracts half a million people. I'll be there today/Wed/Fri/Sat if anyone local wants to come say hi!

Sunday was Father's Day in Australia so I spent it with this little guy who helped tidy my bar tools for the week ahead...

📷 VIDEOS

Flashback to the Dead Man's Handle. Kat was the one that picked out this cocktail for the channel and we still have no idea why this one exploded, receiving 250,000+ views. It's a tasty combo of tequila & Aperol.

OTHER VIDEOS:

• What is the best cocktail shaker to use? | Liber & Co.

• Donut Old Fashioned | Cocktail Time by Kevin Kos

• Bourbon Renewal | Jeffrey Morgenthaler

• DIY Baileys | Zach Zoschke

🔥 TIP OF THE WEEK

The majority of cocktails will benefit from a micro dose of salt as it subdues bitterness whilst lifting citrus, fresh herbs and lighter-flavoured fruits. Citrus cocktails such as sours and carbonated drinks will most definitely benefit whilst spirit-forward cocktails with matured spirits can be left without (as a general rule).

Make a 4:1 saline solution by mixing 80g of water and 20g of Maldon sea salt flakes. Transfer to a Japanese dasher bottle and use 1-2 dashes within a drink. Note that one dash from a bitters bottle (Angostura aromatic bitters, Regans orange bitters, etc.) is approximately 10 drops and a Japanese dasher bottle is approximately ⅓ of a dash (around 3 drops).

Compare two daiquiris side by side (one with saline solution and one without) to see what you think. I'd love to hear your feedback on today's tip!

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

I love Robert Simonson's publications. He writes about cocktails, spirits, bars and bartenders and regularly writes for Imbibe, Saveur and Punch. He has written (at least) 6 books about cocktails including the martini, modern classic cocktails, 3-ingredient cocktails, mezcal & tequila cocktails and the old fashioned. I own 3 of his 6 books but my personal favourite is A Proper Drink which tells the story of the cocktail renaissance and the handful of bartenders responsible for accelerating the craft cocktail movement. It features plenty of modern classic cocktail recipes along the way but unfortunately no photos for inspiration, although it's still a great read.

🍾 NEW BOTTLES ON THE BAR

The team from Glen Moray sent me their 18 year old single malt for Father's Day so I sat back on Sunday evening and enjoyed a dram or two. The whisky has notes of baked apple spice and dried apricot which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Are you a big whisk(e)y drinker? If so, what do you enjoy most?

If you made it this far, let me know what you think of today's issue of The Stir Down in the comments!

Cheers,

Steve the Bartender

📚 Want a copy of my book? View stockists

🤔 Got a question? DM me on Instagram!