Zooming in on the home bar

Certainly, the numbers substantiate the memes. U.S. beverage alcohol sales jumped 55% in the last week of March as consumers stocked up on their favorites spirits, wine and beer, and there’s no sign of the trend slowing. I admit I’m among those who stopped off at a local retailer the day before Kansas shut down to buy whiskey, tonic water, gluten free beer and a bit of fizzy wine. I needn’t have worried—distilleries, breweries, wineries and the stores that sell their wares are all considered essential businesses and have remained open. It’s a far cry from a century ago, when the ratification of the 18^th Amendment in 1919 put nationwide Prohibition into effect and practically destroyed the industry. But I digress. 

Folks have clearly stocked up at home, and although many people are enjoying their boxed wine, many more are attempting to recreate their favorite cocktails. For our first Zoom happy hour with friends, my husband stirred up Sazeracs and served them in souvenir glasses from the Roosevelt Hotel’s Sazerac Bar in New Orleans. The cocktail dates back to the late 1890s and in 1909 was proclaimed by the Atlanta Constitution to be “all-conquering,” according to David Wondrich’s Imbibe! 

My first encounter with a Sazerac coincided with my introduction in 2006 to Ryan Maybee, who was then overseeing JP Wine Bar. He went on to launch Manifesto and is now one of the guiding forces behind J. Rieger & Co., but his is a story for another time. Suffice it to say, he was entirely gracious when he asked if I’d ever had a Sazerac and I said no. I’ve since rectified that oversight and at times crave the sweetened blend of spicy rye, herbaceous absinthe and Peychaud’s Bitters, which are somewhat lighter and fruitier than other aromatic bitters. Especially if the husband’s making the drinks.

Happy Hour #2: Sidecars. For our next Zoom gathering, we avoided the sticky sweet type with a sugared rim that is all too common in favor of a bracingly balanced version using equal parts brandy, orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice. Quality is essential here. I prefer Cognac or Copper & Kings American Craft Brandy with Cointreau (Grand Marnier is too sweet, Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curaçao too, well, dry). If all you have on hand is a lesser brandy or triple sec, make something else. Want to argue the equal parts rule? Fine. Adjust proportions as you like. But I discovered what I like when I sipped my first Sidecar in 1998 in Bath, England, at a little bistro I sadly no longer remember the name of. We’d just finished hiking a good chunk of the 102-mile Cotswald Way, and it seemed an awfully hot and long sidewalk trek to our hotel in the city center. When we passed a sign promising Sidecars, we stopped to, as the Brits say, inquire. Three (or was it four?) drinks later, we loaded our backpacks into a cab and headed to the hotel. Sidecars have been a favorite ever since. 

Happy Hour #3: the Boulevardier. It’s a Negroni variant, in which bourbon stands in for gin, and I first came across the drink in Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. The next sighting was during the Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition, when it was presented as a classic challenge in 2010, or maybe 2011 or 2012. At least, I think I did. Travis Stewart (an artist in real life and behind the bar at Extra Virgin) was a finalist all three years, and I’m certain he prepared it onstage. But, being the journalist that I am, I can’t substantiate that claim until I find my old notes. Anyway. Dr. Cocktail credits creation to Harry McElhone and places it in the bartender’s 1927 book, Barflies and Cocktails. 

Up next? I’ll be skipping the mixing and instead buying cocktails-to-go from The Myers Hotel Bar in Tonganoxie. Why? Because as good as these memories are, they each stem from great experiences at great bars. I want those bars to be in business when this all ends and so am determined to continue supporting them now. Please do the same if you can. 

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