Legends of the Cabinet

Do you have any memories growing up of your parents liquor cabinet from childhood?

It's a typical piece of everyday furniture that sits idly by until you turn fourteen or fifteen - when it's transformed into an Alladin's Cave of contraband and possibility.

I'm sure many of ya's have fond recollections of the moonshining days when we skimmed minute quantities off each bottle and mixed them into a rank new beast. A beast responsible for many swaying teen moments and nasty hangovers!

But think more closely to what was really lurking in there. No wonder we all got sick! Stale and half empty liqueur bottles from the 80's, cheap Scotch and random spirits that your folks would never drink like tequila, and nasty obscure rum. The Gordon's is the only thing that seemed to enjoy a regular workout!

Shelved into this sorry collection however, were a few products which never really got their time to shine! I guess it's fair enough that most parents wouldn't know where to start using 'em - but it suck that things like Grand Marnier, Drambuie, Stones Green Ginger Wine and Benedictine always seemed to get overlooked.

Enough lamentations however. Now that most of us are of the current generation to get their breed on - we can effect change into this vicious cycle of stomach corrosion. If we all maintain tasteful liquor cabinets with shrewdly chosen bottles, we can break the family tradition of bad moonshining!

When my kids are ripping me off as teenagers - they'll be drinking only the best, and hey, maybe I'll get my own back by grouping bottles together strategically! Imagine the look of disgust on a teenagers face when he grabs gin, Campari and sweet vermouth (yeah I'm gonna keep my vermouth in the cupboard, so what?? It's an un-cracked unit!) and "accidentaly" mixes a Negroni! Boo-ya.

Who's gonna have the last laugh then!? Yep, it's gonna be me.

Mwa ha ha ha haaaaa

Don't Call it a Comeback

Just like the O.G Howlin' Wolf, Im right on the beat. WIth a shiny new internet connection and laptop, I'm happy to be able to sit at my desk and break the bloggy drought.

What I'm gonna' write about today, is passion.

Passion is a vastly underused tool. It is a rarely cultivated resource, and many of us forego it for many reasons. One great speaker recently said that we too often replace our passions for apathy, because it comfortably helps us pass through the World, but I do know this:

Out of all the people who're into food and drink (I've gotta keep things a touch relevant!), the ones that stand out; the interesting ones, the crazy ones, the inspiring ones, the controversial ones, the dedicated ones - they're all incredibly passionate! Is it enough for us to pass our time without nurturing, developing and firing-up what we really care about?

I don't think so. Thus, a small treatise to any readers tonight. I'm sending out the call for us to stop worrying about what other folk are up to, what people are talking about and the meaningless crap that we kill time with, and instead find what we're passionate about - so we can spend more considered time investing in it, and each other.

I'd rather be perceived as crazy than mundane!

A parting drink, and an old favourite. Let's bring back the Mac. I'm down for two parts whisky to one part green ginger wine with a lemon peel (because it works). Pick a whisky and raise your glasses to the North.

Bon chance.

La Bella Vita (or something like that...)

Now that things have settled down for the year (for me anyway), it's time to get back in the kitchen to wrangle with some mean flavours. In light of the fact that I'm hotly anticipating a new dining table (selected by the expert eye of the wonderful Missy Bell, this vintage banger will no doubt see some Texas Holdem' action too), it's time to highlight some decadent fare for the winter months which'll keep your arteries well and truly blocked - yet your soul well and truly satisfied!

I'm putting it out there; there are few better combinations than fat, potato and cheese. The dish pictured isn't mine, it's probably French and I don't know what it's called, but who cares! When it's as easy to prepare as slicing potato thinly (but please, please use the guard on your mandolins!), and layering that alternately with sliced onion and cheese before dabbing with thick cream and a healthy sprinkle of seasoning you're on a winner. Provided each component is kept in a respectful proportion, 45 minutes later your moderate oven will yield up a tantalizing result, which in this case I served with green beans, a baked field mushroom and some grain fed porterhouse. Graaaaaavy (that means good, by the way!)

Not to be outdone, and because I really should include some drinks banter, our accompanying wine almost stole the show and made me look bad...damn you Ten Minutes by Tractor! We had their Northerly facing Mcutcheon single vinyard '07 pinot, and boom -what a stunning wine! I really know very little about wines, but this magnificent drop was beautifully structured, with perfect red berries, a bordering-on-minty herbaceous lift and gorgeously fine tannins. Go find some right now. Really...right now.

At some stage I really should make some desserts lest the Gnomes of Zurich strip me of my pastry cooking veil, but until then, have a great weekend all!

Adi

The Brewster Takes it Home!

After an exciting and innovative couple of days of competition, 2010's Australian World Class representative has been crowned in Sling's Adam Brewer. Adam competed strongly and consistently both days smashing out a fresh Luxury cocktail list, a solid exam, blind tasting and luxury drinks presentation and wrapping things up cleanly with a great live bar round.

I'm stoked to hand the mantle over to Ad, who's gonna have a pimp, pimp experience in Athens provided he can duck any flying masonry or molotov cocktails given Greece's current political climate.

For myself, I'm chuffed to swing in a cheeky second ahead of my comp nemesis and good mate, 'ol Widgey. Amazing presentations went down at the stupidly maxxing Lavendar Bay mansion, and I decided to handycap my second day's competition by slicing the top of my finger off with a killer sharp mandolin - better was the decision not to incorporate the piece into my garnishing!

Thanks go out to Cat Lyon who kept me from whiting out, and ceasing the flow of the crimson river! With large bandaged comedy finger on my right hand, the day's comp was great - especially the live speed round!

Big ups to the Behind Bars kids and Dee-ag-ee-o with all their fancy booze.

The mansion was sick for the awards night, and everyone had a bangin' time hob-nobbing and drinking delicious cocktails and canapes. The crazy buggers even set up a blazer station outside on some barrels which fueled the banter, and left me with a contented Johnnie Blue glow.

What went down on the bus and Eeu de Vie afterwards....that's not for your eyes!

Adi. x

The Dark Night of the Soul

Just when the garden path was rosy with the petals of flowering Quality Banter trees, the less-than-famous blog has been disrupted by a lion stepping out of the foliage.

That Lion is the great competition that will be World Class 2010.

Please dear folk turn a kind thought in my direction as I cram and mix my way to a date with Sydney next Monday to take on Australia's elite mixololologists...yippee!

This year the game is going to be strong as we compete in exams, blind tastings, luxury cocktail list presentations and live bartending throw-downs. Phew! It'll be just like the Highlander (Chris Lambert's greatest work) where there "can be only one"! This year's winner will have to be a sharp cookie with cracking knowledge, banging bar skillz and a more-than-cool head under pressure.

I'm using a few molecular techniques this year (hey, was that a pig!?) which should have me freakin' balls, making loads of mistakes and generally cursing like a trooper, or an Australian ladies cricketer. Stay tuned for updates and my menu posting (which'll have to be once competition is under way so no-one bites my late 90's style), and fear not - the banter tirade is merely on a very short sabbatical.

Get busy living.

Adi

Banter

Ooooo the post that had to happen! The election we had to have...

Banter: The quality and art of one's conversational abilities.

The quality of someone's banter can define their lives, and after dark, when the day is over and people creep out to cafes, bar and restaurants - the restrictions are lifted on what we discuss, how we interact and how well we get the message across.

Being a bartender leaves one with the special privilege of seeing how all walks of life talk amongst each other and with strangers. So we open the topic today riding on my experiences listening to the public, and industry folk, with no clear goal except to embark on a journey of discovery into language and people.

To facilitate this, in my complete gall and pomp, I've come up with a character heirachy to help categorize the quality of people's banter to help open up the topic a bit, and dissect what's behind aaaallllll those words:

The Banter Heirachy - listed from least desirable, to the very best characters. Order may change slightly in future

1. Banterless: this person has absolutely nothing to say for themselves. This is not necessarily an unattractive quality, because no banter is often better than bad banter, but conversations tend to be short.
2. Evil banter: the type of person who's soul has been stained with acid and rust beyond cure. Someone so poisonous that no good utters forth from their mouths. Turn and walk the other way with your 20th Century cocktail immediately.
3. Rubbish Banter: the character who talks loads - often in great volumes about himself or herself, and often about subjects which he/she clearly knows very little about. It can be a torrid barstool next to this character - arm yourself with overproof rye whisky in double quantities!
4. Idol Worshiper: Very closely related to Rubbish Banter, Idol Worship has the alchemic power to turn any subject into a discussion about themselves. I'm all for romance, except when that romance is sloppy, passionate and public. With yourself.
5. Ranter: This fella's great in small doses. Always imbued with a fervent cause, the ranter'll raise his voice and argue to the death on all of his favourite topics. Observe him at the height of the night doing battle or blowing down the walls of some poor chick who's got too many manners to tell him to shut up.
6. The Tech-spert: This harder-to-find breed is an authority on selected topics, but alas! Take 'em off topic and they're fish out of water to the last. The tech-spert will throw 3 solid hours (or more) of banter at you going to the minutest detail on the subject with total abject fascination. To endure this requires simply....chemical drugs.
7. The Nutter/Fruit Loop: Depending on what kind of day they're having - these unpredictable folk can be further up or down the list. No social convention is safe, and no subject is off topic. The nutter is free in the simplest sense. Freedom of expression in any shape or form. Watch out for colourful clothing or silly haircuts, and possibly dredlocks - if they look like a bit of fun buy 'em a shot and engage at will.
8. Average Joe/Jane: Slotting comfortably into the list is the everyday person. Comprising the biggest banter category are the folk who just do their thing typically, be it talking about reality TV, current affairs or sports. Most are comfortable to coast on this level for the course of their lives, and fall victim easily to the banter of characters 1 - 7.
9. Jack-in-the-box: Jack and Jill are a pleasurable find to come across. They're most often knocking about in camouflage as Average Joes, but then they surprise you by pulling out gems of information, and left-field opinions on things which are either interesting, funny or both. Engaging with the Joe's is a worthy pursuit simply based on the hope of meeting a Jack. Buy them some biscotti to make 'em feel appreciated.
10. True breeds: Simply put, the type of folk that you'll quickly develop a man or woman crush on. The true breed is an exquisite character possessing charm, poise and wit. Ready to deal with life's situations with flair and good humour, he or she'll share info in such a way that'll leave you feeling better than you were. Be aware! True breeds often operate like terrorist sleeper cells and you may not even know you're sitting next to one. Engage therefore, at the peril of meeting the rest of our characters in the hope of snagging one of these rare beasts. Across the table with a glass of red is the best scenario - but any setting suits he or she just fine!

Phew! Just when you thought this crap would never end, I'm inserting a tiny elite elemental hierachy based on banter's nickname chat - this is a sub category of the true breeds, and a rating is generally agreed upon by close friends or peers:

1. Bronze chat (although I think bronze is a mix of tin and nickel - fuck it, I'm not a chemist!)
2. Silver chat.
3. Gold chat.
4. Platinum chat. You'll know within five minutes if you're dealing with one of these fine rare folk!
5. Diamond encrusted platinum chat. Simply the best - I've probably met less than five of these ever. Pure unicorn shizzle.

Well I'm probably so far of course now that I'll leave you with a few discussional points on the categories, before tying this all together with the next post! Happy living out there...

• People can be composites of some categories. Probably.
• Alcohol and drugs amplify people's characterization, and often assist in helping folk switch between categories.
• More characters probably need to be added.
• Names will never, ever, be named.
• Yeah that's all I've got for now - clearly not quite qualifying for an elemental rating. Bugger.

Sunday Mornings!

There's nothing that'll make you feel better after a bruising weekend behind the stick than a massive piece of meat (well, besides those fairer services of course).

The sight of an entire lamb shoulder not only healed my bruised heels, but helped ward off a degree of sleep deprivation as well!

For this evening's slow roasted fair I imbued the lamb with an entire knob of butter (oooohhhh yeah), sea salt, cumin, cinnamon and ground fennel. A loose Moroccan arrangement if you will. Into a high oven, turned down to a hundred and left for....6 hours!! Bloody ripper - enough time to eat some Sultana Bran, talk some jive with the housemate, go shopping for some sides, clean the crib, write this post and do some work. Is slow cooking not the most relaxing and enjoyable way to go or what!?

I'm thinking some cous cous (an insidious device which I still don't fully understand nor wholly trust) with poached sultanas and lemon zest, shredded carrot salad and some grilled flat breads with greens. Probably some harissa spiced yoghurt for heat and delicious drinks by someone else!

I might be knackered, but Sunday could be worse! I hope ya'll have a good one too...