If you have not browsed your New York Times yet today I encourage you to do so. The food section is a veritable orgy of beverages, including an ABC's of refreshment; a history of the swizzle stick; a survey of beer bars by Eric Asimov; and a guide to working in the beverage business for those who do not partake (either for religious reasons, or because of recovery from a history of overpartaking.)

It is not my intention to return from a nearly month-long hiatus since my last post only to regurgitate the dining section of the New York Times. However, I will not do much more than that right now. I have been busy getting ready for the opening of the bar at Annie's on Congress. The menu and spirits program is designed by Bill Norris of FINO. The bar is designed by none other than Dick Clark. I am managing the bar and have been training the staff the last week and a half. The menu is a mix of classic cocktails and Bill Norris originals. We will be rotating in seasonally appropriate cocktails over time.

TEXANS FOR GUN CONTROL

Now that I am back behind the bar I can evangelize my position on gun control--the soda gun, that is. No juices or sodas come through the gun. All juice is fresh squeezed daily; all sodas are from a bottle. Only premium spirits are used and adherence to proper recipe and technique is required.

Please come by and enjoy a cocktail with us. A new happy hour menu will roll out shortly. The bar and late night food menu is delicious. I will post the happy hour selections and a pdf of the menu soon. See you at "le zinc."

This year there are so many Austinites going to Tales of the Cocktail (compared to the first year we went, when we counted two) that we have decided to host a Tales of the Cocktail Send-off Party, in grand fashion at Annie's on Congress. I have chosen as a theme the cocktails of New Orleans, and am planning to finally live out a cocktail fantasy of mine as it is played out on page 42 of Charles H. Baker Jr.'s Gentleman's Companion (1939). First I will describe the New Orleans cocktails that we will be serving.

When some folks think of the 'drinks of New Orleans,' what comes to mind might include any or all of the following: the Pat O'Brien's Hurricane; the Tropical Isle Hand Grenade; or any number of other potions dispensed from frozen drink machines on Bourbon St. However what we have in mind for next Monday's festivities is something of a more historical nature. First we have the Sazerac, which has a heritage so long, it has been argued by some to be the "original cocktail." While we will not step into that fray, we will pour this century-and-a-half old cocktail in copious abundance on Monday night. The only question remains is whether we will pour it in the modern fashion, with Rye whiskey, or in a historical fashion, with Cognac. (It is important to note here that he Louisiana legislature, showing its odd priorities, designated the Sazerac as the official state drink last year.)

Next up in the lineup is the Vieux Carré Cocktail, a rye and Cognac based cocktail that is seasoned with Benedictine, bitters, and sweet vermouth. It was invented at the Hotel Monteleone, which is coincidentally the host hotel of Tales of the Cocktail.

Before heading into the grand finale we will partake of the French 75, which I discussed in greater detail here last year. The cocktail has a long affiliation with New Orleans whether or not it originated there, and so we will honor it on Monday night, if for no other reason than because it is just fun to drink.

And now we move to the big finish for Monday night's celebration, and to the pages of Charles H. Baker Jr.'s Gentleman's Companion:
THE ORIGINAL GIN FIZZ which Was Long a Secret of the Brothers Ramos, and which Was Given out by Them, in a Fit of Generous Aberration during Our Alleged & Ridiculous Drought of the Prohibition Era...the Ramos Fizz has long been synonymous with the finest in all the New Orleans art. Thinking that the formula, like any history dealing with the dead arts, should be engraved on the tablets of history, it was given to the world after the now rejuvenated Ramos bar closed for the "dry" era. The main secret of excellence was the platoon of 8 or 1 doz (shaker boys) who passed the shaker over shoulders to the next, after each had literally shaken his heart out chilling the drink...

I have been fascinated by this scene ever since I first read about it in Baker's book. Can you imagine such a sight? A cocktail so famous (and labor-intensive) that it requires a platoon of shaker boys? To add further interest to this I found a copy of Stanley Clisby Arthur's Famous New Orleans Drinks and how to mix 'em(first published 1937). In the book Arthur describes the demand for Henry Ramos's signature fizz as being almost insatiable. "The corps of busy shaker boys behind the bar was one of the sights of the town during Carnival, and in the 1915 Mardi Gras, 35 shaker boys nearly shook their arms off, but were still unable to keep up with the demand." 35 Shaker boys!!?? What a spectacle. I have wanted to recreate this moment in cocktail history ever since I first read about it, and now we are finally doing it on Monday night, as a way to send off all of our Austin mixos in a festive fashion. How many shaker people will we have? 8 or 1 dozen, to be sure, but 35? That remains to be seen. Please come and join us to witness history reborn at the zinc bar.

For those who are still thirsty after the Ramos Gin Fizz spectacular, we will enjoy as a nightcap the Absinthe Frappé, with the assistance of our friends at Kübler Absinthe.