Anthony on Bourbon

Anthony waxes philosophic about Bourbon at the New York City Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival with Tom Fischer of BourbonBlog.com.



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Samuels Redux - AOTD on the Road

Anthony makes his Samuels cocktail for Tom Fischer of BourbonBlog.com at the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival in New York City.



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Bombay Sapphire Steve Collins

Anthony mixes up his stevia-based version of the classic Tom Collins for the folks at Bombay Sapphire.

Note: They edited out the fact that the ice is made from fresh-squeezed pink grapefruit juice. Just be sure to strain it to get the pulp out. Also, I'm using stevia (an all-natural herbal sweetener) syrup instead of simple syrup, so there's no added sugar. Mix equal parts Truvia and water, just like you were making simple syrup. Thanks for watching!



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AOTD on NY WPIX-TV Morning News

This morning I made my third appearance on New York's WPIX-TV Morning Show, making no sugar added cocktails for the holidays!

Anthony on NYC-TV!

Recently did a piece for NYC-TV on Forty Eight, the cocktail lounge I manage. Here's a link to the video. The channel reaches 18 million homes!

Episode 72: White House Press Dinner, Pt. 3

Anthony wraps up his visit to the Capital File Magazine White House Press Correspondents' Dinner After Party in the last episode of this 3-part AOTD-On-The-Road series!



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Episode 71: White House Press Dinner, Pt. 2

Anthony tastes more incredible drinks at the Capital File Magazine White House Press Correspondents' Dinner After Party in the second of this 3-part AOTD On The Road series!



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Links to AOTD on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Living Today"

Had a great time on the "Living Today" Happy Hour segment last Friday! If you missed the broadcast, here's a link to the audio file and the blog post. The segment had over 5 million listeners!

AOTD on Martha Stewart Living Radio!

Sirius and XM subscribers, take note -- I'll be on the Martha Stewart Living Radio (Sirius 112 and XM 157) "Living Today" show from 4P-5P on September 18th for their Friday Cocktail Hour segment!

Shaken, Not Stirred

One of the most common questions I get, this time from the YouTube site:

Q: When it comes to bourbon, when do you shake and when do you stir? The two drinks you showed in your last video are really similar but one was shaken and the other was stirred.

A: Great question, and a source of contention among some bartenders. Shaking versus stirring doesn't depend on the liquor, but rather on the mixers and, more importantly, on how the bartender wants to present the drink. Shaking aerates the drink, which makes it easier for your nose to get involved in the tasting and can thus intensify the flavor. This also froths the ingredients, which lightens the texture but also clouds the liquid. Lastly it imparts ice flakes which help keep the drink at temperature.

Stirring keeps the drink dense and clear, but does this at the expense of aeration and ice flakes. To me, flavor and temperature are more important in most cocktails than keeping them clear, so I shake almost all my drinks. The exceptions are liquor-only (no mixers) drinks that I serve up (no ice) and specifically want to keep crystal-clear - and these are rare. (Also consider that even a shaken drink will clarify in just a few minutes.)

I've taken temperature readings over 30 minutes of shaken and stirred drinks countless times in training classes, and shaken drinks stay significantly colder longer. A properly-shaken martini will still be below 40F after sitting for 15 minutes, while the stirred version doesn't hold temp nearly that long.

Last common misconception is that shaking waters a drink down more than stirring, which is not only untrue but immaterial. First off, ice melt is an important ingredient in a properly mixed drink. Secondly, physics tells us that cooling a liquid from Temp A to Temp B requires the ice to absorb X amount of heat, which in turn results in Y volume of ice melt. Both methods rely on convective cooling and if the temperature is lowered the same amount, the melt will be equal.

Thanks for watching!

Episode 70: White House Press Dinner, Pt.1

Anthony heads down to Washington, DC, to attend the Capital File Magazine White House Press Correspondents' Dinner After Party in the first of this 3-part AOTD On The Road series!



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Anthony Returns to the WPIX-TV Morning Show

I visited the WPIX-TV Morning Show to mix up three Fourth of July-inspired cocktails using beer, cider, and wine as the main ingredients: the Red, White and Blueberry, a Cider Flip, and my original Pear Royale Martini.

Red, White and Blueberry
In a pint glass, layer:
6 oz. Bluepoint Blueberry Ale (bottom)
6 oz. Guinness Stout (top)
Drizzle over top:
1/2 oz. Chambord

Cider Flip
In a mixing tin with ice, add:
2 oz. Heavy Cream
2 oz. Egg Beaters
1 tbsp. Superfine Sugar
1/4 tsp. Dried Pumpkin
1/4 tsp. Grated Lemon Peel
Shake until mixture is thickened, add:
1 oz. Bacardi Light Rum
4 oz. Woodchuck Amber Hard Cider
- Shake gently to incorporate, strain into a large wine glass
- Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg

Pear Royale Martini
In a mixing tin with ice, add:
1-1/2 oz. Chianti
1 oz. Crème de Cassis
Shake until tin is frosted, add:
1-1/2 oz. Prosecco
- Roll into mixing glass and back into tin
- Strain into a martini glass lined with thinnly-sliced Seckel pear
- Garnish with a float of 3 fresh raspberries

Check it out at the WPIX Morning News Blog.

Episode 69: Root Beer Float

Anthony wraps up his visit to Daddy-O with a Maker's Mark Root Beer Float!



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Episode 68: Passion Fruit Paloma

Anthony returns to Daddy-O with Charlotte and makes her unique Passion Fruit Paloma just in time for Spring!



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The Best Beer Cocktails - AOTD on WPIX

Mixologists are thinking outside of the can this football season and giving beer its right place on the cocktail list. Page Six Magazine rounded up their favorite beer cocktails from various bars around the area.

WPIX's Tiffany McElroy assisted mixologist Anthony Caporale in making three special beer cocktails: Bulldog Rouge, Beer Cassis and a Guinness Float.

Page Six Magazine comes free every week in the Sunday edition of The New York Post.

AOTD on WPIX NY

If you're an AOTD fan in the New York area, tune in to the WPIX morning news show on January 29th at about 7:45A to watch me mix up a few Superbowl cocktails for a segment with Page Six Magazine!

And if you're coming from the WPIX site, please check out our collection of how-to cocktail videos.

AOTD in Spanish!

Art of the Drink is now available in Spanish on Practicopedia.com! Check it out to see how I would sound if my last name was Banderas (and I was much better looking).

Nokia N96

Nokia just sent me one of their new N96 video phones to try out, so I'll be putting it through its paces over the next few weeks. Look for some impromptu footage here on the blog as well as on the Nokia viNe site. So far, it looks like a pretty capable device for both still and video work on the fly. It's a little on the big/heavy side for a phone, but if the picture quality is what I expect the extra heft will be worth it: 5 megapixel camera with built in flash and video lights, Carl Zeiss lens, digital zoom, and it shoots MP4 video at up to 30 frames per second VGA. This is all married to a full-featured multi-media device that combines a digital media player, live TV, and web/e-mail connectivity with built-in wireless internet, true GPS, and all the features you'd expect in a top-notch phone. The key will be living with it to see if the integration truly works. I'm hoping it does, as it could be the first device that would allow me to replace a Flip-type camcorder, GPS, and smart phone with one fairly small unit that's with me all the time.

What Supplies Do I Need?

Posted on the AOTD Forum by DanTheMan:

Q - I am thinking of putting together a small home bar. I am looking to invest in a shaker set, and there seem to be quite a few options. I can go 16oz, 18oz or 28oz. Which would be my best choice?

Also, what tools would you say are essential for someone just starting their bar?

A - My go-to shaker setup is a stainless steel 28 oz. tin (available at any restaurant supply store or online at sites like Instawares for under $3) paired with a standard 16 oz. pint glass (about $1) and a 4-prong stainless bar strainer (under $2). Since the whole setup costs less than six bucks, I usually keep two sets in the house for parties and one in the car just to be sure I have quality tools if called upon to bartend at someone else's place (which will happen all the time once people know you mix). Avoid consumer sets like those sold at Linens-N-Things, Target, etc., as they're way overpriced and just don't work as well.

Beyond that, all you really need is a bag of pour spouts (also available online or at a restaurant supply store for about $12) and lots of hand towels and you're good to go. If you want to get more complicated, I'd add a muddler (splurge a bit here and get the VIVA! Stick from New York Bar Store -- at $10 it's the best muddler I've ever used), a twister (for making citrus twists properly, under $10), and a 3.25" x 24" drink mat ($9). The next level would add a set of Store-N-Pour containers for juices, a glass rimmer for salting glasses, a bar caddy to hold cocktail napkins/straws/stirrers, and a garnish tray. Anything beyond that and you're basically opening a restaurant!

One thing people do tend to overlook when they're setting up a home bar is glassware, and ironically it's probably the most important element. Be sure to a have a good selection of commercial-quality glasses in all the standard service sizes: pint, white wine (for home use you can serve both red and white in these), highball, and martini glasses are the minimum. From there, you can add red wine glasses, champagne flutes, rocks, and cordial glasses. Again, I'd go to a restaurant supply store or online site like Instawares. If you plan on hosting a lot of parties, just buy a case of each and keep the boxes to store the glassware in a closet or garage when you're not using them.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Episode 67: Shark Ice

Anthony travels to Positano, Italy, and discovers a new orange-flavored martini!



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