***Hey Loyal Readers – I have a lot of new stuff coming including a full site re-branding and a test venue so my blog posts have been sparse. I’m heading to SNAP Conference this week so I should get a good recharge for more content. Stay tuned!***
A few Saturdays ago was Cocktail Culture put on by Bailout Productions & Liquid Events Detroit. Bailout consistently puts on great events and I think this was the largest to date. I’m not that familiar with Liquid Events but that will change after this.
There were about 14 official cocktails and a few unofficial ones along with a selection of beers from Dark Horse Brewing to try-out.
I got to chat with Travis Fourmont who is half the Bailout team who was very impressed at the event. They estimated around 1,200 people attended and both sponsors, presenters and attendies had a great time.
We got to the venue just slightly after the start and the lines we already starting to wrap around the market. People looked excited to drink and share in the community event. Travis commented that so many bartender events are competitions. It’s great to do something without the me against you spirit. Everyone was there to share in some great concoctions.
A few new venues were sharing their recipes including The Stand and Antietam along with the cocktail powerhouses like The Oakland and Sugar House. There were some fun pieces of swag as well as vendors like LIFT Designer Toys.
My first stop was at Antietam. It’s a new place (not open yet) by Joe “Rob” Robinson who is also the other half of Bailout. He was super geeked about his new centrifuge and showed off his clarified lime juice (see above). Their table’s drink was A Rose for Emily (Hendricks Gin, Clarified Lime Juice & Rosewater Soda). It was a great start to the night with a bright citrus flavor and the gin shown with a hint of the rose. Great sipper as we wandered to our next location.
Two bands were entertainment during the night; Shine on Kentucky Moon (above) and Barrel Brothers Street Band. Both added a good vibe to the event.
The US Bartender’s Guild table was next with Robyn serving up two great drinks. Smoke on the Water (El Espolon Reposado, Clementine Infused Aperol, Lime Juice & Smoked Watermelon Soda) was amazing however the drink that was going fast was the barrel aged Quittin’ Time (Russell’s Reserve 6 yr Rye, Cynar & Michigan Apple Cider Reduction). The drink was rich and herby. Maybe my favorite.
The Oakland was a must visit location. They featured a drink called the Raspberry Runner (2 oz Deaths Door Gin, Raspberry Syrup and Deaths Door Wondermint).
You might be wondering, what is Deaths Door Wondermint. It’s an excellent question. I’ve not seen it for sale and I would be surprised if they would promote it if you couldn’t. That being said, unless you are a huge fan of mint, I would avoid it. They were shots available too and it’s pretty intense. Not my cup of tea but probably someone elses. The Oakland did make a fantastic drink with the three ingredients that had a great berry flavor.
The Root has been around for a number of years and was completely off my radar. Based in White Lake, it looks like they have some serious culinary fire power and will be a place I will go check out. Their spot in the market was the best for photos due to the light from the stage. I got some good pictures here.
The drink was the Deja Voodoo (Bacardi, Cold Press Coffee, Voodoo Syrup (Burnt Oranage, Chicory, Molasses, Local Dried Chili, Cinnamon, Clove & Brown Sugar)). While it was a bit sweet, it had a great coffee flavor and the chili was a exciting pop of heat.
Prior to Cocktail Culture, I made a dig at Hamlin Corning. It felt like they were the odd bar out for the pack based on my experiences at their location. A few trusted friends told me to be open minded and that their bartender was doing great things. Their drink was the Tijuana Cowboy (El Jimador Reposado, Watermelon Juice, Grapefruit Juice, Chamomile Syrup & Peychaud’s Bitters). I really enjoy watermelon in drinks and thought the creativity of ingredients was impressive. However, the sweetness really blasted all the flavors. I could have got a bad pour and I liked what I saw to give them another chance. Looking forward to what is at the main location.
Kristian Slywka was one of the bartenders manning the Public House booth. They were serving the Estell (TMaestro Dobel Diamond, Pear Puree, Pinot Noir Reduction and Agave/Lemon Juice). The pear rocked and the reduction was really tasty but again too sweet. They also had the longest line in the event. This was largely due to a lot of attention paid to each drink. A tricky balance at these events.
Public House did hit a home run with their garnish. A simple little mermaid added a nice touch to the bland drink glass. Bravo.
While I didn’t get any good pictures, I also tried all the other drinks at the event too. Raven’s Club had a delishous and simple Forester Old Fashioned (Old Forester 100 Proof, TRC Bitters).
Roast did a drink called 2 Gold Uzis (Smith & Cross Rum, DiSaronno Amaretto, lemon, simple, orange bitters and topped with Oro, garnished with thyme sprinkles). The Oro De Calabaza beer from Jolly Pumpkin was a really cool addition and I enjoy anything with Smith and Cross.
Bigaloria used one of my favorite artisan products, McClary’s Bros. The drink was Pass This On (Bombay Sapphire, Ginger Liquor, Benedictine, McClary’s Carrot & Beet Shrub & Lemon Juice. I liked this as the beet was a great change of pace and it wasn’t too sweet.
Sugar House was my last stop of the night as I couldn’t miss a visit with Yani. One of my favorite drinks mostly due to the lack of sugar and the fact it was frozen was the Absinthe Snow Cone (Two James Absinthe, Demerara, Water & Crushed Ice). It was very refreshing and Two James Absinthe was a fun surprise.
Overall, I felt that the drinks were really sweet at this event and was glad at the few that bucked this trend. Travis didn’t agree and enjoyed the variety. There was no prior organization to who would bring what but they were assigned product for their creation. The Bail Out team really enjoyed partnering up with Liquid Events. What is next for them? Nothing. They want to focus on two really big events (Whiskey Rebellion and Cocktail Culture) as not to dilute the experiences. Joe is also opening a venue so that will be a huge focus for them too.
Budmo!