Australia Wins Best Cocktail List in the World!
1806 in Melbourne has just taken out the award for Best Cocktail List in the World at the New Orleans Tales of the Cocktail festival.
Tales of the Cocktail is a "culinary and cocktail festival, (that) allows the connoisseur or amateur to fully experience (taste, see and learn about) cocktail culture."
It is the most widely respected gathering of cocktail enthusiasts and aficionados in the world, where people like Gary Regan, Ted Haigh, Audrey Saunders and Simon Difford give education sessions, tastings and workshops. If there is a question you have about cocktails, any question, up to and including when washing machines were first used to mix party-sized serves of punch..? Then Tales of the Cocktail is where it will be answered.
Australia was well represented in the Awards with nominees for Best Drinks Selection (Der Raum, Richmond, Melbourne.) Best Brand Ambassador (Jason Crawly, Maxxium, Sydney) and of course, Best Cocktail List (Bayswater Brasserie, Sydney, and 1806, Melbourne).
The award ceremony was in New Orleans on Saturday 19th of July, or 2pm Sunday 20th Australian time. There to collect the award on behalf of the crew at 1806 was previous Australian Bartender Magazine editor Naren Young.
The award winning cocktail list follows an historical time line from 1806, the year the word cocktail was first defined in print, till today. There is at least one cocktail from every decade complete with the history behind the drink, including who created it, where, and why. For a delicious history lesson and some of the best drinks around, head down to 1806, 169 Exhibition St Melbourne, and toast Australia's victory!
1806 on My Place - as seen on Coxy's Big Break 31 May 2008
In case you missed it, check out Sebastian's awesome review of 1806, as seen on Channel 7's Coxy's Big Break on Saturday 31st May 2008 - click on the link's below and check it out:
My Place Video Footage
www.coxy.com.au
1806 - World Cocktail Week - Wrap up
A big thank you to all the people who supported World Cocktail Week in Melbourne. The week and our launch evening were a huge success with people enjoying a selection of iconic drinks from the last two hundred years. Including the Bittered Sling from 1806, the Martinez from the 1870's, the Southside from Prohibition Chicago 1920's, the hugely argued over Mai Tai from 1940's Tiki era, and finished off with the incomparably dangerous and exciting Blue Blazer, a flaming piece of bar flair from the 1850's.
For the evening we set up a mini expo at 1806. On arrival we gave people the Bittered Sling, an icy mix of Remy Martin Cognac, bitters and sugar, served straight up 1800's style. There was a short presentation about what World Cocktail Week is about, the work that the Museum of the American Cocktail is doing, and a run down on what was happening for the night.
Guests were then free to wander through three historical vignettes; 1870's New York, 1920's Prohibition and 1940's Tiki. At each mini station guests could sample one of the iconic beverages of that period. After an hour or so of casual wandering, sampling and asking questions, we closed the evening with a display and tasting of the Blue Blazer.
For the entire week of World Cocktail Week the celebration drinks were available over the bar at a reduced price and all customers were encouraged to donate to the Museum of the American Cocktail. We managed to raise a couple of hundred on the night which will go towards re-building the Museum headquarters in New Orleans.
For those who want to become members or donate, please go to Museum of the American Cocktail and get involved.
Special thanks go to The Museum of the American Cocktail, our sponsors Remy Martin, Cointreau, Wild Turkey, Appleton Estate, Hayman's Gin, South Gin, Jameson's, Pernod Ricard, and Monin Liqueurs. Thanks also go to Yakusan who helped co-ordinate the Australasian celebrations and of course ran the end of week party at Hugo's in Sydney.
1806 - World Cocktail Week
World Cocktail Week (May 8th -13th) is a celebration of the history of cocktails and the fantastic drinks that have been made and drunk over the last two hundred and two years.
The 13th of May 1806 was the first time that the word cocktail was defined in print, and is the date used to celebrate and remember the history and flavours of past bartenders.
At 1806, we feel a close affinity for the history of cocktails and are celebrating the anniversary of the word cocktail with a flavoursome investigation and journey into the cocktails of the past two hundred years.
1806 - Waiters and Bartenders Secret Ball
A few photo's of the recently held Waiters and Bartenders Secret Ball
Drink like a Gentleman at 1806
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