G'day. If you're new here, and you are interested in the Melbourne food and drink scene you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or the email newsletter below. Thanks for visiting and enjoy eating and drinking in Melbourne. Cheers.
The bittered sling.
The really bad news is that the posse is falling apart. My favourite pole dancer is leaving town. I can only console myself with her leaving celebrations on Sunday, possibly followed by a return to 1806, a classy new arrival on the bar scene despite its Dracula theatre restaurant and backpacker bar roots.
I’ve been challenged to drink the menu at 1806 by the posse.
Draped in red velvet and with what I presume are crystal chandeliers it pays homage to the year the cocktail was defined, 1806 and takes its evolution forward to the present.
The original 1806 cocktail is the Bittered Sling, which comes in a glass which approximates in shape to Marie Antoinettes breast which by today’s standards is quite small but tastes very good. (I didn’t say that very weel - I meant the coktail tastes very good andcanot comment of the breasts or royalty) The posse last week tried a refreshing Raspberry Fizz and creamy Angels Milk.
Anyway, they are egging me on to drink the whole menu from start to finish. All I want to do is slump back into the comfortable sofa and read the bar menu which takes one on an entertaining but boozy journey forward to the present from 1806.
“It’ll make a great series of blog posts they say,” envisioning me being able to conjure the magic that Fraser Lewry provides with his Animal Alphabet.
In reality my liver won’t stand it. I probably can’t afford the dry cleaning. And I certainly can’t afford the bar bill.
But Sunday night I’ll be there attempting the Mint Julep from 1816 and possibly the Rum Shrub from 1826. That will leave 182 years which thankfully is only 33 drinks, 31 if I count what the posse drank the other night.
The brains behind the booze Sebastian Raeburn promises some new molecular mixology, which could set me back a few drinks.
Will anyone out there help me?
Popularity: 25% [?]
January 24th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Bring it on. I’m back in Melbourne and think that spending time in the more strictly Muslim bits of Malaysia has been good conditioning (or at least, taken some pressure off my liver) to get back into drinking.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Phil, maybe we can do a swap - I need a long stint where you’ve been.
January 24th, 2008 at 11:59 am
divide and conquer…i’m in. can i take the gin based ones, though. vodka does terrible, terrible things to me (and consequently, others).
January 24th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Well there is the possibility of devoting a blog to it with guest bloggers, but imagine that it would be too much of a blur to record?
I’m happy to jump in with you and Phil, and then if your liver needs respite, come to Penang and Redang with us in May.
January 25th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Johanna, Sticky has made a great suggestion. I shall open the blog to guest bloggers to review every cocktail at 1806. great idea.
Sticky, Penang and Redang sounds a great idea although my mum is campaigning for me to visit home at some point.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Brilliant. You’ll be hearing from me soon.
January 25th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Speaking of collaborative blogs, The Grocer, Purple Goddess and I are also now reviewing pies in NSW & Vic. Grocer has set it up and named it Piecon. And no, before you ask - as Mr Stickyfingers already has - it doesn’t mean swindling pies, it’s ‘icon’ merged with pie.
http://piecon.blogspot.com
January 28th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
At the risk of being called tacky and a heartless bitch just thought I would share this joke with you it made me laugh!
Did you hear Heath Ledger died of alcohol poisoning? Too many cock sucking cowboys:-)
Sorry Ed you were talking about cockatils I couldn’t help myself!
January 28th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
LoL!