Author: Matthew Arkin

Do you want to get a moose drunk?

If you’re in certain parts of Alaska, you better be careful. Getting a moose drunk is actually illegal.

We hadn’t realized, before we jumped headfirst into the spirits game, just how many rules and regulations govern the world of alcohol production and consumption. The shock was not only how many rules there are, but also how patently ridiculous many of them are. A mix of Prohibition-era restrictions still on the books, puritanical attitudes toward drinking, and powerful industry lobbies all combine today to create a comical hodgepodge of needlessly complex and hypocritical rules and laws.

We won’t bore you with the all the regs surrounding alcohol production, licensing, labeling, and distribution (they would fill many of these pages), but we will share some of the craziest and most ludicrous laws and restrictions that remain on the books in states all across our country.

Kentucky: No drinking on Election Day. It is not only illegal to sell alcohol on Election Day in Kentucky, it is also illegal to drink alcohol within 100 feet of a polling place.

Massachusetts: Happy Hour is illegal. One of only a few states that still bans this otherwise common practice, Massachusetts bars cannot offer discounted drinks at any time of the day or night.

Texas: It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer if you are standing up. It is also illegal to sell beer in buckets.

Utah: It is illegal to drink any kind of alcohol in public, including parks, sidewalks, and any municipal spaces.

Georgia: It is illegal to sell beer before noon on Sundays. This law, and similar Blue Laws in other states, originated as a way to encourage church attendance. It is also illegal for businesses that provide massage services to sell or serve alcohol.

Oklahoma: It is illegal to sell any alcohol in a container larger than 32 ounces. And, if the alcohol in a container is above 4% ABV, it must be sold at room temperature.

Mississippi: It is illegal to drink alcohol on a train.

Ohio: It is illegal to get a fish drunk. It is also illegal to reference Santa Claus in any promotion or advertising for an alcoholic beverage.

Alaska: In certain areas, including the city of Fairbanks, it is illegal to serve alcoholic beverages to a moose.

New York: The New York State Liquor Authority allows liquor stores to sell wine glasses, wine stoppers, and corkscrews, but wine gift bags are prohibited. Fines for selling a wine gift bag can be as high as $10,000.

Missouri: It is illegal to sit on a curb and drink beer from a bucket.

Nebraska: It is illegal for a bar to sell beer unless it is simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.

Iowa: It is illegal for men to drink beer while they are in bed with their wives (not sure what the law is about women drinking beer in bed…). It is also illegal to “run a tab” at a bar in Iowa.

Florida: The celebratory large format bottles typical for wines and beers are illegal in the state. These include Double magnums, Methuselahs, Salmanazars, Bathazars, and Nebuchadnezzars.

California: No alcoholic beverage can be displayed or sold within 5 feet of a cash register in any establishment that also sells gas.

Pennsylvania: An old law still on the books prohibits a man from buying alcohol without a note of permission from his wife.

New Jersey: If you’re charged with a DUI, you are no longer eligible to obtain a personalized license plate.

Tennessee: A law on the books requires bar owners to prevent any patrons from making loud or unusual noises.

You might have noticed that we like to refer to classical French cuisine when we talk about categories of cocktails or spirits. French cuisine has the five “mother sauces” (Bechamel, Espagnol, Tomate, Velouté, and Hollandaise), which form the foundation of almost all classical French cooking, and we have similar groupings of cocktail styles (sours, flips, highballs, etc.) that form the foundation of most cocktail techniques and recipes. 

In honor of Mother’s Day, we’d like to offer you a Batch 22 cocktail recipe designed to appeal to each of five “types” of mothers. Now, there are surely more than five mother varieties (probably infinite), but we’ve chosen these five to highlight and have a little fun with.  

Please Don’t Embarrass Me

This cocktail, inspired by a strawberry-infused drink called Mother’s Blush, pays homage to all the moms out there who love over-sharing information about their children to anyone who will listen. This trait, though well-meaning, is often most unbearable when the child (or children) are present and are being referred to in the third person. While this cocktail was created to honor the mother, a few of them in quick succession will work wonders for the children as well.

• 1 oz. Batch 22
• 2 oz. Lillet Rose
• 1 oz. Sparkling wine
• 2 Fresh strawberries

In a tall glass, muddle the strawberries with the Batch 22. Add the Lillet and ice and mix. Top with sparkling wine, stir gently, and garnish with an orange twist.

Mama Cola

Here’s a cocktail to honor all those protective moms who put soft drinks in our little, underage hands when bottles of booze were easily within reach. Thanks to them, we all waited until our 21st birthdays to take our first sip of alcohol. [Right?]

A few months ago, we discovered a wonderful spirit from the Dominican Republic called mamajuana. While it sounds like something you’d rather smoke than drink, it’s actually a delicious, spiced rum with unique flavors and aromas. Sweet and caramel colored, mamajuana mixed with Batch 22, lemon juice, and soda water makes an amazingly satisfying version of Adult Coca-Cola.

In a double rocks glass with ice, combine:

• 1 oz. Batch 22
• 2 oz. Mamajuana
• .25 oz. Lemon juice
• 1 oz. Soda or seltzer

Stir to combine and garnish with a lemon peel.

Grandma’s in the Attic

This concoction, inspired by a spirit-heavy drink called the Mother-In-Law, packs something of a punch. For many of us, visiting with the in-laws is a welcome (if not wonderful) experience. For those of us who find such visits are made easier by some social lubrication, we offer this recipe. A blending of five different spirits and two different bitters, this multi-layered cocktail can be as bourbon forward as you’d like it. The original recipe contains only bourbon, but we’ve adapted it to incorporate Batch 22, which lightens it up and takes the sweetness down a notch.

Makes 3 cocktails.

In a shaker with ice combine:

• 5 oz. Batch 22
• 4 oz. Bourbon
• 1 teaspoon Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 teaspoon Angostura Angostura bitters
• 1 teaspoon Torani Amer (citrus-gentian-like aperitif)
• 5 ounce Gran Marnier or orange curaçao
• 5 maraschino liqueur
• 5 ounce simple syrup

Shake to chill well and strain into three chilled martini glasses.

Magenta Yenta

Every mother wants her children to be happy, but some maybe want it a bit too much. This cocktail celebrates the mother who makes her children’s business her business and who works tirelessly to help her child find a mate. Her dentist’s nephew. The girl who checks her in at the gym. The nice server who always waits on her table with a smile. Why not? They’re all perfectly fine possibilities. (And you’re not getting any younger!) Drink in this bright pink elixir, sweet and sour, with a dulcet edge and a pleasing tartness.

In a shaker with ice combine:

• 2 oz. Batch 22
• 1 oz. pomegranate liqueur
• 1 oz. pink grapefruit juice (fresh is best, but a good, bottled cocktail will work)
• Grapefruit twist for garnish

Rub a grapefruit wedge around the rim of a coupe or martini glass and dip the glass into a plate of sugar. Set aside.

Shake contents of shaker to chill well and strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist or peel.

Lipstick Cheeks

Affectionate moms are great, but—as we say in the spirits biz—everything in moderation. Remember having to wipe the lipstick off your cheeks after greeting your mother, aunt, or grandmother? This special cocktail honors that near-universal experience.

Sweet and citrusy, this drink can be layered or mixed together—either presentation offers its own dramatic, lip-smacking effect.

Chill each of the following ingredients well before using:

• 1.5 oz. of Batch 22
• .75 oz. Blue Curacao
• .75 oz. Chambord (or similar raspberry liqueur)
• 2.5 oz. of Orange Juice
• 2.5 oz. of Pineapple Juice

Combine ingredients in a tall Collins glass or similar. Let it layer out or mix it up for a dramatic green presentation.

If you’re a cocktail lover, you probably have a repertoire of drinks that you love to make and know by heart. It’s a nice feeling when you can roll up to your home bar and whip up a Negroni or Martini or Paper Plane without flipping to some recipe database or watching a YouTube video. But, let’s face it, a routine repertoire can sometimes become…well, routine. So, what’s the remedy for cracking the craft cocktail rut? We call it “freestyling.”

Freestyling is really more of an attitude than it is a technique. The idea is to dedicate some time once in a while to being adventurous with ingredients, with trying things you’ve never tasted or even heard of. It’s about the joy of experimentation and the thrill of discovering a new drink combination that you’ll love for years to come.

Mamajuana. Accompani. Passoã. These are all ingredients we discovered simply by making a trip to our local liquor shop and perusing the shelves for spirits unknown. Turned out that Mamajuana (Dominican spiced rum) makes an incredibly delicious version of a lemon Coke when combined with Batch 22, lemon, and soda. Accompani, a richly herbal peppercorn liqueur, made an earthy, complex cocktail that had layers of sweetness and savory. The Passoã (passionfruit liqueur) was a wonderful partner for Batch 22 that complemented the citrus notes in the aquavit and added richness to the finished cocktail.

Want to try some freestyling of your own? Set aside some time to walk up and down the aisles of your favorite liquor store and keep your eyes peeled for spirits and ingredients that you don’t recognize. Our recommendation is to spend most of your time with the cordials, liqueurs, bitters, and non-traditional spirits, as well as the mixers and the accompaniments (syrups, olives, onions, cherries, etc.). The vodka, whiskey, and tequila aisles will likely not offer a whole lot of new possibilities.

Find three new spirits that you’d like to experiment with. If you have your smartphone handy, you can look up the basic flavor profiles of the spirits you’ve identified. Then head to the mixers and the accompaniments. Add a few of these to your cart before checking out.

Borovicka. Horilka. Mirto. These are some of the spirits we’ve recently discovered and are currently playing with. Borovicka is a gin-like spirit made in Slovakia and the Czech Republic with primary flavors of juniper berries. Horilka is a Ukranian spirit usually distilled from wheat or rye, with a spicy, peppery version called Petsivka. Mirto is a type of bitter that’s made from the myrtle plant—specifically the variety that grows on the Italian island of Sardinia. Each of these unique and relatively unknown spirits provides the cocktail explorer with a great opportunity to play, expand knowledge, and to discover.

If you find a great new spirit or create a great new cocktail, we’d love to hear from you. Send us a photo and the recipe and we’ll post it with a credit on our website and offer you a special coupon for your next purchase.

Quite often, being a bartender requires some degree of showmanship. Standing behind a bar is a lot like standing on a stage; just as performers do, you have a collection of patrons (“audience”) sitting on the other side, all facing you and watching your every move.

Remember the 1988 movie “Cocktail?” It is memorable, but not as a good movie (it was resoundingly panned). It does, however, have some memorable bartending/cocktail-creation moments: As a bartender in a trendy New York bar, cocky but talented Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) “performs” his job with incredible showmanship and skill, mixing up libations as he dances on the bar, tosses shakers and bottles in the air, and wows the crowd. It’s basically “Top Gun” with a blender instead of an F-14 fighter jet.

Brian Flanagan was a movie bartender doing fictionalized feats, but lots of real-life bartenders do pretty amazing things. While we were researching world records for cocktail achievements, we also collected a few impressive bartending world records. Here are a few of them.

Most Cocktails Made in One Minute

When you’re on the waiting-end of a drink order at a crowded bar, it can often seem as if it’s taking forever just to get you your Sex On The Beach. Good drinks take time, but patience is not something most bartenders see in a lot of their customers. One New York bartender, Sheldon Wiley, doesn’t actually need anyone to be patient with him; he holds the world record for Most Cocktails Made in One Minute. In 2013, on “Good Morning America,” Wiley mixed 18 cocktails in 60 seconds, creating each one individually.

Most Cocktails Made in One Hour

It’s no surprise that Sheldon Wiley, arguably the world’s speediest bartender, also holds the world record for the most cocktails made in one hour—but he hasn’t reigned without disruption. In 2011, Wiley made 1,003 drinks within an hour, which meant he was averaging one drink per 3.5 seconds. In 2013, a Las Vegas bartender named Erik Mora overtook Wiley’s record with an incredible 1,559 drinks made in one hour. That means he averaged one drink every 2.31 seconds. Not to be outdone, Wiley challenged Mora’s record in the spring of 2014, when he successfully mixed a record 1,905 in an hour and reclaimed his title. Wiley’s new record meant he was creating cocktails at a rate of 1 drink every 1.89 seconds.

Most People Shaking Cocktails Simultaneously

On September 18, 2013, at a conference held by alcohol industry giant Diageo in Barcelona, Spain, 1,710 people gathered, each with a cocktail shaker in their hands. At the end of a countdown, the entire crowd simultaneously started shaking a simple version of a vodka martini (vodka, vermouth, and lemon zest). Guinness later certified this achievement as a world record.

Most Layers in a Cocktail

In 2017, a Chinese bartender named Zheng Wen successfully layered a record-setting 10 ingredients in one cocktail, consisting of 7 types of alcohol and 3 fruit-flavored sugar syrup mixes. This achievement required a mastery and knowledge of a wide variety of liquid densities in addition to a painstaking patience. Unlike Sheldon Wiley, Wen needed lots of time to create one cocktail; it took her over an hour to achieve this record-setting presentation.

Most Pint Glasses (Full) Balanced on a Head

At the Guinness Festival in Nassau, in 2002, John Evans snagged the record for most pint glasses of beer ever balanced atop a human head. Evans successfully balanced 235 glasses—filled and stacked—for 13 seconds. His remarkable record still stands to this day (we don’t know who drank the 235 beers afterward).

Country That Consumes the Most Cocktails

In Italy, about 36% of all bar orders are cocktails, which is pretty interesting considering how great the variety and quality of Italian wines and beers are. According to drinks-intel.com, Italy tops the list of cocktail-consuming countries and is part of a continuing strong trend of cocktail culture throughout Europe. Switzerland and Russia are also big cocktail consumers, coming in at 33% of all orders.

World’s Largest Cocktail Menu

If you ever happen to find yourself in the Bulgarian city of Varna, make it a point to visit Pench’s Bar. Celebrated publican Pencho Penchev has created a menu that offers patrons a choice of 2,014 cocktails, which is a world record. Penchev’s bar set the record in 2014 and, despite holding the title for a decade, Pencho says he’s working on an even bigger menu, so he will likely break his own record in the future!

Most Cocktails Poured Simultaneously

Jägermeister bombs were the beverage of choice when the record for pouring the most cocktails simultaneously (without spilling any), was set in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 2022. Bartender Philip Traber stacked 17 pint glasses, poured Jager into each, and then tilted the entire stack over a row of glasses to pour them all simultaneously.

If you’re anything like us, you sometimes fall asleep at night dreaming of giant cocktails. That got us wondering, what are some world records in the cocktail category? Here are a few answers.

World’s Largest Bottle of Whiskey

The world’s largest bottle of whiskey has a name: It’s called The Intrepid and it’s a bottle that measures 5 feet, 11 inches tall and contains 311 liters (82.1 gallons) of 1989 Macallan single malt. Created for charity (The Marie Curie Charity), the bottle sold for $1.4 million in 2022 to Vietnamese businessman Viet Nguyen Dinh Tuan. He purchased the human-sized bottle of whiskey at an auction in Edinburgh, Scotland, in May 2022 and added it to his extensive collection of extremely rare single malt whiskeys.

Largest Two-Ingredient Mixed Drink Ever Made

The largest simple mixed drink ever created was whipped up in the United States—in Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 5th, 2018, members of the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild produced a 946-liter (250-gallon) Gin & Tonic made with Fever Tree Tonic Water and Empress 1908 Gin. The completed cocktail contained enough liquid to fill more than three standard-size bathtubs.

This gigantic purple G&T was served up to a fundraiser crowd at the Apex Social Club inside the Palms Casino, to benefit the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health at the Cleveland Clinic. The event was themed “Keep Memory Alive,” and in total the clinic raised more than $10,000 offering up individual glasses to attendees.

In the general cocktail category, the Gin & Tonic holds another world record as the Most Requested Cocktail in the World. According to a worldwide Bacardi survey, nearly one third of all global cocktail orders (28%) are for some version of a Gin & Tonic. Sometimes simplicity reigns supreme.

Largest Margarita Ever Made

In 2011, Margaritaville produced a “glass” of margarita that was actually a vat. It measured 5.2 meters (17 feet) tall and 3 meters (9.8 feet) in diameter. Named ‘Lucky Rita,’ the drink’s total volume surpassed 32,176 liters (8,500 gallons) and was comprised of 8,081 liters (2,135 gallons) of Margaritaville Gold tequila, 2,760 liters (715 gallons) of Margaritaville triple sec, 8,640 liters (2,282 gallons) of Margaritaville Margarita mix, and 12,870 liters (3,400 gallons) of Lemon-x margarita mix.

The Lucky Rita, which took 60 people more than 300 hours to create, was developed to celebrate the grand opening of the Margaritaville Casino at The Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas.

Largest Mojito Ever Made

The world’s largest mojito was created at 4-Jack’s Bar and Bistro, a popular hot spot in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The cocktail, which was made up of 700 liters (185 gallons) of rum and 300 liters (79 gallons) of lemon juice, comprised a total volume of 3,519 liters (930 gallons) and was served in a stainless-steel glass that measured nearly 10 feet in height.

The owner of 4-Jack’s, Joel Villalona, organized the giant mojito event to thank his loyal patrons and supporters in Punta Cana.

Largest Negroni Ever Made

The largest Negroni cocktail ever created had a total volume of 633.65 liters (167 gallons) and was successfully assembled by the staff at the hotel Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, in Pathum Wan, Bangkok, Thailand.

The hotel decided to challenge the previous Negroni record on September 12, 2022, as part of their celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Negroni Week.

Largest Paradise Cocktail Ever Made

Famous rapper Snoop Dogg has been singing about “gin and juice” for decades, but he finally decided to create a world record with it. During an appearance at BottleRock Music Festival in Napa Valley, California, in May of 2018, Snoop enlisted the help of fellow rapper Warren G and Top Chef Season 6 winner Michael Voltaggio to create the world’s largest Paradise Cocktail.

The finished drink, which measured 550 liters (145 gallons), was made up of 180 bottles of gin, 154 bottles of apricot brandy, and 38 jugs of orange juice.

Bartending is a job that employs a lot of different skills. Frequently done under pressure in a chaotic environment, bartending requires a cool head, a good memory, preparation, organization, and seamless execution—not to mention a working knowledge of dozens of techniques, ingredients, and recipes.

In addition to all these requirements, bartenders must also be good at interacting with patrons. A welcoming personality, an ability to listen, and even an ability to “read” customers are traits that separate the great bartenders from the good ones.

The sheer volume and variety of people that most bartenders serve provides bar staff with a unique window into human behavior. Forget the sob stories and the alcohol-fueled rants, most bartenders can tell a lot about you just by the kinds of drinks you order.

Buzzfeed surveyed a bunch of bartenders and asked them what they thought of their customers by the drinks they requested. Here’s what some of them said:

When a customer says, “I’ll have a shot of tequila,” the bartender thinks: This person doesn’t have work tomorrow or just got fired.

When a customer says, “I’ll have a shot of Fernet,” the bartender thinks: This person wants me to think they spent a year in Europe.

When a customer says, “I’ll have a scotch and water,” the bartender thinks: This 50+ person has heart issues.

When a customer says, “I’ll have a Bellini,” the bartender thinks: This person has a tab at Olive Garden.

When a customer says, “I’ll have a whiskey sour,” the bartender thinks: I definitely need to card this person.

When a customer says, “I’ll have a Batch on the rocks,” the bartender thinks: Wow. This is the smartest, most amazing person I’ve ever served. [Alright. We admit it. We made this last one up.]

Diane Singer, a veteran bartender writing on the website brandfuel.com, offered her quick take on what drinks reflect about the people ordering them. Here’s an edited (“distilled”) rundown:

Vodka drinkers: “They love to set trends, and love being part of the action.”

Tequila shooters: “Incredibly comfortable in their own skin.”

Whiskey drinkers: “Complex and methodical.”

Gin drinkers: “Believe in traditional ideas, are mysterious, clever, and know how to get attention.”

For the most part, bartenders seem to have the highest respect for the “foundational” spirits (whiskey, bourbon, gin, and tequila—vodka is a toss-up. Many bartenders look down on vodka for its lack of flavor and its inability to add anything of interest to a cocktail recipe. Some high-end craft cocktail bars don’t even stock vodka behind their bars).

This respect for the classics seems to influence a bartender’s overall impression of you as a customer as well. In general, the more a patron veers away from each of these spirits in their purest form, the less esteem they will enjoy from their bartenders. [This, of course, is a very broad generalization.] So, what’s a drink order that usually garners respect from a bartender? Many say it’s a simple martini. Or an Old Fashioned. Or a scotch on the rocks.

So, what’s a drink that’s likely to make bartenders cringe? That would be The Long Island Iced Tea. A “god-awful” cocktail according to New York bartender Santana Buriss, this drink combines vodka, rum, gin, tequila, triple sec, cola, and lemon. Because it contains so many alcohols, an LIIT is usually sweet, potent, and one of the quickest ways to simply get smashed. It also appears to be one of the quickest ways to get your bartender to roll his or her eyes.

Frozen drinks and mojitos are another category that can vex many bartenders, especially during crunch times. They take a good deal of time to prepare (mint for mojitos must be muddled fresh for each drink) and require more attention than most cocktails. Don’t expect big smiles from behind the bar when you order six mojitos on a busy Saturday night.

The drinks you order definitely create the first impression a bartender has of you, but plenty of other things can influence that interaction. What are some other forms of customer behavior that give patrons away to bartenders? Well, there’s what bartenders call the “Fruit Bat,” for example, which is the person who sits at the bar eating the fruit (or olives) that is supposed to be used for garnishes. Then there’s the “Snapper” and the “Whistler,”—the universally despised patron that snaps fingers, yells, or whistles to get a bartender’s attention. Then there’s the customer who takes up an adjacent barstool with a backpack or a purse. Or the one who rips the cocktail napkin up into a million tiny pieces before getting up and leaving. Oh, and don’t forget the touchers. Those are the ones who bare their souls to you after a few snorts and start to believe you guys are actually friends.

All of these types of customers tend to make bartenders cranky, and for understandable reasons. If you happen to be a patron who’s exhibited one or some of these behaviors in the past, you might want to check yourself. If you don’t, you might want to check your next cocktail; there may be something floating in it that you won’t like. Cheers!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 1, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. A team of scientists working on a high-level human genome project at the National Institutes for Health have announced a major scientific discovery in the field of human development.

While studying the effects of various top-secret formulations intended to boost immunity and promote robust muscle growth in humans, one researcher introduced a small dosage of aquavit to a formulation. Upon agitation and titration, the liquid evidently became highly energized and began exhibiting signs of “supercharging” the human cells with amazing speed and strength.

Stories vary, but a few members of the lab described the addition of the aquavit as “brilliant” and “groundbreaking.” A few others described the apparent breakthrough as “a mistake.”

 When questioned more thoroughly, the researcher whose sample contained the added element recounted the moments leading up to discovery: “I basically knocked my glass over and spilled some Batch 22 into the formulation,” the researcher explained. “Before I could clean it up, I noticed the isolated cells in my beaker were going crazy.” When questioned about why the researcher had a bottle of Batch 22 in the laboratory and on the counter, she replied, “Everyone on the team drinks Batch. We can’t explain it, but it helps us with our work.”The implications of this breakthrough are thus far inconclusive, but initial findings indicate that Batch 22 could be highly effective in preventing a wide variety of human ailments, including smallpox, yellow fever, polio, malaria, food poisoning, hair loss, blindness, deafness, impetigo, shingles, and life-threatening flatulence. Other preliminary studies also indicate that Batch 22 could be a powerful accelerant of muscle growth and bone regeneration and may play a major role in the government’s plan to create a population of “super humans” that would one day defend America against its enemies.

“We are going to dedicate major resources to the NIH’s newly minted National  Aquavit Program (NAP),” Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli, Director, stated at a recent press conference. “We don’t know exactly all the ways in which we can utilize the amazing properties of aquavit, but it is clear that we stand on the precipice of a new frontier where science and spirits can work together to create a more perfect world.”

Building a successful spirit brand involves the utilization of a wide variety of resources, not the least of which are professionals out in the field who get your message out to consumers. We rely on these folks to help us navigate current cocktail trends and cool new ways to use ingredients, but we also need them to tell other influential members of the spirits community about us.

Over the past few years, we’ve come to rely on a small group of cocktail authorities—many of them influential on social media—as our core reference base for all things spirit. We thought we’d share our six favorites, each of which provides a unique kind of content and manages to do it with great panache and production value.

Punch [Insta: @punch_drink]

Gorgeous cocktail photography and great recipes are only part of what these guys do best. With a searchable database of recipes, as well as great reference on bars and restaurants around the world, Punch provides insights into current trends, new and interesting ingredients, movers and shakers in the cocktail world, and copious lists of additional resources to explore if you’re cocktail-curious.

A Bar Above [Insta: @abarabove]

Known for its online programs in cocktail and mixology education, A Bar Above is also a great resource for information on the literal tools of the trade. They feature, rate, and describe the best contraptions to use for various techniques—everything from juicers to peelers to muddlers— and they provide key guidelines for considering any bar-related purchases. Sprinkled in with everything else are frequent recipe offerings, all designed to be relatively easy to execute.

The Drinking Coach [Insta: @thedrinkingcoach]

The “coach” in question is actually a woman named Tiffanie Barriere, and we at Downtime Cocktails are big fans (it may have something to do with the fact that Tiffanie has said she’s a big fan of Batch 22!). An award-winning bartender, Tiffanie is a highly regarded and influential figure in the cocktail world.  We look to her for insights on upcoming trends and—as an industry insider—we take great note of her opinions on what’s “cool” and what’s “over.”

The Bitter Gringo [Insta: @thebittergringo]

There are tons of folks on social media who regularly post photos of cocktails and cocktail recipes, but only a select few consistently provide super high-quality imagery with consistently creative and cutting-edge recipes. The Bitter Gringo is one of those sources. We love recipe creators who make you think, “Wow, I never thought of that before,” and TBG sparks inspiration on a regular basis.

Join Jules [Insta: @join_jules]

She just appears to be an energetic woman who likes making cocktails in her home kitchen, but don’t let the casual and friendly exterior fool you: Jules knows her shit. Her recipes are interesting, well thought out, and (for the most part) easy to re-create. To top it all off, the how-to videos she shoots are always super beautiful (and so well lit!).

The Educated Barfly [Insta: @theeducatedbarfly]

We’ve been following this guy for years now, ever since we met him at a Hollywood party and decided to work together on some social media promotions. He loved Batch 22 and we loved him. On Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms, he’s posted a huge wealth of recipe information to his more than 200K followers—mostly videos where he provides the perfect balance of background information and history, along with key technique tips and a fun-loving, breezy attitude that always reminds you that cocktails are primarily made for enjoying life.

Next time you’re surfing your social, make sure to follow some or all of these accounts. We think you’ll be glad you did.

We have spent last year-and-a-half introducing aquavit to countless Americans. Most have never tasted of it. Even more have never heard of it. What is amazing is how many people love it when they try it. A totally new flavor. A new kind of spirit. And people are won over.

​This always feel like a grand sense of discovery for us and the people who are tasting, but the truth is aquavit has been an esteemed and well-loved spirit throughout much of the world for centuries. More than five centuries, to be exact.

Go to your local spirit shop and—if it’s a good one—they’ll likely have an aquavit—or maybe two—to choose from. Go to a similar store in Norway, and you’re likely to find upwards of 90 different varieties on the shelves. In Scandinavia, aquavit basically flows like water, which is particularly fitting, as aquavit literally means “water of life.”

In the Nordic countries, bottles of aquavit sit alongside all the other typical spirits of a well-stocked home bar. There is probably a bottle or two sitting the average Northern European refrigerator or freezer. Many Scandinavians will pull a bottle out after a special dinner, to down a shot or two as a digestif. It’s not uncommon for a bottle to hit the table when a celebration of one kind or another is called for. And, around the holidays, aquavit is the festive drink of choice for many families who consider it the perfectly delicious blend of flavor and tradition.

As aquavit is a fixture in Northern European life, so are stories about it and its origins. A man named Christopher Blix Hammer is commonly considered to be the “father of Norwegian aquavit.” Born in 1720, Hammer was something of a Renaissance Man. He could read Hebrew, Arabic, and Chinese and studied mathematics, theology, botany, cartography, and law before taking over the family business where he learned the art of distillation. One of his earliest known works was a 1766 treatise on potatoes, in which he described the plant that was still new to the region. Ten years later, he wrote a treatise on aquavit, which he had begun to produce on his farm (presumably with the potatoes he cultivated).

Since Hammer’s time, aquavit has become ubiquitous throughout the Nordic region, and is now produced in a wide variety of styles and with a wealth of ingredients. Today, to be called an “aquavit,” the spirit must have caraway and often has dill, but many producers use a wide range of other herbs and spices, including wormwood, star anise, fennel, iris root, chamomile, juniper berries, coriander, celery, lemon, cumin, bitter orange, curacao, and jasmine. In fact, the incredible variety of styles and flavors found in the world’s aquavits make the spirit as diverse and interesting as any gin, bourbon, or tequila. Our hope is that soon Americans will come to know of aquavit’s many charms as well.

As spirits producers, we at Downtime Cocktails are constantly scanning market data for news and insights about trends and statistics. As we periodically take a look at both global and national trends, we get a better understanding of how we can get our message out most effectively and position Batch 22 for success.

According to ReAnIn, a research and analysis company, the global spirits market was about $182 billion In 2023. By 2030, that market is expected to grow by nearly 30%, to $241 billion.
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Zimbabwe is the world’s top consumer of alcohol per capita (62.8 liters), according to wisevoter.com—and its consumption is almost double the number two on the list, Tunisia. The U.S., in comparison, comes in at #121 on the list with a per capita consumption of 13.7 liters. That’s significantly behind France (16.7 liters), Spain (14.6 liters), and just ahead of Italy (12 liters).

A large part of the global spirits market is dominated by China, which is home to the world’s most-consumed spirit: Baijiu. Never heard of it? Most people in the U.S. haven’t, even though global Baijiu consumption dwarfs the consumption of most other mainstream spirits combined. Baijiu is starting to find acceptance in certain American markets (innovative and cutting-edge bartenders are starting to craft cocktails with Baijiu as a main ingredient), but this sorghum-based, grain-alcohol-like beverage is still mostly unknown.

Given Baiju’s popularity, it’s not surprising that the most valuable spirit label in world is Moutai Baijiu. The brand is currently worth upwards of $500 billion.

We like looking at the Baijiu story because, in many ways, it mirrors the current story of aquavit in America. Of course, the global and U.S. markets for aquavit are exponentially smaller than those for Baijiu, but—like Baijiu—aquavit is a ubiquitous spirit in certain parts of the world and is starting to gain prominence in America. We’re heartened by that, even though we realize Batch 22 is unlikely to be valued at $500 billion any time soon!