Mixology is a term I’d never heard before, but a friend – who asked me to swear never to write about him or his establishment on this blog – mentioned it to me when he started working for one of the hottest bars in LA. He’s been my teacher of all things liquor, hipness, renewal and trend when it comes to the bar industry in Los Angeles, CA for the last two years. He once told me about arriving at his bar, midday, because his fellow bartenders, bar-backs and dishwashers were to help with hand-cutting ice chunks in order to place in punch bowls filled with traditional – and sometimes innovative – liquor concoctions. These punch bowls, reminiscent of days when booze was once banished, were the popular choice of patrons in the 1920′s. Groups would arrive to bars and order punch bowls for many to enjoy. Great idea.

I’m a “Scotch nice and neat, please” type of guy, so I never thought about ordering a punch bowl until last month, when a friend of mine invited me to The Clover Club in Brooklyn. We ordered their AM Punch ($45 for roughly six people to refill their dinky cups twice), which was an Anejo Tequila, Applejack, elderflower, almond syrup, lemon and champagne mix that I highly recommend. However, there was something strange about dipping a ladle into a bowl and pouring liquor into my cup. I felt displaced. It could have been the girls dressed in their best jitter-bug attire, or the dark quarters we were in and Jelly Roll Morten playing in the background. Maybe I needed a fedora and felt-tipped shoes to truly appreciate the moment. I’m not sure. But there’s no questioning the flavor of this drink. It was refreshing, delicious, and boozy.

If you haven’t had a holiday party, and you’re looking for something a little different, T Mag gives us a recipe to try.

Now Mixing: A One-Two Punch [via T Mag]
Image [via NYT]