
One could argue that cocktails are the mark of a civilized society. Thus Jamie Boudreau, barman at Tini Bigs, can be viewed as an angel of western culture, the sort of artisan foretold by our contemporary (and local) cocktail prophets, Robert Hess of Drinkboy.com and Paul Clarke of CocktailChronicles.com. Jamie was recently working on some new recipes, including an item named Chrysanthemum #2 (a very fine amalgam of vermouth, Benedictine, lemon juice and absinhe). At Tini Bigs, the half the bourbon lineup is B's: Basil Hayden's, Baker's, Black Maple Hill, Blanton, Bookers, Bulleit. On his website, SpiritsandCocktails.com, Jamie shows you his true colors: green, pink and orange drinks of stunning complexity.
Another cute cocktail book is Bixology, born at a trendy supper club in San Francisco named Bix. It's full of trivia, recipes for classic drinks and quotations from famous writers and musicians. Co-author “Bix” Beiderbeck owns several other swanky joints in the City.